Trend Following course
Mastery
Everything in Essentials, plus Michael’s proprietary library and twelve months of custom coaching.
- Every core system and module
- Proprietary library
- 12 months of custom coaching
One-time payment
$3,997
No subscription. Lifetime access to the course platform.
Buy MasterySecure checkout. Guarantee · FAQs · Compare with Essentials ($2,997)Clients in 76+ countries
Where clients live →Clients live in:
- United States
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bermuda
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Canada
- China
- Colombia
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- Netherlands Antilles
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Panama
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Russia
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovak Republic
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- Zimbabwe
Featured in:
- The Wall Street Journal
- Bloomberg
- CCTV
- The Straits Times
- Fox Business
Ninety percent of financial stress lives in a handful of persistent, unanswered questions. Solving even one of them can shift your entire trajectory. And when we finally clear it, the relief—and the returns—are usually life-changing.Michael Covel
Why trend following
Markets are not enemies to conquer. They are waves to ride, and uncertainty is where the biggest opportunities come from.
Paul Tudor Jones, one of the greatest macro traders alive, put it plainly:
“If there was a strategy that I would want to employ right now, if someone put a gun to my head, I’d say simple trend following strategies. They are not too popular today… They will probably do very well in the next 5 to 10 years.”Paul Tudor Jones
Trend following is a philosophy as much as a strategy. Most traders chase predictions, forecasts and hot tips, and end up stressed, broke and chained to their screens. Trend followers react to price instead. Black swans destroy the unprepared; trend followers are positioned to profit from them.
This is not about getting rich quick. It is a system that removes emotion, simplifies decisions and lets wealth compound through discipline, in bull markets, bear markets and crashes. Less time trading, more time living.
Who it’s for
Builders, not gamblers.
Lifelong learners. DIY investors tired of buy-and-hold drawdowns. Professionals, from advisers and fund managers to brokers, who want an edge that scales. Students starting out, and retirees protecting their savings from inflation. If you have tried candlesticks, Elliott waves or mean reversion and come away exhausted, this is the alternative.
You don’t need a PhD or a Wall Street pedigree. You need the willingness to model the masters: Ed Seykota, who turned $5,000 into $15 million; Larry Hite, who built a billion-dollar firm; David Harding, who built Winton Capital. They didn’t predict. They reacted, with rules.
What it asks of you: discipline over dopamine, and probability over certainty.
Why most traders fail
Your brain is wired to lose money in markets. A system fixes that.
Daniel Kahneman’s Nobel Prize-winning work shows how. Loss aversion makes us hold losers too long. Confirmation bias hides the trend in front of us. Fear of missing out drives impulsive buys.
Trend following overrides those instincts by measuring one thing: price. Not news, earnings or tweets. You enter when a trend emerges and exit when it bends, risking a small fixed share of your capital on each trade, never more than 1 to 2%. Small losses keep you in the game. The big wins carry the results.
Think like Babe Ruth, Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani. You will strike out often, and more than half your trades may lose. The home runs, the 20 to 50 times moves in markets like oil or Bitcoin, make the difference. That is expected value, not gambling.
One legendary trend follower summed it up: “I’m very uncomfortable with black box trading where I’m dealing with algorithms I don’t understand. Everything we do we could do on the back of an envelope with a pencil.”
What’s inside Mastery
More than 25 years of research and interviews with billion-dollar traders, distilled into rules you could write on a napkin. No black boxes, no secrets.
Classic Trend Following Systems I–III
Timeless entry and exit rules, adjustable to your own risk tolerance.
Weekly Trend System
Check once a day or once a week, act, and get on with your life. Built to catch multi-month trends without the daily noise.
Money Management Module
The part most traders skip. Position sizing, volatility adjustment and diversification: how to add to winners and cut losers. Includes a risk plan template you can customize.
ETF and LEAPS Options Modules
Apply the rules to S&P 500 ETFs for broad exposure, or to LEAPS for leveraged upside with limited downside.
Three additional trading systems
More rule sets to diversify how you trade.
Case Studies Module
The strategy at work across eras, so you see the same patterns repeat.
Alternate Entries Module
Filters for choppy markets that help you avoid whipsaws.
Wizard Video Series 1–4
Psychology, from surviving drawdowns to modeling legendary traders.
Trading Coach Video 5
How to fit the systems into the rhythm of your life.
