The Trend Following Bible: How Professional Traders Compound Wealth and Manage Risk

Praise for The Trend Following Bible

"I like Andy′s statement that trading has to fit one′s personality. Everyone is different. I′ve met quite a few successful traders over the twenty years I′ve been trading professionally. Ironically not one person uses the same system. What Andy does capture are the true building blocks of building a successful trading system."
Ken Kinkopf, President, Kinkopf Capital Management, LLC

"I have been registered in the futures industry since 1987, and the information on trend following provided by Andrew Abraham is some of the most comprehensive and easy to follow that I have seen. Andrew provides pure information with no hidden agendas. He does not hide the risk nor simplify the work a trader needs to do. Discipline and patience, two of the most key elements in money management, are stressed. I would highly recommend that anyone serious about trading should read this book."
Chuck Bohm, Pioneer Futures Inc.

"Where I feel that Andy′s insight is so valuable is that he is an active practitioner. He gives us views, and posts articles, that highlight the discipline and self–belief needed to be successful in this arena. Trend following sounds so simple; looking at a chart is easy to say, in hindsight, that we would have bought there and sold here. Now tell me where we are going tomorrow. Andy′s blog shows us that trend following is about percentages. Increasing your chances of calling the future direction of a market correctly over time, and having an exit plan in place before one takes a position. I encourage anyone with exposure to the markets, regardless of experience, to read this!"
Benjamin Smith, ADM Investor Services International

"The best investors are not afraid to share their trading plan with others as they know that there is no secret recipe in all this, that risk management and discipline are really 95% of the battle. Clearly Andy is not afraid of providing his."
Gerald Rehn, Principal, Rehn Capital Management, LLC

"Andy gives a structured, simple, and concise way to understand trend following and, most importantly, the discipline and patience this strategy needs in order to work. I really enjoyed his personal views and risk management tools that have kept him in trading for many years."
Eduardo Frid, EF Financial Services

"Right on Andy!"
Todd Miller, Availeth Capital, LLC

"Andy′s explanation of trend following is extremely informative and should be very useful for any individuals who hope to begin trading in a trend following strategy. One of my favorite aspects of his book is that he is relaying the message that trend following and trading are, indeed, work. So many individuals have the wrong impression entirely as to what it is that a trader or trend follower does with his or her time. As with any other career path, trading takes time, research, and extraordinary effort in order to be successful. I would highly recommend that any individual interested in trend following read Andy′s blog as well. The information is accurate and effective."
John David McDonnell, RCO Financial, Inc.

Foreword ix

Preface xiii

Introduction My Journey as a Trend Follower 1

Chapter 1 Get a Savvy Start 9

Can You Really Make a Living as a Trend Follower?

Chapter 2 Getting the Most Out of This Method 25

Chapter 3 Why Trend Following? 35

Chapter 4 How Successful Trend Followers Trade 49

Chapter 5 Managing the Risks when Trend Following 81

Chapter 6 Your Complete Robust Trading Plan 95

Chapter 7 Trend Breakouts 107

Chapter 8 Trend Retracements 121

Chapter 9 The Trend Follower Mindset 137

Chapter 10 My Trading Journal 161

Conclusion 193

Disclosure 195

Index 197

ANDREW ABRAHAM is a commodity trading advisor at the firm he founded, Abraham Investment Management. He specializes in trend following, utilizing stringent risk management techniques to limit losses, and capturing a small number of major trends to drive returns. Abraham has been trading for his account and with other CTAs since the mid–1990s. He has written for a number of industry publications including Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities, Investment Advisor magazine, and SeekingAlpha.com. Abraham speaks regularly at Traders Expo and other trading industry conferences and has done webinars for MetaStock and Reuters.