POLL: If you were improving your method, would you seek more setups or fewer of them?

Discussion in 'Trading' started by Gabfly1, Feb 18, 2010.

If you were improving your method, would you seek more setups or fewer of them?

  1. More setups

    15 vote(s)
    28.3%
  2. Fewer setups

    38 vote(s)
    71.7%
  1. People sweat setups way too much, like the setup itself is the Holy Grail...
     
    #11     Feb 18, 2010
  2. LOL!
     
    #12     Feb 18, 2010
  3. the1

    the1

    More setups and let me pick the ones I like but I've been in the game for decades. A beginner would probably want fewer setups and more direction. It sounds like you're doing a service or planning to. How about splitting it down the middle and throw everything out there that you find with little detail and toss it on the pro page and fewer setups with more detail on the newb page?

    If you do this, however, I have a feeling you're gonna get requests for performance stats on the newb page.

    Bottom line, there are a lot more newbs out there than pros so if you are doing a service you have to expect a lot of turnover.
     
    #13     Feb 18, 2010
  4. I'd say you want to modify the system in whatever way produces better internal system statistics: total profit, profit/trade, profit/share, profit/drawdown, win ratio, etc.
     
    #14     Feb 18, 2010
  5. LeeD

    LeeD

    Gabfly1, I think you receive substantial "flaming" in this thread because many may find it difficult to relate your question to their trading experience.

    The question implies that good trading signal is the key component (maybe 90%) of a trading system. "All equal" implies that improving the signal is where most would find space for improvement. Given systems that just trade at fixed time (say, at market open) or even have random entries can work, trade management (that is right exit together with scaling in or out) matters too.

    If you asked something like

    When you work to improve your entry signal, do you prefer to improve the probability of "winning" or how frequently the same-probability set-up occurs?

    or

    How many trades per day do you see in your trading style?

    The answers could have been more specific...

    the1, I agree the OP may be looking at selling trading signals.
     
    #15     Feb 18, 2010
  6. Good trades generally start well.
     
    #16     Feb 18, 2010
  7. "Generally", as in you would not randomly enter the market. A good racer "generally" has a good start as well but that doesn't say much about what he does for the next 20 laps.
     
    #17     Feb 18, 2010
  8. My former handle here was Thunderdog. I have been coming here since 2002. I have generally been quite skeptical of vendors and continue to be so. I have never sought to either buy or sell anything here. Ever. That you would connect such non-existent dots and think I am planning to sell something of a trading-related nature is laughable.
     
    #18     Feb 18, 2010
  9. Clearly, I am focusing on setups. How remarkable and outstanding that you would suggest profitable trading is not limited to setups. However, this thread is. If this thread had indeed been about setups, trade management and exits, then any information to be gathered from such a poll would be that much more obscured. However, I was curious about current sentiment regarding setup frequency in the current market. Thus my poll. Perhaps you should conduct your own poll and fill in the blanks. Or, you can continue to pontificate knowingly from your perch.
     
    #19     Feb 18, 2010
  10. I choose the latter.
     
    #20     Feb 18, 2010