I'll admit, it kind of feels like the dawn of a new era as we embark upon 2021.  Today saw the inauguration of a new US President, we saw the S&P 500 makes fresh all-time highs once again and each day it feels like the light at the end of the tunnel is a little closer for putting the pandemic behind us.

The last year has been a difficult one for many and it's no surprise that a lot of us have spent a number of months both physically and mentally somewhat "hidden away" as we wait out the worst of things within our homes and with smaller social circles than usual.

The toll of that has been significant and for me I've tried to balance things out by spending lots of my time pursuing interests and hobbies outside of just work and trading to keep my mind occupied, which has meant the blog has been rather quiet of late.

Getting a Fresh Start

As we enter into 2021 however and with a return to normalcy seemingly on the horizon (thanks vaccine researchers!) I've thought that it might be best to look at reviving things here on STA as well.  I didn't exactly go completely dormant even though the public side of things like the blog posts and videos were limited.

Over the past year I've still been trading actively on my regular schedule and taking part in a number of system development and research opportunities and I have been working with students as well, both new and old.

While I did take a short break from teaching new students when the pandemic first really hit the markets in February and March and volatility was at it's highest, in the ensuing months I did slowly bring in those that were in a good position to trade even during such uncertain times as these.  That meant being even more picky than usual in my selection of new students and over the course of the entire year I only worked with five new people, but I do think that was for the best during such an unprecedented period and it meant I could keep much of my focus and energy on my own trading business during that time as well.

More recently things have felt a lot more normal though, especially as far as the markets are concerned.  There's still plenty of volatility and the opportunity that comes with that but there's also fewer of the risks that some of the crazier moves in those early weeks of the pandemic could bring.

It's a much more comfortable time now when it comes to settling into a trading routine so it feels like a good place to pick up where I left off with more posts, some new trading lessons and insights as the market offers them, and maybe even bringing on a handful of new students too.

I know a number of you have reached out to me in recent months to make sure I was still around and keeping up with my trading and I do really appreciate that!  I hope to hear from you more with any new blog posts to get your feedback and if you have any requests for trading topics you'd like me to cover you're welcome to suggest those as well.

Keep an eye on the site or feel free to join the STA newsletter and I'll be happy to pass the new content along.   I've got some very worthwhile things I' plan to cover such as trading within trends (and some difficulties that come with that which are rarely mentioned), some topics on trading psychology and most likely a few trading day reviews as well.

Wishing you all the best for 2021 and a happy and healthy new year!

The post Looking to 2021 and Beyond appeared first on Samurai Trading Academy.

As far as my trading goes, at the moment I am perfectly content with waiting out the current extreme market volatility until things have calmed a bit.  A big part of consistency is knowing when NOT to trade, whether it's for a few minutes of whipsaw action or even a week or two of the current volatility we've seen.

Events like this are exceptionally rare.  In fact in my trading career I've only seen one that could compare and that was the Great Recession events of 2008 which introduced a lot of craziness at the time.  Back then I was trading Forex almost exclusively and I can remember that pretty much anytime Ben Bernanke spoke the market would go wild, with EUR/USD moving dozens or even hundreds of pips at a time.

It was quite a ride but eventually it stabilized and while volatility remained high, it was no longer leading to the kind of daily extremes and massive intraday moves that made things so difficult to trade in the early days of the market crash.  In fact, simply moving off the volatility extremes provided some of the best trading opportunities I have ever seen.  The combination of above-average volatility and volumes for months without many major shocks meant nearly every day offered plenty of A+ opportunities with exceptional reward to risk compared to more normal market environments.

I expect the same thing is likely to happen here with our current global economic slowdown.  The events we've seen have caused a lot of uncertainty and emotion in the markets and with that the volatility and VIX have spiked but over time things should settle a bit.  I don't expect this slowdown to pass quickly but the market will adjust to the experience and will likely be less chaotic in the coming weeks and months.

For those that can be a little patient now there will probably be some excellent trades available that are far less risky than anything that can be traded at the moment.  The market may still have sudden jumps and change of directions at time as new events materialize or policy is introduced but they should become less frequent.  For us as traders that means plenty of amazing trends, lots of big swings and amazing reward to risk opportunities.

So while I am sitting on my hands for now while the VIX sits around 70 as I type this (we were around 15 before this all started in February) I see some good trading conditions ahead as the volatility begins to drop and the market starts showing a bit more "technical respect" again.

