The short I took that I mentioned a couple of posts ago ( from 38.2% Fib ) @ 1-38299 was left running over-night. In a marked difference from my usual mistake ( of moving my stop ) I actually moved my target as I just don’t like leaving a trade open when I’m not looking at it.
Anyway, original target was low 1-37’s. Then I moved that up to 1-3777 ( which had I left it at that would have been hit this morning ). BUt before I went to sleep I moved it up again to 1-38, which obviously was hit.
So, 3 lots again shorted at 1-38299 has moved my balance up from yesterday’s start point at $107.88 to $127.45. Which using some very rough calculations before the morning coffee has even kicked in, shows an increase yesterday of approx 21% !!
The trick now is to avoid the mistakes of the past of rushing in full of confidence, or trading from my iPhone when I can’t see charts etc, just because I “think” price will move one way.
Incidentally Buckscoder, I was interested to see a post of yours on another thread where some-one had asked what new computer to buy for trading. You had wrote that you use a laptop for your trading. I had actually planned on buying myself a new desktop at Christmas but thinking about it now, I’m considering just getting my other laptop repaired.
It only needs a new fan and a battery. Has a 15" screen and is better than the little netbook I use just now.
Well as I said in this thread a desktop or tower is a energy hog. No, I am no tree hugger, lol. Albeit as master in economics I can do the math:
A high end desktop/tower with a quad cpu will proabably consume 500 watts all together with monitor.
A high end quad laptop with a quad cpu will take just 100 watts on average. Plus you have a ups aboard already and a screen plus it’s portable, even if you use it stationary, you have less hassle if moving.
So thats 0.4 kilowatts difference. Letz say you pay 25 cents for each kwh, 8 hours a day, 250 days a year then that sums up to around 200 bucks a year more just for energy. If you use your old laptop after 3 years you can buy a new high end laptop for 600 bucks just from the savings.
Buying a desktop/tower makes no sense since years, that’s why I just buy laptops. You pay a little less for the hardware, but what you save there goes into energy expenses. Oh yes, then there comes the good ole saying from the sales people: “But you can’t change components easily in a laptop!” Sure, you can’t, but who wants to? After 3 years almost everything changed. Now we have serial ata instead of pata, usb 3.0 instead of 2/1.0, higher resolution, other bus connections, etc. you get the picture. After 3 years you would have to change almost every component in a computer to make it work like a new one or you will suffer from a bottleneck anywhere, at least with the ram or cpu speed.
Believe me I know what I am talking about. I am in the business since 30+ years and in the old days when there were no laptops, but huge portable pc’s with a weight of 10 kg, those desktops/towers made sense and even the first laptops were not that powerful. But today? Even my Android phone has more power than I mostly need and I can look at fx charts on it.
Sorry for writing a little outside of the trading world, lol.
Yea, that fiber was dropping like a rock. I had a long because expected a pullback, but with a tight sl, so that’s a very small loss. I had the chance of let it run or take a profit, so I took a small loss in the night.
Now it seems everything dropped. Even xau. Not as much as eurusd, though.
if you are planning to keep you computer ON more than 8/10 hours straight a day with CPU/HD intensive tasks then do not buy a laptop, if you need to hook up a lot of usb devices then do not buy a laptop, if you need several screens then do not buy a laptop
Depends on what are you using the computer for… the main component in a computer is the hard drive, any failure will be catastrophic if you don’t have a proper backup strategy in place… a HD can fill pretty quick and you might need to replace the one you are using or hook up a new one
So first you have to assess your needs and then make a decision according to your budget.
The main advantage of a laptop is portability… but with portability comes a risk: accidents, you can lose it, can be stolen.
I never carry any sensitive information on my laptop.
I use a ssd and usb hubs. A ssd is also recommended for your dinosaur desktop. Plus portability means you [U]can[/U] use it. Not you must. Have you ever transported your desktop/tower and got an error afterwards? That’s because desktops/towers are not constructed for transportation. Some wires might get loose or a component inside. Easy doing on the opposite with a laptop. I used to carry my laptop a lot also with overseas flights and still after 5 years it’s working like a charm.
