Quote from Geezer:
This guy is pulling your leg. He's probably a nice guy who has a little account at Ameritrade and reads lots of posts and trader magazines. I kinda like him but he knows jack.
What's wrong with Jack, Geezer? For starters, he's probably older than you, and for the end of it, probably also better. Just because you don't understand Jack's work (I.e. it doesn't fit into your model of the world) doesn't mean that it's bad. That's what is called a G/D problem (Generalization / Distortion). I personally don't trade Jack's method at all (I.e. I don't use any indicators), yet I have adapted some very smart tricks and partial approaches from him. I have accepted Jack as a respectable trading friend and I communicate with him from time to time. I have had private log exchanges with him and I have cross-verified one of his hand-written log/journals with the tape history, and established that he indeed placed the trades detailed, and quite possibly more volume than you, Geezer, will ever get to trade.
I have been trading for several decades and just because a lot of people who write on this board don't make a lot of money, most real traders do. The largest group of real traders are in equities.
Oh you're of course fundamentally right. Most pro traders make money. As I detailed in my previous post here reg. fair commission structures and the setup for a pro futures trader for example. That the largest group of "real" traders are in equities doesn't mean that's the group of choice. It's your group of choice. If you're fine with it - Fine. I like it, as I said I scalp stocks from time to time and I have started with stocks in the first place and traded them for the better part of my time.[/b][/quote]
You know you are dealing with an real amateur when they write things like trading is "the hardest thing in the world".
Nonono, wait a second, newbie. In the post of yours which I replied to,
YOU are the guy who said "It's all hard, as it's supposed to be.", while
I said: "Who says it's supposed to be hard?" So, are we starting to get a bit mixed up here now? It's OK I'll forgive you.
Ever try patenting a commercially viable invention. Ever try building a billion dollar company. Ever try to isolate a virus. Ever try to score a hat-trick, ever try to raise a teenager? Remember, mainly unsuccessful traders think trading is hard. For most traders, its a day at the office.
Nice way of putting it. There are many things harder to achieve than net profitable trading. Sure, a day at the office, once you get the hang of it. But most people never get to that stage and rather blow out. Maybe I stress a lot of caution, but I tell you what: I would, in this case, rather behave like a non-pro, mentioning that trading can be a hard thing to master, than behaving like a "real pro" would do, namely telling everybody how easy it is (so more people lemming in head-on and give me their money). Come on let's face it, Geezer. Both of us know that over 90% won't make it to "a day in the office".
There are over 20 very viable trading products, bonds, equities, futures, commodities, currencies, trusts and the list goes on.
If some fool thinks their thing is the only one for "true professionals" you are dealing with a non-trader, or an uninformed rank amateur.
I don't disagree with any of this. All those trading products are very nice to trade and each are good or not for their respective user. I trade some of them, and I think a few of them make a good combination. I have specialized on index futures, and so it is. For scalping, it is IMHO the best choice. If you do 4 trades per day, then stocks might be a better choice for you. And if you're a beginner, then stocks are certainly the better choice for you.
And sorry grandpa, but if you want to make me believe trading stocks is as "hard" as trading futures, you can pull your "several decades" leg over your head and go boating, I'll still laugh at you.
You have decades ahead of me, so you might be way more experienced, but I am young, driven and determined. I have much faster reflexes and faster thinking patterns than you do, as a matter of fact. I can trade in ways you probably can't even conceptualize anymore. I know, because my mentor is just over 40 and tells me this quite frequently. High performance trading is a lot like sports.
And talking of voluem, sorry to say, but if you want to see serious professional / institutional volume move, you will find that the futures are the medium where it happens, volume-wise and liquidity-wise. Even on the mini's, you can today often see $250M or more going over the counter within a minute. Try finding a stock where that happens (without causing a disaster)
Let me encourage new traders. Trading is easy, you can make a lot of money, and have lots of fun. Most people who post on this board more than once a month, or say once a week, in most cases will not be professional traders. They are people who have a little account and lots of time. Still, you can learn plenty here, and a couple of real traders post here all the time.
That's what a "real pro" is supposed to say, to lure more folly people into a false sense of security.
How about : "Trading is easy..."
Everybody here a little announcement :
Don't listen to this fool!
I tell you why: Even my mentor tells me that trading is a very hard thing to master, one of the hardest things you may ever attempt. My mentor (not Jack) has started in early twens, trading in the futures pits and traded there for years. Later on, got into active market-making, at times in several (inactive) stocks at a time. Later on did advanced fractal envelope trading in various issues, worked with investments banks and hedge funds as a top-performance trader for over 20 years. This trader trades bonds, futures, equities and options with virtuosity, and can return well in excess of 50% a month return on a consistent basis. I communicate with this trader regularly, I will have
any question answered in an amazingly comprehensive and accurate way. This trader has learnt to always be way ahead of the crowd. This trader has taught me some of the most effective and advanced trading techniques, as well as forcing me very initially to give up all TA indicators. I talk about techniques you will never be able to conceptualize, including fractal envelope trading (SCT), which is basically what Jack Hershey does (that's why I know he's smarter than you, because you denegrate, therefore not understand him), but it's not only done by Jack, but by some of the most advance market makers and specialists out there - surprise, surprise.
Now, if even
my mentor admits that trading isn't easy, then I suppose you're just a smoke-blower yourself, because I strongly doubt that you could outperform.
Maybe trading is "easy" for you, within the little frame you have, your little model of the world. Maybe you want to make 1% a day or sth. like that. Sure, then trading is indeed easy. But if you're striving for top-performance, mastery, then it's not so easy. There are "Do a day in the office" traders, and there are "Go on a world trip that is today" traders. Maybe you're one of those armchair farters who sit farting around all day, doing 3 trades per day with a glass of Semillon-Sauvignon in your hand. As for me, the process of trading is fun, and isn't difficult, but it's still hard work, day in, day out. I have to constantly improve my trading approaches, be very flexible to adapt and look at things. I work more than 10h a day, still. I work my brain. Don't tell me it's an easy job, or I'll laugh at you really hard.
Most real traders trading their own accounts make at least $1K per day, and good one make $5K per day and more.
LOL. Thanks for the tip. Get a grip, "grandpa". You're not the only one around.
Scientist.