Professional Trader Course

Course Type: On Location

Duration: Part 1: 3 days, Part 2: 4 days, Days are approximately 6.5 hours

Note: For Professional Trader - Online, the duration is fourteen 3-hour sessions.

Print Curriculum

Overview

The Professional Trader Course teaches you Online Trading Academy’s patent pending supply and demand trading strategy. This Core Strategy allows you to identify key market turning points, and major market moves in advance using a powerful, yet simple rules-based strategy. Trading is a serious competition between two sides where there is always a winner and a loser. To be successful in trading you must have an “edge”. This course gives you that edge, through dynamic skill-building lessons and hands on live-market trading sessions with real-money, our money. We absorb all losses and commissions leaving you to focus on proper strategy-trading execution. What you will learn in this class you will not find anywhere else or read in any industry trading books.

Why trade the Stock Market?

• Liquidity – Strong liquidity allows for immediate execution with minimal slippage
• Price Range – Many stocks with different price points allows you to trade a stock in a comfortable price range
• Commissions – With commissions as low as $0.05 per share, the transaction cost for execution is minimal
• Market Information – Popular with the media, an abundance of information is available on most equities
• Flexibility – Broad markets and major sectors allow flexibility to trade individual companies or major indexes
• Diversification – Ability to trade Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) offers diversification (GLD)
• Risk – Ability to trade very small position size while learning (10 shares) to gain real trading experience

Audience

This course is designed for students of all experience levels who are serious about becoming a professional trader.

Prerequisites

Online Student Orientation and the Platform Orientation are recommended pre-requisites for this course. No trading experience is required.

Format

• Each day's agenda contains 2-3 powerful and fully interactive lectures led by a professional trader combined with 1-2 live trading and analysis sessions focusing on market analysis and trade execution.
• Maximum 22 person capacity providing individual attention from your instructor
• Each student is provided a classroom computer where they learn in a hands-on environment for optimal learning
• Students are provided trading accounts funded with real money where they trade with live data in either simulation or live mode. Online Trading Academy absorbs all of the losing trades and commissions, providing the student with real to life environment for executing trades.

Course Objective

To clearly understand and properly execute OTA's patent pending supply and demand trading in order to attain short term income and long term wealth.

Detailed Course Outline

Part 1, Day 1

• Trading Foundation
  The zero sum game – Trading is a transfer of money from those who DON’T know to those who DO. Unlock the truth of how markets really work. You will learn how to identify two specific groups of traders and recognize what these traders look like on a price chart.
• Basic Concepts and Terminology
  There are standard industry terms and there are specific Online Trading Academy terms that you will be using throughout your education with Online Trading Academy. You will gain a clear understanding on key concepts including the three components of S.E.T.ing a trade, understanding the two primary account types and how to treat trading as a business.
• News and Economic Reports
  Learn the importance of external news and economic reports and how to manage and leverage their impact on your trading. Take inventory of the key market reports and when they occur. Tour the Trader’s Dashboard and locate and review economic reports.
• The Flow of Trading
  Gain a clear understanding of how information and money flow in trading. You will learn the role of specific people and entities including, Brokers, Exchanges, Market Makers and more. You will also learn about the various products associated with trading including stocks, futures, commodities, currencies, ETFs and more as well as the importance of direct access trading platforms.
• Charts, The Window Into the Market
  The Power of Price - Any and all influences on price are reflected in price and displayed on Price Charts. What does this look like? Candlesticks and charts are critical components in your ability to unlock the markets. You will receive a solid foundation on how to navigate and manipulate charts, time frames and recognize Online Trading Academy specific price action patterns such as Rally-Base-Drop and Drop-Base-Rally.
• Core Strategy Foundation
  Everything in day one leads up to this portion of the course which is where you are introduced to Online Trading Academy’s patent pending trading strategy which is the basis for the rest of the course. You will learn the approach to identifying market turning points, identifying where the institutions and banks are buying and selling and how to recognize what opportunity looks like on a price chart.

