that has trading desks
anyone who trades is trader
that has trading desks
so lose a trade and stop....Said every degenerate gambler. Ignore the house odds
In years of studying the market, I am yet to find a consistently profitable system.
That being said, I want to elaborate on some of the common styles of trading and why they may or may not work.
If you have a profitable system, you probably don't want to read this thread. If you are one of those people who naturally understands trading, don't read this thread as it might cause you to overthink. For the rest of us, and especially noobs, this will get you far past the norm.
The main thing you have to understand is that all trading is predicting.
Trend following is a mess to even talk about because no one can agree on the definition of a trend. There are many ways to define a trend, including:
A series of higher highs and higher lows. How many? Everyone disagrees.
A moving average starting to increase. Which moving average? Everyone disagrees.
An upward trendline. How do you draw a trendline? Everyone disagrees.
Support becoming resistance. Which support? Everyone disagrees.
For this reason you are unlikely to ever get a satisfying definition of what a trend is.
So trend trading means you want to buy in the direction of the trend because price has a better chance of continuing in that direction (prediction) than going in the other direction.
It makes sense in theory, but what you will realize is that most trend traders seem to buy a lot and get stopped out for small losses a lot. Infrequently, they have big winners that go in their direction. This carries many implications, such as you need to take every single trade because you have to get those massive successes.
Counter trend is practically the opposite of trend following.
All price based indicators are useless
Only if you missed the required work and test how given instrument moves and make adjustmentsIt makes sense in theory, but what you will realize is that most trend traders seem to buy a lot and get stopped out for small losses a lot.
You are not predicting anything because the price has already moved. How are you predicting anything? Predicting is if you took a long position assuming it will go higher but, instead, it went lower? If I was reacting, I would be shorting it because the price action is showing me where it is headed! I am not predicting anything but, merely reacting. Huge difference in the two otherwise, why would you call one predicting and one reacting. Two different things as well as two different words! It "cannot" be the same thing!

With which of those 5 do you make money?