| ATAA Blast! Newsletter #176 – February 2025
| Dear ~~first_name~~
Welcome to the February edition of the ATAA Blast! Newsletter, and the first one for 2025. Also, we believe that the ATAA will be turning 35 years old this year, so stay tuned for news on how we might celebrate this fabulous milestone.
| In this Blast! edition you can see the following, with links for an easy and speedy go-to to the relevant section below:
- ATAA National President's Update for February, including a welcome into the new year.
- ATAA Latest Website Resource Library updates for the latest month - With an update on the immensely useful and growing ATAA Resource Library, including the now hundreds of video session recordings from the SIGs and network groups.
- Online Discussion Forums - This resource is now growing in popularity in the ATAA website (for ATAA members only - login is required).
- ATAA National Board Update - News from the national board of directors.
- List of all of the ATAA Chapters, SIGs and Network Groups - More opportunities for the ATAA members for networking and learning.
- The ATAA 2025 IN-Person Conference update - An update report on the upcoming 2025 in-person ATAA Conference in October.
- Updates from the ATAA Chapters and SIGs: The next Bigalow Network online meeting is happening tonight, Friday 7 February. Included below are updates for some chapters: Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne - those that have submitted content. Thank you to: Mark (Canberra) for your ongoing contributions.
- IFTA information update: Latest information from IFTA.
- TECHNICAL ANALYSIS article - In this technical analysis article this month we are including some "Trading Guideline Notes" from a successful markets trader.
- Detailed benefits for ATAA members.
As the national Marketing Director, I am still including key marketing phrases in this Blast!:- the ATAA Tag line in blue below, and the ATAA Elevator Pitch also in blue at the bottom of this email. Feel free to use these in your own correspondence to help encourage new members, and of course to remind existing members of why they are ATAA members.
I do hope you find this Blast! newsletter useful and interesting reading; but do feel free to tell us what you really think, and how we can improve it.
NOTES about this newsletter: The appearance of this email newsletter can be a little different depending on how you view it. In Google's Gmail the Gmail Inbox might show just a portion of this edition. At this stage I am not sure of the best way to work around this issue.
ps: Apologies continue for any odd formatting that you might find which I cannot resolve - font size or line spacing etc - as these seem to be oddities in our CE email editor tool.
Robert B Brain
Blast! Newsletter Editor
ATAA Marketing Director
(and ATAA Life Member)
| As the ATAA National Marketing Director, I am still including key marketing phrases in this Blast!:- the ATAA Tag line in blue below, and the ATAA Elevator Pitch also in blue at the bottom of this email. Feel free to use these in your own correspondence to help encourage new members, and of course to remind existing members of why they are ATAA members.
I do hope you find this Blast! newsletter useful and interesting reading; but do feel free to tell us what you really think, and how we can improve it.
NOTES about this newsletter: The appearance of this email newsletter can be a little different depending on how you view it. In Google's Gmail you might need to click on the "Show Images" button in order to display the images. Also, gmail might show just a portion of this edition - so look for the link to "display full email", or if there is a small image with three dots, clicking on this will expand the "hidden" text.
ps: Also, apologies continue for any odd formatting that you might find which I cannot resolve - font size or line spacing etc - as these seem to be oddities in our CE email editor tool.
Robert B Brain
Blast! Newsletter Editor
ATAA Marketing Director
(and ATAA Life Member)
| The ATAA is the knowledge network
for successfully using technical analysis
in financial market trading and investing
|
National President's Update – February 2025
Welcome to 2025. Most of us had some time off during the holiday season, although the National Conference Working Group continued with its work over the break. The 2025 Conference is now locked in, for October in Melbourne.
We had back-to-back Office Bearers and ATAA Board meetings at the start of February, which identified some of the key areas of work this year. These include forming a new National Speaker Working group, which will be tasked with organising speakers for national presentations, which can be used by the Chapters in lieu of their local event for a particular month, if they so decide. There is an ongoing discussion of how the Chapter structure can be improved to provide direct support to the local members from the national organisation, rather than just their local Chapter.
