Traders will often refer to their equity curve, and use different expressions when describing it, like climbing, smooth, dipping, or even underwater. But what is it and how do traders use their equity curve to help their trading? Simply put, an equity curve is a graphical representation of the value of a trading account as it changes over time. It is usually plotted as a line graph, with the x-axis showing the time elapsed or the number of trades, and the y-axis showing the account value. Looking at a trading strategy’s equity curve gives us a quick view of the positive or negative expectancy ..read more

Larry Connors is a well-known trader and author. He has written several booked on ,quantitative trading and short-term trading, including Buy the Fear, Sell the Greed and Street Smarts - High Probability Short Term Trading Strategies (co-written with ,Linda Raschke). After Graduating from Syracuse University in 1981, Larry Connors started work at Merrill Lynch. He founded M. Gordon Publishing Group in 1995 and established ,TradingMarkets.com in 1998. As a trader, he uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis, including moving averages and momentum indicators. In his books, he em ..read more

The number of instruments available to retail traders is huge, and once you add all the possible ways to trade, as well as all the possible timeframes to trade, it’s easy to see how traders get overwhelmed with options. Here we look at one piece of the trading plan jigsaw: which timeframe to trade. As with all the other aspects of an individual’s trading strategy, the timeframe to trade is dependant on what each trader feel comfortable trading, in other words, which timeframe suits their trading personality. In order to know which timeframe suits your trading personality, it’s worth asking tw ..read more

Throughout his career, statistical mathematician Nassim Nicholas Taleb has been an option trader, risk analyst and hedge fund manager. He has written a number of books, including Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan. Here are 12 of my favourite Nassim Nicholas Taleb quotes on trading, and quotes that could be applied to trading. One of the themes that comes up again and again in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s work is the idea that many decision-makers in the financial industry do not risk their own money. Individual traders, however, often do. ,"When I trade, I don't have an agency problem; I have ..read more

David Shaw is a computer scientist who founded the quantitative hedge fund D.E. Shaw & Co in 1988. Its successful use of sophisticated ,mathematical modelling and algorithms led to Shaw becoming known throughout the finance world as the ‘Quant King’. Here are 9 of David Shaw's best quotes David Shaw often spoken of his view of the markets, that first developed in childhood. “I grew up with the idea that, if not impossible, it was certainly extremely difficult to beat the market. And even now, I find it remarkable how efficient the markets actually are.” As a computer scientist, David Shaw ..read more

Denise Shull is a trader and performance coach who wrote Market Mind Games in 2012. In the book, she uses neuroeconomics and psychodynamic psychology to provide traders and investors with a variety of mindset tools to gain an edge in the markets. Here are our 12 favourite quotes from Market Mind Games: Traders demand certainty in the markets, where none exists. To be a successful trader means to embrace this uncertainty. “We greatly prefer to know what exactly our odds are. We feel more confident and less anxious when we know or think we know our exact chances. (This is) known as the “ambiguit ..read more

There are so many quotes doing the rounds about the markets and trading, and to be fair, most are pretty good. But what of those that are a little less known? Do they provide wisdom, entertainment and even humour? Here, we have put together 10 of our favourite quotes on the markets and trading, some more well-known than others… Our 10 Favourite Quotes about the Markets and Trading We’ll start way back in the 1700s, with this quote from Voltaire, who had a very positive (and slightly amusing) view on the traders of the London Stock Exchange: ,"Go into the London Stock Exchange – a more respecta ..read more

Over 770 million tonnes of wheat is produced worldwide every year, with over 40% coming from China, India and Russia. But what is the wheat futures contract and how can you trade it? Wheat futures are traded by farmers, processors, retailers and traders looking to hedge or speculate on the price of wheat. Read on for more about wheat trading and the wheat futures contract… What is the wheat futures contract? In commodity trading, wheat is known as a ‘soft’ commodity, along with ,soybeans, coffee, cocoa, orange juice, ,sugar, corn and cotton. This is in contrast to the ‘hard’ commodities of pr ..read more

Over 350 million tonnes of soybeans are produced worldwide every year, mostly in the US and Brazil, but also in Argentina, China, India, and other countries. They are used in many processed foods, and their oil is used for cooking and as a component in many industrial products. But what is the soybean futures contract and how can you trade it? Soybean futures are traded by farmers, processors, retailers and traders looking to hedge or speculate on the price of soybeans. Read on for more about soybean trading and the soybean futures contract… What is the soybean futures contract? In commodity ..read more

Over 1.5 million tonnes of orange juice is produced worldwide every year, from about 50 million tonnes of oranges. But what is the orange juice futures contract and how can you trade it? Orange juice futures are traded by farmers, processors, retailers and traders looking to hedge or speculate on the price of orange juice. Read on for more about orange juice trading and the orange juice futures contract… What is the orange juice futures contract? In commodity trading, orange juice is known as a ‘soft’ commodity, along with wheat, coffee, cocoa, soy beans, ,sugar, corn and ,cotton. This is in ..read more