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HI,
1. I am a fulltime stock index futures trader, and have been for four years.
2. I am not a believer in TradeStation systems in any way, shape, or form.
The software is just not capable of truly tracking the market on a system
basis and successfully placing the trades according to the rules of the
systems I have seen.
3. Yes, in the past, I have sold my indicators to traders under the name
"Bullseye." But never as a system.
4. But most important, IMHO, backtesting beyond the past few months is a
complete waste of time. What happened in 1982, 1987, 1992, 1995, or 1997
has absolutely no bearing on how the stock index futures trade today. Where
TradeStation "thinks" it got in a market is probably WAY off. If it got in
at all. Oh, its great fun to backtest systems and think how much money one
might have made, but to think what a system might have done in 1995 has NO
bearing on how well it would have done today. TradeStation or not.
5. A sound methodology and a fundamental understanding of the markets
(along with practical money management principles) is the only way to
succeed in today's markets. Not by trying to use some system that worked in
1987 or 1992 or 1996 (if they ever did, realtime). No bearing on reality
friends, not one iota. Just the truth.
Don't get me wrong, I use TradeStation everyday to make a living. I admire
the product. Just don't get fooled by the idea of successful backtesting a
"system" will in anyway insure success today. The markets HAVE changed, and
will continue to do so. You will NOT get the fills that TradeStation thinks
you do. Especially in today's markets.
Just some thoughts....
Jim
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