The various ATAA SIGs are becoming more prominent in the structure of the ATAA, as these are not geographically based, unlike the chapters, but are based on specific topics of interest. The events they hold are widely advertised, and I would encourage interested members to participate.
The board is working on some new promotional activities to improve our profile within the private trader and investor community. These should come to fruition this year.
Jim Haralambidis
ATAA National President
| ATAA Website - Resource Library Updates - recordings from December 2024
Don't forget, our ATAA Resource Library now has many presentations and recordings going back to 2008. You can drill down on these using the website menu: Resources > Presentations by Date. And alternative way to find something specific on a particular topic is to search the library using the menu option: Resources > Search Resource Library.
The materials recently added to the Resource Library include:
- Thursday 12 December - Melbourne Chapter Hybrid meeting:
- Robert Brain - ATAA Melbourne President annual report.
- Alan Clement - Global Markets Quarterly Technical Outlook.
- Darryl Nagel - Loss aversion, decisions and emotions – a quantitative perspective.
All of these items can be found from the ATAA website menu: Resources > Presentations by Date. Make sure to browse the earlier recordings in the Resource Library, because you might never know what you've been missing. And you can also search the Resource Library by keyword.
| | SIG and Network presentations in the Document Library - There is a growing collection of session recordings and other materials in a section of the ATAA website Resource Library. The latest one (from the Forex Network) can be found by following the menu (as shown in the screenshot below): Resources > Resource Library Folders, then expand the tree hierarchy under the Document Library heading: Member Resource Library > Presentations by Group. | | Presentations by Group - Session recordings for some of these ATAA groups can be found on the website:
- Bigalow Network
- Forex Network
- MEL Quant Traders SIG
- FX SIG
- Holy Grail Trader SIG
- MetaStock User Group SIG
- Technical Analysis Chat SIG.
| | | UPDATE:- More information about Chapters and SIGs? - One thing that has been missing from our ATAA website is some permanent information about our Chapters and Special Interest Groups (SIGs), including an overview of any speciality that they provide, and the meeting frequency, day of month and time of day. This information will be up on the website very soon.
Robert Brain
(Marketing Director) | ATAA Online Discussion Forums - Many of our SIG groups and Network Groups, as well as the chapters, have discussion topics in the Online Discussion Forum. You can sign-up to receive update emails on specific topics as they are posted. Login and visit the ATAA Forum to see more details.
The most active forums currently include: Bigalow Network SIG (33 discussion threads), MEL Quant Trader SIG (28 threads). Other active forums include: RealTest Coders Workshop (12 threads), Adelaide Chapter (12 threads), Trading Strategies and Systems (11 threads), "Indicators and Charting" (8 threads), Brisbane Chapter (5 threads), , "Trading Software and Tools" (5 threads) - just to name a few.
Check out the growing list of online discussion forums on the ATAA website on a range of T.A. and trading topics. And feel free to start a new discussion topic. The link to access the forum (in the website menu) is enabled after you login to the ATAA website.
Robert Brain
(Marketing Director) | |
ATAA National Board updates
| | | ATAA Marketing Working Group Update
| |
We have just completed some tweaks to the official ATAA Sponsorship Prospectus brochure which we give to potential sponsors, and with which we seek company sponsorships at four possible sponsorship levels in the order of $2,500 to $20,000. This updated brochure is available on request.
The Marketing Working Group recently arranged a new pull-up banner with a new QR code included. It's been in use at the Melbourne chapter meetings in South Yarra since November 2024. At the entrance to the hotel function room, it certainly helps any newbies confirm they are in the right room for the chapter meeting, and it flags to other people that their own meeting or function must be in a different function room. This banner cost less than $100.
