Trading the Easy Way - Ian Williams

[OpenMind]

Could one of Ian Williams' students answer this please?

The website mentions the Zulu principles. Is it the same as Jim Slater's?

Having looked at the WICS examples, it seems he is a classical technical analyst, using price, volume, trendlines, support/resistance; patterns like triangles, gaps etc. He also seems to use news and directors' dealings and fundametal information like the economic situation. Would this be a fair description of his course material?

Would someone be kind enough to post the course topics?

Many thanks.

 

[James Sargent]

Hi,
The Zulu principle applied to trading (spread-betting) as I understand it is:- Find shares/indices that produce positive results for you, and stay with them. .... Getting to know a few in depth, rather than flitting superficially over a wide range. Sorry I don't know Jim Slater,

I think you've summed up Ian Williams well. I'm still a committed student/subscriber of his.

Hope this helps,

Best wishes,

JS

 

[neil]

The "ZULU PRINCIPLE" is the title of one of JIM SLATERS books. He uses terms like PEG etc. It is about selecting stocks that are financially strong and have increasing sales. Nothing to do with spread betting.
His books cover the funnymentals but the chartist might use them to narrow down a list of trading candidates and then watch the technical action of the share price.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...90669/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/026-0924996-3186839

Table of Contents

1. Winning
2. Small dynamic growth shares
3. Earnings, growth rates and the peg factor
4. Creative accounting
5. Liquidity, cash flow and borrowings
6. Something new
7. Competitive advantage
8. Momentum and relative strength
9. Other criteria
10. Weighting the criteria
11. Cyclicals and turnarounds
12. Shells
13. Asset situations and value investing
14. Leading shares
15. Overseas markets
16. Your broker and you
17. Portfolio management
18. The market
19. Ten guidelines
20. Glossary

 

[OpenMind]

Hi,
The Zulu principle applied to trading (spread-betting) as I understand it is:- Find shares/indices that produce positive results for you, and stay with them. .... Getting to know a few in depth, rather than flitting superficially over a wide range. Sorry I don't know Jim Slater,

I think you've summed up Ian Williams well. I'm still a committed student/subscriber of his.

Hope this helps,

Best wishes,

JS

Thanks James. I know there are 6 parts in the course. Would you be kind enough to write the section headings?

Does Ian use fundamentl analysis at all?

 

[neil]

Thanks James. I know there are 6 parts in the course. Would you be kind enough to write the section headings?

Does Ian use fundamentl analysis at all?

????????????

 

[James Sargent]

Hi,

Yes... Trading The Easy Way has six chapters called 'Lessons'. Each lesson has from 5 to 11 parts..... 33 parts in all

1) Introduction to TTEW

2)Emotions, Value and Price

3)Understanding Market Psychology

4)How To Use Trading Tools

5)Starting To Trade

6)Finding And Ordering Trades

Only briefest and insignificant reference to Fundamentals. .... it's all in the chart!

All this plus weekly WICS with one or two charts to watch, and a personal email mentoring service.

Best wishes,

James

 

[OpenMind]

Well I finally bit the bullet and ordered the course last Friday. I will keep you informed of my progress. Worth mentioning here that before buying I did a serious amount of investigation (outside T2W) and all the feedback I've received are positive.

 

[bluetipex]

Trading The Easy Way

I ordered the course about 2 months ago, and thought it was excellent. However, I'm not really a beginner and I prefer day trading indices, so I sent it back for a full refund.

It would be very good for beginners however, as Ian Williams explains everything in a very simple and unique style.

Recommended, especially for beginners.

 

[OpenMind]

However, I'm not really a beginner and I prefer day trading indices, so I sent it back for a full refund.
...
Recommended, especially for beginners.

Oh boy. I am not a beginner either. Oh dear.

Well I guess I have to wait and see how it turns out...

