I hope the regulars on this thread will not object to me butting in here. I have not read all the posts, way too many to do so, but I have skimmed through them and I think I have the general idea of what is being discussed.
My conclusion is that there are basically three types of contributors here; Those who are trying to learn, those who are trying to educate them and those who seem to have a very negative attitude to the whole thing. I'll try earnestly to be placed in the middle category.
The fact of the matter is folks that success at this trading lark is 90% dependent on the frame of mind you are in when you approach it. The methods of trading you use account for probably the other 10%. I use these figures loosely. There's no doubt that you need a good "system" of indicators and trading rules before you start but the final test, once you have chosen your methodology, is how closely, as a free thinking individual with all the strengths and weaknesses of human nature, you manage to stick to it.
There are literally hundreds of books, manuals, courses etc out there that will teach you a system/strategy to win in the trading game. Some are brilliant, some not so brilliant, none are unique and none are a magic button or holy grail to trading success. They all use various combinations of well established trading rules and strategies, all of which are available free of charge by searching the Internet. My own system/strategy uses a combination of Candlestick Charting, Stochastics and Pivot Points. I did'nt discover pivot points or stochastics and I am way too young to have discovered Candlestick analysis. The way I have put them together is probably not unique either. However, the way I approach my trading is unique to me and the way you will approach your trading will be unique to you.
It's how well we manage to control our emotions of fear and greed and to coldly close out a losing trade, or a winning one for that matter, when our pre-designated stop or target has been breached or to refrain from placing a trade when we know deep inside that our rules are telling us there is no trade to be had, that decides how successful we are as a trader.
My system/strategy itself if used in an almost "robotic" manner is between 80% and 90% accurate. My own accuracy rate ranges between 0% and 90% dependent on my frame of mind when I am trading! (thankfully it averages at the high end of that range for most of the time).
The upshot of all this is that, contrary to popular belief, there is a "Holy Grail" of trading but it is not to be found in any of the trading tools, software, books or manuals on the market. It's free of charge and you've already found it!
A major part of this thread has focused on whether so called experts are confident enough to prove their worth by publicising their accounts. Personally I would never make public my personal trading account if for no other reason than to keep my conniving ex-wifes eyes off it let alone the man from the Inland Revenue.
However, I can't see the problem in opening an account to specifically back up your trading history and to provide proof of what you are saying. I opened just such an account a while ago to prove to my own students what was achievable. I placed £100 in a BetonMarkets account and increased it to just over £200 before removing my original £100 investment. I was left with what amounted to a virtual account to trade with (It had cost me nothing having got back my money) but with all the emotional pressure that comes with using real money.
Before you take a look at it, if indeed you even want to look at it, I need to point out a few things that underline what I have said in this post. Firstly it is an account that shows all of my trades warts and all. It is an account I have used to trade live with students and to experiment with various approaches to trading, not all of them particularly successful. It is also an account that I use to practise my own system/strategy on a personal basis. If you look carefully you will be able to pick out where I was experimenting and allowing students to make trading decisions because the trades are erratic. However, there are a number of periods where you will be able to see that I have traded my strategy and been both successful and unsuccessful in doing so.
The account encompasses the tail end of a period through which I was almost made bankrupt through a bad business investment and the break up of my marriage. The point of mentioning this is that the more astute viewer will be able to see when those particular difficulties of life got to me badly. It's all reflected in the trades. The fact is that I am an experienced trader and when I am on form I am a very successful trader. The bad trades that you will see in the account are not the fault of the system I use. They rest squarely with me and the way I approached the trades.
I really hope this helps some of you that are still hovering on the edge of joining the trading game. If it's put you off, good, you've saved yourself a fortune - if it's helped you decide to start, great, welcome to the best vehicle to financial freedom that exists (IMHO) and I'll see you on the QE2 or the QM2 maybe. Cocktails anyone?
This link is my public link to betonMarkets. It should work, but I know there are sometimes problems with it. If it fails and you really do want to see the account, I will take a screen shot and send it to you if you email or PM me.
All the best
Steve
Trading Account Public Link