Robert B Brain
ATAA Marketing Director
| | | | The official ATAA email signature block. Are you using this email signature block yet? if not, why not? It's easy to download it and set it up as the footer in each of your new email messages, and in your replies to emails. This jpeg file (shown herewith) is available for ATAA members to download from the "Resource Library", and then include it in your own email signature block at the bottom of your emails. To find this file and download it, login to the ATAA website and use the menu option: Resources > Resource Library Folders > Association Documents > Marketing. | | | |
ATAA Conferences
Working Group
| | |
ATAA 2025 In-Person Conference
It has been a busy month for the Conference Working Group. We have now locked in a venue for this year’s conference – it’s the Mantra on Russell in Melbourne’s CBD.
You should now have received a “save the date” notification for the 18th and 19th of October, and we really hope you can attend in person, or online as part of the hybrid.
This year’s conference aims to deliver the same high standard of venue and speaker presentations you have experienced in the past, if you’ve attended any of our previous conferences. If you have not yet had that opportunity, we would highly recommend you give this year’s a try.
We look forward to hosting you in October!
Alan Clement
ATAA (Conference) Director
| CHAPTER and Special Interest Group (SIG) news and updates
| ATAA Chapters, SIGs and Network groups
For the benefit of ATAA members everywhere, the ATAA has a number of: Chapters, and Special Interest Groups, and Network Groups. Current financial members are free and welcome to participate in any of these. We are hopeful that all of these groups will submit some information for publication in the Blast! News from time to time, to help our hundreds of readers understand more about the opportunities and benefits for ATAA members.
For the latest meeting information, check the ATAA website for details, and also scroll down the website home page to see the latest announcements, presentations and updates to the resource library.
| | ATAA Chapters (alpha order) meeting monthly
- Adelaide
- Brisbane
- Canberra
- Melbourne
- Newcastle
- Perth
- Sydney
| | SIGs and Networks (and contact names)
- Melbourne Quant SIG (Jim Haralambidis)
- RealTest Coders (online) Workshop (Chris Meakin, Robert Grigg)
- Bigalow Network (Romy Baker)
- Forex Network - FN (Romy Baker)
- MetaStock Users SIG (Jerry Bongard)
- FX SIG (Mike Smith)
- TA Practice SIG
See the ATAA website for latest information.
| | | A screenshot from the ATAA website Document Library showing where presentations are accessible
| The Canberra Chapter is looking forward to welcoming all of our local members to our meetings in the Board Room of Eastlake Football Club in 2025.
Our end of year dinner at Mercure Hotel in Braddon was well attended with a lot of discussion about the effects of US politics and local interest rates on the local market.
Our February meeting will be held on Tuesday the 18th in the Boardroom at Eastlake FC in Griffith. In addition to our Portfolio competition, conducted by Gabriel and our ASX Review by Bruce, Chris Meakin will present the first in a series of short presentations on Rules Based Trading. The first presentation will focus on liquidity.
Mark will also facilitate the group to do an individual analysis of your own Technical Analysis. Together with your own analysis of your behavioural trading skills, your answers could be become the blueprint of an enhanced trading plan for 2025.
Good trading and good health.
Mark Gleeson
ATAA Canberra Chapter President [The Canberra Chapter generally meets on the third Tuesday each month.]
| The Melbourne Chapter continues to host monthly hybrid meetings (except in the month of January) and we continue to broadcast the 2-hour segment of 6pm to 8pm by Zoom, and the recordings go into the ATAA website Resource Library - use the website menu: Resources > Presentations by Date. For those of you who are not able to be in the meeting room,you are missing the invaluable networking from 5.15pm to 6pm (including free finger food), the interactions in the room during the broadcast session 6-8pm, and then further networking and guest speaker mingling over dinner after 8pm.
The Chapter Council team has spent time trying to find ways to entice more people to attend in-the-room, and to also encourage more people to tune in online. One initiative we will soon be trying is to have a representative from a broker firm do a 30-minutes presentation on their trading platform. Of course, we will encourage them to keep their own company promotions to the last 2 or 3 slides and the last 5 minutes of the session. The first broker to be invited is likely to be Capital.com, who have two of their staff members attend our monthly chapter meetings. (This company is a well established British firm with an office in Melbourne).