I do also not understand why heavy use would speak for a desktop, because that even increases the power consumption and makes it even more expensive. While you can have the power of any high end stationary pc already in a laptop:
Anyways, if you believe a desktop/tower is better, don’t bother with my economic calculations. I am happy since 10 years with using laptops and would never ever buy anything else.
I got to agree with bucks I use my laptop and have multible screens hookd to it as I dont take it anywhere but from time to time I go to my buddies shop and can just unhook the screens and take it with me when I get to his shop flip open my screen and trade. As far as risk anything can be stolen. You can backup you laptop just as easy as you can a desktop. But I do have my old desktop fully refurbed in case my laptop dies as all computers will die eventually. But they just sit there collecting dust.
I got even sold my last tower on Ebay a couple of years ago. Better than collecting dust and consuming space. And somebody was happy to get a cheap tower, not calculating the usage expenses, though. Maybe you can sell it there, too? I have a netbook here as backup if something would happen. No mechanical pieces in there anymore, not even a fan. In the laptop the only mechanical piece is still the fan. Plus then if you take into consideration that most gadgets work forever if they last for at least 6 months or so, then selling the dino is not the worst thing you could do. Or you could give it as charity for a school or something. Or better not. That just costs more taxpayers money then for the energy consumption, lol.
Easy I never said desktop is better… I own 30 high-end servers around the world, 2 desktops and 2 laptops and not all are the same… I am just pointing out that depending your needs you should choose accordingly…
Nowdays laptops have improve a lot but if you are a hardcore programmer, gamer, designer or even a trader you need some power available… with power you need [B]cooling[/B], this is the variable that is most important …that is why google and facebook build their datacenters near the artic
solid state are bit more expensive and have lower capacity… R/W is also slower if you are multitasking
In a usb hub you are sharing access to the devices
and one last thing that almost nobody cares but is very important… ergonomics
If any one feels that is better a laptop for their needs …fine… ( I use 2 laptops ) but you have to be aware of your options…
Well, I’m not speaking regarding data centers. There it’s for sure cheaper to buy rack solutions. However, you might not know what thread HoG was speaking about, it was aobut a traders laptop, not a data center. Even a hardcore developer (I used to be one), can use a laptop these days. My ssd is way faster than any hd, particularly with multitasking. Look at the access rates and you know why. Sure, you must know what you are doing while partitioning and it’s more expensive than a hard disk, that’s why I have a smaller ssd inside and for space hungry files I have my external data disks or flash sticks.
My “game” is the financial world, but I agree that if somebody believes he needs the most advanced new computer game, then even the best of the best graca might be a little to slow and that is the only reason I’d suggest not to buy a laptop. Because you can get really nice gracas actually in a laptop for every use beside of last bit high end gaming. Though, in one year from now even the best of the best gracas is not good enough anymore for the then newest game. Or vice versa, if you are not that addicted to always the newest stuff, a laptop from today has no issues to let you play a game from one year ago.
Regarding cooling, the good thing with laptops is that the components are constructed to need not much power and this means less cooling needed as well. Plus the battery solution outperforms every ups in endurance. Regarding ergonomics, I have here a keyboard for 20 bucks and a mouse for another 50 bucks. All wireless. So, my laptop is most of the year sitting close to the external monitor just that I can look at the laptop screen, because that’s a nice dual monitor solution. If I would not use the screen, I could close it and store anywhere while using it.
Frankly, I do not carry my laptop around anymore now, because I have my phone for that or my 10" tablet book even runs a metatrader. I guess in a couple of years you can run every trading application even with charting software in a phone for 50 bucks.
Okay, what do we have regarding fiber? There was the pullback and I’m looking for a short entry.
I use a powerful laptop with an external hard drive hooked up to a couple of biggish monitors and a separate mouse/keyboard when I am at home, but can trade from just the laptop when I am on holiday, visiting friends etc.
And coke over pepsi every time, for me. When I was at university my then-girlfriend (now wife) actually thought I was addicted at one point and made me go cold turkey for a week!
