I never said anyone photoshopped anything. I said I assume everything said & read here was true. If so, what motivates and drives ultra-successful traders to post here all day long, often dozens of times daily in heated verbal exchanges that don't matter to anyone at all? I'm not questioning anyone's success... I am questioning the motivation to hound a board full of random strangers you don't respect, don't like and possibly even loathe. As for the HFT => market liquidity comments, I have the slightest grasp of that all and nothing more. I do know for an absolute, ironclad fact that existing futures accounts with brokers this year are at historical lows, active traders are at historical lows and open interest in the futures markets are likewise at all-time recent lows. That much I do know for sure
austinp, For as long as you have been a member here, you (and a handful of others) have been ultra-critical of other members and the overall environment here at ET. Has it ever occurred to you that everybody else might not be the problem, and that the problem might be you? In other words, the problem isn't how other members are acting, the problem is that your expectations of people are too high. I think you need to ratchet down your expectations of people, and by doing that, you might find the site way more enjoyable. But as long as you think that a forum of traders should be made up of profitable, loving people who's sole purpose is to contribute their very best content and respectfully help others, you will continue to be let down, I can promise you.
I'll explain it to you; at least in terms of my pathology. I posted the pitchfork introduction because a former coworker was using the idea internally at a firm we had both worked at, so I posted the idea publicly. Anyway, it's not as though I think it's some massive IP, but it's my idea, nonetheless. A guy working for UBS in Europe read the thread and asked me if there is more to it, there is, and he paid me for the sheets. So the internal calcs in the sheet are no longer mine, but I am allowed personal use. I got $62K for attaching the excel sheet to an email and sending it off. I don't trade them naked and there is an certainly capacity issues. He sent me a ND, but I have no idea whom he shared it with and I don't care. I don't post looking for gigs... can't take one even if it were offered. I don't trade retail funds outside of my family. You posted your combine results here... why?
well, I logged in for the first time today in however long due to an email I received. Everyone finds their own enjoyment and/or purpose for actions. I'm fine with others addicted to a message board for negative purposes if that fills their personal needs. I'm addicted to a couple of other message boards totally unrelated to markets. My purpose for visiting any forum is to increase knowledge or learning, add value to myself in exchange for my time = life spent and gone forever. If there is no positive experience for me in exchange for time/life, serves no purpose for me. If ultra-successful traders find personal benefit to exchange their time/life here for negative purposes, fine by me. I simply find it curious, that's all. In any event the trading world has greatly shrunk and will continue to do so for awhile. Guess it'll be a dwindling crowd of antagonists exchanging barbs here as time goes on.
I've believed for years that you've forgotten more about the complexities of spreads trading than I'll ever learn or care to know, and imo you are an ultra-successful trader by anyone's measure. That much I have believed since about 2006 thru now. What puzzles me is why you spend so much time and energy here berating surf, nodoji, the other aliases I cant think of right now, etc. I've followed your journals and see a wealth of information in there. Most everyone here thinks you know what you're doing from all angles possible. As for me? Market direction and which way to trade long ago ceased being a challenge. For the past year or two, the tough part about futures trading is getting filled right where desired, holding stops where desired while price moves from intended entry to measured objectives. No one disputes market liquidity has waned badly, and that's not a good thing for any of us.
Thanks for the explanation. I have an issue with people recommending CL trading as a "cash machine" as well as physiology anecdotes such as "acidic blood." I find such things unconscionable to proffer on a public forum. I am not a nice guy, but I abhor BS. I try very hard to hold myself to that standard.
I'm not sure what the "acidic blood" is, not something I recall saying or even thinking, myself. As for the CL being a cash machine? Not something I said either. I do believe under normal market conditions it trades purer and cleaner via S/R levels than stock markets do, but certain days like today, monthly rollover, etc it does go ape-shit wild and you just have to stand aside and let it go. As for technical analysis itself and the start of this thread, T/A to me is the reaction of price at various zones of resistance and support. Simplified, S/R is nothing more than resting stops = open interest in a market... true liquidity. The more liquid a market is, aka ample supply to meet most demands, the purer price respects S/R zones. But the less liquid any market becomes, the more random it trades without respect to S/R zones because the true liquidity simply is not there any more. No open interest = resting stops? No fundamental S/R, no technical analysis. That is hands down the absolute toughest part about trading for the past few years: waning liquidity, and likewise increase of randomness in price as it moves measurably from A to B or B to A. I too get a bunch of email offers that promise 100s of ticks per day every day in trade calls, +20pts ES per day, trade like a pro in seven days, follow our trade signals and get rich, etc. I guess if it's really that easy, maybe we should all quit trading on our own and follow those cant-lose-any-day-never-ever services <lol>
(Oh, this thread) There are those who BS themselves, those who BS others and those who help others to stop BS'ing themselves (you could charge for this service).