Wyckoff Was Right: Why Great Traders Pick a Direction

From Wyckoff to Crabel, the timeless lesson is clear — align with the day’s bias, not both sides of the market.

Good morning,

So, I’ve got a soft spot for old trading books.
There’s just something about them… the paper, the phrasing, the rawness.

I recently picked up a 1924 copy of Studies in Tape Reading by Richard D. Wyckoff.
Beautiful condition, shipped from some guy in the US. 🇺🇸

And one passage really struck me.

PICK A DIRECTION

Turns out, a lot of the legendary old-school traders were all saying the same thing:

Wyckoff: “The mind is not clear when the trader is working both sides of the market.”

Taylor: “The trader should align with the day’s intent, buy on Buy Days, sell on Sell Days. Don’t fight the rhythm.”

Crabel: “Filtering for direction increases the odds of success. Most patterns work better when aligned with the dominant trend or bias.”

Different eras. Different markets. Same lesson.

Even if you think you’re good enough to trade both directions at once…
…maybe you’re better off sticking with just one. 🤷🏼‍♂️

That’s the topic of this week’s podcast episode.

So, if your results aren’t quite where you want them… this might be the simple unlock that moves the needle.

🎧 Worth ten minutes to check 😁