Archives of “mathematics” tag

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Richard Rhodes 10+ 8 Trading Rules -Must Read

  
  Education
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If I’ve learned anything in my decades of trading, I’ve learned that the simple methods work best. Those who need to rely upon complex stochastics, linear weighted moving averages, smoothing techniques, Fibonacci numbers etc., usually find that they have so many things rolling around in their heads that they cannot make a rational decision. One technique says buy; another says sell. Another says sit tight while another says add to the trade. It sounds like a cliche, but simple methods work best.

  • The first and most important rule is – in bull markets, one is supposed to be long. This may sound obvious, but how many of us have sold the first rally in every bull market, saying that the market has moved too far, too fast. I have before, and I suspect I’ll do it again at some point in the future. Thus, we’ve not enjoyed the profits that should have accrued to us for our initial bullish outlook, but have actually lost money while being short. In a bull market, one can only be long or on the sidelines. Remember, not having a position is a position.
  • Buy that which is showing strength – sell that which is showing weakness. The public continues to buy when prices have fallen. The professional buys because prices have rallied. This difference may not sound logical, but buying strength works. The rule of survival is not to “buy low, sell high”, but to “buy higher and sell higher”. Furthermore, when comparing various stocks within a group, buy only the strongest and sell the weakest.
  • When putting on a trade, enter it as if it has the potential to be the biggest trade of the year. Don’t enter a trade until it has been well thought out, a campaign has been devised for adding to the trade, and contingency plans set for exiting the trade.
  • On minor corrections against the major trend, add to trades. In bull markets, add to the trade on minor corrections back into support levels. In bear markets, add on corrections into resistance. Use the 33-50% corrections level of the previous movement or the proper moving average as a first point in which to add.
  • Be patient. If a trade is missed, wait for a correction to occur before putting the trade on.
  • Be patient. Once a trade is put on, allow it time to develop and give it time to create the profits you expected.
  • Be patient. The old adage that “you never go broke taking a profit” is maybe the most worthless piece of advice ever given. Taking small profits is the surest way to ultimate loss I can think of, for small profits are never allowed to develop into enormous profits. The real money in trading is made from the one, two or three large trades that develop each year. You must develop the ability to patiently stay with winning trades to allow them to develop into that sort of trade.
  • Be patient. Once a trade is put on, give it time to work; give it time to insulate itself from random noise; give it time for others to see the merit of what you saw earlier than they.
  • Be impatient. As always, small loses and quick losses are the best losses. It is not the loss of money that is important. Rather, it is the mental capital that is used up when you sit with a losing trade that is important.

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Observation, Experience, Memory and Mathematics

  
  Education
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“Observation, experience, memory and mathematics – these are what the successful trader must depend on. He must not only observe but remember at all times what he has observed. He cannot bet on the unreasonable or the unexpected, however strong his personal convictions may be about man’s unreasonableness or however certain he may feel that the unexpected happens very frequently. He must bet always on probabilities – that is, try to anticipate them. Years of practice at the game, of constant study, of always remembering, enable the trader to act on the instant when the unexpected happens as well as when the expected comes to pass.

“A man can have great mathematical ability and an unusual power of accurate observation and yet fail in speculation unless he also possesses the experience and the memory. And then, like the physician who keeps up with the advances of science, the wise trader never ceases to study general conditions, to keep track of developments everywhere that are likely to affect or influence the course of the various markets. After years of the game it becomes a habit to keep posted. He acts almost automatically. He acquires the invaluable professional attitude that enables him to beat the game – at times! This difference between the professional and the amateur or occasional trader cannot be overemphasized. I find, for instance, that memory and mathematics help me very much. Wall Street makes its money on a mathematical basis. I mean, it makes its money by dealing with facts and figures.” (more…)

Words of wisdom from Jesse Livermore

  
  Education
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No trader can or should play the market all the time. There will be many times when you should be out of the market, sitting in cash waiting patiently for the perfect trade…. ” – Jesse Livermore

“It is foolhardy to make a second trade, if your first trade shows you a loss…. As an ironclad Livermore rule, never average losses. Let that thought be written indelibly and forever upon your mind….” – Jesse Livermore

“Remember that it is dangerous to start spreading out all over the market carrying several positions. Do not have an interest in too many stocks at any one time. It is much easier to watch a few than many….” – Jesse Livermore

“As long as a stock is acting right, and the market is right, be in no hurry to take a profit…. ” – Jesse Livermore (more…)

Trade Sizing Depends on Risk Aversion and Volatility

  
  Education
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  • Risk aversion
    • When I was a young man I wanted to devise objective risk systems. In other words, once you have a system, what is the right size to trade, period.
    • After years of working on this I convinced myself that it did not have a unique answer. You need at least one subjective piece of the puzzle to put it together, and that is an individual’s risk aversion. Now that is subjective.
    • There is no rule that says how averse you should be to risk, that is an integral element of your personality. But unless you know how averse to risk you are or unless you can impute risk aversion to your clients, you really can’t settle the question of how big you should trade.
  • Volatility
    • Estimating volatility determines to a large extent what your position sizes should be.
    • A slight improvement in our volatility estimators can potentially produce a significant long-term benefit.

Observation, Experience, Memory and Mathematics

  
  Education
#  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #

“Observation, experience, memory and mathematics – these are what the successful trader must depend on. He must not only observe but remember at all times what he has observed. He cannot bet on the unreasonable or the unexpected, however strong his personal convictions may be about man’s unreasonableness or however certain he may feel that the unexpected happens very frequently. He must bet always on probabilities – that is, try to anticipate them. Years of practice at the game, of constant study, of always remembering, enable the trader to act on the instant when the unexpected happens as well as when the expected comes to pass.

“A man can have great mathematical ability and an unusual power of accurate observation and yet fail in speculation unless he also possesses the experience and the memory. And then, like the physician who keeps up with the advances of science, the wise trader never ceases to study general conditions, to keep track of developments everywhere that are likely to affect or influence the course of the various markets. After years of the game it becomes a habit to keep posted. He acts almost automatically. He acquires the invaluable professional attitude that enables him to beat the game – at times! (more…)

On Being the Right Size

  
  Education
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I found this 1926 paper “On Being the Right Size” by J. B. S. Haldane quite fascinating.

To the mouse and any smaller animal it presents practically no dangers. You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft; and, on arriving at the bottom it gets a slight shock and walks away, provided that the ground is fairly soft. A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes.

That reminds me of Billy Eckhardt’s comments on bet size…

If you plot system performance against bet size, you obtain a curve in the shape of a rightward-facing cartoon whale, going up in a straight line before dropping dramatically.

He said: “Trading size is one aspect you don’t want to optimize: the optimum comes just before the precipice. You want to be at the left of the optimal point, in the high zone of the straight curve.” (more…)

Amazing Video Shows How Beautifully Math Translates Into Life

  
Education, Video
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Mathematics has changed the course of human history countless times. It’s easy to forget how much of what we see every day can be described by a series of symbols and relationships.

A video titled “Beauty of Mathematics”from Yann Pineill and Nicolas Lefaucheux shows exactly how true that is. On the left, you see the equation itself, in the middle, a diagram of what’s happening in real time, and on the right, how things look in the real world.

It shows how math reveals everything from the very simple – like how probability determines how likely it is that you’ll roll a two and a four during a game of backgammon.

 Mathematics can derive the equations of motion that can model a spinning top – how fast it needs to go, and the topping point for when it will wobble out of control:

The video opens with a quote from Bertrand Russell that just about sums things up:
“Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty – a beauty cold and austere, without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music.”
 
 

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