Also, all ATAA members who attend our meetings are given a "Door Prize" raffle ticket, with the winning tickets drawn during the mid-session break (when we change-over the speakers). You see, we still have a truck-load of pre-loved trading and technical analysis books to give away at our meetings with more coming, and these are used as the Door Prizes in the Member give-away. And some of these books are absolute gems - for free!
Don’t forget that public transport (tram) runs past the hotel front door, and there is ample car parking around the corner.
Robert Brain
ATAA Melb Chapter President and interim Secretary
(for the Council team: Paul Ash, Jim Haralambidis, Keith Mundy, Tony Hambling, Tony Leonard, Robert Grigg). | Wishing all ATAA members a safe, healthy and prosperous trading year in 2025.
It is regrettable that no Sydney or NSW members have volunteered to steer the Sydney Chapter in 2025. However, Sydney/NSW continues to make a major contribution to the ATAA Education by running the Bigalow and Forex networks for the members. Darryl Nagel will soon be providing presentations to the Metastock user group SIG.
Networking Dinner on Monday 28 February at 6.00 pm
Sydney Members – Please make the effort to join the network dinner at our usual haunt – the Castlereagh Club, 199 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW. These dinners are valuable as we discuss our trades, the market and learn from each other – great networking. It is member value at its best.
For 2025 – our network dinners will be held on the 4th Monday of every second month: 28 February, 28 April, 23 June, 25 August, 27 October, December TBC. Put it in your diary now. 😊
Darryl Nagel (for the Sydney team)
| Bigalow Network and
Forex Network (FN)
| The Bigalow network recommences on Friday 7 February at 7:30pm AEDT. Greg Robotham continues to guide us on the Bigalow methodology and review our selected charts. Much discussion takes place and the meetings are always informative, even if you don’t use the Bigalow methodology. The recordings can be found in the ATAA website Resource Library. [This network group continues to meet monthly on the first Friday each month. Look out for upcoming meetings on the ATAA website. You're not sure what the Bigalow Method is all about? See information about Stephen Bigalow and his ideas and methods. The February online-only meeting will be Friday 7 February. See the session details on the ATAA website]
The Forex network recommences on Wednesday 13 February at 7:30pm AEDT. Our Forex meetings are always great value with a great exchange of ideas and opinions. We will kick of 2025 with a presentation from Mark Bennell. [This network group continues to meet throughout the year.. See the session details on the ATAA website.]
You are welcome to join us - If anyone would like to join the Bigalow or Forex Network meetings, please email the undersigned, Romy Baker. We would love to hear from you if you are interested so, please send us an email, or phone us.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Romy Baker
0414 554 967 | Don't forget, we have a total of seven chapters around Australia, including: Brisbane, Perth and Newcastle as well as several Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in which members can participate. You can see a list of the seven chapters and their office-bearers on the website - use the menu option: ATAA Overview > Current Office-Bearers > Chapter Councillors > Subcommittees. See the ATAA website for latest meeting and event details.
- Adelaide Chapter generally meets in-person on the third Wednesday of the month.
- Perth Chapter generally meets on the third Thursday of the month.
- Brisbane Chapter generally meets... second Saturday of the month? TBC
- Newcastle Chapter generally meets ... Saturday in the month? TBA
- MetaStock Users SIG - Contact Jerry Bongard, jerry.bongard@ataa.asn.au
- RealTest Coders Workshop (sub-group of the Quant SIG) - Meets online, generally on the second Monday of each month at 8:00 pm. EST (to give members in western states a better chance of attending). SIG Coordinators: Chris Meakin and Robert Grigg.
| About IFTA (International Federation of Technical Analysis) - It is the umbrella organisation for Technical Analyst societies around the world.
