Alright, this Combine is done. I didn't lose, but I did not win either.

A worthwhile experience, overall.


Assuming I get the go ahead for a rollover, I will begin a new Combine sometime in early June (after some family vacationing).

I'll still be posting in the meantime, since there are some things I want to discuss before the next Combine.

Thank you to everyone who have followed this thread, and cheered me on... I do appreciate it!

I am very impressed with the professionalism you have shown during this combine, wow, very inspirational stuff. Looking forward to your next one, hope you find the right trading program to make it happen in round two.

iankotze 

I am very impressed with the professionalism you have shown during this combine, wow, very inspirational stuff. Looking forward to your next one, hope you find the right trading program to make it happen in round two.

Thanks! I am glad I was trading a rigid approach. With any kind of discretionary approach, it would have been really hard to stay on track, especially with putting everything out there in a public journal.

I am definitely continuing the test and evaluation of my existing 3 strategies, and I will be trading them as part of the next Combine.

The question will be: do I go to the next dance with the girl I have been dating, or should I bring her, along with another girl, instead?

Kevin, my advise would be not to trade more than one market. I am no fan of currencies and cant offer you any advise on what to trade but trust me when I say, STICK TO ONE MARKET for this experiment. I have had a few combines when I make full target and everything in one product and miss the pot in another and that counts as a fail.

All the best to you,
Ian

Thanks for the advice Ian. That is definitely my intent - to stick to the Euro, and that only. The "other girl" might be an additional strategy to trade the Euro. Too many days of no trading. I barely hit the minimum 20 trading days in 60 calendar days requirement.

OK, great!!!!!

I have been notified that I have officially qualified for a rollover.

So, I see 2 issues that need resolution before my next Combine:

1. I knew going into the Combine that I only had a 48% chance of hitting the profit target. That was as good as I could develop, given I only had 3 weeks to do so. So, I either need to A. trade a different system altogether, B. add more markets, or C. add another strategy to trade the Euro. I am strongly leaning toward option C., since that allows me to still trade the original 3 strategies (which I still might want to trade with real money), and also gives me a better chance of passing the Combine. It is probably the quickest option.

2. Most or all Combine "passers" have to go to Live Trader Preparation, before being Fully Funded. I will have a discussion with TST on the exact requirements for the LTP, as I suspect they are different for each trader.

My problem is that my Combine system may not work well in LTP, depending on the requirements. Therefore, I'd like to have the exact same system A. pass the Combine, B. pass the Live Trader Prep, C. trade a fully funded account and D. trade with my own money. Is this possible? I will find out!


Based on journals of others here, one thing I will not do is jump into the next Combine right away. I am thinking that I will start on June 17th, which gives me a month to sort all this out. I might even wait longer. As wine maker Paul Masson used to say "we will sell no wine, until it is time."

Kevin,
Could I suggest to explore the option of trading more session-based market rather than decentralized currency market such as fiber? Most of action happens in the first part of London sessions when most european news are due and on top of that this market has a lot of inactive days with tight ranges thus no signals for your systems.

Just IMHO
Alex

xelaar 

Kevin, Could I suggest to explore the option of trading more session-based market rather than decentralized currency market such as fiber? Most of action happens in the first part of London sessions when most european news are due and on top of that this market has a lot of inactive days with tight ranges thus no signals for your systems. Just IMHO Alex

Good idea, to do something different than currencies, but the fibers are not permitted:
Trading Futures: FX, Oil, E-mini S&P 500 | TopstepTrader

Right now, my plan is to sneak another strategy in the Euro (one that doesn't impact too heavily the other strategies, since there will be some overlap). If that doesn't work, I will take your good advice about another market. I just don't know which one yet.

kevinkdog 

Good idea, to do something different than currencies, but the fibers are not permitted: Trading Futures: FX, Oil, E-mini S&P 500 | TopstepTrader Right now, my plan is to sneak another strategy in the Euro (one that doesn't impact too heavily the other strategies, since there will be some overlap). If that doesn't work, I will take your good advice about another market. I just don't know which one yet.

By fiber I mean EURUSD, or 6E, it's a forex trader slang, sorry for that!

xelaar 

By fiber I mean EURUSD, or 6E, it's a forex trader slang, sorry for that!

Never heard that before! Thanks for clarifying.