Factor Member April 2017 Webinar

Factor Member Q&A with Peter L. Brandt - Recorded live April 13, 2017 Opening discussion/presentation by Peter 
  • Factor Tracking Account Update through April 13, 2017
  • Drawdowns
  • Underwater Curve
  • Factor Chart Pattern Trading Grid: Trade Management / Pattern Eligibility Time Framing
Live questions from Members
  1. In last months Q&A, you mentioned having reduced the trades from 20 to about 8 per month (you have noted this a number of times before of course) due to the break outs not being as successful in years past. You have resorted to 10+ week patterns. Based on that, does it stand to reason there is a substantial lessening in the amount of money that can be made trading classical patterns vs. years ago? 24:49
  2. In trading grains (corn, soybeans, wheat), is seasonality a useful information? Does Peter rely on such data in addition to classical charting? 26:34
  3. There is an alert on TLT which says a close above 123.31 is the trigger. Should a limit order to buy be placed at 123.31 with the target being 128.93 as shown on the alert or do you wait for the close to be above 123.31? I do not see a recommended stop, so I would think it to be the double bottom around 123. 28:39
  4. What’s your view on Sugar? 32:12
  5. Gold has broken up this week and USDJPY has broken down — the negative correlation between gold and USDJPY continues.  How much longer do you think this correlation will continue? 34:05
  6. From observing your approach, you seem to primarily trade trends. Have you every thought about trading ranges? 35:09
  7. What do you think of  EUR/SGD? 36:22
  8. As a discretionary trader, how can I know I have an edge? As a chart pattern trader, do I need to do the backtest? 37:43
  9. Do you believe the markets are or can be manipulated by the "market makers"? Do you consider this in your trading? 39:03
  10. Is there a way to trade volatility? Surely, it will lift significantly at some point, VIX? 40:31
  11. Lets say with intro of quants and computer programs to do the trading, do you believe chart patterns is becoming obsolete. In old times, market was 100% psychology but computer and quants take psychology out of market and their share of trading is increasing, would patterns still be relevant in future? 41:11
  12. Bonds broke out to the upside and small caps look weak. But you're not in either? 42:25
  13. You spoke glowingly about your being able to have a life as a trader. You have also mentioned it is now very competitive to trade. Would you then recommend that an individual in 2017 make a career of being a trader as you are? 43:18
  14. Would it be helpful to learn a programming language to be able script simulations on potential filters, rules, etc. 44:43
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Factor Member March 2017 Webinar

Factor Member Q&A with Peter L. Brandt - Recorded live March 8, 2017

Opening discussion/presentation by Peter - Drawdowns

Live questions from Members
  1. You're measuring DD on closed equity based on weekly closes? 22:23
  2. What do you think the bottom for WTI oil is? 24:18
  3. When you wait for a market to close beyond the boundary of a technical formation, do you actually execute the trade on the open of the following day? Or do you execute it just a few minutes prior to the closing bell? 26:02
  4. You mentioned that you cap your risk to about 100bps per trade. Do you also have a limit on the aggregate risk for the whole portfolio, say 1,000bps or 1,500bps etc? 29:27
  5. If the market touches your stop so briefly that only a part of your position is closed out but then quickly reverses direction and moves in your favor again, do you keep holding your remaining position or do you close it now, at the somewhat-better-than-stop price? 31:08
  6. Do you always have a stoploss order entered during the day for every position?  Do you worry about your stops getting runned by the computer trading? 32:03
  7. What was it that made you go long on the FTSE 100 recently? The breaking of the new high or did you get in prior to this? 34:02
  8. In your latest book you say, you have additional quality requirements to diagonal patterns. Which are those and how do they compare in quality to horizontal — i.e. possible to reach similar quality with diagonal patterns as with 10W horizontal or 6-8W continuation pattern? 35:06
  9. On the stop loss: does make sense to use tec level for Stop loss and or volatility determined stop loss? 36:38
  10. What is your view about the effect of computer/algo trading on chart pattern-based trading over the next several years? 37:17
  11. How often do you use commitment of traders data? How important is it to confirm your chart reading? 38:08
  12. What does "record" mean when you referred to record spec longs and record commercial shorts in the COT data? Does it mean the highest number for the period you're looking at or does it mean the highest number of all time? 39:37
  13. You mentioned that you prefer to trade futures over FX. However, in your 2016 Factor Tracking account, spot forex was traded more often than their futures equivalent. Why is that? 40:15
  14. What securities/assets do you EXCLUDE in calculating your Total Trading Capital? Can those assets included in Total Trading Capital be invested in other things or trading strategies, or should they be sitting in cash with zero risk exposure? 41:16
  15. How many tightly correlated markets do you allow yourself to trade in the same direction simultaneously?  For example short Yen and short Gold? 43:00
  16. With respect to equities do you ever care about valuations or do you just use your process and focus purely on charts. I just don't want to be left holding the bag. 43:54
  17. When you miss a trade do you often trade the retest and if you do, do you put on the trade at the boundary line or a certain % above the boundary line. 44:33
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Factor Member Feb 2017 Webinar

  Factor Member Q&A with Peter L. Brandt  Recorded live Feb 9th, 2017 Read More

October Webinar Recording

October Webinar Recording

This webinar was recorded live October 13, 2016 for members of the Factor Service.  We are releasing this month's webinar (one time only) as a public blog post for all to see.  More information on the content and discussion points of the webinar can be found below the video.  Details regarding the Factor Service can be found near the bottom of this post. Read More

Factor Member October Webinar

  Peter Brandt - Member Webinar. Recorded live October 13, 2016 Read More

Factor Member Monthly Webinar – Sep 22nd

Recorded live September 22, 2016 Discussion Points
  • Edge - The nature of a trading scheme that provides it with the ability to carve out beta against its appropriate benchmark universe
    • Classical chart patterns - in and of themselves - provide no meaningful trading edge - in fact, no trade identification mechanism provides a meaningful edge
    • Win rate - in and of itself - provides no meaningful trading edge
  • Factor’s Edge - Factor’s edge is attributable to four primary things
  1. An emotional separation from the need to be right
  2. Aggressive risk and trade management protocols resulting in many non-injurious losses - protecting trading capital in the SINGLE DOMINATE PRIORITY
  3. Identifying and committing to very selective highly asymmetrical reward-to-risk trades
  4. Allowing the odds to provide a few trades that work immediately and provide profits of 350 to 450 plus basis points each
  • Soybean Oil - Walking through the trade
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Factor Member Q&A with Peter L. Brandt – August Webinar

Factor Member Q&A with Peter L. Brandt

Recorded live August 18, 2016 Discussion Points
  • Important clarifications
    • Last Day Rule
    • Twitter messages
  • Keeping the main things the main things
    • Trade identification (signaling) provides no real edge
    • “Edge” is gained by…
  • Key Factor Metrix
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Member Webinar Recording

  This is a recording of the Friday June 24th Factor member Webinar event. Read More

Webinar with Trade Navigator – Session 2: Classical charting principles that really matter

Session 1 - Why 80% of novice speculators are looking for answers in all the wrong places Session 2 - Classical charting principles that really matter - this post  Session 3 - Risk management the Factor way (there was a sound issues in the recording, a playback is NOT available)   Read More

Webinar with Trade Navigator – Session 1: Why 80 of novice speculators are looking for answers in all the wrong places.

  • Session 1 - Why 80% of novice speculators are looking for answers in all the wrong places - this post
  • Session 2 - Classical charting principles that really matter
  • Session 3 - Risk management the Factor way (there was a sound issue in the recording, a playback is NOT available)
Read More