Thursday, December 17, 2009

Creating An ETF Trading System

By Patrick Deaton

There are many options available when a person is looking for an effective ETF trading system. There are many website companies that offer services related to trading systems. They may offer alerts, updates, training, information, etc., to make using a system easier. However, the longer that a person is a trader, the more likely it is that they will develop their own effective system.

The terms "trading system" and "trading strategy" mean two different things. These terms are often interchanged by individuals who are not clear on the difference and have not been involved in ETF trading. When reading advertising by someone who says they "know" ETF trading, this is a good indicator of what they actually know.

An ETF trading system is just a group of specific rules that determine your entry and exit points for your EFT. So, when a subscription is being paid for "signal" alerts, you are actually subscribing to a service that is going to alert you when the light goes off on your entry or exit point.

Moving Averages, Stochastic, Oscillators, Bollinger Bans, and Oscillators are the most common analytical tools used. The information that each of these tools provides is called "indicators." Naturally, you need two indicators, at least for the lines to cross and indicate a move is appropriate. Most people use indicators from one or all of the analytical tools available to create their system.

Now, what makes a system effective and consistently reliable depends on what two or more indicators are used in your system. You may need different indicators for a more volatile sector than you need for a low risk sector. The programs kick out literally hundreds of details that can be used as indicators for some part of your trading.

The time and research needed to create an effective system can be very time consuming. For some people using a pre designed program or service is more cost effective. When a pre designed program or service is used the "rules" or parameters that are used have been identified using another analytical tool that shows what types of indicators are most effective with certain sectors.

Other people prefer to do the necessary up front work to create a system that is effective for them and consistently provides them with the gains that they want. The rules for using a system are very simple. First, whether it has been purchased or created, it must make money. Statistically, when a person has ten negative returns in a row they need to re-evaluate their systems and strategies.

When using the system it is important that a plan be in place to limit loss. By setting buy and sell limits that have been indicated by the analytical tools a person is creating a safety net to stop hemorrhaging when they are in a loss cycle. The system should be composed of stable parameters. The analytical tools will give a lot of detailed information and data. It is very easy to get caught up in the data. Making sure that the lines that are included in the systems parameters are stable will help to create an effective system. - 23210

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