When I do start to trade again I expect I will start with larger stops than usual, even 10+ ticks possibly, but I will also be looking for reward that is similarly increased beyond my normal targets.  This will allow me to take some huge runs as market conditions allow.

As things continue and if we see the market stabilise even more with volatility dropping I will continue to move my stops and targets to more normal levels (such as risking 5 ticks for 8 to 20 ticks profit).  This may be a gradual process over a number of weeks and it's important to realize that we could still see increases in volatility again and will need to adapt to that.

As far as the STA Training Program is concerned, I'm not in a rush to get that rolling again either.  I last took on new students in November and December with plans to potentially take on another sometime in February or March.  Once I saw what was happening abroad and the possibility of it affecting markets I decided to wait and now that we are in the midst of a major market event I have no intention of bringing on someone new.

Again, this is a MAJOR market event we are currently experiencing of the kind that might only come by every decade or longer.  There's not much use attempting to "learn the ropes" during market volatility like this so I'm perfectly content to wait for a bit more calm and normalcy before trying to bring new traders into the market arena.

As discussed above, once things start to calm there should be exceptional opportunity available with a much clearer technical picture than we're seeing now so at that point I will look at the possibility of new start dates.  Whether that's just a few weeks from now or a few months remains to be seen but anyone who is interested in learning to trade can still reach out and we can continue to discuss the possibilities in the weeks ahead.

Please stay healthy and safe out there everyone and remember, the market isn't going anywhere, so keep your powder dry and the good opportunities will come.

The post Volatile Markets and a Healthy Dose of Patience appeared first on Samurai Trading Academy.

What's this, an actual living and breathing update?  After pulling a bit of a disappearing act over the the last few months I suppose it's fair that I've been getting a number of emails in recent weeks asking where I got off to.  I guess I could regale everyone with tales of wild trips and living large (that seems to be popular with the YouTube traders out there) but the reality is not quite so sexy.

The truth of it is just that I've simply been pouring a lot of my hours and energy into new, compelling trading projects so I've had to sacrifice things a bit when it comes to my semi-regular Samurai Trading blog posts and videos.  There's really only so many trading-focused hours I want to spend in a day to ensure I can balance various hobbies and life in general, so when I get invested in one area it sometimes means cutting back a bit elsewhere.

An Old Dog Learning New Tricks

Over the past year or so I've found myself getting more deeply involved in the research and development side of trading and it's honestly sucked up a fair bit of my time.  I've been working on numerous tweaks to my Emini S&P 500 (ES) trading approach and implementing them live and I've also spent a lot of energy and time working on some fresh new Nasdaq 100 (NQ) strategies that have proven quite fruitful.

I even took some time to really dig deep into ES order flow scalping for a few months, which I'll admit isn't something I've had much luck with in the past.  Trading an approach where the goal is to take only a few ticks at a time while maintaining a very high win rate (to balance the poor reward to risk) is extremely difficult, especially taking into account trading costs and fees, but that's actually part of what interests me about it.  It's a considerable challenge and forces me to think and develop my skills in new directions and to move outside my comfort zone.  I can't say I've carved out an especially large trading edge with my ES scalping but I've absolutely learnt a few things that have reflected positively in the core ES trading I continue to do each day.

And really, that's what it's all about.  It doesn't matter if your profession is trading, athletics or a job in the corporate world, you need to be interested in continuing education and ongoing development if you're going to stay mentally engaged and performing at a high level.

Sticking to the System

But even given all of that trading research and development work in recent months there isn't much that has really changed about my day to day trading approach or results.  I still focus on my core methodology and system that I've used for years involving breaking down market structure and momentum to take high reward to risk trades and that's where the majority of my trading volume is by a large margin.

I've actually been somewhat hesitant to post many charts lately because they would include a few more of those "non-STA" trades than usual as I test and trade fresh systems.  I scale the new stuff up slowly though as I take time to build and confirm my edge, so my main focus still remains my Samurai Trading approach where I can confidently trade with full size.  I stick with what works, even if I do like to experiment from time to time to keep things interesting.

The Search for Balance

For those of you who have reached out in recent months about the STA Training Program, the reasons above also explain why I've been taking on so few students.  In fact, over the entirety of 2018 I only worked with six new people out of hundreds who got in touch as I wanted to make sure I still had the time needed to properly balance my own trading, the needs of students and life in general.  Spreading yourself too thin is never a good idea but it's completely unacceptable when working with others who require your full effort and focus so I made sure to err on the cautious side for my trading time management.

