Trading! It's all about psychology isn't it... FT

Query: Moving Stops to Breakeven

I guess I figured I was using humor in my post. I had not addressed my post to you and didn't figure it would cause you a problem or I'd not have said that. Try not to take my statements too personally it was not directed to you. FT

Query: Moving Stops to Breakeven

[QUOTE=merlin] A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I've never thought any one of these was more important than the other. Whenver I hear people say that entries are not important and I laugh. It's not cool to say that exits are not ...

Query: Moving Stops to Breakeven

[QUOTE=Orii] Yes after all costs. What market is positive historically? Equities? If so that is only true if you are net long over the entire life of the market. Othewise how can anyone say that the market has a positive expectancy? You can't make a ...

codification of the market / Genetic Algorithms

Because I make too long of posts anyways I was hoping to avoid the obvious explanation. Anyway randomness, if it exists, implies an equal distribution of results. I was simply using the idea of 50/50 expectancy to illustrate that. Once you add ...

codification of the market / Genetic Algorithms

Thanks for the kind words James. Given your approach I'd still have expected 20 or 25 pips to be your maximum stop size. If you'd said 15 was your average it would have made more sense to me but trading with 15 pips maximum stop sizes is nothing to ...

Query: Moving Stops to Breakeven

This blows me away. I regularly trade 35 to 45 pip stops. In fact I'm uncomfortable using smaller stops than that because I'm never too crazy about getting spiked out of a trade. I may exit before waiting for a stop to be hit but I sure don't like ...

Query: Moving Stops to Breakeven

Just about everybody but you Merlin.

Query: Moving Stops to Breakeven

Nice handle. On the subject of paying tax. I like to keep it simple and with trading it does not get much simpler. So, when do you pay tax as a forex trader? Only when you have a profit at the end of the year. To whom does this apply? Very few ...

Forex Taxes

I guess the first conceptual difference I see is that an entry exposes ones capital to risk and/or profit and an exit eliminates risk and/or profit. I think that entry and exit are as different conceptually as "beginning" and "end". Entry always ...

codification of the market / Genetic Algorithms

Van Tharpe claims to have designed a system that has a completely random entry system that uses money management to survive and it actually makes a couple percent annual profit and it includes slippage and commissions. FT

codification of the market / Genetic Algorithms

[QUOTE=Orii] Right. So far humans have outperformed computers... at least in the known sphere of robotic trading. There are always the unknown factors. If you had a robotic system that was doing much better than most people would even imagine would ...

codification of the market / Genetic Algorithms

But really Merlin when you place a trade that goes in a direction it is a trend or counter trend -- which is just another way of saying trend by relating it to something else. The very fact that you mention "trading against the trend" seems to me ...

Let's talk about trends I'm confused

If it seems like too much information then it has already become too complicated and I goofed by posting so many ideas about trend. Even though I said a lot there it all is pretty much saying the same thing different ways. I agree with james and ...

Let's talk about trends I'm confused

Confusion about trend is a completely normal condition. Here are some de-confusers: 1. Trend direction is relative. Trend direction is not fixed to some external reference. 2. Trend direction is always relative to another time frame. (if you are ...

Let's talk about trends I'm confused

Frigging hilarious picture of MB. Congrat's on your trading! FT

Fully recovered!! Newbies take note!!

Allowed by whom? Who could prevent tradestation from supporting more than one mm? Strategy builder supports a number of market makers. FT

Calculating Acc/Dist

[QUOTE=Orii] So what about the proverbial "glass ceiling". Clearly recognizing it's metaphorical existance is integral to survival and yet it is called such because it is so easily not seen. (just having some fun here) Just a minute while I quickly ...

codification of the market / Genetic Algorithms

That is correct. The forex dealing station is very simple. The MM quotes bid/ask prices. You enter and exit what you see on the screen if it suits you. That is it. Any matching that is done is not known to you. The mm decides when and how they match ...

question from a newbie ....

[QUOTE=merlin] Do you know anyone who is using Tradestation to develop genetic algorithms without calling third party software? This I've never heard about. What? You mean human pattern recognition functioning on a subconscious basis? Works for me. ...

codification of the market / Genetic Algorithms