Quote from chimera:
all i see is gambling.
People that claim they have an edge...maybe 1;100 do for a very short time frame. One market....millions of traders..aint going to happen.
"EDGE" is different for everyone and it changes with the amount of education of learning Price Patterns. When you have little experience in trading or investing, it will be years before you can even identify "edge", but as your experience increases and hopefully profits, your "edge" definition becomes more straightforward. I know when I was much younger I thought edge was having the best entry signal and making the biggest profits, but now three plus decades later "edge" has radically changed to identifying "time" and exit patterns in day trading and how to reduce losing trades by having filters of not taking certain signals.
I think most of the older traders would agree that by getting rid on ave 1.5 losing trades everyday is the difference of having positive day.
Long term trading is where the big money is at, sitting on your hands and taking min of trades, using weekly charts, trading stocks that pay dividends, not being short when stock goes ex-dividend, selling puts when long, all the little things gained by experience can add to positive percentages and beat the S&P500 index. And when you get your long term trading down pat, then backtest on swing trading for few years, then day trading. There is speed that must be gained when going to day trading, you have to learn rules of exit like breathing, you have to be able to identify several "patterns" and know instantly what you need to do, one of the biggest reasons people fail at day trading, not knowing what to do instantly.
Enclosed chart is slow moving GE, these are some of the extries I have used trading approx. same method since early 80's, except for bottom indicator, back then I made charts by hand and didn't get a PC till 1986. Through the years I have added counter-trend signals based on failures of price, but some trend based on trendlines as well. So even a slow moving market, that produces dividends can offer very consistent profits. I have automated this system to trade the Dow 30 like 20 years ago, back then would give printouts. This can be a starting point for those who are searching for an "edge", and concentrate your time on exits.