The Three Skills of Top Trading: Behavioral Systems Building, Pattern Recognition, and Mental State Management - Hardcover

Pruden, Hank

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470050632 ISBN 13: 9780470050637

Publisher: Wiley, 2007

Synopsis

Praise for The Three Skills of Top Trading

"Professor Pruden's new book, The Three Skills of Top Trading, is unquestionably the best book on a specific trading method and the necessary attributes for trading that I have read. His logic, understanding of human foibles, and use of the Wyckoff method of trading are broadly referenced, readable, understandable, and entertaining."
- Charles D. Kirkpatrick, II, CMT, coauthor of

Technical Analysis: The Complete Resource for Financial Market Technicians, Editor of the Journal of Technical Analysis, and board member of the Market Technicians Association

"At long last, someone has taken the time and effort to bring the work and insight of Wyckoff to wider public attention-and Hank Pruden has done so masterfully, with great clarity and eloquence. Hank has taken the best of Wyckoff's work, combining it with the essential aspects of trader discipline and psychology, to provide a highly readable and particularly useful guide to trading. MUST READING!"
- Jacob Bernstein, www.trade-futures.com

"Hank Pruden puts all of the elements needed for successful trading into one volume. This book not only belongs on every trader's shelf but should be close enough for continuous reference."
- Martin J. Pring, President, www.Pring.com

"Dr. Pruden has brought together his lifetime of work in developing a modern approach to analyzing and trading the markets built upon classic market analysis from the early part of the twentieth century and topped off with modern-day tenets of behavioral finance and mental state management."
- Thom Hartle, Director of Marketing for CQG, Inc. (www.cqg.com)

"I usually consider a book to be well worth reading if it gives me one paradigm shift. I believe that this book will give the average investor a lot more than just one."
- Van K. Tharp, PhD, President, Van Tharp Institute

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Trading in today's markets can be a difficult endeavor. But with the right approach, you can achieve success. Nobody knows this better than author Hank Pruden, a top technical analyst and well-known educator in the field of finance. Having actively traded his own account for more than twenty years, Pruden has placed real equity at risk based upon the theories he teaches. And during this time, he's carefully followed a framework that has proven itself both profitable and reliable in real-world trading situations.

Now, in The Three Skills of Top Trading, Pruden looks to share his experience and insights with you. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this comprehensive guide brings together the three skills of top trading—behavioral models for systems building, pattern recognition, and mental state discipline—and examines how you can develop this "triple threat" skill set to sustain or gain a true competitive edge in today's challenging markets.

Divided into three well-rounded parts, this book integrates elements of trading that are often treated separately—creating a mutually reinforcing analytical package that makes intuitive sense. Throughout these pages, you'll be introduced to:

• A behavioral finance framework for systems building that provides the structure for integrating and interpreting indicators organized along the key dimensions of price, time, volume, and sentiment

• A pattern recognition plan for trading—the Wyckoff Method of chart reading and technical analysis—that contains a set of laws and principles, which can be used to interpret chart patterns and take action

• A model of trader psychology that is essential to the management of your mental state—the Ten Tasks of Top Trading—as well as various methods that will allow you to effectively maintain or modify this state

Engaging and informative, The Three Skills of Top Trading outlines a balanced set of skills that will allow you to capture some of the most profitable trading opportunities possible. It will also help you sidestep timing pitfalls stemming from superficial data analysis and erroneous interpretations of market indicators. With this book as your guide, you'll quickly develop a better understanding of the elements of systems building, pattern recognition, and mental state discipline and learn what it takes to become a complete trader.

About the Author

Hank Pruden is a leading technical analyst with more than twenty years of active trading experience. He is currently Executive Director of the Institute of Technical Market Analysis and on the board of directors of the Technical Securities Analysts Association of San Francisco. Pruden is also a professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, where he has taught technical analysis for thirty years. He has also served on the board of directors of the Market Technicians Association and served as vice chair of the International Federation of Technical Analysts.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0470050632
• ISBN 13: 9780470050637
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304