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Van Tharp – How Big Money Trades: A Key Aspect of Systems Thinking

Most traders trade primarily to make money in the markets. Right?

And yet . . . most traders are trying to win in a high stakes game they really don’t understand. For example, most traders don’t understand –

why or when their systems work.
who they are trading against or even the categories of major market participants.
the difference between price and value – or which to trade.
how big money drives the market.
why to trade with big money.
how to look at just one or two things beyond price to help confirm a smarter entry or exit.

If you have been trading for a short while and you don’t understand those critical factors, you’re not likely to be around long in the markets. It’s nothing personal, it’s just markets doing their job.

Would you prefer to trade for the years to come? Would you like to generate more consistent profits and have fewer, smaller drawdowns? Then you better prepare yourself thoroughly. Capital markets attract more knowledgeable, competitive, and savvy players than any other game in the world. Most retail traders fail to prepare or educate themselves – and most get kicked out of the game pretty quickly. Warren Buffet summed up this idea well in his 1988 Berkshire Hathaway annual letter-

As they say in poker, “If you’ve been in the game 30 minutes and you don’t know who the patsy is, you’re the patsy.”

Don’t be a patsy. Prepare yourself and become a professional player.