While bonds have been trending aggressively over the last few months in a Bear Market (yield), equities seem to be very directionless or sitting in a deer market. A deer market is a term used to illustrate a market condition when investors are unable or unwilling to move due to uncertainty – like a deer who freezes when “caught in the headlights” of a vehicle. (more…)

Human beings are genetically hardwired to avoid that which causes them pain. It is this flight response to potentially harmful situations and stimuli that protects us from unnecessary suffering, sees us live to fight another day and has allowed our species to outperform in the battle for the survival of the fittest. It’s only natural then that this genetic predisposition should manifest itself in the trading arena. However, what is effective in life is not always effective in trading. If you step into the trading arena you have to be prepared for the rules of the game to change. (more…)

A common preoccupation, bordering on an obsession, for many novice traders is the ability to identify and profit from a technical breakout that leads to a trending market. I don’t blame them for seeking the answers to questions such as “how do I know when this market is going to break?” or “where do I enter and where should I place my stop?” It seems a logical subject for discussion to which there must be a solution; how else do you make money! Unfortunately for them this preoccupation is fuelled by the retail trading industry and the trading communities on the internet that promote freely available, fool-proof systems and free training with guaranteed results. The majority of these products are trend-following in nature and make for easy-to-draw technical charts, clear and unambiguous to all those that view them – after the event of course. How convenient it is to offer a product that once plugged-in will turn the global financial markets into an instant cash-generator for anybody with internet access. (more…)

Men and women who have achieved great success in any endeavour- be it sports, business, trading, or something else- all have one thing in common: goals. This may seem obvious and readers may feel sure they have appropriate goals of their own, after all we all want to do the best we possibly can in our chosen field, but knowing how to properly set and monitor goals is frequently the difference between success and failure. (more…)

The attainment of elite performance levels in many pursuits involves attention to detail. Trading, like sport, requires an obsessive ability to identify those areas where you can make minor adjustments to gain an advantage over your competition. By improving a wide variety of skills by even small amounts, performance can be improved dramatically. It is often outstanding to witness the obsessive attention to detail Futex traders employ in their tireless pursuit of trading excellence. Whether it is employing multiple squawk services simultaneously to gain a few seconds advantage or the identification of intricate cross-market correlations at specific times of the day, our traders are always striving to improve. This ethos is one into which our new traders are introduced during their training with the Academy and which they are encouraged to embrace. (more…)

As electronic locals our traders spend up to 12 hours in front of their trading screens every day. During these demanding trading days they are inundated with information from a wide variety of sources – including the order entry platform, technical charts, Reuters, Bloomberg and squawk – which needs to be understood, interpreted and acted upon effectively. These tasks are performed with a constant awareness of their own emotional state and with the implementation of tried and tested emotion-management protocols. As a result, it is common for novice traders to overlook the fact that they are interacting with a plethora of other groups of participants in highly liquid financial markets. An understanding of who is participating at any point in time can give an e-local a distinct edge. (more…)

Scenario planning is a very effective technique for preparing to tackle the financial markets. It is a core skill that novice traders develop during their time on our Trading Floor Training programme which provides traders with a clear focus when in front of their screens. If performed correctly it facilitates making profitable trading decisions under extreme pressure; a key ability that defines an elite performer. (more…)

Individuals rarely conquer the markets. However, with consistent effort they are able to conquer themselves and take control of their trading behaviour. Most often, the point at which a market participant believes that they are the master of the price action that unfolds in front of their eyes is the point at which they are most exposed to a significant drawdown. Novice traders in particular must realise that there is a very fine line between self-belief (a prerequisite to being an elite trader) and arrogance. At Futex Academy we identify these traits in aspiring traders at an early stage and devote significant amounts of time to encouraging the first trait and minimising the negative impact of the latter. (more…)

One of the key objectives of Futex Academy is to short-circuit the learning process for each individual that chooses to undertake one of our intensive training programmes. To establish a career as a consistently profitable futures trader is the greatest of challenges and the chances of success are dramatically improved with effective training, mentoring and support at the early stages. By laying a solid foundation at the beginning of a career, aspiring traders are able to build an approach to the financial markets that generates consistent profits, irrespective of market conditions, and continuously improves over time. (more…)