Copy Cat or How to Use a Successful Trading System
How many books have you read about successful traders? How they did this or that and made a fortune and are still doing it. You say to yourself, "I'm going to follow his method and get rich". So you subscribe to his newsletter (they all have one, $250) and buy his course on CD Rom ($495)and next time he is anywhere near you attend his seminar with a $500 discount for only $2495. You do understand you must do exactly as he does and you try your best to follow the directions, but for some reason you still are not making money. At least you are not losing as much as you did before (I hope). Go look in the mirror. You are not Richard Russell, Richard Wyckoff, Bill O'Neil or any one of the great gurus of the market place. Each one of them has devoted every minute of his life to understanding the market. Each one is very successful and each one has a completely different way of approaching trading. Can you copy any one of them? It is very doubtful. These great teachers can help you, but you have to develop your own method and style of investment. Whether it is long term or short term it must be something with which you resonate. When I was a floor trader there were a thousand guys trading and I know there were a thousand different guide lines. No one had the same buy or sell signal. If they all followed a pat program they would all be buying and selling at the same time so it could not work. I have stood in the pit and watched the same person offer to buy and when there was no seller he would then offer to sell usually at the same price. Yes, he was scalping for one or 2 ticks, but he knew what he was doing even if it looked strange. A friend of mine could arbitrage by standing in the middle of the gold pit and hit buys and sells that were off by one or two ticks because they could not hear each other due to the noise of other traders who were shouting their offers. You can look at the basic trading style of one of the "greats", but you must adapt it to your method. I have not seen anyone able to successfully copy a trading program exactly. You will improvise and find a slightly new approach that becomes "yours". It then becomes part of your cellular being. It works for you and probably won't work for anyone else. If the programs the hype masters are selling work so well why aren't there more rich traders? And if the programs are so darn good why are they telling you? To be a successful trader you can't copy cat an existing program, but you can take a basic trading vehicle and modify it your own plan. Turn that cat into your own tiger. Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!"
has helped thousands of people make money
and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method.
Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does
not want you to know.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Lobster Trapping for Investment Ideas
Recently, my family and I took a trip to Maine to visit relatives. During our stay, we toured the rocky shore lines and took in the beautiful architecture of the old towns.
Value Investing
By definition, value investing is the process of selecting stocks that trade for less than their intrinsic value. A value investor typically selects stocks with lower than average price-to-book or price-to-earning ratios. Of course, it is not nearly this simple. Value investing is the corner stone of long-term growth. Those who practice it survive the ups and downs of the market and are more likely to emerge wealthy than those who ride the market, in principle, due to the higher quality of the companies falling under the prerequisites of the value investor. Value investing is essentially concerned with getting the most profit at the lowest cost. The basis of value is profit. Value investing is an investment style which favors good stocks at great prices over great stocks at good prices. Value investor extraordinaire Warren Buffett has used this style to become a billionaire.
Investing As A Sport?
I said last week that money doesn't generally buy happiness, but the lack of it can buy absolute misery. This, by the way, is not just my personal observation. It is the conclusion of some of the most respected happiness researchers (Yes, there is such a thing -- read my book.)
Exchange Traded Funds
They call 'em ETFs.
Brain Snappers and Other Wall Street Nonsense
The last time you spoke with your broker did
he use any of the following words? Diversification,
Price-to-earnings ratios, discretionary trading,
lifting a leg (he's talking to you not your
dog), leverage, divergence, fee-based
compensation, escalator clause, tactical asset
allocation and other mesmerizing words to place
you in stupefying shock.
Options Made Easy and Investor Education - Simple Enough for a 10 yr Old Kid
How many of you out there think that the market is performing well?
Understanding The Real Rate of Return!
There is one indicator more than any other which determines the health of an economy and it is the Real Rate of Return.
Furthermore this is the simplest of all indicators to understand because it determines the safety of assets. Next time you hear the TALKING HEADS discussing the nuances of the markets, filter what they say through your own understanding of the Real Rate of Return.
Coca-Cola - A Value Stock?
There has been much talk lately about Coca-Cola and its potential as a value stock ? as it now spots a dividend yield of 2.6% (which is the highest dividend yield since the late 1980s) and a P/E or less than 21 ? right at the bottom of its five-year low. Moreover, the current price of approximately $43 a share is also near the bottom of its nine-year range ? (nine years ago, the last former great CEO of Coke, Roberto Goizueta, was still at the helm of the company). Sure, Coke has had its own set of problems, but it is a great company, they would argue ? and heck, Warren Buffett is also an owner of Coke shares.