As many of the long-term readers of this blog know I tend to go through these research and development cycles every year but this one has been longer and far more in-depth than usual.  I feel like I'm now becoming quite settled into my tweaked ES and freshly developed NQ trading so now it's just about accumulating a larger sample size of trades over time.

How that affects the blog and trying to put out regular educational videos and recaps of my Emini S&P 500 trading remains to be seen but as always I'll be searching for a good balance.  My own trading business and maintaining a good support system for those I work with come first, of course, but I know a lot of you find the content I post here useful so I'll do what I can to deliver.  It's actually surprisingly time-consuming to put together posts or videos but knowing that many of you have found my trading recaps and market insights to be helpful definitely makes the work rewarding and worthwhile.

Keep in mind I'm always checking email though, so feel free to reach out if you're just looking for a bit of trading perspective or feedback.  I'm always interested in connecting with those who share my passion for the world of trading and am happy to help out aspiring traders where I can!

The post Emerging From the Trading Depths appeared first on Samurai Trading Academy.

The Trading Year That Was

Trading over the past year had all the normal ups and downs that come with any market, but overall it was certainly on the slower side.  I've traded Eminis and Forex professionally for well over a decade and have been through a wide variety of market conditions so not much really surprises me.  There really wasn't anything too unusual about last year's continuous grind to the upside but it definitely left something to be desired in terms of "energy" in the market.  Volatility was generally low and many of the breakout moves would occur at off-hours when volume was light.

That said, the past trading year was still quite a good one for me even if the results wouldn't be considered spectacular compared to other years like 2009 or 2015 where I essentially knocked it out of the park as far as my trading business was concerned.  I definitely wasn't alone in terms of having exceptional results those years but those more extreme conditions don't show up all the time.  That's the reality of trading.  Some years offer more opportunity than others because of changes in volatility and shifting market conditions, but the adaptable trader must be able to keep their edge even in those times when things aren't quite as energetic.  Adaptability - that's the real secret to longevity in this business.

What that meant for me this year was that there were times where I needed to be more patient to wait for my setups and I had fewer times where I could just trade for an hour in the morning then call it a day with lots of points in the bank.  With a patient and disciplined approach and by taking slightly smaller profits off the table when conditions demanded it I was still able to have excellent weekly consistency.  Of course, the market still had times where it opened up and had the advantage of some larger swings which were adapted to accordingly for bigger average profits.  This allowed for plenty of "outlier" days throughout the year with 10+ points of profit available.  There were also a handful of truly exceptional weeks which make a huge difference to your trading edge once the final tally is made at the end of the year.

Expect Nothing, but Prepare for Anything!

With 2018 upon us I find myself eager to see what kind of conditions we'll see.  To be honest though, I'm not someone who tries to predict these things.  After all, the market is always right and can do what it wants at any time.  The saying is that price is king so it rarely makes sense to try to predict too far in advance when price tells the tale moment by moment.   At this stage the market is still sitting at fresh all-time highs but there's definitely some potential for things to shift a bit in the months ahead so it's important to be ready for that if it happens.

Nothing stays the same forever and the markets are clearly no exception.  When watching a chart on a day trading timeframe we know that periods of low volatility are often followed very rapidly by periods of high volatility (as seen in The New York Lunch Phenomenon).  It's no different in the big picture on daily charts or above.  Just when the market seems to tighten enough that we become used to it and those conditions seem to be the "new normal", that's probably when it's going to change.

Don't get complacent by thinking that this steady upside grind will last forever and be prepared if things shift.  It may happen in a week, a few months, or longer, but it will happen at some point.  When it does you can expect many of the market participants to get more emotional about their approach and the profit opportunities available will go up substantially for the trader that's ready to adapt.

In the meantime it's just a matter of taking the straight-forward positive expectancy trades which tick the boxes of your plan.  Any good day trader will still have plenty of repeatable setups in current market conditions so it's just a matter of being patient, planning well, and keeping your discipline to be consistently rewarded.

What's to Come for Traders

As I've talked about in recent posts I've been doing a lot of trading research over the past year to further refine my edge in different market conditions, developing entirely new methods and systems, and I've been actively trading other futures instruments like the NQ (Emini Nasdaq 100).  This work continues but I feel that between my research efforts and the ongoing work with STA students there hasn't been a lot of time for expanding the educational content available to everyone who visits this site.

