The 50% reference was a stretch on my part. However it is relatively common to find yourself in a test of your first sample of 20 trades find a method to be accurate 75%+ of the time, the go out of sample or walk forward to find that it reduces rapidly to the 60's. Of course if it indeed can hold then there is every reason to trade this. The whole accuracy thing seems relative to your target and stop size as well. I can definitely find patterns that lead to 90%+ accuracy if my target is small enough, but I've not yet been able to do this on setups with stops that equal the target or less. If one could do that consistently (90%+) you'd own a country in short order, assuming you could scale the method. Even if you couldn't, you could be very aggressive with your betsizing and grow rapidly. I'll definitely check the markets you suggest. I do tend to believe some are harder to trade than others, and I've always heard index futures were the toughest, or some of the toughest anyway. Hey, but if I can learn there I can learn anywhere, right? Well, that's assuming that was true to begin with.
Quote from Barth Vader:
Let me start by addressing the concept of a "holy grail" in trading.
I believe in it. I also believe that there is a "holy grail" for each and every trader. Each grail contains 80-90 % commonality with every other "grail", ie.= Discipline, money management, time frame, leverage, etc.. The unbelievably difficult component is the 10-20% of the equation that is only right for you, the component that only you can supply to make the endeavor successful. So my answers to your questions are coming from my perspective and experience.
1) The averages of the daily range, opening range, closing range, pit session averages, over-night averages, net delta of volume at a given support level, divergences in net bid/ask volume at key range or support levels are like a canvas on which the days "picture" will be painted upon. With that said, I would advise you to drop the "know whats next" and focus on knowing whats happening at the key points of the "picture". Start with the opening range, as one the price extremes is almost always set in this time frame. Remember, day traders need one of the extremes to make this business work. All of the chart that is not at the areas of the extremes is rubbish. Keep your eye on the prize, the two extremes.
2) You are thinking this into the ground. Keep it simple my friend. Simple is very good in this business. [This is why I responded to your thread, I had the same tendency to think my setups into inaction. You will lose, except that fact, but you can win much more than you lose.]
3) The market is neutral. It offers its potential and possibilities to all comers. It is in OUR heads that turns a simple task of monitoring a known and repeatable sequence of probabilities into a hellish nightmare of doubt, fear and the need to "know" the next ticks direction. It really is easy and obvious. See the structure, know the average structure, sleep the average structure.
4) I would not trust anything slightly over 50% LOL. Why do you have such a low expectation ? If you think I am full of hot air when I tell you that there are set-ups everyday that have statistical probabilities ranging from the low 60's to the high 90's, then you have not crunched the numbers far enough. Look to the Ags first, the structures are very easy. As far as the Indexes are concerned my advise would be to not start with them or the currencies.