Random Walk Theory Proved, once and for all.

Discussion in 'Trading' started by mu200411, Nov 28, 2007.

  1. Could somebody post a proven strategy that BREAKS EVEN (vs buy-and-hold)? It has to have a large number of trades in various markets and time periods.

    To me this type of the validated strategy would disprove the random walk, because I can imagine that a strategy just a notch better than that must also exist.

    If somebody is aware of the above strategy, they may be more willing to share it as opposed to a strategy that actually makes real $$.
     
    #171     Feb 23, 2008
  2. jgalt7

    jgalt7

    Its has been proven- and accepted even in academic circles- that "markets are not completely random after all, and that predictable components do exist in recent stock and bond returns"

    Why is this discussion still going on?

    http://press.princeton.edu/titles/6558.html
     
    #172     Feb 23, 2008
  3. There are several Market Timing
    Models that have been around for years
    that beat BUY & HOLD.
    Many are quite simple.
    The biggest problem today is the investor.
    Compounding and Patience go hand in hand.
    It does not require speed trading as much as it does Patience as with many Market Timing Models.

    Not one I use, yet it serves the purpose
    for a simple plan.
    Here is a very conservative system.

    NASDAQ 25-WMA Strategy
    ( NO LEVERAGE )
    32 Years Plan

    Buy LONG Signal when the Nasdaq weekly price crosses the 25-WMA UP.

    SHORT Position Signal when the Nasdaq weekly price crosses the 25-WMA DOWN.

    From 1971 to 2003
    Starting with $100,000
    Buy and hold = $975,000
    25-WMA = $4,375,000

    If the 20-WMA was used in lieu of the
    25-WMA ( besides more Trades)

    You would have $46,575,000

    Yes I know, There are much better ways. Many simple plans can be found in several books. Risk VS Reward is a big factor also.
    That was only one example of a very simple plan.
    The BIGGEST problem is sticking to the plan. year after year after year.
    That is the real secret to generational
    wealth building.

    Jeff @ EOD Traders
    http://www.eodtraders.com/
     
    #173     Feb 23, 2008
  4. Sorry I made a typing ERROR.
    The 20 is DMA in lieu of WMA.
    The 25 is correct which is WMA.

    What I find interesting is
    the 20-DMA strategy only had
    40% of its trades showing a profit.
    Yet it beat BUY & HOLD
    by 46 to 1 ratio.

    Very slow system.

    Jeff @ EOD Traders
     
    #174     Feb 23, 2008
  5. #175     Feb 23, 2008
  6. Good article
    Thanks

    Jeff
     
    #176     Feb 23, 2008
  7. Very interesting! But tt is not clear to me that this strategy beats the index after the commissions: "So where's the catch? If it's as simple as looking up how stocks performed last year (information which is freely available on any number of websites) and placing a few trades, why is everyone not doing it?

    The answer lies in the methodology behind the study, which involves buying the top 20pc of a performance-ranked list of stocks and selling short the bottom 20pc.

    Even restricting yourself to the FTSE 100 that means 40 trades. What's worse, to match the LBS results you have to do that every month."

    How about an example of a high-frequency strategy, with several trades per day, that just breaks even?
     
    #177     Feb 24, 2008
  8. IB commish on LSE stocks:

    6 pounds per trade of up to 50000 quid value
    = 12 pounds round trip

    Twenty round trips per month
    20 x 12 per month = 240 pm

    ie 2880 PA

    ~ 2.9% PA on 100000 pound account, and insignificant on large accounts.

    Presumably the testing was done on closing prices and slippage on those in real trading might be more of a problem.

    Ooops - forgot stamp duty on purchases: 6% PA. Maybe you could use CFDs to get around that.
     
    #178     Feb 24, 2008
  9. Oh! Great. I believe you, Mark Brown. :D
    But if you would like other ETers to believe you too, you should show some proof. No, you don't have to reveal your trade secrets.
    Just tell us what the Market will do in 7 consecutive time frame;
    Monay UP/Down; by x % (February, 2008, every 1 hour, or every 10 minutes will be OK).
    Tuesday UP/Down; by x %
    Wednesday UP/Down; by x %
    Thursday UP/Down; by x %
    Friday UP/Down; by x %
    Monday UP/Down; by x %
    If you get 7 out of 7 correct then you can predict sp for sure.
    If you get 6/7 excellent.
    If 5/7 very good.
    If 4/7 you still have an edge.
    If you get the % change to the .1% of the sp, all fund manages will be looking for you.
    If .2% that is excellent.
    If .3% very good.
    If .5% you still have an edge.
    If 1% that is the normal daily range now.

     
    #179     Feb 24, 2008
  10. Sorry for the late respond. It takes time to do more calculation.
    This chart shows some random 10% jump up and down.

    BTW, my point today is today price action cannot be predict by the supercomputer that has all the previous price actions as input. But the Market is bias, you can predict what the Market will do after a series of price actions, be it daily, weekly, monthly, hourly or minute by minute. Everyone would be happy if the story ends here. What scare traders, scalpers and inverstors most is the random attack by up or down move 10 - 20 times the normal range. This can wipe out many sound positions.

    No theory would suggest that 9/11 won't affect stock price. None would propose that a "file for bankruptcy protection" won't affect stock price either.

     
    #180     Feb 24, 2008