 

[shorty2]

Trading The Easy Way

OpenMind,

I wouldn't regard myself as a beginner either, but I bought Ian Williams's course at the beginning of this year, and my trading has definitely improved as a result. I suppose nothing in the course was actually 'new' to me, as far as not having actually heard before what he was saying, but his way of explaining, and his uncluttered charts, and seeing it over and over in his WICS letters, had a real impact where it didn't have before. Maybe I was at the right stage of my development to really hear and take on board what he was saying, which maybe suggests that it's not better if you are a rank beginner. I don't just use what IW teaches, but using it in conjunction with what I already have (and I do keep it fairly simple), has helped a lot.

I hope you will find the same.

 

[neil]

Hi,

Yes... Trading The Easy Way has six chapters called 'Lessons'. Each lesson has from 5 to 11 parts..... 33 parts in all

1) Introduction to TTEW

2)Emotions, Value and Price

3)Understanding Market Psychology

4)How To Use Trading Tools

5)Starting To Trade

6)Finding And Ordering Trades

Only briefest and insignificant reference to Fundamentals. .... it's all in the chart!

All this plus weekly WICS with one or two charts to watch, and a personal email mentoring service.

Best wishes,

James

I take it you have read Jim Slaters book "The Zulu Principle" and concluded that it has nothing to do with the "system" you are talking about :| :?:

 

[OpenMind]

Received my TTEW course yesterday. Reading it slowly, saving it for the Bank Holiday weekend, because it is such a delightfully enjoyable read!

Starts with a discussion on supply/demand, which suits me. That's what I want, I don't want to know which indicator setting is the best. There is a mention of Alice In Wonderland in relation to the market and the statement that the participants are not what they seem like. That reminded me of Socrates' allegories in The Journey From The Basement thread. There are also references to San Tzu, another reminder of Socrates.

A sure sign that great traders think alike!

I will write a detailed review once I have digested the course. I will spend less and less time on this board (or any trading board) because IW discourages listening to too many opinions and he calls bulletin boards 'the kiss of death for trading success'. I better start listening to my new mentor.

 

[SOCRATES]

It is not that we necessarily think alike, but it is that there is harmonious confluence in arriving at the correct conclusion inependently. In that there is confluence. The routes taken to arrive at that correct conclusion may follow different paths, so in that there is no confluence, but the result is the same.

If you put a handful of skilled musicians in a room, in no time at all they will be playing in harmony, in time and in tune.

If you put another group in the same room and give them instruments and they are not skilled musicians, they will have to practice and practice until they can produce, after a lot of difficulty some noises that are musical.

So with expert traders it is very similar. It can be compared to a wheel which has several spokes. Each one may choose a different spoke, but all of them unerringly get to the hub, without discussions or argument of any sort, which is a delight.

Novice traders do the opposite. They persist in arguing the merits of one wheel against another. They go round the houses talking about rims, tyres, pressures, diameters, tread, valves, nuts and bolts and ball bearings. They ignore the spokes and consequently not only get misdirected but end up arguing pointlessly, ad nauseam.

 

[James Sargent]

Received my TTEW course yesterday. Reading it slowly, saving it for the Bank Holiday weekend, because it is such a delightfully enjoyable read!

Starts with a discussion on supply/demand, which suits me. That's what I want, I don't want to know which indicator setting is the best. There is a mention of Alice In Wonderland in relation to the market and the statement that the participants are not what they seem like. That reminded me of Socrates' allegories in The Journey From The Basement thread. There are also references of San Tzu, another reminder of Socrates.

A sure sign that great traders think alike!

I will write a detailed review once I have digested the course. I will spend less and less time on this board (or any trading board) because IW discourages listening to too many opinions and he calls bulletin boards 'the kiss of death for trading success'. I better start listening to my new mentor.

That has been, and is precisely my reaction to TTEW. I didn't attempt a trade for three months from purchase.

Enjoy your weekend!

JS

 

[OpenMind]

Ian Williams' TTEW: A review
============================
In summary, this is a fantastic service. Note that I said service, not course. The manual forms only part of the deal. Ian's year-long mentoring is awesome (I've already asked him 6 questions in 2 days and he has answered each of them). The archived WICS materials are truly inspiring and informative. I could have paid many times more for this and I am just sad that I didn't take this route earlier.