I've really wanted to make a concerted effort to change that so over the coming weeks I plan to start sharing more on not just my regular Emini S&P 500 trading but also the research I've been doing including some live trading in the NQ.  Hopefully these articles and videos will shed some light on the system development process and make it easier for others to map a similar path.

Lastly, thanks again to all those who have been in touch over the past year through email or by commenting on the blog posts, to the STA students who give me such pride and satisfaction as I watch your skills grow and you share your passion for trading with me, and to the many professional traders and friends that I've collaborated with over the past year who continue to inspire me to learn and grow.  Here's to a great year of trading for all of you in 2018!

The post A Moment of Trading Reflection appeared first on Samurai Trading Academy.

The reason things have been quiet on the website and there haven't been new video recaps lately is because I've been putting a lot of time into research and development work in recent months. I actually made a recent post about the importance of research and continual learning for traders and I've been practising what I preach!

Typically I save this kind of work for the periods where the market is often a bit slower like the summer months of July and August when volumes are lower, but this year I've kept pushing on due to having accumulated a long list of trading ideas and topics I wanted to dig into further.  I've also had a few veteran Samurai Traders who shared some of their research with me as well so I've been doing some collaborative work there too.

A Bit of Everything

It all just comes down to having a passion for being a trader in all its forms whether it's the act of trading on my own, working with others to improve their skills and consistency, or learning new techniques that improve my overall trading knowledge.

In the big picture not much has changed as I'm still doing all of these things and I've continued working with students within the STA Training Program on a regular schedule but I have shifted my balance of time a bit in recent months.  Typically within any three month window I'm working with only two or three students who I select for the program but because of my research efforts in the past few months I've actually only worked with a single trader since the start of the year!

So if you are one of the many people who have been in touch and I told you that I wasn't looking to take on a new student in the near future it's really just a matter of not wanting to spread myself too thin to make sure I can give each student the time and effort they need to successfully develop their consistency and profitability.

Shifting Gears

Things are shifting in the months ahead however as research efforts are winding down a bit.  At this stage there's just handful of things which are mostly being forward tested for possible future integration into the Samurai Trading day trading system so there's lots of time to spare.  This means I'll be taking on a new student or two as we head into what should be an excellent spring season of trading and I'm definitely looking forward to it!

Along with my trading and teaching efforts, in the weeks ahead I'm hoping to share some more thoughts on research and development through the blog.  I've also got an article coming up that has been requested by multiple people which shares some of my insights from my early days as a trader and what helped me break through my sticking points on the way to consistent profitability.

Thanks again to all of those who have been in touch and please feel free to let me know if you have any trading topics you would like to see covered on the blog or even just some general trading questions you want to ask me directly.  I'm always happy to connect and share with those who have the same passion for this business that I do.  Good trading to all of you!

The post A Quick Samurai Trading Update appeared first on Samurai Trading Academy.

In many ways this was actually kind of a "quiet" year for me in terms of utilizing the mobility being a day trader.  Prior years have seen me travelling extensively and living in countries like Thailand, Japan, and Belgium or spending months in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico but this year I was far more settled and enjoyed a bit more stability remaining in one city most of the time with only occasional trips.  Not much really changed when it came to trading and teaching however as I continued to push forward in the same way I have for years.

Reflections on the STA Training Program and Blog

First off I can say that I'm very happy with the progress that's been made at STA this year as I've worked with some amazing students and seen some exceptional results including having some fresh faces make the transition into full-time trading.  There's few things that feel as rewarding to me as seeing students progress by leaps and bounds and achieve their goals.  It makes all the hours and effort well spent and seeing that progression is why I plan to continue teaching for many, many more years.

That said, there's a lot more that I could be doing outside of the small group of students I select for the STA Training Program and a big part of that is making more trading content available to non-students through the STA website and trading blog.  While there's not really a substitute for the kind of training environment where I'm working with a handful of students 1-on-1 over a number of months to guide them to consistent profitability, I still think there's a lot of insight and experience I can offer that self-directed traders or other professionals may find useful for enhancing performance.

