A word of advice
This is the main educational section of this site. As someone who has spent well over a decade trading various financial instruments, I believe I have a pretty good idea of what works and what does not and what can make you money and what, and also who, you should avoid.
Among many things, this section is thus dedicated to the issues of critical thinking and trader's advocacy. You will find here articles about the trading marketplace, including the shady aspects of it (dubious marketing practices, trading forums, etc.), and other things that could be particularly important to new traders.
Other topics covered here pertain to trading systems and strategies, to e-mini futures and stock trading, and to the trading mindset that is critical for the trading success.
This section already has over 90 articles (as of January 2023) with more recent articles on top of the older ones. I still hope to be adding to it rather often, so you may want to check it out from time to time.
If you enjoyed any article in this educational section of my site, then you can express your gratitude by sending me a donation via Paypal. The suggested minimum donation amount is $5, but if you feel particularly grateful or just happen to be in the right donation mood, I think I might be able handle even ten times that - try me. Thanks for your consideration and even more for your donation.
Trading e-mini futures
The articles in this category focus on trading e-mini futures, almost exclusively on day trading these highly leveraged financial instruments.
- Some advantages and disadvantages of trading e-micro futures over e-mini futures
- Short essay on day trading e-mini futures
- Close, but no cigar..." or why I prefer discretionary e-mini futures trading
- Simplifying e-mini futures day trading - a smart approach
- Trading hundreds and thousands of e-mini futures contracts
- Why you should not be day trading about the FOMC announcement time
- The very basics of e-mini trading for the very beginners
- Should you switch to a new e-mini contract on a rollover day?
- Economic reports and their impact on e-mini futures markets
- E-micros - the little siblings of e-mini futures
- E-mini futures - the best markets for day trading
- To day trade e-minis or to day trade stocks?
- Starting in e-mini futures trading - ES or YM or perhaps something else?
- What exactly is e-mini day trading?
- How to start trading e-mini futures?
- Basic introduction to day trading e-mini futures
- Rollover and expiration days of futures contracts
Trading stocks
The articles dedicated to trading stocks and the stock market are collected here.
- Mila Kunis as a contrarian stock market indicator?
- The best way to trade stocks
- The securities fraud
Trading systems and methods
This category features articles primarily on trading systems and methods. Since the methods or systems can be used for trading futures or stocks, these articles could equally well belong to the sections above, but were singled out here due to their more specific nature.
- The expected value for the intelligent e-mini day trader
- Momentum, trend, support in trading
- On uses and abuses of e-mini trading systems - uses
- On uses and abuses of e-mini trading systems - abuses
- How to you use indicators for your trading?
- Should you use indicators for your trading?
- Is discretionary e-mini day trading right for you?
- Discretionary versus mechanical e-mini trading
- The logic behind e-mini trading systems
- Are simple e-mini trading systems of any value?
- Albert Einstein and e-mini trading systems
- The butterfly effect in e-mini trading systems
- Which e-mini trading systems for 2008?
- Do you need a high winning rate?
- A trading system or method?
- Trading systems terminology
- Why mechanical trading systems fail
- Seen a Holy Grail lately?
- How to choose a trading system?
- Reality check or can you count?
- Simple can often be better
Trading mindset, mastery, and inspiration
More than just trading psychology that at times is overemphasized in trading at the expense of simpler things but equally important for successful trading.
- Pavlov's dog, me, and trading
- Two twos of the trading business
- On Fibonacci indicators or one more myth that has to go
- How to get an edge at virtually anything, including trading
- Indicators don't work because they lag behind the price and other trading myths
- Some useful quotes for e-mini traders
- Learning how to trade e-mini futures from the masters
- Day trading e-mini futures can be easy
- E-mini trading do's and don't's
- Why most people do not succeed at day trading e-mini futures
- What it takes to be really good at something (including trading e-mini futures)
- The trading learning curve
- E-mini trading and the Iraq exit strategy
- E-mini trading and the theory of relativity
- Are you e-mini trader material?
- Trading e-minis with right expectations
- Using video recording to improve your trading
- The worst thing that can happen when trading e-mini futures
- The dumbest way to start trading e-mini futures
- How I lost $10,000 in one day trading e-mini futures and what I have learned from it
- The failure to cut losses short revisited
- Using simulators to master trading e-mini futures
- Is trading e-mini futures for you?
- The essential ingredients of successful e-mini day trading
- Can biorhythms help you in trading e-mini futures?
- Too much self-confidence trading e-minis?
Trading marketplace
About vendors and their business practices, not all of which are equally endearing, written from the trader advocate point of view. Sham and outright scam are not so uncommon in this marketplace, so it's quite important to learn how to spot them. But there are also businesses that provide excellent value through their products or services. You may find them mentioned here too.
Trading forums
Trading forums are part of the general trading marketplace, particularly that some of them are run by vendors who do not necessarily always acknowledge this fact, and, if only because of that, are subject to heavy manipulation. Since they tend to be popular, a separate category about them seems very much in order.
- A trading forum that can scam you
- Trading forums and sleazy vendors behind them
- Nasreddin Hodja and trading forums
- The real trading secrets - why trading forums suck
Trading miscellanea
Articles on trading matters that just could not fit well enough in any other category, so I put them here.
- "So, what was your risk reward ratio, again?"
- My trading blog - some personal market reminiscences
- A new video interview with Jim Simons, a brilliant mathematician and successful hedge fund manager
- Trading as problem solving
- The best computer equipment for day trading e-mini futures
- Should you start a hedge fund in high school?
- Ed Thorp and his 98.7% winning rate
- Oversimplification (not only in trading e-mini futures)
- How many charts do you use for trading?
- How many trades a day?
Novel digital trading instruments
Articles on Bitcoin and other digital currencies or tokens that are now part of the burgeoning fintech industry, still viewed largely as alternative investments, hence more risky, but should become more mainstream in the years to come.