Quote from lindq:
Ken DTU: backtesting? no it's the Right edge of the chart that counts
But backtesting takes the fear out of falling off the edge. Without backtesting, it would have been virtually impossible for me to put some excellent pullback systems in place.
Ken DTU: pullbacks? no it's Breakouts that attract new trend buying/selling, not pullbacks, which is essentially fading the immediate past trend.
While breakouts may attract trend buyers (often at just the time the trend is ready to end!), pullbacks will attract the greater number of private/insitutional traders and investors who like to buy low and sell higher, and who know the value of getting into a clearly oversold stock.
IMO, a very big advantage of trading pullbacks vs trends is that a trend trading win/loss ratio will typically be nearer 50%, whereas a good pullback system will often run 75-80 %. For me, and for many others, watching half your trend trades crap out because you bought at a high is NOT a pleasant way to spend the week. And finally, a good pullback system can perform well in a flat to down market when some stocks are quickly oversold. But trading a trend system in overall market weakness is very problematic.