tactical trader

After two extremely hectic weeks we’re about to leave for the World Money Show in London!

It’s pretty exciting as this is the first time we’ve ever had a ‘proper’ exhibition stand. Somewhere along the way I got roped in to being there too – I’ll be the bleary eyed one sat at the back having a snooze.

On the stand we’ll have the new site running and lots more, so if you are attending the World Money Show this weekend, maybe I’ll see you there.

Due to all the time spent getting ready for the show I’ve been neglecting the TT website. Next week promises to be much calmer and I should then (at last) get down to updating this blog with information about the website and answering some of the questions that you’ve been asking.

In the meantime, it’s good to see some good trading discussions in the forums, and while the site is still having a bit of a marmite effect on some (you either love it or you hate it) – we’ve been receiving some very positive and helpful feedback about our new direction.

I’ll be leaving the site in Chris’ capable hands – so don’t misbehave as he’s even more strict than me!

Jeremy du Plessis’ new book “The Definitive Guide to Point and Figure - A Comprehensive Guide to the Theory and Practical Use of the Point and Figure Charting Method” is now available from the Tactical Trader bookshop. As with other Harriman House publications this promises to be a well presented, high quality book that I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing soon! Here’s the press release:

Rarely does a book live up to its claim of being the ‘definitive’ guide to something. Jeremy du Plessis’ new book lives up that claim and more. It’s almost impossible to imagine a more definitive treatment of point and figure charting. The author pays homage to its early development and the pioneers who first wrote about it. He gives extensive coverage to the original 1-point reversal method before moving on to the more modern methods. The subject is examined from every conceivable angle. I’m not aware of anyone who has even attempted to combine p&f charting with so many modern technical indicators. I expect that du Plessis’ book will not only become the definitive book on point and figure, but will also become a classic in the field of technical analysis."

John Murphy CMT, Author of Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets

Point and Figure charts are one of the great secrets of the Technical Analysis world which can, however, be overlooked by traders today. This should change with the publication of this book. Jeremy du Plessis - one of the foremost Point and Figure experts in the world - has written what can truly be described as the definitive guide to the topic.

This new book demystifies the world of Point and Figure charting, with a detailed explanation of the history and development of the technique. It is the first major work for 50 years to discuss in depth the original 1-box reversal method of Point and Figure charting and contrast it with the more popular 3-box reversal method, and also covers optimising techniques and the lesser known, more advanced techniques such as the use of moving averages, parabolic SAR and Bollinger Bands on Point and Figure charts.

According to du Plessis, Point and Figure charts are the ‘voice of the market’. This book helps you listen to, and understand, that voice.

About the author

Jeremy trained as an automotive engineer, then an economist, but gave them both up to become a Technical Analyst. In 1983 he founded Indexia Research and pioneered the development of PC-based technical analysis software with the Indexia range of technical analysis systems.

He is an expert on Point and Figure charts, and the Indexia software was the first PC-based system to draw them correctly and clearly in the early 1980s. He lectures the Point and Figure module for the Society of Technical Analysts and sets the Point and Figure syllabus for the International Federation of Technical Analysts. He has taught Technical Analysis, and in particular Point and Figure, to thousands of professional traders and investors over the last 20 years. In 2001, after running Indexia Research for nearly 20 years, he agreed to merge the company with Updata plc, where he is now Head of Technical Analysis and the designer of the Updata Technical Analyst software.

He is a Fellow of the Society of Technical Analysts (FSTA) in the UK, and a member of the American Market Technicians Association (MTA). He is a holder of the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation awarded by the MTA.

Buy online at the Tactical Trader bookshop

Find out more about Jeremy’s book and buy it online at the Tactical Trader bookshop.

The last few weeks have been extremely busy, we have launched the new site (thanks to everyone who made contcat with positive feedback) and been very busy preparing for the show season.

In the middle of all this I decided to leave the country, much to Rob's concern.

For some time now I have been followng Germany as a potential trading target so last week I flew over there to take a look for myself. The election results had just been announced and it was fascinating to watch all the news reports and to travel on the local trains/buses listening to what ordinary working people made of the whole thing.

I was also very pleased to be invited to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange for a personal tour, actually, having lost so much on the DAX in my early years I felt it was the least they could do!

I was amazed at the calm of the place and the dedication of the traders I met and then something struck me, this was the same everywhere I went. Despite the obvious signs of an economy that has seen better times and the political discontent there was an underpinning sense of 'getting on with it' and doing so in an efficient manner.

I left even more determined to find a way of sharing in a recovery that I bellieve is on the way, I have not figured out the best way to do this yet but when I do i will make another blog out of it.

Finally, we are at the World Money Show this coming weekend, we have a stand and I am doing a couple of sessions so if you are in London or visiting the show anyway, why not stop by and say hello.

I won’t bore you with ramblings about how I never expected to become a blogger. Instead I’ll just tell you that in my shiny new blog I’ll post about the site’s development, I’ll use it to keep track of bugs and improvements and when I finally do some more work on our trading strategies I’ll use it to discuss them too.

If you have any comments on my blog posts feel free to use the comments feature.

I will be posting a list of current issues and some updates on the font situation later this week.

Welcome to my blog (what a terrible word, trouble is I couldn’t think of anything else to call it).

On a regular basis I will be talking about things that matter to me as a private trader, things that irritate me as a private trader and generally be putting the world to rights.

These are my opinions so please feel free to comment and let’s get some good discussions going.