Where Your Trading Edge Really Comes From
Why Edge Isn’t Always Found on the Chart
Over the last couple of posts, we’ve talked about your North Star…
And how to reverse engineer your edge into simple daily work.
So today, I want to finish this little series with a slightly different question…
WHAT IF YOUR EDGE ISN’T ON THE CHART?
When traders think about “edge”, they usually think about patterns.
- Breakouts.
- Pullbacks.
- Levels.
- Indicators.
And that’s fine.
Plenty of great traders are almost purely technical. (LBR for example)
But if you look at, say, some of the more recent Market Wizards, many of them built their edge outside the chart.
Amrit Sall?
Unexpected earnings and news reactions.
Jason Shapiro?
Positioning via COT and sentiment.
Chris Camillo?
Social arbitrage. Spotting trends before Wall Street cared.
Other Wizards specialise in:
- Short squeezes
- Data-driven themes
- Seasonal tendencies
- Options flow
- Who’s trapped… not what the candle looks like
Same market.
Just subtly different inputs.
The point isn’t that one is better than the other.
It’s this:
Your edge is often the lens you bring to price.
You might still execute on the chart.
But the reason you’re interested in a trade might come from somewhere else.
So it’s worth asking yourself:
Is my edge purely technical…
Or is there something I could layer on top that fits me?
Not more indicators.
Not more noise.
Just one additional input that helps you:
filter trades
time aggression
understand when not to trade
And most importantly…
Something you actually enjoy thinking about.
Because the edge you stick with for years is usually the one that feels natural to you.
So as you head into 2026, alongside defining your North Star, it might be worth exploring this:
What edge can I build outside of the charts?
No rush.
No pressure to change anything.
Just curiosity.
Sometimes that’s where the next level comes from.