Subscribe now and watch my free trend following VIDEO.

Tag: books

No Funnymentals in Trend Following

Posted on by Michael Covel

Feedback in:

Hi Michael, I’ve been trading trends the last 3 years and it’s been good. However, whenever I revisit Market Wizards or listen to your podcasts, I always notice that some of the great traders, including the trend followers, have some fundamental aspects in their trading plus the use of technical indicators other than price. If trading is merely trading numbers and price action is really what matters, is it foolhardy to think that trading without charts(just daily closing prices and nothing else) can be profitable? I had manually churned out a set of performance data based on some EOD price charts of the last 15 years. But I’m planning to work on evaluating my trend following system using only prices and no charts. Is there someone who has traded trends profitably without charts? I appreciate your entire work of trend following. Thank you! Warmest regards, Francis T.

The core trend followers in my books? No funnymentals (Ed Seykota term of course). None of the trend followers in my books talk about charts. They use price data. Do charts help? That’s all subjective! Price is objective.

How can you move forward immediately to Trend Following profits? My books and my Flagship Course and Systems are trusted options by clients in 70+ countries.

Also jump in:

• Trend Following Podcast Guests
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Performance
• Research
• Markets to Trade
• Crisis Times
• Trading Technology
• About Us

Trend Following is for beginners, students and pros in all countries. This is not day trading 5-minute bars, prediction or analyzing fundamentals–it’s Trend Following.

Markets: They Trend, They Flow, They Surprise

Posted on by Michael Covel

Chapter taken from “Trend Commandments”:

Markets go up, down, and sideways. They trend. They flow. They surprise. Have markets changed? Not only have markets changed, they will continue to change. Check your history books. If you have a valid market philosophy, learning to accept that change and flow with it is your greatest asset. No matter how ridiculous market moves appear at the beginning, and no matter how extended or irrational they seem at the end, following trends is the rational choice in a chaotic, changing world.

That thinking leaves trend followers as generalists when it comes to their trading strategy and that’s not easy to accept for many. The dominant trend within universities is ever-narrower specialization. A higher premium is placed on deep knowledge within a single field (read: fundamental expertise in one market), versus broad wisdom across multiple fronts.

For example, one trend following practitioner started trading trends in 1974—making hundreds of millions in profits and perhaps billions for clients. The major strategic elements of his trend following trading systems have never changed. He was blunt: “The markets are just the markets. I know that is unusual sounding.”

Occasionally, someone trying to promote something or start a debate will argue that trend following has to change due to changing market conditions. Specious. The root of trend following is based on responding to change. It is designed to be adaptable.

Does that mean every systematic trend trader will take the risk of shooting only for huge returns? No. Does that mean every trend trader will capture a trend in the exact same way? No. The trend following way has many practitioners and many recipes. However, just as there are thousands of car models, they are still cars.

Think about my words.

How can you move forward immediately to Trend Following profits? My books and my Flagship Course and Systems are trusted options by clients in 70+ countries.

Also jump in:

• Trend Following Podcast Guests
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Performance
• Research
• Markets to Trade
• Crisis Times
• Trading Technology
• About Us

Trend Following is for beginners, students and pros in all countries. This is not day trading 5-minute bars, prediction or analyzing fundamentals–it’s Trend Following.

Look Before You Leap Is Mission Critical

Posted on by Michael Covel

An excerpt from my first book, “Trend Following”:

Trend following, like any entrepreneurial endeavor, demands you to be responsible for yourself. Charles Faulkner emphasized the point: “Trend trading and even trading in general isn’t for everyone. As too few people check out what the day-to-day life of a trader is like, and trend trading specifically, I strongly recommend they find out before making a life changing commitment.”

What does “life changing commitment” involve? You commit to not wanting to be right all of the time. Most people, let’s face it, must be right. They live to have other people know they’re right. They don’t even want the success. They don’t want to win. They don’t want money. They just want to be right. The winners, on the other hand, just want to win.

If you don’t want to win–on something in life–go jump now.

Note: Charles has been one of my most popular podcast guests. He will be on soon again.

How can you move forward immediately to Trend Following profits? My books and my Flagship Course and Systems are trusted options by clients in 70+ countries.

Also jump in:

• Trend Following Podcast Guests
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Performance
• Research
• Markets to Trade
• Crisis Times
• Trading Technology
• About Us

Trend Following is for beginners, students and pros in all countries. This is not day trading 5-minute bars, prediction or analyzing fundamentals–it’s Trend Following.