Over the past year I've added only small amounts of public content because I was perfectly happy with the status of the STA group and the students I had and wasn't really looking to grow the site's reach.  My interest in teaching people how to trade has never been to churn through as many students as possible or to use marketing hype to convince people to do this if they are otherwise unsure about pursuing trading.  This mentality meant that as the site became increasingly popular and I was more easily finding the kind of determined and focused students that I was looking for that I was having to reject the large majority of inquiries and I was actively trying to keep my inbox from overflowing.

I realize that a lot of this goes against what's normal in this industry as many are more than happy to grow as much as possible and take on as many students as possible.  I'm a bit different though because I'm a trader first and foremost rather than just a mentor.  It's vital to me that I have time to focus on my own business because actively trading is my passion and I didn't want the teaching and training program to eclipse that.  So I scaled down a bit on the teaching side of things, found a good balance that led to exceptional results personally and for students, and continued to push forward mostly in a behind-the-scenes way by interacting more directly with our training group.

But all of that has me thinking, why can't I still do more for aspiring full-time traders who are searching far and wide on the web for solid information to guide them?  Training people directly while engaging in a great deal of back-and-forth feedback is time-consuming but there's bound to be some high quality stuff that I can put out there without nearly the same kind of demands.

There's a lot of great stuff on the STA blog already like the day trading recap posts which discuss a lot of my trading thought-process in detail, some Student Updates which give a clear look on the importance of consistency in trading, and numerous day trading articles on a variety of subjects as well.  Still, there's a lot of topics that remain uncovered and that most aspiring traders rarely encounter in their pursuit of trading knowledge.

The Future of our Day Trading Blog

So what I'm looking to do in the months ahead is to not only bring back some of the content that led to so many positive email and comment responses (such as the Recaps of my own trading along with the strategy and thought-process involved) but to improve the depth of some articles and videos as well.  I want to dig a bit deeper into why some traders succeed, why some fail, and what makes systems and methods of trading profitable over the long term.  My hope is to provide more detail on some of the foundational knowledge and psychological tools that will help any determined learner to push towards their trading goals and achieve the kind of freedom and flexibility that being a trader provides.

As part of this push I encourage any of you to get in touch with me using the Contact form if you have any trading questions you want answered or topics you'd like to see covered.  I answer all this stuff personally (rather than use PR people who know nothing about trading - the usual approach) and truly enjoy the interaction with those who share the same passion for trading that I do so I'm excited to hear your thoughts and forge ahead with the kind of content you want to see.  It's going to be a lot of work but I'm excited to get going and to work with all of you in the months ahead!

The post Assessing a Great Year of Trading and Teaching appeared first on Samurai Trading Academy.

For me personally this has been one of the most rewarding years of my trading career. 

I've been in this business for over a decade and my passion still burns bright but there’s something extra special about seeing others achieve their trading goals as well.  Seeing students making progress and achieving consistent profitability while taking advantage of the freedom that trading provides brings me an enormous satisfaction that goes far beyond what my own trading business offers.

I know how difficult it is to pursue something new like trading, to take the chance and put in the time to develop a new career skill.  I've been through that process myself and have been through the various ups and downs along the way but it was certainly worth the effort.

Over the past few years I've had the amazing experience of trading from over a dozen countries from a variety of locales like day trading Emini S&P 500 futures from the Shinkansen bullet train speeding along at hundreds of kilometres per hour between Tokyo and Kyoto, conducting our Live Training classes for the STA Training Program from my balcony looking out at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, or trading from my local coffee shop first thing in the morning before heading out to scuba dive the rest of the day in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Looking back at all of this makes me realize just how lucky I've been to make trading my career focus but ultimately it's just a small part of what brings me satisfaction in this business.

Travel is a great thing and having time and location freedom is something I truly cherish but I find that what matters most to me these days is seeing the continued growth of the small group of traders I personally work with at STA.  It seems like not so many years ago that I was asking myself if teaching in any capacity was something I was really willing to take on but I'm glad I made the decision to do so.  It's been a lot of work and time but the satisfaction when you see a student make it and achieve their trading goals is very special.

I'm sure any other person in a coaching or teaching capacity would tell you the same thing - the students make all the effort worthwhile!

So with that said I just wanted to take the chance to put this post together and say a quick thank-you to all the great people I've been able to work with in the past year!  I've enjoyed being a part of your successes, took pride in your ongoing development and the effort you've put into the process, was honoured by your kind words in testimonials for STA, and I feel very lucky to have shared in your passion for trading each and every day.

