Quote from floortradr542:
Last year, when market monk was all the rage, I spent countless hours trying to crack his code.
I considered a channel breakout method and found it is profitable. What concerned me were the whipsaws; which I define as you earn 2 ticks, you lose 3.
My approach is not to maximize winners and minimize the losers, it is to control whipsaws. My method for an all day approach is technically profitable but I do not like the probabilities it offers. a trade every 15 minutes is a lot on average. If my bankroll was greater AND my comissions was pennies (like being an exchange member) then I would consider it. Considering I use mainly market orders (a limit order means the market is moving against you Mr. Dick-for-a-tick unless the order is above the market for longs or below it for shorts). Using a market order means I am 2 ticks in the hole at the start of every trade (the spread plus comission costs). With that realization, one can see how the odds are really stacked against the average trader.
A big rule of mine is do NOT pick tops and bottoms. I would rather pick up consistent, handful of pennies than to try and grab the occasional quarter. This was a big problem I had with trading with market monk. For a "20" year veteran, he constantly tried to cherry pick the market and then got mad and frustrated when the market did not conform to what he thought it should do. He is such a failure in life that his ego desperately needs to prove itself in some venue. He chose trading. He may have scammed my 5K but I have peace of mind. Anyone build a fallout shelter yet? He did.
Everytime I think of cherry-picking the market, he comes to mind. Very powerful association that keeps me away from it.
P.S. Betting with the trend also works in Vegas. If a crap shooter has a hot hand, don't bet against him.