Quote from Baruch:
And one more:
Why not use a trailing stop?
All depends what you mean by a trailing stop. I do adjust stops manually as I go, but no, I don't let positions just run unless I see something major brewing. My day trades turn into position trades occaisionally. Maybe once or twice per month. This latest Yen move could have been one of those. I just analyzed it wrong.
This is just my way of trading though. The guys who make epic money actually let their positions run. Contrary to popular belief on this site, scalpers are not the most profitable. Not by a long shot. Look at almost every trader who has made a fortune (say $100 mil or more): mostly position, some swing (Jones), and only one scalper I can think of (Baldwin). Thats only cause he was in the pit. No way he'd be able to do that online.
As far as automatically calculated stops are concerned, thats a losing game imho. I place stops where they make sense (like under a trendline, or a certain % retracement). Automatic trailing stops almost always get taken out when you shold still be in the market, or when you have given up too much if you set them loose.
Jay