Military Tactics and Trading

[Joe Ross]

Grant and Napoleon had an ability that separated them from other generals, the ability to manoeuvre troops and supplies to their most effective placements under rapidly changing circumstances. Traders should learn how to manage their funds, rework stop placements, and change their position size with changing market conditions. Conducting warfare and commodity trading have many common factors. All modern warfare is derived from the spear and shield, attack and defend, offence and defence. For trading markets, offence is trade entry and defence is the protective stop. Day trading is like guerrilla warfare, which was first used in Europe during the early 1800's when Napoleon placed his brother on the throne of Spain. Attack rapidly then retreat.

Value of Persistence: In the Battle of the Wilderness, Grant let the Southerners know he would never give up and would fight them under the harshest of conditions. After the battle was over, instead of retreating back to Washington to rest, as some past cowardly Northern generals had done, Grant moved south and stopped Lee from sending reinforcements to Atlanta, which fell to Sherman. The Civil War was won from the Battle of the Wilderness, which Grant is still incorrectly thought to have lost. Grant broke the South psychologically after the Battle of the Wilderness. The trader is a successful human being for the courageous act of trying to become a success regardless of his equity statement. Churchill said, "Never give up. Never, never, never give up." That statement defines persistence and commitment. There are many systems that are profitable, yet there is only one way to correctly analyze price action. Those lessons are contained by regular practice reading charts and working out what you see there. Don't give up and you will find them on the charts.

 

[RUDEBOY]

A thirst for basics and fundamentals is what has driven the last few centuries forward at an exponetial pace( in human terms). This seems to be overlooked on the markets, its a case of 'one giant leap for me(hopefully), and i'll just see what happens in the mean time for everyone else'?

 

[thedunce]

Grant and Sherman also shared the same characteristics of Top Traders in that they slaughtered anyone; Men, Women and Children. As was witnessed on the Missouri border and in the Indian Territories.

 

[SOCRATES]

Grant and Napoleon had an ability that separated them from other generals, the ability to manoeuvre troops and supplies to their most effective placements under rapidly changing circumstances. Traders should learn how to manage their funds, rework stop placements, and change their position size with changing market conditions. Conducting warfare and commodity trading have many common factors. All modern warfare is derived from the spear and shield, attack and defend, offence and defence. For trading markets, offence is trade entry and defence is the protective stop. Day trading is like guerrilla warfare, which was first used in Europe during the early 1800's when Napoleon placed his brother on the throne of Spain. Attack rapidly then retreat.

Value of Persistence: In the Battle of the Wilderness, Grant let the Southerners know he would never give up and would fight them under the harshest of conditions. After the battle was over, instead of retreating back to Washington to rest, as some past cowardly Northern generals had done, Grant moved south and stopped Lee from sending reinforcements to Atlanta, which fell to Sherman. The Civil War was won from the Battle of the Wilderness, which Grant is still incorrectly thought to have lost. Grant broke the South psychologically after the Battle of the Wilderness. The trader is a successful human being for the courageous act of trying to become a success regardless of his equity statement. Churchill said, "Never give up. Never, never, never give up." That statement defines persistence and commitment. There are many systems that are profitable, yet there is only one way to correctly analyze price action. Those lessons are contained by regular practice reading charts and working out what you see there. Don't give up and you will find them on the charts.

I do not agree with you one bit.

You imply that anyone can do this and anyone can self impose discipline, response, and responsiblity of the highest order. This is not the case. You ought to explain instead that all of this is an endless merciless and potentially lethal war for profits, against battle hardened inside market professionals and not some silly little game anyone can play just because they choose to.

 

[RUDEBOY]

Market dominance = military prowess? At all levels though, who knows? Life or evolution is 'survival of the fitest'.

 

[RUDEBOY]

Socs, there is a point to be made here.

 

[SOCRATES]

Yes because you cannot expect civillians to suddenly be called to bear arms and to be thrown into the middle of a vicious war against hardened troops.But the public percieves itself to be capable of fighting and winning inside this war without the proper armaments, knowledge, awareness, tactical preparation, and what is ultimately self governance of the highest order, regardless of what anyone implies. And what is worse, is that the public is persistently lulled into a sense of false security about all this, none of which is a game, but a deadly and vicious war for profits instead. That is why warnings are mandatory about the risks involved in trading.It seems to me that everyone and his cat wants to have a go, but very few really are fit for it.

