Quote from Veyron 16.4:
You know - it all makes sense now.
I can fully understand why my threads get closes, merely for telling my personal story. Just take a close look at who sponsors this site - or more to the point, "what" sponsors this site, and it should start to clear up for the thoughtful individual.
Brokers, MM's, Gurus, etc., all sponsor this site. If most people were trading with a 99% success rate, most of these folks would either not be needed, or their business models would be reduced significantly.
Consider the RB who takes the opposite side of your single sided trade. Or, the RB who tells you that have "no dealing desk" while never releasing your bid/ask to the real market in a real-time or near-real-time offset transaction/process. If they can take the opposite side of your position and your stop gets triggered, then they actually have two (2) sources of revenue from one unsuspecting customer: the abs net on the trade AND the spread paid (your cost of doing business).
If you are netting absolute value pips in just about every single trade you make AND your intermediary is constantly taking the other side, then they can't possibly cover their losses with spreads alone.
Wake up, folks. Who is supporting this site? Tell me I'm wrong.
Of that kind of support would not want me here talking about successfully nailing their hide to the wall more than 99% of the time.
I think the problem here on ET is that, plus some truly foolish, spiteful people (mediocre traders) that have not had the success they wanted in this business - ergo - nobody else could have possibly figured out how to surpass their failures.
Those two things are most likely the cold stone truth about ET.
Profit without risk? That's beyond Holy Grail...
Black-Scholes
thought they discovered "riskless" option pricing, only later a cool Trillion in the Red...
I don't question your sincerity. But there's a few professed inconsistencies with your method.
1 - losses incurred during flat markets. Your strat depends on movement. Your background, equity options. So I'm thinking hedged and layered options entered around BIG S.R. levels that promise a good break, either way. Vega outweighs Theta and pays for the loser. Not saying there's anything wrong with it, but it doesn't appear beyond Holy Grail-ish. Maybe I'm off-base, altogether?
2 - sample period over which the method was tested, appears small (a few months). Historically, extended flat periods occur in FX. And while the macro outlook favors volatility, it could happen again. Never know.
3 - a reference was made to 4 trades a month? Why so few? If any non-directional trade can yield a profit, why aren't you always-in to maximize potential gains?
4 - although not on-topic, directional trading can and is, very profitable. I know you're wrong about that. A little hubris, which is natural..
I'd be interested to know what you're daily % gain is? That's how i test metal against other strategies. Ultimately, its not the smartest guy or highest market-IQ, its the trader who consistently brings home the most, who wins. Good luck to you. I read your original post where your struggle was painstakingly detailed. It took me 7 years. I hope to God you found something that lasts, 'cause if not, the disappointment could be especially crushing.
One last note - any market yields TONS of false positives that can last for days or months. Then, the market changes qualitatively, in the way and range it moves. I'd make sure your sample is deep, long and historical pricing totally accurate.... u never know...