Part 1, Day 2

• Trading Styles
  Overview of the two primary styles of trading, Intraday and Longer Term and explore criteria of each style including; Time frames, Definition, Advantages and Challenges. You will use the Trading Style Decision Matrix and Attribute Scorecard to determining your trading style.
• Core Strategy Setups and Zones (The WHERE)
  The introduction of the Core Strategy Buy Setup and Sell Setup and the focused action to take when each specific setup is identified. Setups are documented using zones which establish the foundation for simple rules-based strategy. You will learn the 3 steps Zone-ing method for drawing the proximal and distal lines that form the zone. Zones are the building blocks for accurately identify market turning points.
• Core Strategy Trends (The WHEN)
  Exploring the two attributes of a Trend; Direction (up, down, sideways) and Momentum (weak, strong, very strong) and how these are used to determine when to buy and when to sell. We will explore the 4 stages of a trend and learn trend-analysis basics using three different approaches; Price Action, Moving Averages, and Trend Lines, to help our strategic decision making for entering and exiting trades.
• Core Strategy Entry Types and Proper Exit
  The three components of a trade are contained in the simple acronym S.E.T. Stop, Entry, Target. Our core strategy contains three entry types; Limit, Zone and Confirmation Entry. We will gain a solid understanding of these entries as well as two important ways to exit a trade with Stops and Targets. Maximizing profit-taking requires both entries and exits working together.
• Odds Enhancers
  Odds Enhancers are Online Trading Academy’s proprietary scoring system for objectively measuring the quality of trading opportunities, Three powerful Odds Enhancers are covered in Part 1 and truly provide you with the strategic advantage “the edge” over the trading competition.
• Trade Management
  Proper trade management focuses on having a plan before you enter a trade. How you manage a trade will affect the dynamic between winning percentage and profitability. This section will provide you with two present trade management plans that you can build upon.

Part 1, Day 3

• Order Types
  Learn the purpose of 4 different Order Types and the pros and cons for each order type. Order types include: Market Order, Limit Order, Stop Market Order, Stop Limit Order
• Risk Management and Position Sizing
  There are 5 outcomes when trading. You will gain a clear understanding of each and how to eliminate risk for the best chance of becoming a successful trader. You will explore the 5 reasons why traders “blowup” their accounts and how to minimize or completely eliminate these traits from your trading. You will learn how to objectively “size” your positions, as well as gain an understanding of what both risk and reward look like on a price chart.
• Multiple Time Frame Analysis
  Multiple Time Frame analysis is key to identifying high probability, low risk, and high reward trading opportunities. No matter what style of trader you are, you will utilize three specific chart time frames with purpose and focus.
• Recording and Analyzing Results
  Anything measured can be managed which can be improved upon. This is very true for trading. You will be held accountable to have both a trading plan and a trading log. You will learn how to log your trades, review them, learn from them and make adjustments for improved results.
• Putting It All Together
  All of the detail covered in this outline for the first three days of this class will be put together in a simple, organized, strategic step by step action plan that allows us to trade with a simple, yet powerful rules-based strategy!

Part 2, Day 1

• Live Trading and Analysis
  Part 2 of this course begins the internship portion of your education. During this portion of the class, as well as 1-2 times per day for the remainder of this course, you will be using a classroom student computer to access live data while trading real-money, our money. We absorb all losses and commissions leaving you to focus on trading execution in a very structured lab session where you will analyze the market for trading opportunities, plan your trades and then trade that plan.
• Stock Selection Process
  There are literally thousands of individual equity markets to possibly trade. How do you know where to begin? You will learn how to create a watch list and then implement a very structured top down analysis that helps you to focus on the right markets with the lowest risk, highest reward, and highest probability trading opportunities.
• Momentum Trading Tactics
  The benefit of momentum trading is that it allows you to participate in a strong market move after it is under way. You will learn the rules and skills to take advantage of momentum moves while still properly managing risk and reward.
• The Complete Trader
  Trading Professionals know the importance of understanding each of the 4 specific markets: Stocks, Futures, Forex and Options. This portion of the course will introduce you to the basic attributes and benefits of each of these asset classes, as well as who trades them.

