This thread started over a year and a half ago,and is still breathing with some life,but is especially relevant to me as a student and newbie trader.
Ive been studying forex only,so far,and (eur/usd) foremostly,trying to 'master' the one currency idea. for 9 months now.
The first trading forum I discovered was ET and the first successful trader /teacher posts I discovered were those of Yoohoo,(this thread's OP). His teaching in the CFerret journal is a tremendous gift for anyone wanting to learn the art of scalping. This thread here barely scratches the surface about scalping compared to the CFerret journal.
It could take 3 months study time just to reread the cferret journal.
I've read all the posts here,and would like to add my own thoughts about scalping.
Scalping is so far,the only 'trading style' Ive focused on,so I dont know if I would be more successful as a swing trader.
My observations about scalping are that in order to be successful at it ,winning consistently, one has to Master the craft.a high level of mastery is crucial.it requires a 'complete vision' of price action,a very high level skill at candlestick analysis,along with whatever indicators you choose to understand.
It requires Mastery of the mind and emotions,complete balance in ones inner psychology.any kind of weakness,in the form of restlessness,impatience,anger,frustration,fear,etc....will lead to wrong entry times,wrong judgements,and losses. It can take months (years?) to overcome fear alone.
The entire 9 months of my study, the more I learned, the better I got,and the more I realized that its not a quick process ,its a long learning process.At first,I thought I would 'get it down' after 3 months of study. Now I realize that 9 months is Nothing. It could take another 9 months just to perfect PA watching.
So patience is more than a virtue in trading forex, it is critical.
But what is the nature of scalping ,it is a fast and quick exercise.in judgement,execution,vision, one minute is an eternity. The idea itself is not condusive to the emotion of patience. So the whole forex trading trip is a big test of the mind.being quick and patient at the same time.
Random thoughts.The market is a rigged game. You see a trend channel,you think it is safe to play.Then suddenly the energy changes and becomes choppy,sometimes with little warning.or no warning.
I have been especially keen to notice that in these recent giant waves,300 pips, the move was begun by the slightest weakness in a one minute candle, like falling short of a previous high by a quarter pip,half a pip... or fails a s/r point by half a pip, that sort of thingand then price falls 200 pips from there.
But just prior to this sort of action,trendlines indicate the other direction, and price action would be moving with the trend,often on the new hour,or just before the reversal,is what I'm trying to say, just before the reversal, price continues,and becomes a fake out as direction reverses. different time frames indicate still different things....the price action barely shows you the signal,and gives you one minute to act on it. that is what scalping is about. and
It can take months of screen time study just to identify these different 'energy' movements.slight movements.Its all very subtle at the key moment of 'catching tops and bottoms'.
Months of study to learn to recognize wave tops and bottoms.
and all the skills have to be Mastered in order to succeed at scalping.
Months of intense study to learn how to find the exact right entry moment.And the right exit moment.
Just like when Yoohoo said about learning martial arts,his teacher said getting the black belt was just the beginning.
Ive now learned to catch the tops and bottoms and still,I'm not making profit yet.(I'm setting my stops too tight)
Ive learned to see the long range target ,with about 90 % accuracy ( seeing the most powerful key s/r points and fib levels,on multiple time frames) ...and still not making profit....because I'm trying to 'scalp' to the next s/r point.in a 10 minute trade. So now I'm learning to 'go with the flow'.
This whole learning process is both exciting and extremely frustrating at the same time. I'm always so close to the gold mine but too often miss the train when the door opens...the one minute candle that allows the door to open. thats all it is usually, you get one minute to pull the trigger. at the exact right moment.
Thats what scalping is. if you blink or tuen away from the screen for one minute, you miss the train. and you might have to wait an hour for the next one.
People,including experts, in the early summer,when Euro/usd was in the 153 to 160 zone, were proclaiming that it was going to ride all the way to 170 .but surprise surprise, the euro came crashing down to where it is now.
Was that a flawed fundamental analysis,Yoohoo, that made you predict that one? or will it be happening next spring.
I know youre a master of the scalping art.
Is it harder to scalp forex ,compared with other vehicles?
Is scalping the best way to trade forex?
Can you talk more about Mastering the art of scalping?
Ive found that often times, the things you have said,have saved me months of study time.
I think new students need that kind of help from those who are experienced.
and the CFerret journal provides students with a great learning process.
If you start this thread by proclaiming the virtue of scalping....shouldnt you give us a few more crumbs to chew on so we can understand better?
I would start with my question....is forex as good (better or worse?) vehicle for scalping?
are there other forums that are 'easier' than forex?
disclaimer: granted, you started this thread over a year and a half ago, so if you havent the time now to make it worthwile, thats ok.(no its not) .....
