Nothing works consistently

LOL.

Well if you're just scalping on short timeframes I would expect you to have trouble consistently replicating your results as it's more of a lottery, and transaction charges etc play more of a factor.

If you want to improve your chances (assuming you aren't doing this, or something like it already) try only scalping from one side (i.e. where the trend on a longer timeframe basis is.

Exact timings etc you can play around with yourself, but if you realise that some days your scalps risk being firmly against the grain then you may find you have more consistent results.

Suggest maybe you look at daily, 4h and 1h charts for some more pointers. If you just sit there and try and snipe off a 5 min chart you're just another hopeless mug punter throwing darts at a board unless you have some sort of edge.

I find that a lot of trading is about knowing when to trade. I.e. identifying when the market is providing suitable opportunities for the particular method you are using.

I'm currently finding the Eurostoxx pretty hard to make any money in because it is largely directionless and noisy (until after 5pm when I leave and it comes off 60 ticks - I could swear it knows when I'm finishing for the day). My methods don't really work well for these types of markets and, therefore, I'm not in as many trades as I was the last few weeks. However, it doesn't stop me from trying to find new methods to trade different market conditions which, I believe, is very important.

In short, trading is about adapting to the different types of market conditions you will encounter. To give a crap analogy, one key does not fit all the locks - you need a ring of many keys.

Exactly.

If your methods work one day and not the next, it's probably because you're using a strategy known as luck.

read fooled by randomness. might help you decide just how good your edge is...and how much chance can skew your view.

Meehow, can you explain why you're asking this question, which is very valid in the context of someone only trading for 6 months, when your profile indicates you are a vendor of newsletters, tip sheets and trading advice?

What exactly are you vending?

Or if you really want to mess with his/her head Dave, add Taleb's The Black Swan", Norden's "Technical Analysis and the Active Trader" and Du Toit's "Bird Watching in Lion Country".

I recommend you read all three at the same time. You’ll come out a very different Trader….