Monthly Archives: July 2016

Patience is a Key Component of your Edge (Part 1)

Posted in: Trader | , by
30 comments

 

You might recall this previous article which talks about the fact that the real source of my edge is not my strategy, but rather it's me. The knowledge, the skill and the attitude which I bring to the market each day.

I'd like to touch on a part of this edge today and then again in a followup article next week.

In particular just one simple idea.

The fact that PATIENCE plays a key role in this game.

A key component of my edge is in recognising and accepting that I do NOT have to trade every price sequence.

The same applies to you. You do NOT have to trade every price sequence.

When the bias is unclear, stand aside or trade another market.

When the pace of price flow is too fast or too slow for your liking, stand aside or trade another market.

When the price action is choppy rather than flowing smoothly, stand aside or trade another market.

The game is hard enough. Don't make it any more difficult than it needs to be.

Remain focused. Remain alert. But remain patient.

Watch and wait. If it's not right, stand aside.

And when it is right, when it's screaming out to be traded, attack and destroy that opportunity.

Patience - you don't have to trade every price sequence

Patience - you don't have to trade every price sequence

YTC Price Action Trader references:

 

Patience - you don't have to trade every price sequence

Patience - you don't have to trade every price sequence

Patience - you don't have to trade every price sequence

For the lower timeframe view, let's use the YTC Scalper templates for a change. I don't do that often enough. The reasoning behind timing of the entries should be obvious to anyone who uses this variation of the YTC lower timeframes.

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Trading the Retest of a Point of Structural Change

Posted in: Trading Process and Strategy | , by
4 comments

 

One of our aims in trading the financial markets is to make sure that we're trading in the right places on the price chart.

Places which make sense when viewed from the perspective of the psychology of the market participants.

Places which make sense when viewed from the perspective of the structure of the market.

Today we look at one of these places – the retest of a point of structural change.

We've addressed this concept briefly in the past. If you haven't seen this prior article you may wish to review it first.

https://yourtradingcoach.com/trading-process-and-strategy/retesting-the-point-of-structural-change/

The prior article summarised the concept as follows: 

Retesting the point of structural change

All examples in that article dealt with structural patterns on the trading timeframe.

But the same concept can be applied across a much larger time scale, with trade opportunity found as markets retest a point of higher timeframe structural change.

That was the idea behind the following trade.

We'll start by examining a much higher timeframe in order to see the structure develop over the prior four days.

Retesting the point of structural change

Volatility contraction is never fun to trade. Monday was slow and boring. Tuesday was worse.

But in the back of my mind at these times is an expectation that this volatility contraction must end at some stage.

And the expansion of volatility on a break from these patterns can provide great
trading conditions.

So let's move forward to Wednesday to see how the breakout eventually occurs. And to see whether or not it then offers us a nice BPB setup entry long.

Retesting the point of structural change

Damn! We missed it.

Or maybe not?

Let's move ahead 30 minutes into Wednesday's session.

Retesting the point of structural change

From a structural perspective, this is a beautiful place to be seeking opportunity long. Previous resistance often provides support once broken and retested.

From the metagame perspective, it's also a beautiful place to be seeking opportunity long.

Anyone with a bullish bias who missed the overnight breakout has now been gifted an ideal "second chance" entry opportunity.

Those already holding a long position have been provided an ideal scenario to add to their position.

And for those who managed to get short from the open on Wednesday, the market is at the ideal area for profit taking (ie. buy orders).

There is good reason to be buying here.

Let's look to the trading timeframe to see how it played out.

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A Thought Experiment That Might Just Get You Profitable

Posted in: Trader | , by
5 comments

 

Too many people are just spinning wheels and getting nowhere.

Here's what I think.

Many of you have sufficient knowledge and skill to achieve success.

But your focus is on trading rather than on making money.

And the end result of this is too many low probability trades in really bad environments.

Let's fix this now.

What if you had a gun to your head and you HAD to profit over your next 20 trades?

