Good point Kiwi. Magic - welcome to the forum. If your goal is simply to stir the pot, have at it and enjoy your time here. Again, tell us about yourself and what your posts are based on... Are you a bitter guy that lost his life savings and since misery loves company, are you looking for a partner here?
Like the thread says "Your going to hate this brutal post." Gamblers Anonymous offers the following questions to anyone who may have a gambling problem. These questions are provided to help the individual decide if he or she is a compulsive gambler and wants to stop gambling. I've replaced the word "gambling" with "trading" in these questions. 1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to trading? 2. Has trading ever made your home life unhappy? 3. Did trading affect your reputation? 4. Have you ever felt remorse after trading? 5 Did you ever trade to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties? 6. Did trading cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency? 7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses? 8 After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more? 9. Did you often trade until your last dollar was gone? 10. Did you ever borrow to finance your trading? 11. Have you ever sold anything to finance trading? 12. Were you reluctant to use "trading money" for normal expenditures? 13. Did trading make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family? 14. Did you ever trade longer than you had planned? 15. Have you ever traded to escape worry or trouble? 16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance trading? 17. Did trading cause you to have difficulty in sleeping? 18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to trade? 19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of trading? 20. Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your trading? Most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions. I'd like to add one more thing: If you answered no to every one of the 20 questions you most likely have as bad a problem as someone answering yes to at least 7 of the questions. Answering no to every question means you're kidding yourself. We've all had a problem with at least a couple of the above conditions. But it's okay if it makes you feel better that you're not gambling because of some unconscious need to scorn vices and a conscious need to believe you have no ego and are smarter than the market in running your so-called trading "business." Forgive me in indulging myself for another moment. Most traders have read or believe that over 90% of ALL traders lose money and yet in ET land all we find is a plethora of "professionals" and top percentile players. Very few novices here. Meanwhile among all this chest thumping I haven't seen anyone post a true copy of statements for at least a 6 month period from their successful business. Cyberspace is a wonderful place to act out our dreams and wishes to become the people we read about and want to be but never will. Inevitables: death, taxes and story tellers (including fishing, sexual conquests, and trading success). Good luck and have a great gambling week!
Have you created a monumental edge for yourself? Have you learned to do the latter? If so, I wouldn't dare ask you to share you're edge, but instead how about posting you're last 3 months trading statements and blackout all the personal info to give some hope to the strugglers that money can be made consistently in the markets. Think of the great benefit that would bring to the trading community.
<i>"Inevitables: death, taxes and story tellers (including fishing, sexual conquests, and trading success)."</i> Back from fishing... only pickerel were hitting. Everyone was catching lots of them, fun for the kids out there. <i>"Good luck and have a great gambling week!"</i> I certainly will... wishing you the very same!
<i>"Have you created a monumental edge for yourself? Have you learned to do the latter? If so, I wouldn't dare ask you to share you're edge, but instead how about posting you're last 3 months trading statements and blackout all the personal info to give some hope to the strugglers that money can be made consistently in the markets. Think of the great benefit that would bring to the trading community."</i> What would "giving hope" to the strugglers actually accomplish? How will that change one iota of what they are doing right now? I watched ESPN2 this morning, watched guys catching fish hand over fist on every show. I went out on the ice for a couple of ours, watched guys catching 14" pickerel consistently, couple of bluegills, no big perch or crappies at all. Guys on "the deuce" catching bragging-size fish was inspiring, but what of it? I already knew it was possible... what idiot doesn't? The fact that they created success on film meant nothing to my results in a different place using different tactics on different fish. Yes, I have created a monumental edge for myself. No, I don't care if you or anyone else believes it or not. Why should I care? The only thing that matters to me is my decision process in the ES market this week. Adhere to my tools = more money by Friday than I have right now. Everything else is irrelevant, and beyond my direct control. If anyone needs to see proof that trading edges exist, hop over to the P&L 2007 thread and dose up on inspiration there.
OK, I'll try one of those positive posts. He's already told you that an edge exists in the markets, and he's also told you how he looks at his PnL. Now, all you have have to do is figure out what the edge is (or actually, any edge will do), trade it as if it were your green light to wealth and independence, and look at your tally to keep track of how you are performing. Markets only appear to be random according to your defnition(s) because you don't see the pattern(s) there ... yet. Good trading, JJ
austintip since you have a monumental edge and obviously don't need anyone's advice to trade, why do you spend so much time posting on ET? You're not sharing anything of value to traders to make them more successful. Do you get an ego boost from boasting here?