What, I said basically the same thing just in several different ways? Yes, I did. Because the bottom line is, it is SIMPLY going up, or it is going down.

So much technical mumbo jumbo is tied to trading to make it sound harder than it is, or has to be. As a matter of fact, it has been said that all this technical trading has caused the market to become erratic, with everyone jumping into the market at different angles because their green line crossed the blue line when the ADX was above the Spring Equinox.

Now I will submit, that after someone has spent THOUSANDS of dollars on programs to do all this, then they lose THOUSANDS more in trying to forecast the market. Note: The majority of technical traders use indicators and the majority also lose money.

Now, I like indicators, don't get me wrong. But not all over my screen! A few trend lines, a few resistance and support calculations, and throw in a time day and I'm one happy camper! Amazing, look at how the market always seems to turn around on support or resistance. Terrific, it even tends to do this on time days. Now, where are those indicators to tell me that I should ignore this obvious indication. Oh, here it is, my LAGGING indicator.

Sad fact is, most new traders fall first for this kind of reasoning, that they need all kinds of zigs and zags. Frankly, I thought I left looking at all those wavy lines back in my radar repair days!

Now, let me give you an example of a program which is not one that I sell, that I find falls under the category of one which does not use all those wild and willy indicators. The sponsors of the Realtraders list sell Nature's Pulse. It deals with my favorite subject, Fibonacci. It is not going to get you into moving averages, RSI, and all that other stuff. It is going to get help you to find resistance, support, turn days using various methods such as clustering, and you can make up some of your own studies. A nice feature is the accordion. It is easy to use and can give you insight as to what the market is trying to tell you. When I looked at it, it said to me, "get those indicators out of my face so I can show you what is going to happen next!" Yes, it was easy to see.

Now I'm no Nature's Pulse expert. Contact the supplier for techie info on the product. I'm just giving you my quick impression of what I've seen. I have respect for the Fibonacci/Gann methodology and recommend the art and science of it to everyone!

So, when you hear the "I gotta have a bunch of indicators on my screen.." coming from a trader, suggest he go buy Corel Draw to design wallpaper, and aim for the SIMPLER way to trade.

Note: About the Author

Rick J. Ratchford is President of ProfitMax Trading Inc. He is a full-time commodity trader for his own account as well as assisting other traders. He has been a computer programmer for more than 20 years and a trader since 1990.