A Simple, Breakthrough Stock-Picking System! Pick winning stock after winning stock with nationally recognized financial expert Edward F. Mrkvicka, Jr. Using his proven Trinity Trading System, anyone can enter the market and profit, whether you?re a beginning investor on the Internet or a professional trader who needs to supercharge a portfolio. J.K. Lasser?s Pick Winning Stocks will put power into your investing as you scan key indicators listed daily in the Wall Street Journ…
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This was a very interesting book. I enjoyed it immensely. Unfortunately, the Trinity Trading System doesn’t work. Since I’m a software developer, I created a database and program to automatically alert me to ALL stocks that fit Mrkvicka’s strategy, and I’ve been monitoring it. It just doesn’t work. The losers far outnumber the winners, and the winners have not been stellar. Anyone can sell a book that has a “sure-fire system,” but in the end Mrkvicka provides only anecdotal evidence to back up the system. If you want an example of a statistically sound book, check out O’Shaughnessy’s What Works On Wall Street or Siegel’s Stocks for the Long Run. If Mrkvicka really believes in his system, he will publish valid data to prove it, not just list a few winners.
I put the book’s principles to work, and got mixed results. I would say roughly 75% of my picks based on this system produced gains in the first few days/weeks. I’ve probably traded 40 different stocks. I took the authors advice and moved my stops up as the price increased. However, after posting nice gains in the short term, and subsequently upped the stops as they moved, most of the stocks pulled back and hit the stop for a small gain or small loss. I had one stock post a 70% increase in a few of weeks. Check out CHH bought in early July. However, the stock had strong earnings, strength and it was also being heavily accumulated at the time I bought it. Most days 4 times the average daily volume, and up to as much as 20 times normal volume. Also, CHH is in the leisure industry which happened to be in the top 3 industries at the time. And it just so happens that it was pulling out of price consolidation or base – a perfect ‘cup with handle’ formation. See investors.com for further detail. It looks like all of these things made a difference in my best performing stock. I would suggest using TTS to alert you to stocks, but also check their fundamentals, volume and industry strength. Don’t just buy any stock that hits your radar screen. In a bear market, I would suggest targeting a small profit, then sell it once it hits. I know that the author states that you should go long in a bear market, and short in a bull market, based on his belief that a stock that is bucking the trend shows real strength in whichever direction it is moving. But, I’ve found that most stocks will eventually follow the market in either direction. If I would have sold at a small profit, say 10-15% which most of the stocks that I picked made, I would have done better. Also, I would pick one stock at a time and let it prove itself instead of picking many stocks just to be fully invested. And I wouldn’t limit myself to the prices that he recommends based on your portfolio, nor the number of stocks. I believe it’s better to have a few good stocks and feed them, then to have many mediocre ones. Like he says, don’t alter the princples of TTS, but feel free to tailor it to your needs. An interesting and good read even if you don’t try it.
I read Winning Stocks with great excitement and anticipation. The stock picking strategy seemed compelling. I found the explanations of our “rigged” stock market enlightening and eye-opening. However, when I tried the author’s “Trinity” system, I found it relatively ineffective. I followed the strategy religiously for 3 months and lost a fair amount of money. Granted, it was during the down market of 3/01-6/01, but it’s supposed to work regardless of conditions. Either I missed something or the period was simply unfavorable for any investor. I’d be curious about other people’s results.