What all seem to ever say in most of these posts, or they will say one has an incomplete system is dealing with risk. There is truly no concrete amount to risk except total account size if trading stocks and truly unlimited if trading futures. One might have a protective stop in market at all times, but if in stocks, no one takes other side, the stock can possible go to zero, and if trading futures, there have been times where a move is called "Limit" and one can't get out. I know once Lumber had thirteen limit days in a row. So when one speaks of risking $100 and like on day of 9-11 and you were long ten ES contracts and the exchange closed without you knowing it....Standard and Poor's (S&P) index lost 11.6% on resumption of trading. ES dropped 48 points approx., so if you had a ten lot, looking at quick loss of $24,000.
I laugh whenever someone talks about risk to reward, sure you can say that applies to 99% normal times, but when you least likely to be prepared, flash crashes can occur. People always ask why I use no protective stops when I day trade, I don't see the point of getting out on a "mistake" by those who want to have fun at my and others expenses, and you know the exchanges will always lean on the side of the big firms. And U.S. gov't can force exchanges to stop allowing certain sides to be completed, just ask the Hunt brothers of early 80's, am sure many retail traders got hurt too.
So when the undercapitalized want to play the game with next to nothing, you can lose your home thinking that way.
This is a nice post that applies to any biased trader.
At some point, a trader can advance to a level where he sees the way to have an advantage under these circumstances. I hired an exemployee of the hunt bros. I needed a geologist who worked in CAlif and on the range we were staking out. His new pick up was a gift he picked up in the Ontario airport after the HB's scuttled the ship. I was glad he became available.
In trading, all activity creeps in in a small way before it becomes a big event. 9/11 happened before to open so only those who were not intraday type traders got caught.
the flash crash on 06MAY was really nice since two legs of profit hit in rapid succession. It was almost like a "greenspan" moment of years past. greenspans announcements always precipitated four very profitable segments.
In markets, adjacent moves are usually in opposite directions. Also, the market "telegraphs its moves. It could be that the astute traders could know htese things. If he does then he can take advantage and be making money at a very high velocity.
What people call sudden unexpected moves, are usually biased to the down side. any person not neutrally biased does get in trouble. By being asute and knowing bad moments for biased traders can happen, what is hard about being on the other side of these traders trades???