(Sorry to be so absentee - not on BP quite as much, these days, and have hurt my back quite badly so can’t sit at the screen for long. Nothing permanent but blinkin’ painful - first ever back trouble. Pesky kids…!)
Sorry for your back, but now we have you back. So, that was a little word game and now you can laugh about it and if the stomach hurts more, you can forget the bad back.
I deal with this one step at a time. I had intended on treating myself to a new computer from Santa. In fact, I was going to buy a mac, not that I’ve ever had a mac, I just wanted to look cool. However, my daughter assures me it will take more than a mac to make me look cool. She’s such a sweetheart
However, I’m now having second thoughts, don’t think I’ll get a mac anyway, but now I don’t know, laptop or desktop ?
Hhhmmmmm.
Second point, what an outrage. How can you possibly prefer Coke to Pepsi ? All that “like to teach the world to sing” … nonsense. At least Pepsi had Michael Jackson. And as for your wife banning you from drinking it, quite right ! You got away light at a week if you ask me, LOL !!
But apart from your decidedly strange choice of soft drinks, nice to see you back. Kids will do your back in everytime. However I tend to believe it’s a sign of the years rolling by rather than anything else. ( sorry if that sounds cheeky ) Spoken by a bad back sufferer of 10 years !!
Anyway, getting back ( no pun intended ST ) to business for a second, shorted 1 lot EU at 1-37328 seconds before it jumped to 1-3760. However now +20 as I write and tempted to close.
But Futures all pointing significantly down again so may be another big drop in store. Or is it safer practice just to put the 20 pips in the bank and wait for the next one ?
So just as I hit the “quick reply” button, my previous question answered itself. Price dropped to + 31 pips and I closed. May well drop further due to the futures, but I’ll wait and try to pick another entry point.
My wife is eying a Mac at the moment, she has recently got an IPad and and IPhone, I think she just wants to look cool. But as Claire works from home, mostly, and we run a separate business, we have to have a desktop. I had my charting software on it, but we found I just always used the laptop, so we took it off again. So for us the laptop works fine - but I have always fancied a big office just for my trading, with wood panelling, a big PC with multiple screens and, of course, a pair of globes - one terrestrial, one celestial - that open up to reveal the alcohol, but maybe I have just seen too many films. But I see where you’re coming from with the desktop v laptop debate. Not sure I helped much!
Well if you want to talk advertising, I like the Christmas ad for coke, ‘Santa Claus is coming’ starts up, the trucks drive into view… I like the dependable way it comes around each Christmas. And they came up with Coke Zero, which has enabled Mrs Templar to stop complaining that diet coke isn’t very nice, but regular coke is so unhealthy. So I’m a coke man, sorry!
Years rolling by?!? Cough, splutter!! I’m a veritable Adonis!!! Anyway, 37 is the new 21, surely? No, you’re probably right - I have a prolapsed disc in my lower back, all I did was lift my youngest up so he could hang a key on a hook, done it a thousand times, it was over my head so maybe seven feet off the ground. I heard two pops as it came out then in again, trouble was as I was holding him I had to put him down gently (stone floor, thought Claire might be grumpy if I dropped him) so that was pretty excrutiating - wouldn’t recommend doing a slow lift with with a newly-popped disc. Spent the next ten minutes crawling around on all fours trying not to pass out!! The kids thought it was hilarious. Blighters.
Anyway, I’m rambling but to summarize: I like laptops, I like coke, and as this is my first back injury I am still kidding myself that it is a one off and I am still a spring chicken.
Hilarious from your daughter, by the way!! My eldest swims better than I do, and his earnest confusion at why I am so rubbish is effortlessly insulting. He has taken to asking my mother-in-law why daddy is so bad at swimming. Helpful.
Tough to read at the moment - I took a decent little long trade this afternoon, I went long off the the 240 low test at 12-4, just ran it into the Monthly Pivot, gave me some pips. Nice work grabbing some in the (altogether more sensible) opposite direction - sums up how crazy the market is!
Not enjoying my trading enormously at the moment!!
Didn’t his drug addiction stem from pain relief following his head injury (burns) sustained while filming the Pepsi commercial? Yes, I’m a pop culture maestro!
