Got on board for roughly a week and I think this is the best place to introduce myself.
I have been trading for 11+ years and went full time for the past 4 years. I have tried various instruments/timeframes along the way but finally settled with short-term energies futures trading.
Reading more about psychology nowadays...On this issue of "know the market and know yourself" I think many authors explain better than I.
Just my 0.02: Mark Douglas's "the disciplined trader" is the overall best book in trading psychology, in my opinion. Brett Steenbarger is more focused on intraday discretionary trading style.
In general, futures are more difficult to trade than equities. And daytrading equity indexes like ES is much harder to make money in the long run, plus, it is stressful. I am speaking from my experience. I daytraded ES and did well with more than 10% return each month. Then I got burned out. Maybe that is why I see usually young people do those kind of trading and the older ones are more inclined to trade with a longer timeframe. I am getting old, so I think I'd better move to a higher timeframe.
Regarding "the latest and the greatest": we all must pass that stage, mustn't we? At some point the beginner will know time was wasted when he only focused on tools/indicators. Then someday in the morning he would wake up and say, "gee, am I here to make money or play around with the tools (toys)?" Then he knows what he shall do. I am speaking of myself.