Proprietary library
Michael’s private research library, available only with Mastery.
12 months of custom coaching
Email Michael directly. Unlimited questions, replies in 24 to 48 hours, no upsells.
The full course, in detail
Clients often ask how much is in the course. It is voluminous, by design. You don’t need every detail to trade trend following: the core rules are compact. The rest is the free foundation that keeps you trading those rules through every market and every drawdown.
| Module | Format | Length | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trend Following Manifesto | 163 pages | Trend following philosophy, mathematical expectation, ATR, money management, entries, stops, portfolio selection, risk of ruin, order placement, quizzes | |
| Portfolio Selection Module | 302 pages | Building a tracking portfolio, correlations, diversification examples across futures, ETFs, LEAPS and options | |
| Money Management Module | 97 pages | True Range and ATR calculation, ATR-based position sizing, risk parameters, trade-by-trade risk breakdowns across ~50 futures markets | |
| Weekly Trend System | 3 pages | 6-month channel breakout entry, ATR-based initial stop, opposite-channel trailing stop, unit sizing | |
| Donchian Trading System | 6 pages | Donchian 5 & 20 system rules, entries, exits and general trading guides | |
| Trade Walkthrough Module | 7 pages | One fully calculated, annotated trade, including stop placement and a contract rollover | |
| Alternate Entries Module | 51 pages | Bollinger Band, moving-average, crossover and highest-high/lowest-low entries; stop settings; Valero and Ford examples | |
| Single Stock Futures Module | 191 pages | Single stock futures basics, P&L, margin, leverage, Reg T, market examples, exchange guides | |
| ETF and LEAPS Options Modules | 385 pages | ETF basics, leveraged and inverse ETFs, ETF selection and correlation, portfolio building; LEAPS basics, leverage, time decay, Black-Scholes, market examples | |
| Wizard Video Series 1–4 | Video | 1 hr 56 min | Interviews with David Harding, Kevin Bruce, Salem Abraham, plus a Poker Superstars session |
| Trading Coach Video 5 | Video | 36 min | Charles Faulkner, trading coach |
| Training Audio Series | Audio | 5 hr 13 min | Beginners, Getting Started (Parts 1–2), The Story (Parts 1–2), Trading the Way |
| Basics Module | PDF + Excel | 121 pages + 16 spreadsheets | Order types, futures contract point values, futures and options guides, quizzes, ATR/risk/correlation spreadsheets |
| CFD Resources | 60 pages | Introductions to CFDs and their risks | |
| Broker Options | Links | — | Broker recommendations (Interactive Brokers) |
| Proprietary library | Video + PDF | 11 hr 44 min (23 videos) + 15,893 pages: 44 classic books (11,598 pp), 81 research and behavioral papers (1,393 pp), fund performance records (2,902 pp) | Interviews and talks with Hite, Abraham, Bruce, Faulkner, Ritholtz and Seykota; explainers on futures, momentum, risk and diversification; 44 classic speculation and trading books (1688–2011) including Reminiscences of a Stock Operator; research papers on trend following, position sizing, drawdown and momentum; behavioral papers on decision-making, risk perception and investor psychology; historical performance records for Mulvaney Capital, AQR and DUNN Capital |
Course content inventory as of October 2026.
What you’ll learn
- What to trade.
- How much to trade.
- When to enter.
- When to exit a loser.
- When to exit a winner.
- How to balance long and short trades.
- How to scale up winning positions.
- How to adjust for volatility.
- How to stay out of bad markets and trade the best markets.
- How to survive losing streaks and maximize winning streaks.
Markets you can trade
- Stocks
- S&P 500, Nikkei 225, DAX, Apple, Tesla
- Interest rates
- Eurodollar, 10-Year T-Note, Bund
- Currencies
- USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CHF, CNY
- Crypto
- Bitcoin, Ethereum
- Metals
- Gold, silver, copper
- Energies
- Oil, natural gas
- Agriculturals
- Wheat, corn, soybeans
- Softs and meats
- Coffee, sugar, cotton, lean hogs, feeder cattle
- Instruments
- Futures, ETFs, LEAPS options
No expertise needed. Price tells the story.
Mastery or Essentials
Both courses →| Included | Mastery · $3,997 | Essentials · $2,997 |
|---|---|---|
| Custom coaching | 12 months | 6 months |
| Proprietary library | Yes | — |
| Core systems trading module | Yes | Yes |
| Exchange traded funds (ETF) module | Yes | Yes |
| LEAPS options module | Yes | Yes |
| Money management module | Yes | Yes |
| Case study module | Yes | Yes |
| Three additional trading systems | Yes | Yes |
| Alternate entries module | Yes | Yes |
| Wizard videos one to four | Yes | Yes |
| Trading coach video five | Yes | Yes |
| Lifetime platform access | Yes | Yes |
| Buy Mastery | Buy Essentials |
What the legends say
All 30 letters and endorsements →
“The way I see it, you have two choices–you can do what I did and work for 30-plus years, cobbling together scraps of information, seeking to create a money-making strategy, or you can spend a few days reading Covel’s book [Trend Following] and skip that three-decade learning curve.”

