Home > Stocks
The 80/20 Trade: "Pounce Like a Cat"
Patience Can Be Rewarding

By Bob Stokes
Wed, 30 May 2012 16:00:00 ET

Get investable insights sent to your inbox at least once a week – for free. Challenge the way you think about investing with The EWI Independent.

Privacy

Copy the tiger when stalking and capturing a "pounce-ready" trade.

Tigers know the prey they covet is elusive: they show great patience and care when stalking the target.

I came across this description of the tiger's technique:

"When hunting, this cat...may take twenty minutes to creep over ground which would be covered in under one minute at a normal walk...the tiger will sometimes pause...move closer and so lessen that critical attack distance...before finally raising its body and charging.

"...they wait until a victim comes close and spring up...This ambush method of hunting uses less energy and has a greater chance of success."

You must "ambush" high confidence trades. Long-time professional trader and teacher Dick Diamond says patience is vital before the ambush.

I talked to Diamond about his famous 80/20 trade, which he means literally -- he says it has at least an 80 percent chance of success. It's the only trade set-up Diamond will take.

------------

Q: Could you tell me about the 80/20 trade?

Diamond: The 80/20 trade is based on indicators that create a specific trading set-up. A trader must act on this set-up immediately. You must wait, and then pounce like a cat when the opportunity presents itself. Then you set stops. In shorter time frames, like trading from a five minute chart, the 80/20 set up may come along a few times a day. If you're trading a longer time frame, like off of a 120 minute or 240 minute chart, the 80/20 will come along less frequently, but when it does, the opportunity will be bigger. The 80/20 trade can be especially rewarding for position traders. Sometimes the indicators reveal what I call 90/10 or even 95/5 trades.

Q: What emotional factors do students need to work on the most?

Diamond: Traders must be calm and confident. You can't be a Nervous Nellie and succeed at trading. Calmness comes from learning the proper trading techniques.

Q: What's different about trading today vs. when you started out in the 1960s?

Diamond: When I started trading, execution took up to five minutes -- now it takes less than a second. Time is money, so computers provide a great advantage to today's trader compared to pre-computer days. At the same time, while computers allow the trader to see multiple indicators on the screen, one must avoid indicator overload. One must learn to narrow down the number of indicators.

--------------

Learn how to zero in on "80/20 trades," improve your patience and discipline, and develop your path to a successful trading career at Dick Diamond's 4-Day Market Mentor Trading Course, July 22-25, 2012 in Orlando, Florida.

Dick will share the tips and techniques he has developed over 45 years of successful trading to help you overcome the obstacles that hinder your success. Diamond's protégé and former student, Roberto Hernandez, will share the stage with Diamond, and show you how he pinpoints "80/20" trades using the Elliott Wave Principle. (Hernandez was a struggling trader until he met and learned from Diamond). During days three and four, you’ll see your newly-learned trading methods in action as Dick and Roberto make real-money trades in live market conditions.

Register by June 15 and you can save $300.

Secure your seat at the Market Mentor Trading Course, July 22-25 in Orlando, Florida today >>

p.s. Can't wait 'til July? Get instant access to our FREE 12-page Report from Veteran Trader Dick Diamond today >>

In this FREE report, you will learn practical tips and tricks from veteran trader Dick Diamond.

He and his assistant, Roberto Hernandez, share many of their time-tested techniques with you, with excerpts from interviews and course materials designed to accelerate your trading progress.

Subscribers and Club EWI Members, log in now to download your free report >>

Not a Club EWI Member? Learn how you can download your free report >>

Tags: Dick Diamond, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Fibonacci, investor psychology, Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), Nasdaq Composite, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), online trading, oscillators, Relative Strength Index (RSI), risk management, stochastics, successful traders, technical indicators, Traders, trendlines, VIX

May 13-16

Las Vegas Money Show

July 10-13

Freedom Fest Conference

Stay Ahead of the Trend in U.S. Stocks

EWI's Financial Forecast Service equips you to think, trade and invest independently from the crowd. Here's what you'll get, risk-free:

Short Term Update -- Intensive forecasts and analysis 3x/week for U.S. stocks, gold, silver, bonds and the U.S. dollar.
Financial Forecast -- In-depth, intermediate-term perspective on U.S. stocks, gold, silver, bonds and the U.S. dollar.
Theorist -- Bob Prechter's monthly big-picture insights.

Put the Financial Forecast Service on your screen in minutes, risk-free>>

Most Read

Highest Rated

Free Video Course

Learn the Why, What and How of Elliott Wave Analysis

Financial media use news and economic events to explain market moves. Steer clear of this misguided approach. Take part in the Elliott Wave Crash Course to learn what really moves the markets.

The Elliott Wave Principle is a detailed description of how financial markets behave. The description reveals that mass psychology swings from pessimism to optimism and back in a natural sequence, creating specific Elliott wave patterns in price movements. Each pattern has implications regarding the position of the market within its overall progression, past, present and future. The purpose of Elliott Wave International’s market-oriented publications is to outline the progress of markets in terms of the Wave Principle and to educate interested parties in the successful application of the Wave Principle. While a course of conduct regarding investments can be formulated from such application of the Wave Principle, at no time will Elliott Wave International make specific recommendations for any specific person, and at no time may a reader, caller or viewer be justified in inferring that any such advice is intended. Investing carries risk of losses, and trading futures or options is especially risky because these instruments are highly leveraged, and traders can lose more than their initial margin funds. Information provided by Elliott Wave International is expressed in good faith, but it is not guaranteed. The market service that never makes mistakes does not exist. Long-term success trading or investing in the markets demands recognition of the fact that error and uncertainty are part of any effort to assess future probabilities. Please ask your broker or your advisor to explain all risks to you before making any trading and investing decisions.