The manual is intended mainly for beginners, but as someone pointed out earlier, there is something for everyone here. Ian uses a variety of breakout set-ups for entry. His trade management strategy is innovative. Discipline and mental strength are a major part of his teaching. His initial risk is 4% per position, slightly higher than what conventional wisdom suggests but because of his trade management strategy he rarely ever losses 4% on a trade. There are a few more money management rules: all common sense.

The WICS archive is a very, very informative collection of Ian's weekly thoughts on the big picture and his comments on sectors and stocks he is watching (he mentions his losing trades as well). These are definitely not for total beginners. You need a few years under your belt to appreciate their value. Ian is a price-volume trader (which realy suits me), although he does use moving averages for trade management.

Although the WICS are meant for experienced traders, the manual is comprehensive for anyone wishing to trade straightaway. The manual however doesn't cover all the entry set-ups (chart formations) Ian uses, they can be found in the WICS archive. The manual is the starting point and the WICS are the weekly refresher courses.

Last but definitely not the least: I never had a mentor in my trading life. I have finally got one. And that too a successful, professional one. Ian teaches the exact same method he trades himself. Quite simply, he is not doing the mentoring for money, because the money he charges is really paltry compared to what one gets. He obviously enjoys teaching traders.

I will come back in a few months time to write a note on my performance.

 

[ZigZag-UK]

I bought ‘Trading the Easy Way’ (TTEW) about a year ago.

The course does what it says on the label – it describes an
‘easy’ way to trade shares. The approach focuses on price
action. All opinion, predictions, news and fundamentals are
ignored.

The course defines a clear set of rules about what to trade,
when to trade, how much to risk and when to exit positions
at a profit or loss.

The basic trading approach is ‘trend following’ combined
with some elements of the turtles breakout system for entry.
Once a trade is entered it is held until the exit rule is triggered.

A word of warning – the system does not work well with all
shares. It works best on shares with trending characteristics.
I have back tested the system on a few hundred UK shares
and identified a number of shares which work extremely
well with it.

 

[Technical_Trader]

Hi ZigZag-UK,
Could you give some examples of shares which work well with TTEW ?

 

[ZigZag-UK]

Some sample back test results from Long & Short trades using data 2002->current showing total %return, number of long trades & winning long trades, number of short trades & winning short trades :

FCCN = +145% Long = 6, Win = 6 / Short = 10, Win = 3
ISYS = +362 % Long = 8, Win = 3 / Short = 11, Win = 5
PUB = +106% Long = 12, Win = 6 / Short = 4, Win = 3
SGC = +157% Long = 14, Win =6 / Short = 5, Win = 3
RTR = +275% Long = 7, Win = 4 / Short = 10, Win = 4
VED = +64% Long = 3, Win = 3 / Short = 3, Win = 2

I have 'slugged' the results by delaying trade entry by 1 day after signal given and factored in spreads etc on each trade

These are not the 'best' results .... I have ignored the likes of ELA & ATK which have had extreme price swings during the period and generated massive short-side profits :
ATK = +551% Long = 14, Win = 5 / Short = 7, Win = 3
ELA = +1145% Long = 9, Win = 4 / Short = 6, Win = 2

Large cap stocks tend to perform very poorly with the TTEW methodology :
BP. = -23% Long = 10, Win = 5 / Short = 8, Win = 1
HSBA = -27% Long = 12, Win = 4 / Short = 11, Win =1
I think the reason for this is that larger cap stocks have more 'choppy' trading activity whereas mid-cap stocks tend to have longer 'trend runs' with less volatility to trigger stop exits.

 

[Technical_Trader]

Does it work well with indices ? If it does - I may put in a bid on ebay!!!

 

[ZigZag-UK]

Yes it works well with the FT250 index which has longer trend runs than the FT100. I haven't tested it with the other major indexes such as Dow, SPX DAX etc.

If you are 'trading' within an ISA/PEP, The best way to 'buy' the FT250 index is via the iShares ETF FT250 tracker (symbol= MIDD). It has a low spread and reasonably high NMS.