Customer Reviews

The Elements of Successful Trading: Developing Your Comprehensive Strategy Through Psychology, Money Management, and Trading Methods

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book touches all aspects of investing. The author describes the different markets; the stock market, natural resources, foods, interest rates, options, etc. The author describes technical as well as fundamental analysis and helps you develop the mindset which is necessary to be a successful trader. After reading this book, you'll feel like you've earned a university degree in financial engineering. I expected the price of this book to be a lot higher.

The book with information about every element of market, but there is not too much information about specific of trading. It is a common instrument for learning of trading. You must read it if you look for a complex knowlege about exchanges and markets at all.

There are 33 chapters in this 639 page book which practically put everything you can think of about trading or investment into it. Technical Analysis, Fundamental Analysis, Trading Psychology, Options, Commodities... simply everything. The problem is: dont know whether it's the intent of the author to give so general an idea of everything to its readers or he is too agressive to encompass so much in one single book. He just used a page or two to describe very complicated items like MACD, Stochastics, Gann Fan, Fibonnaci numbers, Bonds, Computer Trading, Crude Oil, Platinum, Gamma, Theta, Rho, Delta Neutral Trading........

In case you just want to have a close to nothing idea of the highly complicated trading or investment market, it's for you. In case you read in order to earn an edge to profit in market where 90% to 95% of the participants are doomed to fail, forget about this.

Robert Rotella captures the essence of trading psychology. This book is a must read for all investors - regardless of timeframe, experience, or markets traded. I rank it in the top five trading books I've ever read.

I've read literally hundreds of books on trading and was surprised to see the negative reviews of this one...which is one of my favorites. It does say a little about a lot of topics..and this is a strong point, not a weakness...one can then go on to expand knowledge of the topics of special interest in full length books on each. The section on trading psychology is one of the best I've ever read...

There is an old joke about a guy who wakes up in a car in the middle of a field and has no idea where he is or how he got there. He flags down the first guy he sees and asks him where he is, to which he replies, "you are sitting in a car in the middle of a field". Our lost friend replies, "you must be an accountant, because while everything you say is totally accurate, it is completely useless".

This 600-plus page book is written like a sterile academic textbook for a course devoid of any real world knowledge or experience. Ironically, the author states that the book evolved as a result of a course he teaches.

It is stated that the author was a floor trader with many years experience on a Wall Street futures exchange (been there, done that). If this is in fact true, there is not a single anecdote about his own trading experiences in the entire book, at least what I read of it. What we would be interested in is a chronicle of how the author achieved competency and his experiences on the road to trading success, if in fact he achieved this. Did he have a successful trader as a mentor? How long did he lose money as a trader before achieving success? What were some of his significant breakthroughs as a trader? Did he have a "trading epiphany"? What were the major mistakes he saw traders make who ultimately failed? What is his greatest advice for new traders?

Unfortunately, we will never know the answer to these questions, because this author completely missed the point in writing a book on trading.