Futures Truth Magazine Issue 2016

Educating
stock & commodity traders on mechanical systems since 1985.
#2-2016 Issue
Visual Energy Analysis

by Charles Drummond and JB Wells
Developer Interview:
Clockwork Group
SystemSpotlight:GattsQM
byJoeBobek
Phalanx Futures Trading
by Dean Handley
FuturesTruthIssue#22016www.FuturesTruth.com
Top 10 Tables 5 Master Performance Table 14 Vendor Index 63
Futures Truth
MAGAZINE
REGULAR FEATURES
3
Mission Statement
Top Ten Tables
Issue # 2 2016
FALSE PROFITS: EXPOSING
BIAS WITH INDEPENDENT
PERFORMANCE AUDITS (PART 2
PROMOTION & PERSUASION)
5 Hypothe cal Performance

Disclaimer & Risk Informa on
6
Systems Tracked in this Issue
10 Systems Ranked by Commodity

13 Tes ng Informa on
14 Master Performance Table
34 Margin Table
60 For the Record
AndrewDanikcon nueshis"FalseProts"series,this mefo

cusingonsystemvendorsandwhattolookforwhenchoosing
36
atradingsystem.Specically,hetalksaboutmarke ngtechniques
usedbyvendorstoa ractpoten alcustomers,andthedierence
betweenseasonedandnonseasonedvendorsapproachtoen cecon
sumers.
63 Vendor Directory
FTC was established to bring truth to the world of publicly offered trading systems. The public is literally flooded
with trading systems which carry promise of great
wealth, if one only has the discipline to follow the system. Many traders have purchased systems for large
sums of money only to find out later that the system is
worthless. Our purpose is to provide information to assist you in both the purchasing of and the actual decision to trade a system. It is up to you to reach your own
conclusion from the facts we present.
There is a substantial risk of loss in futures trading.
The high degree of leverage that is found in futures (because of small margin requirements) can work against
you as well as for you, i.e., you can have large losses as
well as large gains.
Computer studies for this publication were done by
George Pruitt and Joe Bobek. Copyright 2016 by Futures Truth Co. The information in this publication is
confidential and for the exclusive use of FTC subscribers ONLY. No reproduction in any form is permitted
without written consent. The contents of this publication
have been carefully gathered from sources believed to
be reliable, but accuracy of the information is not guaranteed. Use it at your own risk. No representation can
be made that future performance of any system will bear
any relation to past performance.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:
Futures Truth is a registered CTA & trades for its
own account.
The owner of Futures Truth has an affiliation with the
brokerage firm, Commodity Research Institute (CRI), a
registered IB.
Brokers with CRI have systems that we track in Futures Truth Magazine. These systems are Stafford
S&P Daytrade, FT S&P Daytrade, Universal, Universal
LT, Pendulum, and Universal 2.0.
Futures Truth Magazine does track and may trade
systems that are created and sold by Futures Truth
Company. These systems are Samurai 7, Samurai 31,
Samurai 35, Dynamic Breakout, FT Version Turtle Trading, and Dynamic Moving Average Crossover.
GEORGES CORNER:
AMIBROKER REVIEW
Inthisissue,GeorgePrui evaluatestheAmibrokertrading
pla ormandhowitcanbeu lizedmosteec vely.Hedetails
theAmibrokerFunc onLanguage(AFL),whichservestotrans
feratradingideaintosomethingeasilytestable.
40
SYSTEM SPOTLIGHT:
GATTS QM
JoeBobekhighlightsoneofthemanyoutstandingsystems
trackedbyFuturesTruth,Ga sQM,providingabriefde
scrip onandperformancenumberstothereader.
44
VISUAL ENERGY ANALYSIS
48
Marketveteran,CharlesDrummond,andhislong measso
ciate,JBWells,discussVisualEnergyAnalysis(VEA).The
ar clefocusesonhowCharlesdevelopedthisinteres ng
methodfromitsincep on,andalsoshowshowitisappliedtochart
analysis.Averyinsigh ulread!
Table of Contents con nued on next page.
Futures Truth
TOP TEN TABLES
MAGAZINE
Table of Contents Continued...
PHALANX FUTURES TRADING

DeanHandleycon nueshisquestinndingthebesttradingroomsavailabletoday.Inhislatestin
stallment,hereviewsOpenRangeTrader,TradingFuturesinAc onandTradeforGreatnesstrading
rooms.
53
DEVELOPER INTERVIEW:
CLOCKWORK GROUP
WerecentlyinterviewedthedevelopersatClockworkGroup.Findoutwhattheybelievearethebest
nancialopportuni esnow,advicefornewtraders,andmore.
TOP TEN SINCE RELEASE DATE
TOP TEN FOR PAST 12 MONTHS
System
Annual % Ret
1 TSL_CEL_NG_1.1
120.2%
2 Ga s QM
119.1%
3 TrendModelSys
93.3%
4 LRKage Sys5
81.3%
5 MAR Copper Sync
72.7%
6 ClockworkPaper Barrels 57.4%
7 NatGator
55.6%
8 MAR CrudePlus Sync
48.9%
9 ClockworkAngus
43.9%
10 TSL_US_1
40.7%
System
Annual % Ret
1 ClockworkKellyV
178.3%
2 MAR CrudePlus Sync
155.1%
3 LRKage Sys5
143.2%
4 MAR NewBondLive Sync
136.3%
5 ClockworkAngus
133.9%
6 Alpha DT
117.1%
7 ClockworkUS Captain
103.7%
8 Ruggiero Bond Sys
94.2%
9 TSL_ES_1.0Z
89.5%
10 Strategic 500
83.4%
TOP TEN SINGLE MARKET SYSTEMS

SINCE RELEASE DATE
TOP TEN MULTIMARKET SYSTEMS

SINCE RELEASE DATE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
57
System
Annual % Ret
TSL_CEL_NG_1.1
120.2%
Ga s QM
119.1%
TrendModelSys
93.3%
LRKageSys5
81.3%
MAR Copper Sync
72.7%
ClockworkPaper Barrels 57.4%
NatGator
55.6%
MAR CrudePlus Sync
48.9%
ClockworkAngus
43.9%
TSL_US_1
40.7%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
System
Annual % Ret
Super Turtle
32.0%
FedSwing
31.9%
Simple Harmony
28.5%
MeanSwing 2
26.1%
RUMI
25.3%
IMaster
22.7%
HiProb
18.4%
Dollar Trader for Currencies 18.3%
Hi%Mid
17.1%
Catscan III
15.5%
Systems included in the Since Release Date Tables, must have been released for at least 18 months.
HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE
DESCRIBED BELOW. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO
ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN. IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS
SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED BY ANY PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM.
ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS IS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY
PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. IN ADDITION, HYPOTHETICAL TRADING DOES NOT INVOLVE
FINANCIAL RISK, AND NO HYPOTHETICAL TRADING RECORD CAN COMPLETELY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT
OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND LOSSES OR TO
ADHERE TO A PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM IN SPITE OF TRADING LOSSES ARE MATERIAL POINTS
WHICH CAN ALSO ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER
FACTORS RELATED TO THE MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY SPECIFIC
TRADING PROGRAM WHICH CANNOT BE FULLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION OF HYPOTHETICAL
PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND ALL OF WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS.
THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF LOSS IN FUTURES TRADING. THE HIGH DEGREE OF LEVERAGE THAT IS
FOUND IN FUTURES (BECAUSE OF SMALL MARGIN REQUIREMENTS) CAN WORK FOR YOU AS WELL AS
AGAINST YOU, I.E. YOU CAN HAVE LARGE LOSSES AS WELL AS LARGE GAINS.
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TESTING INFORMATION
BLACK BOX SYSTEMS !
Black Box Systems are software products which normally