“Michael Covel’s Trend Following: Essential.”

“I think that this book documents a great deal of what has made Trend Following Managers a successful part of the money management landscape (how they manage risk and investment psychology). It serves as a strong educational justification on why investors should consider using Trend Following Managers as a part of an overall portfolio strategy.”

“The course [Essentials] gives comprehensive insight to the most accessible active management strategy currently in use. [You] find revealing explanations of all the critical elements of a successful trend following trading plan. The concepts espoused here are not just opinions…these techniques have been proven to work.”

“[Trend Following Mindset] tells the compelling story of rules-based trend following trading and the results of maximum diversification, taking small losses, and letting those profits run. A timeless, ageless reminder to all of us that we can’t predict the future and that our intuitions and emotions are holding us back from success.”

“Years ago, famed Chicago bond trader Tom Baldwin put trading in a phrase: 'Everybody wants the money, but whose willing to do the work?' I know a few. One of them is Michael Covel. Michael did the yeoman’s duty no one else would do: bringing together the principles, practices and track records of trend following. In his now numerous books, Flagship and programs, he solidly demonstrates trend following is a viable trading and investment strategy; moreover, one that can be learned and mastered. Something many so-called trading and investment strategies have yet to do.”

“There have been few authors that have tackled the financial markets with a candor that was entertaining while not alienating themselves from the community they wrote about. A few greats come to mind: Michael Lewis, Jack Schwager, and Nassim Taleb. I believe Michael Covel also belongs squarely in this camp for his work to champion the trend following movement.”

“Mike Covel is not just a cheerleader for trend-following, he is the Head Coach. He understands the game, the strategy and crucially the psyche of the players. Would be winners will ensure that they study Mike’s teachings and books before stepping onto the playing field.”

