Entries and Exits: Visits to Sixteen Trading Rooms

by Alexander Elder

Come behind closed doors and see real trades made by real traders. Dr. Alexander Elder leads you into 16 trading rooms where you meet traders who open up their diaries and show you their trades. Some of them manage money, others trade for themselves; some trade for a living, others are on the semi-professional level. All are totally serious and honest in sharing their trades with those who would like to learn. You will meet American and international traders who trade stocks, futures, and options using a variety of methods. All are normally very private, but now, thanks to their relationships with Dr. Elder, you can see exactly how these traders decide to enter and exit trades. Each chapter illustrates an entry and an exit for two trades, with comments by Dr. Elder. With this book as your guide, you can get closer to mastering the key themes of trading―psychology, tactics, risk control, record keeping, and the decision-making process. The companion Study Guide is filled with striking insights and practical advice allowing you to test your knowledge and reinforce the principles outlined in Entries & Exits.

Genres: Finance, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Dr. Alexander Elder is a professional trader based in New York City. He is the author of a dozen books, including Come into My Trading Room (Barron's 2002 Book of the Year) and Trading for a Living, considered modern classics among traders.

Dr. Elder was born in Leningrad and grew up in Estonia, where he entered medical school at the age of 16. At 23, while working as a ship's doctor, he jumped a Soviet ship in Africa and received political asylum in the United States. He worked as a psychiatrist in New York City and taught at Columbia University. His experience as a psychiatrist provided him with unique insight into the psychology of trading. Dr. Elder's books, articles, and software reviews have established him as one of today's leading experts on trading

Dr. Elder is the originator of Traders' Camps week-long classes for traders, as well as the Spike group for traders. He continues to trade and is a sought-after speaker at conferences in the US and abroad.

Reviews

[Mike Oksenenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best reading order:

1) To Trade or Not to Trade (Alexander Elder)
2) Two Roads Diverged (Alexander Elder)
3) Trading for a Living (Alexander Elder)
4) Entries and Exits (Alexander Elder)
5) Come Into My Trading Room (Alexander Elder)
6) Sell and Sell Short (Alexander Elder)

[Hasdrubal Barca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having already stated in my review of the book that Trading for a Living changed my life (and it most certainly did,) I am obviously a fan of Dr. Elder and as such will be steadfastly determined to keep this review from falling victim to hyperbole. Entries and Exits: Visits to Sixteen Trading Rooms is an important and essential addition to any trading library. A novice trader or one of intermediate experience will find almost endless wisdom to be mined here, but there are also many, many gems for seasoned pros. Imagine being able to sit for hours with 16 traders and pick through in detail their philosophy of trading, their most commons errors, the wisdom they have learned from years of markets--bull markets, bear markets, consolidations, doldrums--and being able to view their trading logs and actually re-trade with them their winners and losers. These traders are both full and part-timers. They trade a variety of markets from futures, stocks, currencies, options, ETFs, mutual funds, and commodities. As a trader of currencies and stocks I found every single chapter to be relevant to my trading irrespective of the specific market favored by the trader being interviewed. The traders also use a variety of charts, methods, and indicators.

I was thrilled to see the MACD favored highly as an indicator since it is my personal favorite. For each trader we learn how long they have traded, the approximate amount of money they typically trade, and a fascinating and detailed description of their trading rooms including how their computers are setup and the specific tools they use (i.e. software, books, websites.) My own trading was immediately affected by the chapter which highlights William Doane, a high-dollar trader of stocks who made a very convincing case for watching longer time-frames. The voice of experience does not stammer. I immediately saw the long bases with breakouts that he favors. Another extremely helpful aspect of this book is the emphasis on and the practical, usable treatment given to money management. Any trader must understand the principles of capital preservation or he won't be a trader very long. Dr. Elder is a very careful teacher of this approach and his "rules" have helped me turn potentially devastating losses into smaller losses from which I can easily recover.

I remember when Market Wizards came out how revolutionary it was to have a glimpse into the minds of professional traders. This book goes far beyond that point because each trader gives examples of individual trades from their own records; some of them winners and some of them losers. The reader is invited to view the chart and set up rationale of each of those trades and determine for himself if the trade will make or lose money before going onto the next page to find out how it actually turned out. In every case, Dr. Elder gives commentary and wisdom. The traders tell the specific charting software and trading platform they use. They explain in detail which indicators they favor and why. Imagine the cost and logistics of gathering this hard-won wisdom. Entries and Exits is one of the best trading books I have ever owned. The information is of such a practical and useful nature that it was incorporated into my own trading within minutes of reading it on the page. The book itself, with high quality paper and boards, is beautifully produced. I expect it to last a lifetime.

If you are a trader of financial markets get this book immediately. If you hope to trade for a living, then think of how valuable it would be to spend some hours with 16 traders who have been in the trenches already with Dr. Elder as your guide. Just get it. It is a steal at twice the price

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

slam