run on an IBM or Apple computer wherein the trading decision logic is not revealed. The vendors decision is somewhat understandable in view of the widespread plagiarism
that takes place. CAUTION should be used in viewing results from these systems because the vendor has the opportunity to selectively do more curve fitting than usual. In
some cases the logic has been revealed to us and we can
attest to an orderly procedure in optimization. We encourage all vendors to do this.
ACCURACY ASSURED
tem and want it independently checked. If you own a system not listed in our tables, we would be happy to test it
for you.
DATA PROVIDERS
Futures Truth employs CSIs Unfair Advantage database resources to backtest and report on trading performance for systems tested on select markets. In addition,
Futures Truth incorporates data from Prophet and Tick
Data, Inc.
CALCULATIONS USED IN TABLES
ALL results are shown AFTER a Commission and Slippage Charge of $100 per round turn trade for S&Ps, $200
per round turn for the Nasdaq, $25 for e-minis, 2 pips for
FOREX, and $75 for all other commodities. New systems
with less than 3 months of testing by us, or less than 4
trades will show zero % in the ranking. This will eliminate
huge adjustments to Annualized percent returns. ALL results are based on a single contract basis. There is no pyramiding or reinvestment of profits reflected. Notes are located in the VENDOR INDEX.
(1) Rank by Column (16).
(2) System Name
(3) System # is arbitrarily assigned for reference.
(4) Systems were tested with commodities recommended by the vendor (Up to 7)
(5) The date the system was released.
(6) Yearly performance since 1987 or system released
date.
(7) Month by month performance (Results are for most
recent 12 months or since the system was release, if less)
The Last month includes any Open Trade Equity. This may
cause the months numbers to change from report to report.
On longer term systems this will change substantially.
(8) 12 Month Net $Profit/Loss after commission/slippage
(9) Maximum Drawdown - The highest point in equity to a
low in equity after commission each day a trade was made.
This is NOT intraday drawdown, which includes open trade
equity, which would always be higher.
(10) Number of closed trades.
(11) % of profitable closed out trades
(12) Average profitable trade after commission
(13) Average losing trade after commission.
(14) Most consecutive losing trades in the 12 months.
(15) Minimum Required Capital - Minimum capital required to trade the system effectively. Calculated as 5
times Margin. Margin is the current margin to trade, daytrading systems will use half the usual margin.
(16) % Change on Minimum Capital. Rate of change of
Column (8) divided by Column (15).
(17) Combined %Change is shown for systems which
trade several markets. This is the average % of each market traded rom column (16). This should give an idea of
how the system performed trading all shown markets.
(18) Total Net Profit/Loss after commission/slippage
since the system was released.
TESTING
(19) Maximum Drawdown since the system was reMost studies were carried out on an Apple Power Mac G3 leased.
(20) Max draw down as a percentage of required capital
computer using EXCALIBUR Software. Many tests are
done using tick by tick data when needed to assure accura- (5 x margin).
(21) % Change on Minimum Capital. Annualized rate of
cy. All Tests begin using the release date or January 1,
change of Column (18) divided by Column(15).
1987. An extra effort is made to test each system exactly
as the developer presented it. We produce thousands of
numbers for each issue and will occasionally make mistakes. When found the proper results will be published. If
you plan on using any of these systems it is recommended

that you obtain the Detailed Report for that system, to see
actual trade-by-trade results after optimization.
We receive systems for evaluation from vendors, our own
purchase, and from individuals who have purchased a sysOur studies are in no way intended to reflect the integrity or
reputation of the vendors. Hopefully it will complement
their research and make it more useful to the investing public. The vendor may have presented their facts in the best
possible light and the numbers may be for a particular period of time when the system performed well. In some cases, a system is good over the long term, but one needs to
be aware of the capital necessary to trade it. Our studies
hopefully will help answer these questions.
Futures Truth Co. will not publish numbers on a trading
system if and when the vendor:
Disagrees with the results and we are unable to resolve
the differences.
Sends us threatening and/or harassing letters.
Has their attorney write us a letter.
This policy has resulted in several systems being dropped
from the Master Performance Table. We have no interest in
putting up with such behavior and the headache associated
therewith. However, freedom of speech still prevails and
private opinions are available.
Futures Truth does not permit any tweaking of numbers
in our report. Not one number in our report has the benefit
of hindsight, with the exception of the detailed reports. The
only numbers we show are after a vendors most recent
modification. This is clearly pointed out.
We only publish history and one should be aware that past
performance is not indicative of future results.
Our Top Ten long term systems change very little from one
report to the next, and is an area of additional exploration
for a system trader. However, prior to buying/trading such a
system, one should look at a minimum 10 year record of
detailed performance.
One is at considerable risk if he looks at only one year of a
systems performance and uses that information to either
buy and/or trade a system. The Top Ten performing systems for the past year changes quite often and should only
be used as a possible screening for further exploration.
Futures Truth does not recommend trading a system with
this limited amount of data.
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HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS. NO REPRESENTATION IS

BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE
SHOWN. THERE IS A RISK OF LOSS INVOLVED IN TRADING FUTURES. PLEASE READ THE FULL DISCLAIMER
ON PAGE 3 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HYPOTHETICAL TRADING RESULTS.
THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF LOSS IN FUTURES TRADING. THE HIGH DEGREE OF LEVERAGE THAT IS
FOUND IN FUTURES (BECAUSE OF SMALL MARGIN REQUIREMENTS) CAN WORK AGAINST YOU AS WELL AS
FOR YOU, I.E. YOU CAN HAVE LARGE LOSSES AS WELL AS LARGE GAINS.
Click on any Issue for more informa on!
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PROMOTION & PERSUASION
(con nued)
There may be altruistic reasons for selling trading systems and related education materials. We all
benefit from shared knowledge; it encourages personal growth, mentorship relationships and a
sense of community as a whole. We also want to promote the wisdom, truth and integrity which are
necessary to perpetuate the profession of trading into future generations.
Then again, there are some educators and vendors who sell their wares merely for the purpose
of making money. They may not trade themselves or know how to develop and execute trading systems. They need to make a living and they choose to do so promoting and selling material related to
trading and systems.
By Andrew Danik
Trading systems are advertised for sale, lease or subscription everywhere: in books, magazines,
direct marketing advertisements, online forums, eBay, and trading rooms. A recurring theme in these
advertisements is the promotion of profit. Celebrity traders and famous trading firms make us continually aware that some people are very successful at trading. It seems easy to imagine installing a
charting or trading application, loading a trading system and watching the money roll in. Sometimes
trading systems are promoted using that very imagery. Just open an account with a few thousand
dollars, trade this system, and you will become wealthy and have enough free time to retire and travel the world over!
While not all trading systems are advertised this way, we naturally hear about the potential upside of
trading a system without including the potential downside, which always accompanies trading and
trading systems. There is no reward without risk in this business. For this reason we need independent performance audits to filter the inherent bias in trading system advertisements and help us
more accurately weigh the associated risks.
First, let us tackle the topic of why there is a market for trading systems in the first place. It is crucial
to recognize the main motivations of trading system vendors that determine why they are selling
trading systems. From there we can scrutinize the claims being made by these vendors and filter
them through a selection process to arrive at an informed decision which reflects our accepted risk
and desired potential reward.
We all need money to survive in this world. It is the medium of exchange that enables urban civilization and drives our modern culture. We also generally accept that a person is entitled to some reward for work effort expended and a (potential) reward for taking on risk. These foundational assumptions are important to remember because we all have basic needs, standard of living expectations and lifestyle choices that we wish to maintain.
The result of all this motivation is a veritable glut of trading systems available from a wide variety of
sources using every possible media and covering every tradeable market (and some not so tradeable). Regardless of the vendors motivation and ethical standards, the competition is fierce and there
is a lot of noise and smoke in the marketplace. It really is difficult to get any attention if you want to
sell trading systems or education materials in this marketplace. Therefore, vendors must become
marketers, using the latest inbound and outbound marketing techniques just to get their products noticed.
Trading system vendors typically employ marketing techniques that are a good match to their motivation. There will always be some overlap in the techniques used; equity curves and performance
reports are universal and expected for describing trading systems in the same way that prospectus
are associated with other types of investments. However, there are definite clues that provide strong
evidence about the vendors ability, credibility, and motivation. This evidence does not necessarily
predict the amount of risk associated with a system vendors product, but it does give us a useful indicator to include as part of the due diligence vital to the decision making process.
Generally, the most robust trading systems come from seasoned, professional trading system developers. These vendors have spent years learning what works and what doesnt. They start to generate a reputation and a performance track record once they learn how to develop and test robust
trading systems. The marketing techniques they employ are heavily focused on establishing credibility and demonstrating professionalism in the marketplace. This is to emphasize that they know
what they are doing and that they are interested in the success and professional development of the
retail trader and customer. These professionals often earn respect and authority by educating the
public in seminars, authoring books and magazine articles, and sharing useful information such as
trading indicator code and utilities. These attributes, together, tend to demonstrate the characteristics of a professional trading system developer who enjoys or loves the work and is in it for the long
haul.
Some people sell trading systems to generate regular income which covers the monthly expenses
of running a business. There are salaries and wages to pay, software and equipment costs and infrastructure and utility costs as in any business. Preferably, these expenses are not paid from profitable trading capital gains. Withdrawing money from trading accounts to cover expenses on a monthly basis is the opposite of compounding and limits trading capital allocations, constrains money management and reduces the overall growth potential of trading and investing. This is one reason that
some vendors sell trading systems and subscriptions to trading signals.
Less experienced trading system developers may also offer good or even excellent trading systems
to the public. Because they lack a robust historical presence and sufficient track record for use in the
due-diligence decision making process, newer vendors may attempt to piggy back on the authority
of veteran traders through association with their names and methods. Potential customers are more
likely to encounter equity curves and performance reports on trading systems that benefit from hindsight; systems that are updated to show performance on in-sample trades only. It is relatively easy
for a developer with weeks or months of experience to generate a beautiful equity curve and enticing
performance statistics. A good programmer can even do it within hours or days of developing sys-
36
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(con nued)
tems for the first time. Some rookies display trading systems with too few trades to get an idea of
the long term possibilities of the systems performance. The inherent bias of looking only at insample performance is dangerous to your trading account and a common rookie mistake!
The key concept we need to understand here is that rookie trading system developers may have
good and honest intentions while not having the experience to know if a trading system is robust or
over-fit. Everyone starts out as a rookie! Unfortunately, naivety and ignorance increase the risk of
losing money and decrease the probability of a profitable outcome. If a system looks good, ask for a
brokerage statement confirming the trades listed in the performance report or request a third-party
audit of the trades for verification. A newer system developer that has robust strategies should willingly agree to these measures.
Some trading system vendors and educators are only interested in making money selling products
to the general public. They may never intend to personally trade their systems and they might not
even know how to develop a robust strategy at all. They just
know how to sell products well.
These vendors rely almost exclusively on persuasion as a marketing technique. With little to no
track record or established reputation, they focus on manipulating your emotions. You will see
more exaggerated claims of profitability and ease of use along
with little to no mention of the
risks involved. Often these claims
are accompanied by time limits
act now or lose out! Such assertions may be totally unverifiable
and even blatantly too good to
be true. It is even possible that
you will get evidence of their Holy
Grail find in the form of a nearly
perfect equity curve (figure 1)
and some tantalizing performance statistics (figure 2).
Producing beautiful equity curves
and performance statistics is
easy enough on curve-fit historical systems that even vendors with questionable ethics can make a living on the internet. There are
downright dishonest people selling what they know to be bad systems with manipulated statistics
and no underlying profit potential. The temptation to go this route lies in the belief that it is much easier to manipulate emotions and statistics than it is to develop robust systems and generate a longFuturesTruthIssue#22016www.FuturesTruth.com
38
(con nued)
term out-of-sample track record. A strong motivation to persuade and sell with no verifiable way to determine likely future performance are the hallmarks of a trading system vendor that does not develop or
trade systems.
It is said that all trading systems eventually stop working.
They have a useful life and
then expire. Some last longer
than others. It is difficult to impossible to know the future performance potential of any trading system. What we can know
is that some systems are overfit to historical data and will fail
horrifically in the near future.
Other systems are lucky and
may or may not work well in the
future. There are also good
systems that will become
weaker and eventually fail as
market conditions change and
become less favorable for that
system. Markets tend to be non
-stationary; meaning their statistical characteristics change with time. Short-term performance over a
small number of trades is often very misleading even for robust and stable systems with long-term
track records.
It is for all of these reasons that we must be diligent and make sure we are fully informed before
trading any system. The most important information on trading system risk and profit potential comes
from the live track record of a trading system. This live track record needs to be free of any manipulation by the developer or promoter of the system. Parameter value changes and revisions to the
rules and logic cannot be applied retroactively or the track record becomes historical with the benefit
of hindsight. We need to inspect the performance statistics of a trading system without the benefit of
hindsight in order to get the truth about what would have happened to our trading accounts if we actually traded that system with real money in real time as the signals were generated. It is for this reason that we rely on independent performance tracking of trading systems like those from Futures
Truth Magazine.
39
AMIBROKER REVIEW
AmiBroker Review
(www.amibroker.com)
AmiBroker is a complete database management, charting, testing, trading and optimizing program. So far
we have covered many different trading algorithms and every one of them can be easily implemented in the
AmiBroker Function Language (AFL). There are several features that make AmiBroker a serious contender
as a go-to trading platform:
Price - The cost of the software ranges between $279 and $339 and once you purchase its yours. There are
no lease fees. You get free upgrades for one year after purchase and its up to the purchaser to upgrade
thereafter.
Speed - AmiBroker utilizes multi-thread processing which means it can utilize multicore processors and carry
out sub-processes or threads simultaneously. In other words, it is very fast.
Power - Portfolio level back-testing is paramount when evaluating the robustness of a trading algorithm. If an
algorithm works on multiple markets, it demonstrates a high level of robustness. Robustness and positive
expectancy is all you can ask from a trading algorithm. AmiBroker provides Exhaustive Search and Genetic
forms of parameter optimization.
Data - AmiBroker is compatible with many End Of Day(EOD) and Real Time data feeds. It includes a very
simple to use ASCII data importer.
Broker Integration - Several brokers can be linked with the software for automated order execution.
Integrated Development Environment - AmiBroker has two IDEs to help the user develop complete trading
algorithms and technical analysis tools. The main IDE (AFL Editor) is a complete scripting tool and the AFL
Code Wizard utilizes a drag and drop development paradigm. Both IDEs utilize the AmiBroker Function Language (AFL) as its programming/scripting language and a vast library of strategies, functions and indicators.
Support - Tomasz Janeczko, the founder and chief software architect of AmiBroker holds Ph. D. and M.Sc.
degrees in Computer Science and Telecommunication received from Wroclaw University of Technology.
This developer really loves his software and stands behind it and provides much of the tech support. There
is a devout, almost cult-like, following for AmiBroker and many questions can be easily answered be searching the internet and/or joining the user groups.