“What Edwards and Magee did for technical analysis and Benjamin Graham did for fundamental analysis, Michael Covel has achieved for the art of following trends. Arguably the definitive text on this style of trading, Trend Following covers all the bases from human behavior to systems trading, while debunking many prevalent misconceptions about what it really takes to make money.
Covel gives it to you straight: what works, what doesn’t, and how outsized gains are earned, straight from the mouths of the world’s top traders. If you want the “quick path to easy trading success”, look elsewhere (And good luck to you!). But if you want a real education in what it takes to capture huge market gains over time, read this book. I think the book did a superb job of covering the philosophy and thinking behind trend following (basically why it works). You might call it the Market Wizards of Trend Following.”
On Trend Following Radio
All episodes →Since 2012, Michael has recorded 1,400+ episodes with listeners across 188+ countries. Nine Nobel Prize winners have appeared.
- Ed Seykota
- Larry Hite
- Tom Basso
- Jerry Parker
- Jack Schwager
- Van Tharp
- Martin Lueck
- Ewan Kirk
- Daniel Kahneman
- Harry Markowitz
- Robert Aumann
- Vernon Smith
- Howard Marks
- Jim Rogers
- Annie Duke
- Robert Cialdini
- Seth Godin
- Barry Ritholtz
Live on stage
Past events →Presented before
- China Asset Management
- GIC Private Limited
- BM&F Bovespa
- Managed Funds Association
- Bank of China Investment Management
- Market Technicians Association
Presented live in
Bangkok, Beijing, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Paris, São Paulo, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore, Tokyo, Vancouver, Vienna and across USA.
What clients say
More testimonials →“The way I see it, you have two choices—you can do what I did and work for 30-plus years, cobbling together scraps of information, seeking to create a money-making strategy, or you can spend a few days reading Covel’s book [Trend Following] and skip that three-decade learning curve.”
“I was on the right track at the time, but definitely had a few ‘ah-ha!’ moments upon going through his course. I’m guessing that some of his material probably saved me a year or two. Not to mention the many dozens (literally) of testing ideas generated from all of his subsequent books.”
“I have to thank Mike for his in-depth research on this subject and a proven way for traders to make money – simply by following the trends. Mike’s trading system course has made positive contributions to my success in trading and managing my clients’ money.”
“Trend Following” has changed my life, not only with trading, but also the way I view the world and live my life. If there is anyone who thinks trend following doesn’t work, I am a living, breathing example that it does.”
“What really convinced me to follow this path is I recently met a trader that has been successfully trend trading for over five years using your methods. Thank you for making me aware of the ultimate retirement plan.”
“I consider Mike to be the “Best of the Best”. Mike truly cares about his students and wants us to succeed.”
“In his now numerous books, courses and programs, [Michael] solidly demonstrates trend following is a viable trading and investment strategy; moreover, one that can be learned and mastered.”
“I have been asked many times for advice about how to attempt to be a successful trader. My answer: read and apply Covel.”
“Michael Covel is a rare breed. He is the only author I have come across who really understands how traders can make money, regularly and consistently over a long period of time. [He] shines a light in this world and is indeed a rare breed. I cannot recommend his work enough.”
“Would-be winners will ensure that they study Mike’s teachings and books before stepping onto the playing field. His books ARE required reading here for all our traders, marketers and interns.”
“I decided to contact Mike and work with him one on one … I would recommend any trader who is not where they want to be to start with Mike.”
“I purchased your course on a Friday for around $3k sometime in 2018. The following Monday it was on sale at 50% off. I could have cared less if it did what you said it would do.
Well, after two years of reading your books, studying, and playing the market with real $$$$.$$ (and hundreds of mistakes) I thought I’d give you a report card. Below are actual trades copied to my Excel files. I returned 80% as of 3/29/20 for the 1st. quarter of 2020 while the DJIA is down ~ 24%. I can’t guarantee I can duplicate anywhere near above returns on an annualized basis, but confident I’ll do well.
I’ve tweaked your/my system many times and have extreme confidence. Attached are my adjusted EMA’s for this volatile market we’re in. I had to adjust to a shorter time frame for faster entry exits. Also attached is my “Trading Bible”. My “Bible” is a result of trade mistakes and some are quotes from your books. Like anything worth pursuing, you have to give 100%. I’ve done that with your tutoring, and finally making extraordinary returns. This is too fun and love it when I don’t have to trade.”
“I wanted to thank you again for taking the time and effort to put together the trading Flagship. The material is fantastic. It lays out the ground work for YOU (meaning Me) to make your own decisions regarding investing. You take out all the people and companies that can cloud your judgment. I just finished watching Broke. It was the last item of the course for me. I am glad I saved it for last because it cemented the ideals behind the theory of trend trading. When you interview all the people that have had a rough go because of their own decisions, but yet still want to place blame on something else, made me realize that I now can be different. Different in thinking, different in doing, different in acting, and by different I mean not in a bad way.
Read the full letter
Thank you for opening my eyes to a different than the herd style of investing. The theory makes perfect sense to me. I have started to incorporate it into my investing. My big problem will be trying to deal with being wrong 60% of the time. It has been drilled into my head that you have to have a 70% winning percentage if you want to make money. I now realize that this is scalping and not what I want to do. I want to ride the wave of the trend until it is done. When I always looked at charts and see a big long trend in a direction. I always asked myself how can I get in that trend and ride to the end. I now know the way to do it. And I can’t wait to take responsibility for my own investments without having to listen or think about what others say or do. I will have a plan in place and I will run with it.”
Trend Following Mastery · $3,997
One-time payment. Lifetime access. 12 months of custom coaching.
Questions? Email us.
Risk disclaimers
Trend Following™ and TurtleTrader® can’t promise you will earn the returns of traders, charts or examples (real or hypothetical) stated. All past performance is not necessarily an indication of future results. Data presented is for educational purposes. Trend Following™ products are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment advice. All data on this site is direct from the CFTC, SEC, Yahoo Finance, Google and disclosure documents by managers mentioned herein. Trend Following™ assumes all data to be accurate, but assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or clerical errors made by sources. Our testimonials are the words of real customers received in real correspondence that have not been paid for their testimonials. Testimonials are sometimes printed under aliases to protect privacy, and edited for length. Claims have not been independently verified or audited for accuracy. We do not know how much money was risked, what portion of their total portfolio was allocated, or their exact positions. We do not claim that the results experienced by such customers are typical and you will likely have different results. Trend Following™ is not registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. This information is not designed to be used as an invitation for investment with any adviser profiled. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Further, Trend Following™ cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Additionally, Trend Following™ in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any security or instrument. In addition, Trend Following™ accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as a basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. HYPOTHETICAL OR SIMULATED PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS. UNLIKE AN ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RECORD, SIMULATED RESULTS DO NOT REPRESENT ACTUAL TRADING. ALSO, SINCE THE TRADES HAVE NOT BEEN EXECUTED, THE RESULTS MAY HAVE UNDER-OR-OVER COMPENSATED FOR THE IMPACT, IF ANY, OF CERTAIN MARKET FACTORS, SUCH AS LACK OF LIQUIDITY. SIMULATED TRADING PROGRAMS IN GENERAL ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DESIGNED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFIT OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN.

