Review Trading from Your Gut: How to Use Right Brain Instinct & Left Brain Smarts to Become a Master Trader

Trading from Your Gut: How to Use Right Brain Instinct & Left Brain Smarts to Become a Master Trader Best Review

Curtis Faith has an interesting writing voice, particularly for a trading book author.
There's none of the loudmouth, faux-streetwise braggadocio that makes you want to
throw some trading books against a wall (or through a TV screen).

(Disclosure: I worked around Wall Street in the 80's, hung out in bars with the likes of these guys and generally found them to be as obnoxious then in their twenties as many of them still seem to be now in their fifties.)

In refreshing contrast, Curtis Faith uses jarringly simple and direct language in a prose style that reads so relaxed you might start to wonder if he's some kind of naïve trading savant or a satori-infused Zen monk of the markets. Rest assured Faith has the rational/analytical side of trading covered; what he's presenting to us is his personal viewpoint informed by the ups and downs of life since his early success as a Turtle.


In "Trading From Your Gut", Faith applies the popular Right/Left Brain metaphor to what he regards as the yin and yang approaches of a large majority of traders. The left-brainers are the quants, the technicians who tend to be either strict followers of one or more trading systems, or are certain that any trade they make can be justified by analysis. On the right side are the intuitive traders who are all about feel, emotion, and the psychology of the market - on the surface the very antithesis of the quant worldview, but Faith suggests there's plenty of common ground to be cultivated.

With a title "Trading From Your Gut", Faith is obviously focusing on readers who lean toward an analytical, technical approach and could use some loosening up of their intuitive side.

As an aside, I first encountered the Right/Left Brain metaphor in Betty Edwards' classic, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" - still in my opinion one of the most effectively organized instructional books I've ever read on any subject (there's a review for you).

I've also read that over the years aspects of Roger Sperry's initial brain research have been challenged and it's now fairly well-established that - yes - there certainly are different areas of the brain that handle different functions but - no - they're not quite so cleanly and discretely partitioned into hemispheres and they don't perform quite so independently as first thought.

Regardless, Right/Left Brain is a vivid metaphor that's ingrained in our culture and there's little popular itching to replace it.

Having read Faith's previous book, "Way of the Turtle", I found it hard at first to regard him was anything but a dyed-in-the-wool left-brainer. In "Trading From Your Gut" however, he claims upfront that he was always of both minds - rational and intuitive - as was his Turtle mentor Richard Dennis.

Faith also displays an admirable humility by admitting 1) the methods he used to great success as a Turtle - primarily trend-following breakouts - don't work as well anymore (presumably because so many institutional traders incorporate the strategy into their programs and systems). 2) Rather than claiming like others to have found the Holy Grail of Trading Approaches, his own decision-making continues to evolve as it embraces over time even more of an intuitive approach.

Instead of applying his insights to a wide variety of trading methods, Faith selects a single, popular strategy, swing trading, and demonstrates how a "whole-brain informed" trader might approach it combining both intuitive and analytical tools. He chooses swing trading because the days-to-weeks time frame of an average trade provides sufficient opportunity for practice. And he believes practicing decision making with real money on the line is ultimately the only way to become truly comfortable doing it.

A major point of the book is that to benefit from intuitive insight traders (and decision makers in general) have to reduce the fear and anxiety they often feel over the decision making process. Using fast-paced day trading to illustrate would likely have been inappropriate for most readers - including myself. (Although someone attuned and comfortable with the pace of day trading would certainly benefit from what Faith has to say.)

Faith's right brain techniques include focusing on patterns in charts rather than the numbers they represent to develop a faster, more efficient way to sift for trading opportunities. At first glance this doesn't appear to be a particularly original idea, with pattern matching tools now standard on most broker websites. But Faith's point is that relying superficially on something such as patterns is just as limiting - and potentially risky - as being constrained by an overly analytical approach. The two sides must reinforce and continually nourish one another.

The final few pages of the book, ironically the afterword, really ties together Faith's strongest points effectively - so much so that I wish he'd presented similar thoughts much earlier in the text. Here Faith discusses techniques to reduce the fear and uncertainty that keep many people from trusting their intuition and clinging instead to an oftentimes false sense of security in hard facts and numbers.

As hinted at above, I have to say a weakness of the book is the overall organization of the material.

Even preface-writer Van Tharp indicated he glossed over the early chapters on well-known examples of Behavioral Finance due to his own background in psychology. Frankly a lot of this will be very familiar to anyone who regularly reads books or articles on money management and investing. I felt a lot of it wasn't essential to Faith's argument and could have been omitted or shortened.

