Austin, You don't have to answer, but did you make money trading the Russell this past week? If so, why don't you try a combine where once you spot a setup in the Russell, you place the trade in the ES? The percentage moves won't be the same, but the directions are highly correlated. If you're making money in the Russell in most 10 day time frames this year, I'm sure it wouldn't take more than a few combines for you to be funded. Then, you would have your funded account with an unlimited timeframe.
Well, I have been following these TST related threads and while I have always thought of their model as a pretty good chance to get funded for those who lack funding, it started increasingly look doubtful of whether TST is really looking for good traders. The best Combine model they had was the one where trader was able to trade at least 20 days but could continue to trade up to 40 trading days if target was not met by the 20th day with no rules broken. Now, they have been making changes non stop and being major busy body. Pulsar Capital has had same rules for years. What the problem that TST changing rules so often and current set of requirements is pretty ridiculous. 10 days? Come on. They state they reduced profit targets but they actually increased profit targets. Not only it is geometrically considerably harder to make profit target within 10 trading days, market conditions might be not there in the first place. They are looking for traders who can make it in long term but 10 days Combine is anything but what they are stating. Also, considering they only risk $1500-2000 on $30 000-50 000 account and all the following increases in size actually coming from trader building cushion it looks like there is no sense to even try to get funded with TST anymore. Considering drop to 10 days they should have halved both their fee and profit targets then it would have been fair game. I think Maverick 100% has the point when he speaks of using TST to just build discipline, consistency and confidence and then funding own account. Now with only 10 days available to trade even this does not make sense. Were TST to keep same Combine model without constant changes every 2-3 months I would not have changed my opinion of them . I think shiko2000 would be better of if he funds his own account unless he is funded of course. Considering he still can trade 20 days Combines it makes sense for him to continue for now with TST but for those who are confined only to 10 days choice is is very doubtful. I think TST might be looking to increase volume and hence cash flow by making people taking Combines more often... just thinking.
Holycow, it's my understanding that a large majority of the traders did the 10 day over the 20 day combine. The 20 day is actually much harder. It's counter intuitive I know, but most people want to restrict the chances they have of getting stopped out. I think almost 100% of the various combines done on ET where 10 days vs 20 days. To be honest, the 20 day doesn't make sense the way they have it set up in this "gotcha" format. As for the profit targets, well mathematically we know if we shorten the duration, the data becomes much more sensitive to outliers so the increased p&l accounts for that. Again, I've said this over and over, it's not the p&l target that is getting guys, it's the max daily drawdown. I think by moving all guys to a 10 day format it makes for an apples to apples comparison much easier. Besides if you screw up on day 3 and kill the combine, do you honestly want to trade the next 17 days knowing you can't improve your position? I think a majority of the changes they keep making are actually in the trader's favor. I'm speaking from a quantitative perspective, not from a psychological one. I think the real road block in this combine are your own demons, not TST's rules. I'm sure there are no business owners on this thread but from a business owner's perspective TST does want guys to succeed. They actually need guys to succeed or the business model is not sustainable. It's the same reason Vegas wants "some" people to win at their casino. When you hear the slot machines making noise around you it only incentivizes you to keep putting your quarters and playing more. If nobody ever won at a casino, nobody would go.
1) In order to get through the 20-day, better consistency is needed to keep things on track for all 20 days. If somebody hits the profit number too soon and then implodes, it has to be frustrating. :eek: 2) Time is the "enemy" if one's edge is too streaky. 3) Before Summer is over, maybe it'll be changed to a 15-day duration.
March 11 to April 8th, yeah dude, last month was April. Now you are simply trolling. Wait, you've been doing that from the start. Nevermind.
Generally speaking the minimum requirement of any sustainable business model: Bring in more than you spend.
Maverick, there is no need to leave people with no options. It has been 10 days and 20 days options. So why make it only 10 days? To force people who do not pass to take new combine more frequently? To make those targets within 10 days would require to take more risk. Their live parameters are pretty much very risk averse. Also, constant changes is not exactly casino. In casino rules are same for centuries. TST has managed to change practically everything within less than a year coming with something new every 2 months or so. There is nothing permanent with them. It is very confusing. After they introduced trailing equity stop there frankly were no reason for other parameters outside of daily loss limit. Target, daily loss limit and trailing stop. It is all that required. Also, they are not exactly funding traders. As I stated, they are risking only $1500-2000 on a trader and the rest comes from trader's own good trading aka cushion trader builds. Good trader can do same without need for so called backer cause they are not backers. It is other traders who pay Combines back funded traders. Were they truly interested in traders to succeed they would not put traders constantly under duress and confusion due to constantly changing rules and requirements. It increasingly looks like Ender's game. However Ender was not supposed to be like this all his life. Successful traders are supposed to do it long term..,. Markets are stressful enough , no need for even more confusion. I believe it is in TST interests to actually choose something and stop meddling with it constantly. Otherwise they might kill their golden geese.