If you have purchased my prior books you will know that I use TradeStation. I love its tightly integrated components and EasyLanguage. However, I felt like I would be amiss if I didn't show off a little bit of AmiBroker.
I was first introduced to the software through Howard Bandy's excellent book, "Quantitative Trading Systems. The software that was described in Mr. Bandy's book really piqued my interest so I contacted Mr.
Janeczko for a review copy and he more than graciously provided his complete software suite. I fell in love
with the AFL Wizard and the speed of his backtester. Coming from a bar-by-bar algorithm development par
(con nued)
adigm I was really impressed and initially confused by Dr. Janeczko's array processing. Array processing is
extremely fast versus bar-by-bar and in many cases easier to learn. What is also very cool about AmiBroker
is that you can flip from array to bar processing quite easily.
by George Pruitt
40
Array programming or vector languages generalize operations on scalars to apply transparently to vectors,
matrices (2d-array) and other higher-dimensional arrays. Sounds complicated, right? It really isn't. An array
is simply a list of like data. In most testing scripts price data is held in arrays. When we code and use the
word High we are usually referring to the High array (list) prices of the underlying instrument. When we use a
subscript in the array we are referring to that singular element in in the list: High[6] is the High price six bars
ago. Most of the programming discussed in most of my Georges Corners has dealt with a scalar programing
and pseudocode framework. The fundamental idea behind array programming is that operations apply at
once to an entire set of data. An example will help clarify. How do we calculate a twenty-day moving average of price bar's midpoint in a scalar (bar-by-bar) framework?
sum = 0
for i = 1 to 20
sum = sum + (high[i] + low[i]) / 2 #notice the subscript i
next i
avgMP = sum / 20
Here's how it is done in an array programming framework:
avgMP = MA((H + L)/2,20)
A new array labeled avgMP is created and completely loaded with a twenty period moving average of price
bar's midpoint. avgMP is not a scalar or single value - it is a full blown array just like the High and Low arrays. Array processing eliminates the need for additional looping and this means much quicker execution.
If you have a lot of experience with scalar programming (Java, C++ or EasyLanguage) then picking up AFL
might require a little patience but it will definitely be worth it. As you know learning a new programming script/
language is best performed by examining examples.
Here is an example of a Bollinger Band type trading system that incorporates optimization. This optimization
will search the entire portfolio space. In other words, the optimization applies the different iterations across
each market in the portfolio. You dont have to optimize each market separately and try to configure one set
of parameters for the entire portfolio.
PositionSize = MarginDeposit = 1;
len = Optimize("Len",60,10,80,2);
width = Optimize("Width",2,0.25,3,.25);
Buy = Cross(C,BBandTop(C,len,width));
Short = Cross(BBandBot(C,len,width),C);
41
AMIBROKER REVIEW
(con nued)
ADVERTISEMENTS
Sell = Cross(MA(C,len),C);
Cover = Cross(C,MA(C,len));
Here are the results of testing a basket of 30+ markets for the past 16 years optimizing the lookback Len from
10 to 80 by 2 and the Width from 0.25 to 3 by 0.25. This equates ((80 10) /2)+1) *( (3.00 - .25) /.25 + 1) iterations. Or 36 * 12 = 432 iterations across a 16-year history on 30+ markets. This optimization took less than
3 minutes on my somewhat typical lap top.
Take a look at AmiBroker. It would be worth your time and efforts. I give the software two solid thumbs up!
Aninvestmentinknowledge
paysthebestinterest.
Benjamin Franklin
(17061790)
When it comes to inves ng, nothing will pay o
more than educa ng yourself. Do the necessary
research, study and analysis before making any
investment decisions.
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43
SYSTEM SPOTLIGHT
SYSTEM SPOTLIGHT
(con nued)
by Joe Bobek
Gatts QM
Ga s QM by Ed Hambrick is a swing trading system that weve been tracking since the beginning of 2014. As you
can see from the numbers below, the past 5 years have been impressive, averaging almost $13k prot per year.
Ga s QM has been ranked second in our latest Top Ten System since Release table and is one of our top consistent
performers in the crude market. The system is fairly aggressive, being in the market over 75% of the me, and trad
ing an average of around 130 mes per year. Although suering a somewhat signicant drawdown recently (as with
most other mechanical systems), overall performance remains robust and we feel this system is worth taking a look
at. If you are interested in a more detailed analysis of Ga s QM, please visit our website at www.futurestruth.com.
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SYSTEM SPOTLIGHT
(con nued)
SYSTEM SPOTLIGHT
(con nued)
RISK, AND NO HYPOTHETICAL TRADING RECORD CAN COMPLETELY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK
OF ACTUAL TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND LOSSES OR TO ADHERE TO A PARTICULAR TRAD
ING PROGRAM IN SPITE OF TRADING LOSSES ARE MATERIAL POINTS WHICH CAN ALSO ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL
TRADING RESULTS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER FACTORS RELATED TO THE MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IM
PLEMENTATION OF ANY SPECIFIC TRADING PROGRAM WHICH CANNOT BE FULLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARA
TION OF HYPOTHETICALPERFORMANCE RESULTS AND ALL WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT TRADING RESULTS. THESE
PERFORMANCE TABLES AND RESULTS ARE HYPOTHETICAL IN NATURE AND DO NOT REPRESENT TRADING IN ACTUAL
ACCOUNTS.
HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BE
LOW. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES
SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN; IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEENHYPOTHETICAL PER
FORMANCE RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED BY ANY PARTICULAR TRADING PRO
GRAM. ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OFHYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS IS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY PRE
PARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. IN ADDITION, HYPOTHETICAL TRADING DOES NOT INVOLVE FINANCIAL
46
47
Visual Energy Analysis
(con nued)
Now, here's the interesting thing. Two consecutive weekly bars would give a line. Its own line. How would
the daily react to that line? Bingo. There it was.
By Charles Drummond & JB Wells
Example:
Many students of Charles Drummond have wondered how VEA came to be. Pull up a chair and let me tell
you the story
In the 1960's, I compiled data by hand, and drew charts by hand, and magically noted that each day had a
high and a low. With a ticker-tape, I could also chart hourly bars, creating a daily high and low.
Then, I noted that if I drew 5 daily bars, that this would give a high and low for a week and therefore I could
then also create by hand a weekly bar and chart. Then 4 weekly bars for a month bar, or 30 daily bars for a
month bar, or 12 monthly bars for a year bar. All bars. Just bars. A yearly bar chart looked like a daily bar
chart.
I then realized that all that I was looking at were bars; and without labelling a chart with its time frame, they all
looked the same.
I next examined the concept of looking at two consecutive bars only, and to draw lines through the highs and
lows of any two consecutive bars, be it on the daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly.
Examples:
(The weekly line is placed on the daily chart - Labelled 52)
(Note the monthly chart. The line through a and b provides point c
This was a major breakthrough to my mind. To place a line only through two consecutive bars, to then see
how a chart with more bars on it reacted, to that one line. I started to show this to others and they thought I
was nuts. Well, actually I am. So be it. That weekly line exists, that monthly line exists, that quarterly line
exists, that yearly line exists, whether I am a nut or not. The daily will give you five clues as to what is happening to that one weekly line, as each day passes by. This is not rocket science. Its quite simple actually.
This resulted in such fun that I became addicted to trying things out. Created many more lines using two consecutive bars, realizing that any time period had all those lines. They had to. Two simple consecutive bars,
many lines. I then discovered mathematical trend analysis, thereby creating a moving average that did everything it could to stay on a straight line, and this formula created more lines. Experimenting with ideas around
lines through two consecutive bars became quite addictive. And, it expressed the most recent activity of buyers and sellers, related to that time period. So, what if I averaged out any two latest lines, to create yet another line etc.? Eventually, I realized that no matter what line that created, it could affect price. Why this is
so, I have no idea, unless it is a simple manifestation of energy.
When using my Apple2 plus computer, starting in 1982, then IBM, then Tradestation, and Ninjatrader, I created what seemed to be almost thousands of ideas. Very addictive. Then I got bored with it all, and honed everything down to its current stage: Visual Energy Analysis (VEA). Thusly, I went from expanding complexity to
simplifying it, from seeing where theory would fall apart, to rebound out of that, to simplicity which held true. I
came to understand that one can only push on the string so far. I recall the Apple2 Plus computer, in the
1980's, and given its aspect of programming 'conditions', I was thereby forced to create quite a few patterns,
selecting which ones were successful, to then put the best of those into other patterns, thereby creating a library of thousands of patterns, and when that number surpassed 12,000, it all fell apart. Why was this so? I
have no idea. It is weird that when one tries to perfect perfection, it falls apart. The only answer seems to be
that 'simplicity works'.
I would encourage all who use technical analysis to toy with the concept of always tying in the energy from
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49
(con nued)
(con nued)
another chart, be it time related or not. To my excitement, this concept seems to be taking off in spades.
Monitor the yearly technical items, as an example, with the daily items, all having the same items, but show
those yearly items on the daily chart. I try to have all charts look the same. What is on the monthly is on the
daily, thus the daily has the same analysis as the monthly. However, the daily is monitoring that monthly energy since it has more expressions of the same energy. The one minute with hourly on it, reveals the energy
of the hourly, and so forth.
Let us now look at two chart frames of energy on one chart using an overlay from a higher chart. This complicated market structure of crowd energy has been simplified into what is now known as Visual Energy Analysis
(VEA).
Practicing how to manage oneself with the no pattern provides us an excellent opportunity to exit at break
even or trade the no pattern. This is a very different pattern from the yes pattern that we now have a choice to
trade from the short side. Notice that the strong trend continuation buy was traded from the right charts red
up arrow from a power mid termination. (Overlap of the lower green energy band and dotted white mid line)
However the trade chart to the rights solid white line is not popping price higher and with a red brick we are
short. The upper pink energy band and upper yellow overlap (envelope top termination on the 8/4 chart) is
holding as resistance. Thereafter the crowd will have a very hard time popping up through this upper yellow
area circled twice on the focus chart to the left with the down white arrows.
Trading has become much easier on the mind and more enjoyable than having to dissect all of the previous
lines from way back when, says JB Wells; fellow friend and trader. We are both now working together to help
traders appreciate and trade a simplified geometry of the markets with VEA, says Charles Drummond.
Here we show an example of how multiple chart frame analysis works on the intraday CL oil futures contract
(it could be any instrument). The 4/2 intraday Rjays Renko Bar reveals our strong trend continuation yes pattern. There are so many clues that it is time to buy, look to the 4/2 trade chart on the right charts red up arrow
where there is envelope bottom termination. (Overlap of lower green and lower yellow) This trade entry joins
the strong crowd energy from the higher chart (not shown) represented on the focus chart to the left with an
overlay of its higher charts energy structure (16/8). Notice the solid white mid line on our focus chart to the
left, represents the crowds energy of this 8/4 chart revealing that it is still bullish by the green bricks staying
above the solid white mid line. (The same 8/4 solid white mid line is drawn on the trade chart to the right with
a dotted white line) Note the trade chart to the rights solid white mid line is still popping price higher as well.
Eventually this trade reaches a weekly upper energy band (UEB) where the crowd distributes, for us we exit
our trade.
About the Authors:

J.B. Wells began purchasing trading courses in 1998 and began full time trading in 2001. He also spent time
researching and developing his own trading software and ideas. He had success using a method based on
volume, trading futures and options simultaneously.
In 2003, J.B. found Charles Drummond and has been a student of his ever since. As a student trader of
Charles Drummond, J.B. helps with client support & his own trading.
Charles has programmed the code for Drummond Energy Bands and allowed J.B. to learn many of his trading strategies and coding styles.
We continue to look for a strong trend continuation pattern (but realize we may be topping out) and the market reveals a no pattern for the buy. Understanding the yes and no pattern is critical to any trading business.
Charles Drummond was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. As a young man he enjoyed studying literature
and geometry in school. His market experiences started in a conventional way with various experiments in
buying stocks and commodities. He lost money on penny stocks, he lost money on futures contracts, he lost
money following broker recommendations. After these losing experiments, he decided that if he was going to
lose money, it would be in his own way, and not following the recommendations of others, and began his seri-
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51
(con nued)
ous study of the markets.

During the 1960s and early 1970s, as he was trading in a variety of markets, Drummond experienced very
substantial success. During these years he developed the basics of his market theory, and published these
findings privately in a series of books, starting in the late 70s. During the 1990s he continued to add to his
theories and develop new insights and has published a number of significant enhancements.
Charlie has simplified all of his original theories in 2015 and has made them only available here on theDrummondEnergyBands.com website. He is no longer affiliated with any other websites on the internet today.
Drummond has always had a small group of private students and his theories have been taught by several
market technicians.
Dean A Handley, PhD, MBA, JD

