I still find this topic interesting in the way that it was presented. I think about it often still, not so much for 'trading' purposes, but still more just for 'wtf' aspect of what was being discussed. With the many things being discussed in this thread, I've still always thought on the MAIN query posed in the thread, for YEARS!!!! And have had MANY different ideas as to what the OP was on about. Particularity the first few pages of the thread.
Why Is The Obvious Not So Obvious?
I have read thru some of the recent and distant posts in this section, and have come to the conclusion that; the obvious is not so obvious to many!
...What every trader has to realise, is that all the risk management and position sizing techniques in the world are of no use what so ever, unless the trader is aware of the obvious pre-requisite to trading any market.
This above quote, the first underlined section, re-contextualizing the sentence... "
The obvious IS:
not so obvious to many."
Along with the above embolden text is this:
...The majority of people who try to daytrade lose money.
...The reason why they lose is very simple, and very common.
If the majority of traders lose, why then do new traders think that they will win by following and doing what the majority do?
Again... thinking about that re-contextualized sentence above: "
The obvious IS:
not so obvious to many." This must relate to understanding what 'the majority' does? As stated, the majority are unaware of the obvious. So
THE OBVIOUS is something that is not obvious to the many
A thought I have had for years. Stated by the OP, 2 things of note:
...the fact remains that all a trader has to do to make money in any market is BLASH or SHABL.
However, unless the obvious is known, a trader will find it very hard to make money from trading, with BLASH and SHABL becoming BLALL and SHALH!
Trading is not easy, but it is possible to make money if you know what you have to do.
...However, knowing what is required, and knowing how to do it correctly, are not one in the same (that is actually a hint if read correctly).
Initially, one thought I had, about WHAT the obvious was, is to simply BLASH, or SHABL. I know, this sounds stupid and obvious to everyone who will read it, but then that's why I thought it was the point. As it is something so obvious and simple, that everyone would overlook the statement.
My thought on the above was that, the obvious is simply to BLASH/SHABL... and the key was to work out, what is 'relatively' LOW, or what is 'relatively' HIGH? Relative to a prior price, or relative to a previous TIME? Once you know where price is either of those two things, you could then begin to work out your trading?
A while back in this thread, I asked the question, "Is it possible to know WHAT the obvious is, but not understand how to carry it out?" The above paragraph was the thought I had in mind. I.e., know what must be done is to BLASH/SHABL, and the HOW is simply what is 'relatively' HIGH or LOW?
...When a daytrader starts to trade live for to make a living, it is normal for everything that he/she has learned up to that point to fall apart.
This will happen for several reasons, which we will probably get as many answers as traders, but it really happens due to one obvious reason, which is not so obvious!...
One last thing. Are we talking about things learned over the course of a lifetime, or are we talking about things learned relative to trading? I've thought it was the former, as I can say from personal experience, since trying to conquer trading, I've actually forgotten about almost everything I've ever learned before becoming interested in trading.
A bunch of questions and random thoughts with no real answers admittedly.