IFTA webinars: See the latest information about up-coming and past webinars on the IFTA website. | | Join the next IFTA Webinar:
The Wyckoff Perspective: Understanding Crypto Market Dynamics
Presenter: Alessio Rutigliano
Date: Tuesday 18 February 2025
Time: 10:00am (US Pacific Time)
Convert to local time here.
| | | |
ABOUT THE PRESENTATION
The Wyckoff Method provides a solid framework for swing traders and long-term investors to navigate the highly volatile crypto markets. Alessio explores how time-tested strategies originally developed for stock trading can be effectively adapted to crypto assets, with a focus on tracking rotations across key segments of this emerging industry.
To help traders manage the unique volatility and momentum of cryptocurrencies, Wyckoff Analytics has developed a suite of tools to identify early signals and low-risk opportunities. These include advanced screeners, breadth indicators, indexes, and a new Point & Figure engine designed to simplify price target calculations.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Alessio Rutigliano is an instructor at Wyckoff Analytics, specializing in developing strategies for digital assets and high-momentum stocks. Since 2019, Alessio has co-hosted the Wyckoff Crypto Discussion alongside Roman Bogomazov, providing guidance to swing traders and long-term investors navigating this emerging asset class. Alessio is also the editor of the Wyckoff Market Report, a weekly newsletter focused on the stock market.
| | Call for Articles and Society News
IFTA Update
March 2025 Issue
The next submission deadline for the March 2025 issue of the IFTA Update is as follows:
| | | IFTA and ATAA members - ATAA members are automatically affiliate members of the International Federation of Technical Analysts. ATAA membership gives you access to IFTA resources including: certification programs, educational events and networking opportunities, including participation in the IFTA Conferences. The information below is the latest update from IFTA.
IFTA Update (quarterly newsletter) - The IFTA Update is a quarterly newsletter that is available to members of the ATAA.
| Join the ATAA to improve your understanding of how to
invest or trade successfully in the financial markets
focusing on the correct use and application of Technical Analysis
| |
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
and Trading Tips
| | | Trading Guidance Notes and Rules
from an experienced algo trader
| Many traders and investors have a trading plan and trading strategy, and they typically write down a list of thoughts, guidance notes, and trading rules. And these will differ from trader to trader and from investor to investor. What is useful and interesting is sharing these so-called guidance notes so that the newer traders and investors can have something to build on for themselves, and so that the more experienced traders and investors can pick up some tips, and add to their own Guidance Notes.
Phil Johns (ATAA member, Sydney) has sent us the following Guidance Notes to share, with the caveat that these are his own notes, and which might or might not work for others. Phil has compiled these notes over a 15 year period – since about the time of the GFC (in 2008-2010). We hope you enjoy reading these and perhaps spark some discussion. And feel free to send feedback about the notes, or your own notes so that we can help our ATAA members and newsletter readers.
| Introduction
Anyone who tells you that trading is easy is flat-out lying. Success in trading is possible, but there are no shortcuts. Take shortcuts, and you will lose.
From day one, most traders forget a fundamental truth: you are in business first, and you are a trader second. Your business is trading system development, not gambling on hunches or chasing quick profits.
Here are some key principles every trader must understand: |
- There Is No Single Right Way to Trade – Trading success doesn’t follow a universal formula. Developing a trading system tailored to your style, market, and goals is essential.
- System Development Is Hard Work – Despite the flashy promises of vendors, building and refining trading systems with an edge is far from easy.
- Get the strategy right – No psychology, coaching, or positive thinking will save you if your strategy is flawed.
- Positive expectancy – Even the best money management and position sizing will only delay the inevitable if your system lacks a positive expectancy.
- Avoid the Shortcut Trap – The trading world is full of promises: shortcuts, easy fixes, magic formulas, and so-called Holy Grail systems. Resist the temptation. These paths lead to ruin.
- Risk management, not magic formulas, is the foundation of sustainable profitability.
| Key Point: A losing strategy is a losing strategy, no matter how much you dress it up. Become skilled in developing and correctly testing trading strategies with an edge – or go home.
Trading is a business that requires discipline, effort, and a commitment to system development. Forget the hype – your edge lies in hard work, rigorous testing, and relentless improvement.
If you are planning to be a manual retail trader – send me all your money now, the result will be the same. The benefits being:- your pain will be over in one hit and you will be able to use your spare time for more productive outcomes.
