First of all, The Hitman started late October 2000, and everyone starts off losing money, regardless of who you think you are. It took me three and half months to collect my first check, so the 40K a year comment is off the mark, as I have been playing for 14 months, not 24.
And no, I don't think I can make more money elsewhere, did you check the job market lately? At 22 without a degree, the 73K or so I can make this year is about as high as I can hit it.
What people don't realize is that it takes many years's worth of study and low pay's for a Doctor/Lawyer to hit it home, and day trading is by no means a shortcut to success. You need to look at it as a career, and first year against first year, well, my competitors are still in law/medical school, and I don't expect them to put up any fight until 5 years from now.
It is a marathon not a sprint, and what matters to me is where I will be in 5 years. Of course, I expect to see steady progress, but making 73K a year first year is nothing to be ashamed of. It can only get better.
As for decimalization ruined certain strategies. First of all, the only strategy that decimalization ruined, is people who buy the BID and sell the ASK, trying to make a spread in a relatively stagnant stock. The spread is smaller and you can't pull this off anymore, big deal, find something else that works.
Everyone else who complain about decimalization, I have to wonder what hell are you smoking?
The Nasdaq is at 2000, not 5000, 4000, or even 3000, the trading range got smaller. That is the reason why stocks (technology stocks that is) don't move as much as they used to. No one said you have to be trading technology stocks however, there are many other sectors out there and you just need to look at home builders, that's a mini-bubble right there. You want a stock in 200's with one point spread? Try NVR. You want stocks that move 3 points on a day like Monday? Try RYL. The Dow was at 12K before, now it is at 10K, there is still money to be made, shut up and play.
Ok, so the classic patterns don't work anymore, why do you think they are called classic patterns? Find something new that works for you. Do you really expect that anyone will give away their trading secret?
Instead of trading 100 shares and make two points, you need to trade 1000 shares and make a quarter. There are a lot of people out there who are still looking for a point or two every time they take a trade, and they will remain bag holders until they change that mentality.
When you say oh back then I would make 3/8 and now I would make 10 cents with the same volume/volatility, you are blind. The stocks don't move in pennies, they spread it half a point just like the good old days when the momentum is there. Decimalization only ruined pure scalpers.
What really ruined the momentum crowd is not decimalization, it is the simple fact that breakout's and breakdown's don't work properly anymore. Your entry must be precise, you must wait for pullbacks because almost most breakout's will pullback before they make their real move. The market has been choppier and slower because a lot of people don't trade anymore after they got blown out in 2000/2001, that's the real reason behind the tougher market.
And no one said this will improve soon, an extended depression will potentially make the market flat lining for a long time. But just as there were people who made money on a slow choppy day like Monday, there will be people who make money in a choppy market. It is the survival of the fittest, for as long as there are winners there will be losers.
Trading is about survive the bad times so you are actually playing the game when the good times come, if it is so easy, everyone would be doing it, are you really expecting free lunch?
And no, I don't think I can make more money elsewhere, did you check the job market lately? At 22 without a degree, the 73K or so I can make this year is about as high as I can hit it.
What people don't realize is that it takes many years's worth of study and low pay's for a Doctor/Lawyer to hit it home, and day trading is by no means a shortcut to success. You need to look at it as a career, and first year against first year, well, my competitors are still in law/medical school, and I don't expect them to put up any fight until 5 years from now.
It is a marathon not a sprint, and what matters to me is where I will be in 5 years. Of course, I expect to see steady progress, but making 73K a year first year is nothing to be ashamed of. It can only get better.
As for decimalization ruined certain strategies. First of all, the only strategy that decimalization ruined, is people who buy the BID and sell the ASK, trying to make a spread in a relatively stagnant stock. The spread is smaller and you can't pull this off anymore, big deal, find something else that works.
Everyone else who complain about decimalization, I have to wonder what hell are you smoking?
The Nasdaq is at 2000, not 5000, 4000, or even 3000, the trading range got smaller. That is the reason why stocks (technology stocks that is) don't move as much as they used to. No one said you have to be trading technology stocks however, there are many other sectors out there and you just need to look at home builders, that's a mini-bubble right there. You want a stock in 200's with one point spread? Try NVR. You want stocks that move 3 points on a day like Monday? Try RYL. The Dow was at 12K before, now it is at 10K, there is still money to be made, shut up and play.
Ok, so the classic patterns don't work anymore, why do you think they are called classic patterns? Find something new that works for you. Do you really expect that anyone will give away their trading secret?
Instead of trading 100 shares and make two points, you need to trade 1000 shares and make a quarter. There are a lot of people out there who are still looking for a point or two every time they take a trade, and they will remain bag holders until they change that mentality.
When you say oh back then I would make 3/8 and now I would make 10 cents with the same volume/volatility, you are blind. The stocks don't move in pennies, they spread it half a point just like the good old days when the momentum is there. Decimalization only ruined pure scalpers.
What really ruined the momentum crowd is not decimalization, it is the simple fact that breakout's and breakdown's don't work properly anymore. Your entry must be precise, you must wait for pullbacks because almost most breakout's will pullback before they make their real move. The market has been choppier and slower because a lot of people don't trade anymore after they got blown out in 2000/2001, that's the real reason behind the tougher market.
And no one said this will improve soon, an extended depression will potentially make the market flat lining for a long time. But just as there were people who made money on a slow choppy day like Monday, there will be people who make money in a choppy market. It is the survival of the fittest, for as long as there are winners there will be losers.
Trading is about survive the bad times so you are actually playing the game when the good times come, if it is so easy, everyone would be doing it, are you really expecting free lunch?