I've found working with my select group of STA traders to be a hugely rewarding endeavour because I learn so much from each of you on a constant basis and I hope to continue to build upon our experience and shared success in the months and years ahead!  Thanks so much, guys and girls!

The post A Thank-You to the STA Students appeared first on Samurai Trading Academy.

Day Trading for Work, or for Freedom?

One of my main goals when starting Samurai Trading Academy and our day trading blog was not just to focus on the handful of traders in the STA Training Program, but to put together a high quality resource for everyone with interest in day trading for a living and the freedom it provides.  While some people jump straight into the big trading firms, this isn't really the audience I'm focused on.  There are certainly some advantages in terms of the size you can trade and the trading costs involved, but is it really worth working 14 hour days at a desk in an extremely high pressure environment?  That's certainly not the reason I got into trading, and I'm confident that many of you feel the same way.

No, for me it's all about freedom.  Freedom to trade from where I want and when I want to, simply for the enjoyment I get from it.  

I have a passion for trading and I do it because it's what I love to do, not because it's my job where I need to grind out hours.  Then if I don't feel like trading longer than an hour in the morning, or I want to take a four day weekend?  Just do it.  Want to travel from country to country for a few months and trade along the way?  No problem.

That sort of flexibility is something that has immeasurable value to me and there are many people out there that I know value it as well.  It's for that reason that I wanted to put together a site where those who hold a similar passion for the markets and the lifestyle it can provide could come together and build their trading skills.  In the coming months I will most likely be doing a fair bit of travel, so there will definitely be some blog focus on the lifestyle of being a travelling trader along with some of the difficult issues you can run into as well.

Taking the Trading Business Seriously

Even though there some great advantages to being a full time trader, I also think it's important that we are honest about day trading and what it involves.  Unfortunately, as anyone can tell you who has been around the day trading game for a while, the state of education in the industry is rather poor and it sometimes seems few are honest about what it really involves.  Trading isn't easy, there's no "Holy Grail" out there with 99.9% wins and no risk, and because trading is a skill like any other it can take some time to develop.

I believe that it's best to just give the hard truth about day trading because it very quickly tells you who is serious about this business.  If someone isn't willing to put at least a solid effort towards their trading goals then they'll never achieve them, so if those people get scared away by a bit of truth then it just saves time for the rest who are committed to being successful day traders.  If you're one of those people, then STA was built with you in mind.

The Future of the STA Day Trading Blog

Moving forward, I greatly encourage you to join in what we are doing here at Samurai Trading Academy.  Leave feedback here or on our Facebook page, join the STA Newsletter (in the right sidebar of this page) for the exclusive (and free) education and training videos I will be sending out, and if there's content you are interested in seeing on our blog then by all means suggest it!  This is a day trading blog for traders, by traders, so it's all about providing you the kind of content that will help you reach your trading goals.

To help accomplish this, in the coming months I plan to put extra focus on some of the extremely important aspects of our business that so many aspiring traders ignore, like money management, dealing with risk, the emotions of trading, and much more.  These trading topics  are what being a consistently profitable day trader is all about. far more than indicators, systems, or charts full of fancy lines and colors.  I'll be happy to share with you whatever experience I can to help you get where you want to be as a day trader.

Growth of Our Trading Community

Meanwhile, things continue to move ahead in the STA Training Program and it's a very exciting time.  We have new traders coming into the ranks this month and it will be great to see where their development takes them.  At STA, we all have our own goals and trading ambitions, but it's also about community.  It's about working with other like-minded people who share you passions and collaborating with one another so we can all improve.

The wonderful thing about trading is that even when we follow the same general approach with our systems, we all see the market with a unique perspective.  Small things that may not be noticeable to some are glaring signals to others.  Even the newest traders can teach someone with dozens of years of experience, because their fresh vision of the markets isn't weighed down by years of following systems, rules, and ingrained patterns of behavior.  This is probably the most exciting part of new traders coming into the program - they will no doubt teach us all a few things and help us fine-tune our methods even further.

Great times are ahead and I thank all readers of this day trading blog for being along for the ride!

The post The Growth of Our Day Trading Blog and What The Future Holds appeared first on Samurai Trading Academy.

The Creation of Samurai Trading Academy

Samurai Trading Academy is now live for one simple reason - because you demanded it!  Over the past year I've worked with dozens of traders ranging from total market novices to twenty year veterans and it has been an incredible experience.   Not only have I seen some fantastic success stories from those of you who have made the transition into professional trading but I've also learned a great deal from sharing experiences with all of you as well.