 

[RUDEBOY]

Yes, but within a war there is a battle, within a battle there are soldiers. Without going to deep, everyone should know there place. Personal perspective is what is needed, personal money management about market conditions. Maybe to understand this is not so obvious to a newbie, survival may sound to negative, i dont know?

 

[SOCRATES]

None of it is obvious to a newbie. The newbie has not a clue it is not a level playing field, and that in addition the field is tilted this way and that, to his or her utter bafflement and despair. This is why it is a war for profits and not a game just anyone can play whether they have the time, the money, the hardware, the software, the broker, or a degree. None of that helps at all. It is the case because none of it is constructed for the benefit of any member of the general public, least of all the newbie.

 

[RUDEBOY]

Lets face it, trading is an individual thing, if 'thing' is the right way to describe it? Money, on the markets, is the insatiable drive, 70% of this money is 'big boy" or "investor" money. Net wise how much actually changes hands. The % must only be small, i dont know but id say on avereage it must be 0.0 and what ever maximum(profit)! Ask the big boys what % of profit towards total account they made in one week and it cant be that much except in extreme cicumstances. Theres only so much that can be exploited in any given time.

 

[SOCRATES]

No Rudeboy, not quite. The insatiable drive that leads to ultimate mastery is not money. Money, or even the thought of money, corrupts. The insatiable drive is ultimate mastery of the topic. When the topic is mastered the thirst disappears and all that is left is the fun of being able to do it, and to replicate, on command, at will.....and that....that is the real buzz !

 

[RUDEBOY]

True, what i meant is that money 'blinds' people.

 

[Salty Gibbon]

Come on Socrates.

You make trading sound impossible when it is just another intellectual challenge which can effectively be overcome in many different ways.

Different people will approach the challenge in different ways and come up with a myriad of solutions.

All solutions will have merit because a solution will mean that a profit is being made.

Trading is akin to war in that there are many ways to wage a war, survival must be the first priority, with eventual victory being the ultimate goal.

Defeat in war comes to the physically weak whilst defeat in trading comes to the intellectually weak.

Discipline in both will enhance the eventual prospect of victory.

A lack of discipline may not ensure defeat but it could well prolong the war.

Just ask that dumbas*s George Bush about his Iraq experience.

 

[SOCRATES]

Salty, don't be cynical please, as you very well know what this is all about.

 

[Salty Gibbon]

Salty, don't be cynical please, as you very well know what this is all about.

I do indeed dear Soc.

But as one who has been in the 0.1% Club all his life it is very difficult for me not to be cynical !

:cheesy:

 

[SOCRATES]

Quite so Sir !

 

[JumpOff]

None of it is obvious to a newbie. The newbie has not a clue it is not a level playing field, and that in addition the field is tilted this way and that, to his or her utter bafflement and despair. This is why it is a war for profits and not a game just anyone can play whether they have the time, the money, the hardware, the software, the broker, or a degree. None of that helps at all. It is the case because none of it is constructed for the benefit of any member of the general public, least of all the newbie.

As long as we are on a war metaphor, I'd like to point out that the people who usually profit most from a war are those who are rarely noticed - It's not the politicians, not the soldiers, not the civilian victims, not the generals, not the victorious or defeated agressor nation, not the entity who was attacked. It was that small group who quietly laid their plans well in advance, and were cordial enough to oblige when a desperate request was made to them.....
JO

 

[Salty Gibbon]

That Socrates sure do like the sound of his own voice

If you were a Greek philosopher, so would you pal.

 

[TheBramble]

As long as we are on a war metaphor, I'd like to point out that the people who usually profit most from a war are those who are rarely noticed - It's not the politicians, not the soldiers, not the civilian victims, not the generals, not the victorious or defeated agressor nation, not the entity who was attacked. It was that small group who quietly laid their plans well in advance, and were cordial enough to oblige when a desperate request was made to them.....
JO

And they are...?

 

[wasp]

No Rudeboy, not quite. The insatiable drive that leads to ultimate mastery is not money. Money, or even the thought of money, corrupts. The insatiable drive is ultimate mastery of the topic. When the topic is mastered the thirst disappears and all that is left is the fun of being able to do it, and to replicate, on command, at will.....and that....that is the real buzz !

Wasn't an insatiable drive of mastery for me mate, just the money!

I don't find a particular buzz when trading either. I find it dull and mundane most of the time but I earn $ X at the end of the week I'm happy