It doesn't matter how long it takes you to get to twenty. And it doesn't matter how small the profit.

The only condition is that you must stick to your risk and money management limits.

You've got 20 trades to show a profit.

How will this change the way you view the markets each day?

What would you do differently?

Just maybe you'll be happy to stand aside and watch. Stalking the market. Waiting till the bias is so clear that it's screaming out to be traded.

Just maybe… you'll prove to yourself that you can profit over 20 trades.

And if you can?

Then just do it again.

And again.

And again.

Maybe you already are a trader, but you just haven't realised it yet because you're too busy trying to trade.

What if you had a gun to your head and you HAD to profit over your next 20 trades?

What would you do differently?

Why aren't you doing this NOW?

20 trades!

Good luck!

I believe you CAN do it.

Lance Beggs

 

 

Two Attempts – Then Reassess

Posted in: Trading Process and Strategy | , by
7 comments

 

I see far too many traders destroy a session through fighting the market. Again and again and again.

Stop fighting the market

You need to break the pattern.

Try implementing this rule:

Two Attempts – Then Reassess!

 

After two attempts at a trade idea, if it hasn't worked, it's clear that something is not right. You're not in sync with the market.

Either:

  • You have misread the situation and you're wrong, or
  • Your timing is out (which still means you're wrong).

 

Break the pattern!

Two Attempts – Then Reassess!

Confirm your position is flat.

Step away from the charts.

Clear your mind.

Then reassess from first principles.

Try also to see the picture from the perspective of someone who might have the opposite bias to you. What are they seeing? Could they be right?

You may choose to get back in for a further trade (assuming session drawdown limits are not hit).

But you may also have prevented a meltdown; stopping a good trade idea which didn't work from turning into an absolute mess of a session.

Here's a recent trade sequence where I implemented this rule – Two Attempts – Then Reassess!

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Keep It Simple

Posted in: Trading Business | , by
4 comments

 

It's very easy in this business to bury ourselves in complexity. Typically leading to nothing but feelings of extreme overwhelm and doubt.

It can help at these times to "step back" a little and look at the bigger picture.

At a simpler level, what exactly are we trying to achieve here?

I would suggest that many of us could describe our trading by the following "simplified" flowchart.

Higher level simpler overview of the trading process

When you get one wrong, work to contain the damage as much as possible.

When you get one right, work to take as much profit as you can out of the move.

Aim to keep the losses smaller than the wins, on average.

Record data on your decisions and performance.

Identify what adds to your edge across a large sample of trades. Seek to understand why. And do more of it.

Identify what reduces your edge across that same large sample of trades. Seek to understand why. And aim to avoid it or reduce the damage.

And improve over time.

Essentially, that's how I run my trading business.

But perhaps the best use for this "simplified" flowchart is in it's ability to help us find the way forward when we're stuck.

Because the same flowchart can be used to guide our learning process. And to narrow our focus to ONE AREA OF IMPROVEMENT at a time.

Using the simplified flowchart to guide our learning

We won't get it right in every trade, of course. But our aim must be to learn to do so with sufficient frequency to provide an edge across a series of trades, assuming acceptable trade entry and management.

Using the simplified flowchart to guide our learning

Again, we won't always get this perfect. But we must get it right sufficiently often to ensure that our edge remains, assuming acceptable trade management.

Using the simplified flowchart to guide our learning

And once more, we don't expect to get this perfect every time. But across a large enough sample, we need to get this right enough to maintain our edge.

Using the simplified flowchart to fix a failure to provide edge.

Are you trading in the right area? Or do you need to work more on your strategy?

Are you entering well enough? Or are you getting chopped up as you try to consistently pick the exact turn point?

Are you holding for a reasonable portion of the move? Or are you regularly failing to manage the opportunity that is available.

Success requires that you first identify the source of current failure. So simplify! And then narrow your focus to one area at a time.

Do you need to work on your trade areas? Or trade entry? Or trade management.

There's work to be done.

Best of luck,

Lance Beggs