Part 2, Day 2

• XLT Live Trading
  XLT stands for the Extended Learning Track which is the graduate program at Online Trading Academy. XLT is an online program that extends the time our graduates have with their instructors and their fellow students. This segment of the course provides with a 90 minute actual XLT session specifically for the students in the Professional Trader Course, allowing you to experience what our graduate program is all about.
• Technical Indicators
  Improper use of technical indicators is one of the biggest reasons traders fail! Although indicators are not the primary tool used in Online Trading Academy’s Core Strategy, when used properly, they can serve as a secondary support tool for confirmation in taking a trade.
• Trading Gaps
  Gaps produce some of the lowest risk, highest reward and highest probability trading for our students. Gaps are the most obvious way to identify where the next big market move will begin. Clearly understanding the difference between a OTA Novice-Gap vs. a OTA Pro-Gap is a key component of our rules-based, market timing strategy.
• Odds Enhancers #4
  Odds Enhancers #4 measuring “Fresh Levels”
• Ten Laws of Trading
  The Ten Laws of Trading are absolutes that should be a part of every trader’s trading plan. These dos and don’ts keep Online Trading Academy students focused on the right things. This gives them the foundation for becoming a well-rounded, disciplined professional trader.

Part 2, Day 3

• Trader Time Zones
  There are three key price reversal times in the market every day. Knowing these key reversal times and combining them with OTA’s Core Strategy helps to stack the odds in your favor.
• Oscillators
  Oscillators produce many buy and sell signals for short term traders and long term investors, of which most signals lead to losses. Improper use of oscillators is one of the biggest reasons traders fail! Although oscillators are not the primary tool used in Online Trading Academy’s Core Strategy, when used properly, they can serve as a secondary support tool for confirmation in taking a trade.
• Mastering the Mental Game
  The human mind is not wired to trade properly. From birth we are conditioned and naturally gravitate toward that which makes us feel good and staying away from that which makes us feel bad. Taking this action in the markets is a recipe for consistent losses. This has to be corrected! This course provides you with the proper tools to handle those natural emotions and the actions that stem from these emotions.
• Market Traps
  You are constantly exposed to buy and sell signals from a variety of sources (economic reports, professional recommendation, technical indicators, and general news). These signals invite you to take action (buy or sell) in the market place. Many of these invitations are traps, risk disguised as opportunity. You will learn how to recognize and steer clear of the traps and take advantage of the opportunity.
• Advanced Order Type
  This portion of the course focuses on the Bracket Order which offers the trader two key benefits; time not having to sit in front of their computer and secondly the removal or at least the minimization of the trader’s emotion. You will learn how to properly setup a bracket order.

Part 2, Day 4

• Live Trading Skill Test
  Trading is more than knowledge. It is an acquired skill. This test provides the instructor with a return demonstration confirming that his/her students comprehended the concepts and executed the skills they have been taught throughout the course.
• Final Exam
  A comprehensive exam covering all 7 days of both Part 1 and 3 of the Professional Trader Course
• Ten Survival Skills
  These 10 survival skills go hand in hand with the 10 Laws of trading and should also be represented in your trading plan and serve as a reminder and a focus point in order to survive and maintain a long and prosperous career in market speculation.
• Class Survey and Graduation
  Each student completes a survey of their entire education experience, providing Online Trading Academy with valuable feedback in every area of the entire educational experience from pre-class preparation, courseware, center’s facility, support staff, technology and, of course, the instructor. In addition, we will have a graduation ceremony celebrating your completion of this course!