Customer Reviews

Trading in the Zone : Maximizing Performance with Focus and Discipline

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had read Douglas's Trading in the Zone before. I had a very high expectation on this one. However, I was very disappointed.

The author emphasized throughout the book the importance of entering the zone, a state of mind that you can neglect fear, greed, P/L, and just trade according to your feeling of the market, though he supplemented that with the need of analysis, hardwork, focus blah blah blah, and that different people have different means to enter the zone, illustrated with examples anonymous. Those might be true stories. However, the author just did not tell the readers how they could do it themselves without the assistance of a coach like the author's good self.

A reviewer of this book wrote that this should be read together with Douglas's Trading in the Zone and Mc Call's The Way of the Warrior Trader. One should read those two excellent books only, but definitely not this.

I personally admire Dr. Kiev's work and contribution to daily psychology. However I would suggest any trader - or any other person, for that matter - to read and apply the ideas in his " Daily Living Strategy". His goal-based approach is what I live on, and I certainly understand the positive comments made by his clients, but I think the reviews are concerning the book + the counselling they took personally from Dr. Kiev. By itself, the book is not complete. It is helpful, and it certainly adresses several important issues, but it doesn't go deep. Also, it is a product of Dr. Kiev's work with the professional traders working in huge trading firms or departments, and as such, addresses the problems and solutions that can be found in such settings. Even the trading methodology Dr. Kiev seems to advocate sounds very institutional: he is talking about how to get real info from analysts that call you up. Well, being a full time trader who strikes on his own, that didn't help me. Again I recommend buyiing his now-classic book, the Daily Living Strategy, and apply it to whatever it is you want to achieve in your life.

One of the most essential, yet least discussed, topics when it comes to trading is market psychology. While fundamentals and technicals are both critical in developing an understanding of a company and its inherent value, trading psychology is the processor of this information and the true measure of success and profitability. People who wish to excel in trading must have a firm grasp on their emotions to prevent them from falling victim to the same mistakes that dominate most traders. In his latest book, Dr. Kiev presents a much richer discussion of what it means to be trading "in the zone", including how to get there and how to stay there. He also expands upon some of the topics presented in his previous book, providing more detailed information as to the psychological forces at work behind the mask of fundamental and/or technical information. For an emotional trader like myself, it's reassuring to know that I am not in the investing minority and that, with work, I can overcome these self-inflicted barriers to success to achieve my personal and professional goals.

Very good material for building the mental framework necessary to maximize trading results. The author's work with SAC provides a great lab to see trading psychology real time. Nice insight and very readable. Trading in the "Zone" is a place that is difficult for the beginner to understand, but it should be required reading before real money is at risk. It sure would have saved me money. From the introduction the material climbs in the traders head and speaks volumes about what it take to be a MASTER TRADER. This work, Ari Kiev's Trading to Win and Douglas' Trading in the Zone and The Disciplined Trader, along with Dr. Richard McCall's The Way of the Warrior-Trader should be the required reading for anyone seeking to trade the financial markets.

Trading In the Zone, by Ari Kiev, should be an essential component of very trader's arsenal. In this book, Dr. Kiev discusses the role emotions and psychological factors play in the realm of trading. His success is demonstrated in his ability to portray actual case studies and transfer his work into a dialogue that makes it easy for the reader to identify with. Whether a beginner or an experienced trader, Trading in the Zone provides the necessary material to become a more focused and grounded trader.

Dr. Kiev and I have worked together in the application of many of the concepts discussed in this book, and I have seen them applied successfully in multiple situations. And, while I strongly believe that each trader must confront the issues discussed in the text through the filter of their own environment and circumstances, I don't know of any pieces within the trading literature that cover this particular set of topics with as much depth or experience-driven insight.

More research is needed in the area of trading dynamics, both from a psychological and a mechanical perspective. Dr. Kiev's work here not only is a valuable contribution in its own right, but also raises some interesting and yet-unanswered questions regarding the myriad internal and external challenges that comprise the art of portfolio management.

Sometimes the most useful exercise is to step out of the box of conventional thinking. Dr. Kiev turns the investment process on its head by asking questions that optimize the human decision process, risk taking and productivity rather then the traditional fundamentalist's question of value. The results have been phenomenal, helping post some of the greatest institutional investment track record's Wall Street has seen in the last 50 years. Personally, as a professional fund manager, Dr. Kiev has been an extraordinary help. This is a most read!!!

Trading in the Zone encompasses the most pertinent aspects of money management such as establishing and constantly resetting one's goals, understanding and incorporating a risk profile and cutting losses in the interest of capital preservation. This book is a must read for anyone looking to learn about the tenets of psychology as they relate to money management.

I bought it and not much to learn from it. It would not improve my bottom line, This is my opinion.

There are hundreds of good ideas floating around, just as every trader has thought of hundreds of great winning trades. The problem is in manifesting those ideas, making them work in concrete reality. Ari Kiev's book goes beyond the typical in that it doesn't stop at merely describing those obstacles to becoming a better trader; it pushes into the realm of implementation.

All of us can recall the feeling when everything falls into place, a point made clear from the many relevant interviews that reinforce Dr. Kiev's points. The difficulty--and the strength of this book--is to be consistent in one's effort to maintain that state of mind. There are mny useful tools and exercises offered that will keep traders from unconciously falling back into unproductive habits.

Everyone needs help, especially on the path to becoming an accomplished trader. This book is an essential guide to staying aware and taking action.