Quote from 1a2b3cppp:
I have heard uptrends defined in the following ways:
1) a series of HH/HLs (some people say H/HL, some people say HH/HL, some people say HL/HH/HL, some people say HH/HL/HH/HL)
2) Anchor R becoming S
3) Trendlines
4) the slope of a MA
I have been unable to fine one that consistently works for me.
What are your thoughts?
As Took2Summit stated, "...you can draw the trend line however you want, but you have to be consistent."
You can use any framework for trading as long as it --- and your trading rules surrounding it --- are consistent.
All the ideas you list above for defining a trend do indeed define a trend. None of them, however, can predict whether the current trend --- definable at that moment in time --- will continue.
When you say you have been unable to find a trend definition that consistently works for you, what is your definition of "consistently works"?
All the ideas you list above for defining a trend work for me with excellent consistency, meaning I have rules for trading off these trend definitions that have produced net profit over series' of trades for years now.
Consistency is not certainty. All your threads seem to indicate a quest for certainty. Consistently profitable trading is based on positive expectancy, not certainty.
Your trading plan based on research and testing over a large sample size (such as applying a set of trade entry and trade management rules to 500 appearances of a particular setup and finding enough positive expectancy to produce a net profit after slippage and commissions) will provide the consistency you seek
without any need for certainty in predicting the outcome of any individual trade.
Think of a well-researched and tested trading plan as a car that will take you through the streets of the Market City each day as you look for
potentially profitable opportunities. If you took the car to a good mechanic and got the seal of approval (research, development & testing phase) before buying it, the chances of a breakdown are reduced. If you drive mindfully and safely, and wear a seat belt (stay focused and patient, follow your setup/entry rules, and honor your risk management plan), your chance of getting killed in an accident is quite low, and your chance of being available to take advantage of every opportunity is high.
I know several traders who have absolutely everything they need to extract ample profit from the market every week. They have well-researched and tested trade ideas with specific rules for entry and exit, yet they're unable to realize their dream because of common bad habits related to fear of uncertainty and/or a never-ending quest for certainty (usually in the forms of further testing, changing rules, adding/removing indicators, testing other markets, and so on).
There is a level of certainty in trading and if I were to express it in terms of tossing a coin for a living, it would look much like one of these scenarios:
1. You toss a fair coin. For every head you receive $130; for every tail you pay $100.
2. You toss a coin that is balanced to come up heads 60% of the time. For every head you receive $130; for every tail you pay $130.
3. You toss a coin that's balanced to come up heads 30% of the time. For every head you receive $500; for every tail you pay $180.
4. You toss a coin that is balanced to come up heads 90% of the time. For every head you receive $50; for every tail you pay $250.
If you could choose any of these coins and toss it for a living based on the risk:reward plan, would you do so?