Developing traders are sometimes humble (or desperate) enough to make a request for help that sounds something like “just show me”, “give me a step by step”, “what’s an if-then that I can use”, etc.
The response we provide is usually disappointing. The developing trader wants the answer to begin with “whenever you see this happen, do this…”. However, our answers usually repeat a list of principles that matter for each type of trade.
“The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
We have programs that are rule-based and objective. They are effective and have been profitable. But even with these, you have to focus on learning the principles behind why they work. If you don’t understand the principles at work, you may blindly follow anything that appears to have an edge, or quickly abandon something because of a season where the edge isn’t strong for the market conditions.
Become a student of market principles. Here are two simple ways to define a market principle.
- Several profitable traders recognize and confirm the principle
- You can describe it in one sentence
Examples:
- Mean reversion trades have a higher win rate than trend trades.
- Equities tend to have v-shaped bottoms and rounded tops
Exercise:
- Create a list of market principles or suspected principles
- Ask several traders (preferably some profitable traders) to indicate which they agree with and which they question
- During your trading, ask yourself which market principles are behind the decisions you are making
Hope this helps you.
Andrew Falde
Options & Systems Trading
SMB Desk Trader (Powered by Kershner Trading Group)
No relevant positions.