Founder, Global Trade Titans
He has realized that not everyone may need or even be capable of analyzing and maintaining a trade plan
over multiple chart frames; though this is how he began to trade when he was telephone booth trading in the
60s.
All this has led Charlie into developing this new insight, simplifying his lifes work of market structure (i.e. five
(5) kinds of trading) into a Visual Energy Analysis (VEA) software called Drummond Energy
Bands. VEA reveals how market structure is really just pure organic energy that is not time related.
Drummond currently lives in Eastern Canada where he trades and maintains an organic vegetable farm. He
produces videos for his students in Drummond Talk and is working on several new books.
Past Performance Does Not Guarantee Future Results. This is a standard decrepit disclaimer that is as well recognized as it is ignored [1]. It is given for legal liability in the event that a consumer of the advice acted on it and the results
proved to be less than expected, or even the opposite. In addition to its futility as a warning, it flies in the face of reality: all
trading strategies are based on past performance. Past performance is all we have and if not past performance, what better metric would exist to determine what trades to take? Past performance is accurate for the past and is always 100%
correct, where in lies its elegant authority: any question we ask it will always yield a truthful answer. So if we ask the right
questions of past performance, perhaps it might just illuminate future results. I have been mining past performance to
mathematically prognosticate future results for many years, spanning over 200,000 historical trades. The system I use to
evaluate historical data is called Phalanx Futures Trading (globaltradetitans.com); is the same system used in True
North Trading. This paper will cover the critical features of what I have learned and how you can apply this trading system
to any room you trade in or to your own trading.
Phalanx Data Compiling and Stratification:
Futures trade data, extracted from the past or captured in real time, needs to be organized in your spreadsheet so as to
permit specific assessments. These are the main types of stratification and shown below and data from various other trade
rooms is included for illustration.
ADVERTISEMENT
1. Stratify by index. Not all indices are traded equally. With almost all specific trading methods or logics, uniform application to futures trading will reveal differences in average index trade profits. This is true for human trading; somewhat for
robot trading. Any individual trade method will show moderate to large differences in profitability among the indices for
reasons that are oblique or hidden but present consistently over time. Do not expect average trade profits on indices to be
comparable; what is reasonable is that some indices will outperform others. By watching some 20-40 trades in each index,
you will observe such average P/L differences, so be prepared to bench the weakest indices for continued sim trading until
they can demonstrate sustainable and acceptable profit levels.
Of note: I have seen some rooms where it seems their methods are equally successful to all
indices: consider Open Range Trader (Joe Dupont head trader), where exceptional
~$11,000 profits per month; individual weekly profits of $3345 and even $6000/trade profits
reveal all indices in full profitability.
2. Stratify Buys vs. Sells: In well over 100 rooms where I have evaluated track records in great detail spanning many
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53
(con nued)
months and thousands of trades, I have seen fairly consistent differences between P/L for buys vs. sells, such that one is
superior and the other inferior. This presumably reflects clandestine strategy alignments with index price moves that result
in either longs or shorts being favored one over the other. The financial horsepower and trade commitment needed to raise
price are different from that needed to lower it. Long/short superiorities can be easily identified by stratifying historical trade
results as average trade profit from all long and short trades, as cited below:
CL shorts; 100 trades; 3 contracts per trade: -$18.90 average P/L.
CL longs; 100 trades; 3 contracts per trade: $104.55 average P/L.
So the first facet of the Phalanx Trade System: look at what indices perform best and then stratify trade results based on
longs vs shorts.
3. Stratify by Time: Time is a silent sovereign over profits. We perceive time as linear and constant but the time frame
by which a trade is taken can affect its outcome. I stratify trades by time to capture P/L efbyJamesBreen
fects based on the day of the week (diurnal variation) or based on time of day (circadian
rhythm). In this manner we may observed what days (or time of day) that achieve maximal trade profit in a manner shown
below.
I average P/L as a function of day of the week (M-Tu-W-Th-F; normalizing to a uniform number of trades) and very often I
consistently see days that are extremely profitable and others that are not. I observe results for 1-2 months to avoid temporal distortions. After evaluation, I avoid days that exhibit an anemic P/L and increase contract sizes on days that are the
most profitable. As with all assessments, I keep this data in a running evaluation format so as new data is added, the oldest data is jettisoned. My evolving observations form clear dichotomies in overall performance. An example time stratification was seen in Alpha Wave Traders, where over 6 months I observed an average P/L of 296/3 contract trade on Thursdays and $27/3 contract trade on Fridays (MarketClips 05.06.2013). This is a precise expression of diurnal variation, an
observation that was met with severe consternation by that group as they were unprepared to accept much less adapt to
such information.
It is possible that exceptional trade performance can be impervious to diurnal variation: in
Trading Futures in Action (Bob Amico Head Trader) their weekly $2512 weekly average
(over last 27 weeks) reveals strong daily performance: Mon: $299; Tue: $338; Wed: $683;
Thu: $688; Fri: $622. Furthermore, Trading Futures in Action may in fact minimize diurnal variations through their recognition and responses to changing market conditions, wherein they have changed the indices they traded, adjusted targets/
stops and even began opening the room 1 hour earlier to capture more of the European opportunities.
(con nued)
week are created equal nor are times of the day. Most amazingly, trade strategies will serendipitously have better and
worse days of performance as well as better performances in the morning vs. afternoon.
Now we know what indices trade the best, whether longs or shorts, the best day(s) of the week and if you trade all day,
and (if you trade all day) how do mornings compare to afternoons. That data alone is informative but lacking sufficient dimension to provide an optimal understanding of futures results. What we need to do is to generate much more past performance for any single trade, say 1000% over its current data content. The Nested Bracket Trade technique does this
(Futures Truth #1, 2016) as detailed below.
4. Stratify P/L from Nested Bracket Trades: Any one individual trade most often has a single entry and a single exit
(target or stop). Mathematically speaking, this is wafer thin data so I developed NBT, where the original entry is examined against as many as 10 target/stop choices, each designed to ask for more profits. My selection of targets is
based on frequency histograms of historical price deltas but yours can be based on simply larger and larger profit
choices, each having a correspondingly larger stop (i.e. 1:1 risk/reward ratio).
By using NBT amplification through 10 different target/stop ratios, we can increase historical data 1000%
over the actual single-trade P/L results, forcing the past to yield 10-fold more data than originally occurred.
Now the data from one original trade will yield data from 10 trades, each having the same entry but different
targets. So at the end of 100 trades, we will have data from 1000 trades. While most of us would normally
average the P/L values to get a mean performance, trade data is not normally distributed but instead bimodal, consequently means or averages are corrupt values and will do you a disservice. Rather add up the total
net profit of any bracket trade over say 10 trades (i.e. total reward), divide by the stop size times the number
of trades taken (i.e. total risk) and if the risk/reward ratio is 0.4 or greater you have a strategy that is fit for
use. Next choose the strategy that yields the greatest overall profit and you will have your best strategy.
5. Pullback (PB): Observe, record, apply. Virtually all trades exhibit pullback (heat) after entry but it turns out that the
pullback in trades destined to succeed is indistinguishable (except in magnitude) from pullback in trades destined to
fail (TraderPlanet 141; 03.24.2015). So how to know the difference? Measure the amount of pullback for all successful
trades and find the average. That average will tell you where about 50% of all successful trades will pullback. So after
your official entry, ask and answer this question for each modeled trade: If you added an additional contract at the pullback average, how did you do? While PB entries occur less often than the official entry, they afford extra time to execute - a bonus in fast scalping times and perhaps better fill rates in low volume markets. And as they are limited orders, you avoid market entry costs.
Putting It All Together: The Phalanx Futures Trading.
An excellent example of circadian rhythm comes from Strategy Lab, where I observed remarkable differences between P/L
in the morning vs. the afternoon in the same index (Market Clips 08.19.2013):
TF longs at 3 contracts/trade: am $240 vs. pm $61
ES sells at 3 contracts/trade: am $2 vs. pm $161
These are official entries and exits and results according to official posted P/L value. So remember: not all days of the
54
Phalanx is a trading system that puts past performance on steroids, then sorts and stratifies that performance
output and harnesses the final data to provide trade strategies to choose best to maximize future P/L. Each futures trade is
tethered to its detailed historical counterpart, aligned for index traded, trade type (buy vs. sell) and time frame for execution
(diurnal variation, circadian rhythm). By modeling each trade with up to 10 different targets using the NBT, it is possible to
amplify historical data by 1000% or more. Add to this trade heat signature from pullbacks and this total package of data
55
(con nued)
yields far greater insight related to optimal profits and best strategies to achieve those profits.
SYSTEM VENDOR INTERVIEW:
Of the several new rooms I am evaluating, Trade for Greatness is a private trade room
that employs trade modeling to account for index and type of trade, time and day and
other historical assessments relevant to immediate trade selection and strategy. Consistent with Phalanx type of assessments, this room will project expectations and outcomes before trades are executed. Having read my papers, Trade for Greatness is truthful, transparent and profitable and
has the potential to be the next Global Trade Titan.
The Phalanx Trading System and recent room reviews are located at globaltradetitans.com, as are short video on subjects such as Chat Room vs. Trade Room, Greed is Good, Track Records Legal or Not, Trade with God and over two
dozen rooms reviews as well. These videos are short, factual, to the point no-nonsense.
CLOCKWORK GROUP
Global Trade Titans are trade rooms that trade truthfully, transparently and profitably. These attributes distinguish them
among the 1088 sites/rooms I have evaluated and place them at the 99th percentile of performance.
calls and lastly, the filtering process of all the

noise.
How did you get into the futures business?
Author disclosures: All of my publications, videos, room evaluations and Trade Titan recommendations are at my free library: globaltradetitans.com. In addition to futures trading, I offer futures trading consultation on the Titans, any other room, strategies or methods for trading as well
as the Phalanx method. I sincerely thank John Murray for his expert editing and editorial revisions to this paper.
Reference: http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/16/fund-performance-ads-personal-finance-sec.html
ADVERTISEMENT
My dad was a stockbroker, when I was growing up