While weighing in at barely 200 pages, the book took an unusually long time to read because the focus drifted between different aspects and examples of intuitive thinking. Perhaps this was inevitable with such a topic. But however interesting the various and sometimes lengthy digressions into brain functioning, grand prix racing, chess, and skydiving were, their ultimate purpose didn't materialize effectively until the end of the book. I got it by the time I reached the end; I just couldn't help at times wishing the book came with its own GPS.

Another small criticism is the use throughout of extracted highlight quotes before they actually appear in the text - often immediately before. I don't know whether the author or editor is the culprit here, but it's a bizarre practice in a book and really gunks up the prose rhythm. If you want to extract quotes for reinforcement, in my opinion, do it after they've appeared at least once.

One last small turn-off for me was being treated to a sneak peek of the next installment in Curtis Faith's "Art of the Trade" trilogy, namely a preview of the author's next book on trading FOREX. Perhaps I'm too much the purist but this kind of promotion at the end always detracts from the experience I've just had and feels like the literary equivalent of a telemarketing call after dinner.

The above criticisms aside, there's clearly good stuff to be found in "Trading From Your Gut": valuable lessons that go far beyond trading, particularly for those who over-analyze decisions to the point of paralysis and are forever hesitant to go against "what the numbers say".

Faith's key point is that rational/intuitive is not an if/else dichotomy. The rational inevitably informs the intuitive, as does the opposite. The more you understand the analytical side of what you're dealing with the more informed your intuitive hunches will be. That's as true of the jazz musician as it is of the athlete as it is of the trader.

"Trading From Your Gut" is a calmly-paced meditation on the author's continually evolving attitude towards decision-making - not just for trading but in all aspects of life.

It's worth a patient and thoughtful read.

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Trading from Your Gut: How to Use Right Brain Instinct & Left Brain Smarts to Become a Master Trader Overview

EARN SERIOUS TRADING PROFITS BY USING YOUR WHOLE BRAIN!

 

Legendary traders like Jesse Livermore, George Soros, Richard Dennis, and Steven Cohen use their full range of powers that encompass both instinct and analysis. That’s how they made their fortunes–and that’s how you can, too. In Trading from Your Gut, Curtis Faith, renowned trader and author of the global bestseller Way of the Turtle, reveals why human intuition is an amazingly powerful trading tool, capable of processing thousands of inputs almost instantaneously. Faith teaches you how to harness, sharpen, train, and trust your instincts and to trade smarter with your whole mind.

 

Just as important, you’ll learn when not to trust your gut–and how to complement your intuition with systematic analysis.

 

You’ve got a left brain: analytical and rational. You’ve got a right brain: intuitive and holistic. Use them both to make better trades, and more money!

 

“Whole Mind” trading: the best of discretionary and system approaches

How winning traders use analysis and disciplined intuition together

 

How to profit from other traders’ “Wrong Brain Thinking”

Understand other traders, without acting like them

 

How to provide a firm intellectual framework for your trades

What successful traders have discovered about the market’s structure and laws

 

The unique value of intuition in swing trading

Use your intuition to trade patterns that computer technology can’t recognize

Available Now => Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Unique book on trading. - Bron - Mechanicsville, VA USA
This is a hard book to review. First, let me say right off, this is one of the best books on trading I have ever read. For me. The question is, is it for you? The reason I say this is that I feel if you are new to trading, or are more of an "investor" (long term style trader) it may not be as good for you. It would all depend on your experiences and background, I think, and how open you are to the ideas presented.

In my fairly long trading career, I've paid my dues and struggled as most do. Made a lot, lost a lot, typical story. I took a few years off from trading and worked on my 'system' and thought about what was going right and wrong for me. Gradually, I eased back in to trading. But I went about things in a very different way. I discounted everything I had read and thought about trading and decided to do it "my way." I set my "system" aside and just traded. I simplified my approach and I trusted my instincts and intuition more. And, bingo! For me, it started to work better than ever before.

Good news, but exactly why and how was this so? I thought about that a lot, but it wasn't until I read this book that I knew the answer. It was because I was now trading using both logic and intuition, in a holistic fashion, and not crippled by over reliance on my left-brain "system." And all that stuff I had "discounted" was stuff I had learned and absorbed and was still there to draw on. Like a baseball player who does not "think" about how to hit the ball, but just does it, I was not over-thinking my trading, I was just "doing it" putting all my hard won knowledge and skills to work and using my right-brain to put it all together and call the shots. (Well, it's hard to explain, but hopefully this gives you the gist. If it sounds like I'm a "hippie" trader...LOL..well, not so. Without the hard work, training and practice, it won't work. Can't just "be" there. You have to do the work.)