The difference between Professional traders and Retail traders is the Pros spend all their time in Risk calculations and Retail traders spend their time focused on Reward calculations. That is Retail Traders think about how much they can make, whilst Professional Traders think about how much they can lose and what systems and controls they need to implement to limit these potential losses.
Phil’s Holy Grails of Trading
As always, these are my personal principles as an algo trader and may not work for everyone. | 1. Business First
Treat trading as a business. Identify, assess, and control all aspects of your trading operation. Prioritise your daily workflow in this order:
(a) Trading:
◦ Ensure sufficient funds for trading.
◦ Maintain oversight of trades.
◦ Regularly update your hardware and software.
(b) Development:
◦ Focus on AI and automation.
◦ Perform rigorous back testing (one of the hardest things to master).
◦ Continuously research and build strategies.
(c) Administration:
◦ Manage cash flow – everything flows from cash flow.
◦ Document all procedures.
◦ Develop and regularly review your business plan.
Key Principle: The system trades; you control the system. Success in trading comes from relentless process discipline. Become a strategy factory: build, test, trade, and refine a portfolio of diversified strategies.
Trading is a process of constant feedback. Success or failure lies in how well you learn from that feedback. Not learning is the true failure. | 2. Lifelong Learning
Trading demands constant growth.
• Commit to learning every single day.
• Approach trading as if you'll be doing it forever – because you might be.
3. Money Management
The hallmark of successful traders is diligent money management to protect capital.
• Control risk on every trade equally; you never know which trades will succeed.
• Use a stop loss every time.
• Cut losses short and let profits run.
Money management is the most powerful lever you control for ensuring profitability.
4. Diversification, Always in All Ways
Diversification is the closest thing to a Holy Grail in trading.
• Diversify your strategies, timeframes, and the instruments you trade.
• Avoid putting all your eggs in one basket – eventually, that basket will break.
Be a Strategy Factory – Build and maintain a diverse set of strategies to adapt to changing markets.
5. Price is the Primary Chart Indicator
You cannot predict market direction.
• Price is long until it’s short.
• Price is short until it’s long.
Price action is the most reliable and unbiased indicator.
6. Patience Equals Profits
Patience is one of the most undervalued traits in trading.
• Wait for the best setups to appear.
• Preserve capital for quality trades – not all trades.
Quality over quantity – Great trades will always outperform frequent trades.
7. No Strategy Works Forever
Markets change, and so must your strategies.
• Adapt or go broke.
• Diversify strategies and stay flexible.
Be prepared to retire old strategies and develop new ones continuously.
8. Never Manually Trade
The market will one day move faster than you can manually trade – it’s not a question of if, but when.
Automation is essential for survival in modern markets.
| Key Message:- The difference between Professional traders and Retail traders is the Pros spend all their time in Risk calculations and Retail traders spend their time focused on Reward calculations. That is Retail Traders think about how much they can make, whilst Professional Traders think about how much they can lose and what systems and controls they need to implement to limit these potential losses.
Anyway, the above is just my view of the world as an Algo trader.
Phil Johns
(ATAA Sydney, and ATAA director)
| ATAA Member Perks and Benefits
| If you're not an ATAA member, and you are considering joining, you might be interested to know there are many good reasons to sign-up, including:
- Invaluable education opportunities (with discounts for members);
- Huge and extensive Resource Library (access for members);
- Networking opportunities - meet with like-minded peers for trading and investing discussions;
- Special Interest Groups (SIGs) (only for members) - there are several;
- News and information;
- Online Forums;
- Annual ATAA Conference (discounted for members).
| In Closing
As I said at the top, my apologies continue for any odd formatting that you might find herein - font size or line spacing, etc - but these seem to be oddities in our CE email editor which are very elusive.
I do hope you have found this edition of the Blast! Monthly News both interesting and useful. Feel free to send my any feedback - good or bad.
Robert B. Brain
Blast! Newsletter Editor
| |