I was fascinated with his ticker tapes, charts, research reports, screens etc. Additionally, an old
fraternity friend was in the business and actually
mentored under Futures Market Wizard, Michael
Marcus. We spent some time studying, researching, testing systems on the TIME axis, not the
PRICE axis that most of traders/investors look at.
Squaring both price and time, dates, minutes, seconds in highly liquid traded markets, seeing this
second dimension most missed, this paved the
way for Clockwork, its philosophy and methodologies... A long the way I teamed up with a number
of engineers, traders and programmers, we work
as a team, group approach and we now
boast intellectual capital from the fields of trading,
technology, research, meteorology, risk management and engineering - all to solve complex financial problems that have an impact on the worlds
futures markets.
Only when I sense all is well and normal for our

clients, can I let my guard down.
What inspired you to create trading systems?
More like who, a former technician & my mentor, it
would take up the whole magazine.
In a nutshell, I met one of the industry's top traders
back in 1994-1995 who pointed out to me that systematic trading would be the wave of the future.
He noted that the amount of money under management by capable individuals would swell tenfold and that NOT trading Futures was risky!
I then had this notion that developing systems for
non correlated asset classes, systems that delved
in futures and forex trading would be in high demand by those that speculated or hedged with
said market vehicles due to their complexity and
specialization. Kinda akin to Atlantic City or Las
Vegas sports-books, making lines on exotic prop
bets for their high roller clientele, only much, much
bigger.
How to do you prepare for your trading day?

Understanding that trading is a strenuous dayto-day business, is there any ritual?
Absolutely, 1st, the obvious java jolt, followed by
the scanning of my monitors, the markets, looking
for any large percentage moves, looking for easy
entry points in fast moving markets, akin like a
Jaguar zeroing in on the small antelopes of the
herd. Read 3 newspapers, (The Wall St. Journal,
Investors Business Daily, USA Today) check a few
international news wires, check the various overnight trade fills, logs, time & sales, a couple phone
56
I wanted in
How did you get into systems development?
Curiosity, and most likely impossible without a
System Writer as I was not a programmer nor software developer at the time. I knew the Cruz Bros.
57
VENDOR INTERVIEW
the original founders of TradeStation, f/k/a Omega

Research, from high school. System Writer was
their 1st and flagship product and we gave that a
go, Easy Language, was, well easy and we started
tweaking ideas, again, mostly ideas dealing with
TIME not price, quant type ideas, ideas that contained many what ifs... Then SuperCharts and
TradeStation surfaced, the industry kept growing
and the appetite for quantitative type of trading
systems swelled. Additionally, futures managed
accounts were being introduced and touted by the
major wire-houses and several of the leading
CTA's trading said managed accounts and managed pooled funds required additional cutting edge
trading systems, software and other trading technologies to supplement their trading and keep
pace with this growth spurt. We found a home and
helped fuel the algorithmic trading system industry, the rest is history
See the above answer relating to money management!
Yes, extremely so for most, then again, as with

any business the outliers standout.
Pay close attention to the advice received from

veteran traders, brokers & advisers, those with
real war stories, those armed with vast experience, the been around the block types, extremely
priceless stuff there! Have a mind of your own,
question all, why a 200 day Moving Average? and
not a 189 MA? or why those 12, 26, 9 MACD
#settings? Do your homework, your own research,
crunch your own numbers, manually enter your
data, memorize key phone numbers, that speed
dialer or memory card will not function one day. It
keeps you honest and those numbers remain
somewhere in the back of your head for a rainy
day... This business is like any other professional
association such as medicine or law, you must always keep practicing, studying, adapting...
Do you have any special advice for new traders that you wish youd had when you were
getting started?
Really study the Money Management aspect of
the business... This is a topic on its own and worth
every ounce of energy researching, studying and
applying... This end of the business separates the
boys from the men, weak from the strong, and it is
Paramount. In trading, specifically highly leveraged instruments, the rewards better be very
sweet because if you have to risk too much money
before you finally get to the exit target, perhaps
the system is not for you. Due to the wide array of
traded futures instruments, the various margin requirements and such, we follow a formula that is
consistent, an industry standard on risk so to
speak. Industry professionals / peers recommend
risking no more than 2.5 3.5 % on any single
trade, so armed with this number averaging 3%,
we work backwards, so on a $100k account that
would equate to -$3k max risk per trade. That
would also equate to a $30.00 move in gold, a
$3.00 move in Crude Oil, or a .07 cent move in
Unleaded Gasoline, we then align our money
management with our respective systems stop(s) /
sizing. In today's marketplace and volatility landscape, a $30 stop in Gold might be too much for
one contract, however, trading two contracts with
a $15.00 stop or four contracts utilizing a $7.50
stop from entry might be more plausible and /or in
line with the respective systems stop loss internal
mechanism.
Absolutely. We have seen portfolios successfully

trading a basket of low correlated futures systems.
The equity curves are consistent and draw-downs
are greatly minimized.
Where are the best financial opportunities
now?
Forex, Futures and Bitcoin. Hard to beat the leverage and costs associated with trading Bitcoin,
Forex, Futures and / or the Options markets.
What do you think are the hot markets this
year? Do you have any inflation, or economic
disaster, forecasts?
Bitcoin, US Dollar Index, US Treasuries, Sugar,
Copper, Gold and Platinum.
We are forecasting higher interest rates in the
USA, we also see a shift in administration, fed policy and continued independence, ie Scotland,
Wales, Catalonia, etc.
Needless to say the emerging markets will be the
first and hardest hit.
VENDOR INTERVIEW
Are most new traders expectations unreasonable?
The instant gratification seekers are plenty and run

rampant in this industry. A very high burnout rate
in the industry also exists, however, the traders
with real hedging vehicles, non correlated systems
and oriented towards adding value, are the most
likely to succeed in our opinion.
Do you think its possible to use a pure systematic approach without any discretion at all?
(con nued)
(con nued)
How? Key word-consistently, flipping the code to

reverse its losing ways into winning? Sometimes,
its that simple!
Trading systems fail mostly due to intervention by
the human element. Whether by fear, greed, second or third guessing, trying to fix/tweak something that is not broken, once you deviate or override a systems rules, logic or data set, there is no
system...
Lastly, we invite all interested interns / students

from any academic discipline to participate in our
training program. We will provide them with professional trading software, a structured curriculum,
trading contests, FINRA Series 3 exam study material, on-line chats, social media forums, workshops and other resources.
What are your favorite markets to trade?
Energy Futures, Precious Metals, Stock Indices &
Currency Futures, in that order... That said, I like
volatility and liquidity more than specific markets.
Come to think of it, I am looking for a Printer to
print me I Love Volatility bumper stickers
Aninvestorsworst
enemyisnotthe
stockmarket,but
hisownemo ons.
Author Unknown
Do you think a one algorithm approach to all

markets is realistic?
Yes, in theory, a good algo should work across
multiple markets AND multiple time frames, that
said, no matter how robust that one algo appears
to be performing, diversification, proper risk management and weight allocation is paramount.
Do all systems fail eventually?
Is there anything that you would tell to those

new to trading commodities or stocks that you
wish someone had told you when you were
getting started?
Many do, however, I like our algos, in our opinion,

as long as 1+1 = 2, and January-December exist,
they will continue to shine! BTW, show us a system that is "consistently" losing money, our staff
will try to convert it into a Top Ten trading system,
58
59
FOR THE RECORD
FOR THE RECORD