Teach Yourself to Be Great

Posted on by Michael Covel

An excerpt from The Little Book of Trading:

Can you teach yourself to trade? Do you realize how important learning on your own is if you really want to be a successful trader? Everything about Kevin Bruce’s trading is self-taught. He started in the basement of the University of Georgia library: The school had old editions of the Wall Street Journal on microfilm. In the basement dungeon, he would compile his own record of the open, high, low, and closing prices for all markets. At the time, Bruce was actually working at a gas station at night, and between cleaning bugs off windshields and pumping gas, he had time to think and research–which is where he would analyze that price data. Bruce had a Texas Instruments handheld calculator that helped him sort through price data collected from the library. He figured out how to mathematically define a trend (in order to profit from its movement). It was a basic trend trading system. It was the same system he had used for the trading game in school with slight tweaks. Ultimately, it was the same one he would use with real money in the decades to follow.

You can receive a free DVD of Bruce here.

How can you move forward immediately to Trend Following profits? My books and my Flagship Course and Systems are trusted options by clients in 70+ countries.

Also jump in:

• Trend Following Podcast Guests
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Performance
• Research
• Markets to Trade
• Crisis Times
• Trading Technology
• About Us

Trend Following is for beginners, students and pros in all countries. This is not day trading 5-minute bars, prediction or analyzing fundamentals–it’s Trend Following.

If You Want A Guarantee Buy A Toaster!

Posted on by Michael Covel

A question arrived today:

Will your book ‘Trend Following’ help me develop a trading system to become profitable?

I replied: For some people yes, and for some people no. Feel free to follow-up. He replied:

Will your other books help me?

All of my books will help some people. My books will not help all people. There are reasons for this.

How can you move forward immediately to Trend Following profits? My books and my Flagship Course and Systems are trusted options by clients in 70+ countries.

Also jump in:

• Trend Following Podcast Guests
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Performance
• Research
• Markets to Trade
• Crisis Times
• Trading Technology
• About Us

Trend Following is for beginners, students and pros in all countries. This is not day trading 5-minute bars, prediction or analyzing fundamentals–it’s Trend Following.

Don’t Run Against the Wind… Go With the Flow

Posted on by Michael Covel

Feedback:

Hi Michael, A quick note to thank you for the wonderful podcasts (and your books). I’ve been listening to them whenever I go for my runs a few times a week. And in the midst of all the market nonsense, these podcasts (TF-related or not) have kept me sane as I trade trends. TF is like running with the wind which may not come all the time. But when they do come (slow or fast & furious), I make sure I run with it, not against it. It’s easier that way. I sometimes wonder why people run against the wind. Press on with your work!

Warmest regards,
Francis

Thanks Francis!

How can you move forward immediately to Trend Following profits? My books and my Flagship Course and Systems are trusted options by clients in 70+ countries.

Also jump in:

• Trend Following Podcast Guests
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Performance
• Research
• Markets to Trade
• Crisis Times
• Trading Technology
• About Us

Trend Following is for beginners, students and pros in all countries. This is not day trading 5-minute bars, prediction or analyzing fundamentals–it’s Trend Following.

Where To Start in Trend Following…

Posted on by Michael Covel

Feedback in:

Hi Michael Covel, my name is [name] and I graduated from Rutgers University last year with a BA in Mathematics and Economics. I have been following your podcast and have read a couple of your books and am very interested in pursuing a career in trend following. I was always disenchanted with the investment banking paradigm, but really believe in the power of trend following. I have been following the markets for the past 5 years and have invested some of my own money during that time. What are some good ways for a guy just starting out to get his foot in the door in this industry? I believe the experience that comes with working for an experienced trend follower would be invaluable. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Read Linchpin by Seth Godin.

Read Atlas Shrugged.

Read Jack Schwager’s Market Wizard books.

Read my four books.

Listen to all podcast episodes.

Knock on doors if you want a job.

If you want to be a trend trader? Get a system and start trading.

Short list–lots of advice.

Note: Be prepared to never be hired by a trend trader. Then what? Back to my list. You can also consider other options here.

How can you move forward immediately to Trend Following profits? My books and my Flagship Course and Systems are trusted options by clients in 70+ countries.

Also jump in:

• Trend Following Podcast Guests
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Performance
• Research
• Markets to Trade
• Crisis Times
• Trading Technology
• About Us

Trend Following is for beginners, students and pros in all countries. This is not day trading 5-minute bars, prediction or analyzing fundamentals–it’s Trend Following.