# Trading ideas



## darkhorse70 (13 January 2015)

Hey all, just thought id start this thread to get people discussing/sharing some of their overall trading strategies (for example momentum breakouts).

Im trying to come up with a strategy that would suit my risk tolerance / personality etc and was just curious to see what others on the forum use. Would be a good way for me to spark other potential ideas and get a better understanding of what trading styles are out there.


Im specifically interested in unique styles and im even considering intra day styles. Styles which generate more trade signals hence helping me get more experience in managing trades etc.

I did have a trading style (most likely lousy) but after reading Howard Bandy's book, it mentioned that all trading system equities eventually flatten. More so if they are popular or well known, hence why i wanted some inspiration or ideas to start looking for some inefficiency in the market which is undetected.


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## Atari rose (14 January 2015)

Long silver
Short Gold


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## darkhorse70 (14 January 2015)

I meant more specifically technical strategies.


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## Habakkuk (14 January 2015)

darkhorse70 said:


> I meant more specifically technical strategies.





I have an alternative suggestion:

consider learning discretionary trading using the playback function in Amibroker.

Read the first 1 1/2 pages of the thread "The transition to Futures trading"; you need to read just the first 30 posts. Take special note of Trembling Hand's post #22. You will substitute Amibroker for Ninjatrader, and stocks or maybe CFDs for futures, obviously.

You don't need to open an account. That way you won't lose any money.

The idea is to learn how "random" the markets are. You will not learn that by using the backtester.

This is only a suggestion, not advice. I'm not qualified to give advice and have zero credibility on this forum anyway. Hopefully a lot of people will disagree with my suggestion and give you real advice now. That's what you're looking for, right?


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## darkhorse70 (15 January 2015)

Thanks habak. Its a good suggestion. 

Although I wouldnt substitute amibroker for NJ, id be glad to use both methods. Id like to however get a strategy which has been verified through backtesting/forward testing then use NJ play back function to see how the strategy works out.

I mean if your trading intra day, minutrs/seconds strategied your going to have to have alot of sim trading to perfect timing/management etc.

I need a plan first, hence the reason I created the thread. TH idea of finding setups you like and saving them is the same concept but if I have an actual system written out (even though it could be part discretionary) would mean alot less mistakes being made and a more clear direction personally.


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## skc (15 January 2015)

Trading ideas:

- Supports and resistances
- Economic news
- Company specific news
- Sector laggard/leaders
- Quantitative methods (http://quantifiableedges.blogspot.com.au/)
- Seasonalities
- Dartboard and tealeaves

None of these guarantee success more than others... it's a case of picking what you are/will be good at and mastering that.


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## pavilion103 (15 January 2015)

1. Analyse the overall context
2. Identify important support and resistance levels
3. Observe how price and volume react at these levels (and how it follows through). 

Have good risk management. 
Limit losses. 
Get stop to break even ASAP. 

Have clear setups. 
Have clear rules. 
Put things in place so that you don't break them (too often).


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## darkhorse70 (15 January 2015)

Thanks SKC, Pavillion. To be honest thats how I was trading and I was actually getting the hang of it, using excel spread sheets to assess the probability of an gap at open etc. Figuring out good support and resistance levels and being patient to enter at good pivot points.

Obviosuly at a far more intermediate level tahn you guys but I tried to implemwnt my strategy in amibroker. Obviously there were many elements that I didnt know how to implement and that would def have an impact on my return but it really de motivated me (its for the better though).

And what Howard Bandy said about the flattening of equity curves over time really got to me. Hence why im trying to find unique inefficiencies (mammoth task may I add).

SKC, Pavillion would you care expand on what setups you look for? I realize that you guys use support and resistance levels for example break through support with increase in volume etc but have you found any unique patters (if you wish to disclose that ofcourse)?

Are there any specific books regarding intra day plays in great detail? Mike Bellafiores was the most insightfull I have read.

By the way thanks for the link skc. Will have a read. I have to start to read about futures. Pavillion I was reading a thread, I think the one regarding transition to futures. I feel like im in that exact same position as you were then.

I need the option of shorting to increase my edge and oppurtunities.


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## tech/a (15 January 2015)

Some great Stuff SKC
Putting it all together is the trick.
Watch PAV's setups and trades on his
Futures thread.
It's really screen time which will pop up 
Correlations in price action/pattern/volume 
And finally pivots and support/resistance.

From here you'll be able to trade discretionary
And come up with much to test and systemize.


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## darkhorse70 (15 January 2015)

Thanks John. Sounds like a good plan. One which ill follow up.


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## darkhorse70 (15 January 2015)

By the way I might be heading back to uni, however I might change degrees and try to get into programming. It might hel accelerate my learning curve in terms of strategy development.


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## Pnut (28 January 2015)

darkhorse70 said:


> By the way I might be heading back to uni, however I might change degrees and try to get into programming. It might hel accelerate my learning curve in terms of strategy development.




Beware you may only get brainwashed at UNI and confused. 

Meditate and read Books prefferably traders who have traded for many Years and retired alive and with some money left over. W.D.Gann Is my favourite read he seems to be very honest and sincere. One of the big things he points out in "45 Years In Wall Street" Page 116 *Great Market Operators of The Past.*
In this Chapter he goes through some of the Traders he has known through his time and how they made and lost millions. How they made it, how they lost it and the very small group that kept it. It is no wonder that he set his son up to be a broker as they always profit. Gann admired Livermore and lived to a ripe old age whilst others took their own lives or lost everything they had and more.
After my years of study I have got a few basic rules. 

1) First things first Learn Thy Self your worst enemy is inside you.
2) Know where to get out before you get in and always have a stop.
3) Create a Trading Plan that works for you, prove to yourself that it will work, then only do that.

Personally my plan is Identify the overall market trend direction, Find a share that is trending in that direction tray to enter on the pullbacks in the direction of the trend and set profit targets that are realistic.

Hope this helps 
Pnut.


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## howardbandy (28 January 2015)

darkhorse70 said:


> By the way I might be heading back to uni, however I might change degrees and try to get into programming. It might hel accelerate my learning curve in terms of strategy development.




Hi Darkhorse --

Good choice.  Take high quality courses taught by serious professors.  Get an education -- compare with getting a certificate that you have completed university.

Take courses in math through calculus and linear algebra, computer science using whichever languages the department recommends and course work through numerical analysis, data structures, and algorithm design, applied statistics using Bayesian methods, operations research courses in linear programming.  Take a two semester sequence at the junior / senior / graduate level in modeling and simulation.  Somewhere along the line, learn how analysis of non-stationary financial time series requires different tools and a different frame of mind than analysis of stationary data sets (like credit card data). 

My recommendation is to avoid anything that cannot be precisely defined, or that repaints when new data is received.  Which excludes Gann, Fibonacci, moon phase, and the like.  

Best,
Howard


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## darkhorse70 (28 January 2015)

Thanks Pnut/Howard.

Ill try to get my hands on that book Pnut. I was interested in economics and finance but those can be self taught. Im back to basics on the simulator. Once Ive found a strategy which I think could work then ill go to the back testing/forwarding testing phase.

Thanks Howard, ill defiantly follow up on that. I'm putting my application through UAC tonight.
It should be really interesting. I was decent at maths, however ill need to polish up on it.

Kind regards

Patrick


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## PinguPingu (30 January 2015)

Long DAX/short EUR/USD - hold for at least 6 months :


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