Enforcement Press Releases
From the CFTC
March 2016
CFTCChargesVirginiaResidentTracyLeeThomasandHisFirm,CaymanIslandsBasedMarburyAdvisorsInc.,with
FraudulentlySolici ngover$1.2MillioninaCommodityFuturesScheme,734816,03/25/2016.
CFTCChargesGeorgiaResidentHendrikA.VanBeuningenandHisCompany,DeBrinkTradingFundI,LLC,withFraud,
Misappropria on,andRegistra onViola onsinConnec onwithTheirCommodityPool,735016,03/31/2016.
April 2016
CFTCAnnouncesWhistleblowerAwardofMoreThan$10Million,735116,04/04/2016.
FederalCourtOrdersUAEResidentsHeetKharaandNasimSalimtoPayCombinedCivilMonetaryPenal esof$2.69
MillionforSpoongintheGoldandSilverFuturesMarkets,735316,04/05/2016.
CFTCOrdersStatenIslandResidentMichaelPucciarelliandhisCompany,BadgeTradingLLC,toPaya$280,000Penalty
forEngaginginUnlawfulNoncompe veExchangeforPhysicalTransac ons,735516,04/05/2016.
CFTCPermanentlyBansBrianHinmanfromTradingandRegisteringwiththeCFTCandImposesover$141,000ina
MonetaryPenaltyandDisgorgementforAidingandAbe ngCommodityPoolFraud,736016,04/12/2016.
CFTCOrdersNewYorkResidentNathanSchleiferandGalileoTradingtoPayRes tu onandPenal esTotalingMore

than$1.6MillionforCommodityFuturesFraud ,736116,04/12/2016.
CFTCAnnouncesAddi onalNamestoItsListofForeignEn esthatIllegallySolicitU.S.ResidentsinForexandBinary

Op ons,736316,04/18/2016.
May 2016
CFTCOrdersChicagobasedCunninghamCommodi es,LLCanditsControllerSalvatoreCarmenRussoJointlytoPaya
$150,000PenaltyforFailingtoImmediatelyReportaCustomerSegregatedAccountDeciency,736616,05/09/2016.
CFTCOrdersCi banktoPay$250MillionforA emptedManipula onandFalseRepor ngofU.S.DollarISDAFIXBench

markSwapRates,737116,05/25/2016.
CFTCOrdersCi bank,N.A.andJapaneseAliatestoPay$175MillionPenaltyforA emptedManipula onofYenLI

BORandEuroyenTIBOR,andFalseRepor ngofEuroyenTIBORandU.S.DollarLIBOR,737216,05/25/2016.
FederalCourtOrdersCaliforniaResidentDavidBryanttoPayMorethan$6MillioninRes tu onandPenal esfor
FraudandMisappropria on,737316,05/25/2016.
60
(con nued)
CFTCOrdersFloridaResidentsTedL.Romeo,RichardD.Schru ,andTheirCompanyCypressWealthManagement
Group,Inc.toPayRes tu onandCivilMonetaryPenal esTotalingMorethan$530,000inPreciousMetalsEnforce
mentAc on,737616,05/26/2016.
June 2016
CFTCOrdersBitcoinExchangeBi inextoPay$75,000forOeringIllegalOExchangeFinancedRetailCommodity
Transac onsandFailingtoRegisterasaFuturesCommissionMerchant,738016,06/02/2016.
CFTCChargesHaenaParkandHerCompaniesPhaetraCapitalGPLLC,a/k/a/ArgentaCapitalGPLLC,PhaetraCapital
ManagementLP,a/k/aArgentaCapitalLLC,andArgentaGroupLLCwithMisappropria onandFraud ,738216,
06/03/2016.
FederalCourtOrdersFloridaResidentRicoOmarCoxtoPayOver$940,000andImposesPermanentTradingandRegis
tra onBansforSolicita onFraudandFalseStatementsinCommodityFuturesFraudAc onBroughtbyCFTC,738316,
06/03/2016.
CFTCChargesThreeMenandTheirFloridaBasedBerkleyCompanieswith$2.7MillionPreciousMetalsandRareDia
mondsFraud,738516,06/07/2016.
FederalCourtOrdersFloridaResidentToddOwenMarshall,HarvardAssetsLLC,LondonAssetsInc.&HarvardInterna
onalTrading,Inc.toPayMorethan$2.4MlnforEngaginginIllegal,OExchangePreciousMetalsTransac ons&
Registra onViola ons,739316,06/20/2016.
CFTCObtainsDefaultJudgmentOrdersagainstThreeMageeFamilyMembersofCalgary,Alberta,Canada,forCom
modityPoolFraud,739416,06/20/2016.
FederalCourtOrdersDanteS.Giovanne andHisCompaniesEminiExperts,LLCandCapitalTradingConceptsLLCto
Payover$2.7MillioninRes tu onandMonetaryPenal esforCommodityPoolFraudandOtherViola onsofthe
CommodityExchangeAct,739516,06/22/2016.
CFTCChargesFormerCBOEMemberAlvinGuyWilkinsonandhisConnec cutbasedEn eswithFraud,Misappropria

on,FailingtoRegisterwiththeCFTC,andMakingMisrepresenta onstotheNFA,739816,06/28/2016.
61
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stock & commodity traders on mechanical systems since 1985.

Visual Energy Analysis

Top 10 Tables 5 Master Performance Table 14 Vendor Index 63

Top Ten Tables

5 Hypothe cal Performance

Systems Tracked in this Issue

10 Systems Ranked by Commodity

AndrewDanikcon nueshis"FalseProts"series,this mefo

VISUAL ENERGY ANALYSIS

Table of Contents con nued on next page.

TOP TEN TABLES

PHALANX FUTURES TRADING

TOP TEN SINCE RELEASE DATE

TOP TEN FOR PAST 12 MONTHS

TOP TEN SINGLE MARKET SYSTEMS

TOP TEN MULTIMARKET SYSTEMS

Black Box Systems are software products which normally

CALCULATIONS USED IN TABLES

you plan on using any of these systems it is recommended

HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS. NO REPRESENTATION IS

Click on any Issue for more informa on!

PROMOTION & PERSUASION

PROMOTION & PERSUASION

PROMOTION & PERSUASION

VISUAL ENERGY ANALYSIS

Visual Energy Analysis

By Charles Drummond & JB Wells

(The weekly line is placed on the daily chart - Labelled 52)

VISUAL ENERGY ANALYSIS

VISUAL ENERGY ANALYSIS

About the Authors:

VISUAL ENERGY ANALYSIS

ous study of the markets.

Dean A Handley, PhD, MBA, JD

PHALANX FUTURES TRADING

PHALANX FUTURES TRADING

PHALANX FUTURES TRADING

SYSTEM VENDOR INTERVIEW:

calls and lastly, the filtering process of all the

How did you get into the futures business?

My dad was a stockbroker, when I was growing up

Only when I sense all is well and normal for our

How to do you prepare for your trading day?

the original founders of TradeStation, f/k/a Omega

See the above answer relating to money management!

Yes, extremely so for most, then again, as with

Pay close attention to the advice received from

Absolutely. We have seen portfolios successfully

Are most new traders expectations unreasonable?

The instant gratification seekers are plenty and run

How? Key word-consistently, flipping the code to

Lastly, we invite all interested interns / students

Do you think a one algorithm approach to all

Is there anything that you would tell to those

Many do, however, I like our algos, in our opinion,

FOR THE RECORD

FOR THE RECORD

CFTCOrdersNewYorkResidentNathanSchleiferandGalileoTradingtoPayRes tu onandPenal esTotalingMore

CFTCAnnouncesAddi onalNamestoItsListofForeignEn esthatIllegallySolicitU.S.ResidentsinForexandBinary

CFTCOrdersCi banktoPay$250MillionforA emptedManipula onandFalseRepor ngofU.S.DollarISDAFIXBench

CFTCOrdersCi bank,N.A.andJapaneseAliatestoPay$175MillionPenaltyforA emptedManipula onofYenLI

CFTCChargesFormerCBOEMemberAlvinGuyWilkinsonandhisConnec cutbasedEn eswithFraud,Misappropria

SYSTEM TRADING for QUALIFIED INVESTORS