
One of the biggest problems with trading is that nothing works all of the time and everything works sometimes. In order to be successful you need to find an edge and consistently apply it. It's not easy and it's not a short process, but it can be done.
i don't want to bicker with you. however, i want to make the following point. this is taken directly from ET:Quote from NihabaAshi:
Maybe Baron can start another Forum for traders wanting to start a Journal without trades![]()
how difficult is it to not click on this thread if you aren't interested in it? yes tripack, great quote. it makes sense to me. my main problem seems to be.... i can come up with many systems. i can have the rules and i can follow them. but i get discouraged when i go through all that work, make a month's worth of trades, and find out i barely made money or lost money with commissions. the edge is my problem. i have discipline and i'm smart enough to think of interesting concepts, but my ideas just don't seem to "beat" the market. people can sit around all day and make rules for their system, but if they don't give you a positive expectancy, you've still got problems.Quote from TriPack:
That's my new favorite definition of what trading is.
One of the biggest problems with trading is that nothing works all of the time and everything works sometimes. In order to be successful you need to find an edge and consistently apply it. It's not easy and it's not a short process, but it can be done.
sayheywillie, thanks for the post. just for the record, in the chat room, i never got fully into the system that uses that pattern. the pattern is an element, but i also realize the pattern itself won't work. when i traded it, i had many filters in addition to the pattern. i also had a lot of ideas on how the pattern could be played. anyway, i know i'm babbling. i just want to be clear that i do realize you can't just take that pattern and play it every time it occurs. if i were to expand on a system in this journal, i would probably start with that one.Quote from Sayheywillie:
You spent a considerable amount of time in the chat room discussing a three bar reversal. By itself the pattern is meaningless. I won't waste your time with the reasons why because many of the issues were brought out by others in the chat room. What I will add is that you need to take this kernel of an idea, add some additional considerations, and turn it into what you think is a viable approach, if you can. Some of this may be subjective and some may be objective, your personality will determine what is right for you.
Going back to the three bar reversal pattern that you mentioned, there was a completed one on the 5 min es chart just before 11:30. I saw it, but other aspects of the market had me in a relatively neutral bias, so I passed on the trade. As it turns out, this one would have been a profitable trade, but for me the correct decision was to stay flat.
Quote from Gordon Gekko:
my main problem seems to be.... i can come up with many systems. i can have the rules and i can follow them. but i get discouraged when i go through all that work, make a month's worth of trades, and find out i barely made money or lost money with commissions. the edge is my problem. i have discipline and i'm smart enough to think of interesting concepts, but my ideas just don't seem to "beat" the market.