Options Education: Financing the Calendar!
As a trader, one of the key things that I try to consciously do is to cultivate my instincts by talking with other traders and investors as often as possible. It still amazes me how large the divergence of opinion that exists regarding what people believe will unfold as we enter the new millennium. Many very respected names are literally predicting an economic earthquake that will measure a 10 on the Richter scale while others having looked at the exact same research claim that the consequences will be very mild. As a trader I have to evaluate the data and develop a strategy that I feel not only gives me an edge but allows for a great deal of error while still being low risk!
Creating a Financial Future - Putting Your Plan Into Action Part 1
This column has previously discussed "picturing the future that we desire", and outlining a plan to achieve it. We mentioned that the plan must include goal-setting, measurement, and implementation. That implementation is this column's focus.
Super Rules, OK?
Do you rule your superannuation or does it rule you?
The Conflict of Interest Game
Disgruntled investors are going after Wall Street once again, this time accusing one of investment bank Morgan-Stanley's high-tech mutual funds of making biased stock picks.
Investing Pointers for Neophyte Investors
If you know next to nothing, how do you go about the business of investing? The first thing you need to know about investing is, how much do you really know? If its' not much, then you will need to read extensively to educate yourself.
Buying a Home - Your BIGGEST Investment
This column has often focused on intangible investments like stocks that a young investor might hold in their portfolio. While these are one of the most important components of an investment plan, it is not the dominant one for most young people. Even for some who are much further down the path of life, stocks and bonds often pale in comparison to the role that a home plays in their investment life.
Investing & Online Stock & Share Trading: Money & Risk Management - Atkinson Portfolio Planner (1)
This article was originally featured in Daryl Guppy's 'Tutorials in Applied Technical Analysis', voted no 1 trading newsletter in Australia by Shares magazine & no 4 in the world by US Stocks & Commodities magazine and is reprinted here with Daryl's permission.
A Safe Port For Mutual Funds But Not You!
Soft dollars, a form of legal kickback, is a sly way you can get ripped off by mutual fund managers. Full service brokers give these kickbacks to non-indexed mutual funds in the form of a "rebate" to purchase research, software, and even computer equipment.
Beta Factors: How They Can Be Used In The Current Situation
Ever since the turn of the century, world stock markets have been very volatile. In other words there have been significant movements (up or down) in share prices. This phenomenon has been evidenced by the collapse in recent years of the share prices of the dot com companies (e.g. Yahoo, Amazon etc.) and the sharp falls in the share prices of telecommunication stocks (e.g. British Telecom, Marconi etc.). Yet despite these events there is very little emphasis placed on measuring the volatility of stocks.
Hedge Fund 101 - Make Money with Hedge Funds
Investors are always looking for the best investments that will yield the most profit. Any investor who can afford the extra cost should consider investing in Hedge Funds. Hedge Funds were started in 1949 by Alfred Winslow Jones, who pioneered non-traditional investment strategies. Jones innovated this new investment strategy by selling short stocks, while buying other stocks (long stocks). Hedge Funds are very similar to Mutual Funds, except that there are fewer regulations on Hedge Funds. As a result, Hedge Funds usually require a much larger investment.
Franchise Investing, Franchise Opportunities and Franchising Renewals
Have you considered buying a franchise instead of trying to start a business from scratch. Many franchise agreements are renewed every five or ten years, automatically. If you do not want to renew your franchise you need to let the franchisor know a little bit in advance as it generally states in the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC) The franchise Disclosure Document used in franchising. Most require that you out it writing so there is no question about your intent, some require this 180 days before expiration. Others state that if you do not specifically say you do not wish to renew the agreement you are automatically renewed. If you do not want to renew your franchise at the end of the five year period, that is ok, but there are generally stipulations after termination. You cannot simply change the "Burger King Hamburger" sign out front to Joe's Burgers and keep operating (example only).
401(k) Plans
I've been in and interested in the stock market so long (one year shy of forty years) I can remember when the mutual fund pages in my home town paper were just one page! Now it looks like there are more mutual funds then there are stocks listed on the New York stock exchange.
|