But will this book open this door for you? Possibly. But I think you will have to be "ready" and receptive. (So if you buy it and don't "get it" at first, keep it handy on your shelf. It may hit you differently later.)

The author, after a basic introduction to fundamental technical analysis and trading, explains in a friendly and easily understood way, how we use our left brain and right brain in daily life and why both are important to our survival and decision making. And he details how we train ourselves through play and practice with the skills we need. Skills that the right brain can then bring to bear with its unique pattern matching and gestalt style processes. For me, this was a revelation and I suddenly understood what I had been through and why it was working for me. This is important, because this understanding gives one confidence and trust in ones methods.

The book is easy to read and understand and I learned a lot of interesting things about how we think and make decisions. Fascinating stuff. Lots of entertaining anecdotes as examples. The book is not that long, but there is a lot of substance contained in it. Many very useful nuggets of trading wisdom sprinkled throughout. I think the book could have used a few more actual trading examples illustrating how the right brain can take the left-brain knowledge and apply it in "fuzzy" situations, perhaps, but it's all there. The sincere desire of the author to help comes through as well. All in all, a great book if you are ready for it.

As trading books go, it's very reasonably priced and I recommend it highly to anyone who is an active trader.






A Strong Two Sided Method of Trading - C. Oliver - Worcester, MASSACHUSETTS United States
Trading From Your Gut is Curtis Faith's newest book. Curtis Faith was one of Richard Denis's turtles, and has made millions in the stock market. I have the hope of one day making millions as well in the market and so I figured I'd give this book a read. It was a very interesting, unique, and informative read, though it's not ever going to be the last book you ever read. It's sound principles consist of removing your emotions from the market and don't fight the market.

Other books I would reccomend are,
How To Trade In Stocks by Jesse Livermore
Trend Following by Michael Covel
William O'Neil books
The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham
Nicolas Darvas Books
Trend Trading for a Living by Thomas K. Carr (THIS ONE IS ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT ONES I DO BELIEVE)

These books have helped me turn a small pitance of 5,000 dollars into over 150 thousand dollars in the markets in the last year and a half. This book was a great contribution to my library and would be for yours as well.





Best investment book I've read in the past 3 years - Avid reader - CO United States
For me, this book was so good that I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. I am a left-brained, systematic trader type, I have read his "Way of the Turtle" book as well as Michael Covel's "Trend Following" and "The Complete Turtle Trader" books, and have gone so far to have written several programs that show me that the Turtle trading rules still work great for stocks, ETF's and Mutual Funds.

In fact, I probably spent time working on my programs just to avoid looking at the charts, since I had always found them "noisy", pushing me into information overload and only getting through the first few charts on the watchlist. When it comes time to entering or exiting my systematic program trades, I found I still had a hard time pulling the trigger.

During this time, I have come to recognize a few indicators that actually do very well at telling me when the investment is bottoming, topping or beginning to trend, and actually would have gotten me into the same trades that my program would have entered, but often with better entries and exits.

This book was a major breakthrough for me in recognizing that I have been blocking my right brain from wanting to help me do the right thing and protect me from danger and loss. I now recognize that my right brain (intuition) and left brain (systematic program trading) must be aligned and working together to make my trading most effective.

I now to get through large watchlists in a short amount of time by looking for just a few patterns that my intuition has told me (and I've proven through enough left-brain studies) to work well. My mental chatter has dropped off considerably, my stress level has dropped and I really feel like my whole-brain is now working together rather than in conflict.

If you are looking for a trading system or specific rules to use to become a better trader, check out the books mentioned above. This book is really focused on "getting your mind right" by recognizing that your right brain and left brain have complementary roles to play in investment decisions, and that the master traders have succeeded in aligning both and use their whole brain effectively.

If you feel like you've got a solid trading methodology but still can't pull the trigger - something is holding you back from taking action, read this book! If you feel stressed while trading, it's likely to be right brain/left brain misalignment that's at the root of the problem. This book will help you recognize some of the signs of this misalignment, how to use each half of the brain for what it does best, and exercises on how to actually develop and strengthen the coordination of both halves into an effective "whole brain" approach to trading.

Excellent book, Curtis!

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