Seven Trading Systems for the S&P Futures: Gap Strategies to Day Trade the Opening Bell [Paperback]

David Bean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2010

Discover seven new trading strategies for the S&P futures. If you are a beginner or advanced, trading the daily open can be one of the best ways to trade the market. We specifically cover the rules on how to systematically day-trade the E-mini S&P 500 futures. Learn how to distinguish between four different gap trading setups and how to trade a Gap Fill or Gap Continuation. Learn how to combine two strategies into one. Understand the PT/SL Ratio. Learn how to exit a trade with graphical analysis techniques. Discovering both the art and science of trading as well as the secret behind optimization. Use this book to further develop your own strategies to trade the daily open in any market. The rules and Tradestation EasyLanguage code are completely disclosed for all seven systems so that the strategies can be fully automated or traded manually.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Bean has been trading the financial markets since 1995. He started with stocks but quickly moved on to futures in 1996 and began develop automated trading systems in 1997. He is the owner of Capstone Trading Systems, and specializes in the research and development of trading systems. He is currently registered as a Commodity Trading Advisor and is a National Futures Association member. He has managed money for and consulted hedge funds and high net worth individuals. His formal academic studies include a BS in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1994.

Product Details

• Paperback: 94 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (July 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1453674764
• ISBN-13: 978-1453674765
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Tradestation Users, November 10, 2010

By 

A. B. Waugh (Sarasota, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seven Trading Systems for the S&P Futures: Gap Strategies to Day Trade the Opening Bell (Paperback)

Potential purchasers of this book should be aware of what this is and is not. What it is: it is exactly what the title says- 7 gap strategies with the Tradestation ("TS") code for trading the ES (and TF and EMD). What it is not: anything more than that.

It is just 90 pages- but for me, they are packed with value. The charts (showing minute charts of the ES) and the reports (TS performance reports) are very clear. The description of the strategies is clear.

Do they work? I am not very skilled in TS, but I was able to copy the 2 of most interest to me (Gap Fill-1 and Gap Continuation-1), correct my typos, set up the workspaces, deal with a maxbars problem, and get them working. If you knew my minimal coding ability, you would be impressed!

The reports in the book cover the 5 years before June, 2010. I tested the period after. Gap Fill-1 gave a Net Profit per Trade (NPT) of $54 in the 5 year period used by the book; I got just $15 since. Gap Continuation-1 on the TF gave a NPT of $265 in the book. For me since then, it was $202 (both using the TF). I will start auto-trading this, but just watch the Gap Fill-1 system.

If you use TS, this is a great value for the small price. For me, there was a bonus- it helped in my TS coding skills. It also helped to see how the author developed his ideas. I am sure I will take some of these ideas to help develop and improve my own trading.

What if you don't use TS? Well, you won't be able to try modifications, nor will you be able to try different markets. However, you will be able to manually trade the 7 gap strategies. The entry and exit conditions, including stops, are clearly set out. They are not complicated (except in 1 system). You should make up the cost of the book very quickly.

I am a hard marker- this only the second 5 star review I have given. I have given it 5 stars based on solely its value to me. I hope, though, I have given you enough information to evaluate what its value to you would be.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proven and Quantified Strategies, July 26, 2010

By 

NickP - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Trading Systems for the S&P Futures: Gap Strategies to Day Trade the Opening Bell (Paperback)

This book has some fantastic strategies which are tradable right of the bat, but the real value is the insight it provides into the process of strategy development. Gap strategies have been well known among traders for a long time, but this is the first book I've come across which outlines a detailed approach to profiting from opening gaps. All too often, trading books advocate strategies which are based on vague chart formations or other untestable methods. The methods in this book are quantified and proven, with a simple approach that can easily be modified to suit your own specific trading goals. Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, March 2, 2011

By 

Zekers - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Trading Systems for the S&P Futures: Gap Strategies to Day Trade the Opening Bell (Paperback)

I give this book a high rating based on how profitable the strategy has been since I purchased it in September. 90% of the trades have been winners on the Gap Fills and I have seen a good return on my investment. It is definitely a short book but written briefly and to the point providing the specific information for setting up the trading systems as well as backtests to prove the results. This is one of the few trading books that I have purchased that show specific trading rules and results as most of my other trading books are much lengthier (and better written) but show methods that are hard to duplicate. It is mainly for futures traders and the Tradestation platform, however I was able to convert it to MT4 and trade it on the ETF's as well.