Early 2008, I stumbled around the currencies, oil and gold for a while, making plenty of mistakes along the way, as I learned how to use the spread betting platform I had chosen (quite a good one, as it happens).I learned a way to make it work in the state that the markets were then in, and made a few bob, but started over-trading, and decided to give it a rest for a while and get my trading head straight.
Q4 2008, Got back into it, re-learning, trying different SB firms, and several different methods and styles. I've bought into a few "systems" (not the most expensive by any means), regarding it as a form of education. One thing that I have learned (and many here will tell you) is that it is not the system, but the person using it, that matters (or who matters).
Q3 2009 - Still here, plugging away, still learning, after taking a few more short breaks away from trading. Gradually evolving into own style combining indicator-less TA (except for MAs) based on PASR/SRPA, some macroeconomics, and some gut instinct.
p.s. My nickname is inspired by J's dog in "Three Men in a Boat, to say nothing of the Dog", by Jerome K. Jerome.
My current avatar is my favourite character in "Peanuts" by Charles M. Schultz, who tends to reflect my naturally slobbish habits
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
(Pigpen, that is, not Mr Schultz, whom I am sure had exemplary habits!).
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About time for an update:
Summary of 2010: In many ways, my most successful year as a trader (still spread-betting, mostly with Tradefair, though I have other accounts).
It was a mixture of what I have come to call "Fuzzymentals" (a mixture of many things, including gut feeling), the same minimal TA that I had been using for some time, and perhaps a bit more experience.
Took 5 month break from end-July, and am now back: as before, plus some new ideas (or revisited ideas); early days yet.
Cycling, Walking, Swimming, Kayaking, Writing, Drawing