Like any trader or teacher, I am constantly looking to improve.  I've been listening to all of your suggestions and the creation of Samurai Trading Academy is a direct result of your requests.  You wanted the option for a more direct, hands-on training approach with comprehensive support services.  You wanted to be able to analyze the Emini S&P 500 Futures (ES) market alongside a professional trader in a live trading room.  You wanted a social environment where you could work with other traders to develop and improve.  Samurai Trading Academy is now here to fulfill all of this and more.

The Goal of Samurai Trading Academy

The number one goal of Samurai Trading Academy is to take those who are highly motivated to learn the art of trading and to turn them into consistently profitable traders.  Once you have consistency as a day trader then it opens up any number of options in your professional career.  Some professional traders choose to put in normal work hours five days a week simply because they have such a passion for trading.  Some love their current career but use their trading knowledge to generate a substantial side income a couple days a week.  Others use the freedom that day trading provides to create a more flexible lifestyle.  Want to travel the world while trading just a couple of hours each day from your laptop?  It's certainly possible and there's no reason you can't join that elite group too.

What we strive to do here at Samurai Trading Academy is provide the tools and personal coaching that traders need to take that elusive step into profitable trading on a consistent basis.  Make no mistake, learning to trade isn't easy.  Most new traders enter the market and lose money due to a lack of knowledge and an inadequate support system.  There's a lot of poorly planned trading systems out there, mentors who don't trade themselves, and any number of other traps you could fall into while you trying to learn the trading craft.

At Samurai Trading Academy you're not alone.  Not only will you have a robust system with clear trading setups that has been used extensively in a wide variety of market conditions but you will also be working directly with those who trade professionally using the same approach.  We will never allow someone at Samurai Trading Academy who is not trading their own live account to teach a class or run the live trading room.  Sadly this is far from the norm in this industry but we know it's crucial that our trainers are not just teachers, but traders too!

The Components of Samurai Trading Academy

The Curriculum

We have developed a comprehensive and extremely powerful strategy that we use every day to trade the Emini S&P 500 Futures (ES) market.  While many of the setups we use are very simple and objective it's still important that you have a good foundation of market knowledge to build on.  To make sure you are prepared regardless of your current skill level we will cover a wide array of technical analysis concepts and discuss how to directly implement them in your own trading.  We also look at advanced but extremely important concepts like risk management and trading psychology.

The Live Trading Room

Here you will learn how to read the price action and momentum of the market in a live environment as the market unfolds.  Some people think that trading is all about the trade entries themselves and it's as simple as just hitting a button over and over to get in and out of trades.  Experienced traders know better.  Trading well is about reading the market and analyzing potential setups, and then the trade entries follow naturally.  We will teach you how to read the market so you can identify these high quality opportunities yourself and truly develop your trading skill.  Learning to trade isn't about following a magic indicator or a green light signal - it's about understanding the way the market moves so you can anticipate future reactions and building a skill you can use your entire life to trade any instrument.

The Trading Forums

Although our goal is to give you the tools and trading knowledge you need to become an independent professional, we know many enjoy working with other people in a more collaborative way. Trading can be a lonely business but we want to create a social environment here at Samurai Trading Academy that allows us to continually challenge each other, develop, and make some good friends along the way.  There will be places to share your trading journal, get feedback or share advice with others, and also areas to develop new trading techniques.  As a trader you will quickly realize that learning in this business never truly ends but that's what makes it such an exciting profession.  We will have areas where the more experienced traders can test new setups, discuss advanced tactics, and socialize with like-minded people.

What the Future Holds

In the coming weeks and months there will be many changes here at Samurai Trading Academy and we're very excited to share them with you.  I encourage you to sign up for our newsletter (in the sidebar of this page) or to subscribe to RSS updates in order to be kept in the loop on future developments.  We are currently working with a small group of people and refining some elements of the Curriculum and other behind-the-scenes aspects of the site and the feedback so far is superb.  We hope to share it all with you very soon.

In the meantime we will continue to post trading recaps on our blog and there will be a variety of trading articles to come in the near future as well.  We have plans for a lot of quality content on the blog for anyone who wants to learn more about trading in general so feel free to suggest a topic if there's something you would like to see.

If you have any questions about our methods or training please don't hesitate to contact us.  We look forward to helping your achieve your trading goals!

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