Title
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
What I Assume about You
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I : Understanding the Financial Markets
Chapter 1: The Ins and Outs of Trading Futures
Who Trades Futures?
What Makes a Futures Trader Successful?
What You Need in Order to Trade
Seeing the Two Sides of Trading
Getting Used to Going Short
Managing Your Money
Analyzing the Markets
Noodling the Global Economy
Relating Money Flows to the Financial Markets
Enjoying Your Trading Habit
Chapter 2: Where Money Comes From
Discovering How Money Works: The Fiat System
Introducing Central Banks (Including the Federal Reserve)
Understanding Money Supply
Putting Fiat to Work for You
Bonding with the Fed: The Nuts and Bolts of Interest Rates
Central Banks
Chapter 3: The Futures Markets
Taking Big Risks and Guarding Against Them: Two Types of Traders
Limiting Risk Exposure: Contract and Trading Rules
Staying Up to Snuff: Criteria for Futures Contracts
Seeing Where the Magic Happens
Exploring How Trading Actually Takes Place
Making the Most of Margins
Chapter 4: Some Basic Concepts About Options on Futures
Getting Options on Futures Straight
Understanding Volatility: The Las Vega Syndrome
Some Practical Stuff
Chapter 5: Trading Futures Through the Side Door
Introducing Exchange-Traded Funds
Stocking Up on Stock Index Future ETFs
Comfort via Commodity ETFs
Getting Current with Currency ETFs
Using ETFs in Real Trading
Part II : Analyzing the Markets
Chapter 6: Understanding the Fundamentals of the Economy
Understanding the U.S. Economy: A Balancing Act
Getting a General Handle on the Reports
Exploring Specific Economic Reports
Staying Awake for the Index of Leading Economic Indicators
Trading the Big Reports
Keeping It Simple
Chapter 7: Getting Technical Without Getting Tense
Picturing a Thousand Ticks: The Purpose of Technical Analysis
First Things First: Getting a Good Charting Service
Deciding What Types of Charts to Use
Getting the Hang of Basic Charting Patterns
Seeing through the Haze: Common Candlestick Patterns
Chapter 8: Speculating Strategies That Use Advanced Technical Analysis
Using Indicators to Make Good Trading Decisions
Lining Up the Dots: Trading with the Technicals
Chapter 9: Trading with Feeling Now!
The Essence of Contrarian Thinking
Bull Market Dynamics
Survey Says: Trust Your Feelings
Considering Volume (And How the Market Feels About It)
Out in the Open with Open Interest
Putting Put/Call Ratios to Good Use
Understanding the Relationship Between Open Interest and Volume
Using Soft Sentiment Signs
Developing Your Own Sentiment Indicators
Part III : Financial Futures
Chapter 10: Wagging the Dog: Interest Rate Futures
Bonding with the Universe
Yielding to the Curve
Deciding Your Time Frame
Getting the Ground Rules of Interest-Rate Trading
Playing the Short End of the Curve: Eurodollars & T-Bills
Trading Bonds and Treasury Notes
Chapter 11: Rocking and Rolling: Speculating with Currencies
Understanding Foreign Exchange Rates
Exploring Basic Spot-Market Trading
The U.S. Dollar Index
Trading Foreign Currency
Arbitrage Opportunities and Sanity Requirements
Chapter 12: Stocking Up on Indexes
Seeing What Stock-Index Futures Have to Offer
Contracting with the Future: Looking into Fair Value
Major Stock-Index Futures Contracts
Formulating Trading Strategies
Using Your Head to Be Successful
Part IV : Commodity Futures
Chapter 13: Getting Slick and Slimy: Understanding Energy Futures
Some Easy Background Info
Completing the Circle of Life: Oil and the Bond Market
Examining the Peak Oil Concept
The Post-9/11 Mega Bull Market in Energy
Understanding Supply and Demand
Playing the Sensible Market
Handling Seasonal Cycles
Preparing for the Weekly Cycle
Forecasting Oil Prices by Using Oil Stocks
Burning the Midnight Oil
Getting the Lead Out with Gasoline
Keeping the Chill Out with Heating Oil
Getting Natural with Gas
Getting in Tune with Sentiment and the Energy Markets
Some Final Thoughts about Oil
Chapter 14: Getting Metallic Without Getting Heavy
Tuning In to the Economy
Gold Market Fundamentals
Lining the Markets with Silver
Catalyzing Platinum
Industrializing Your Metals
Getting into Metal Without the Leather: Trading Copper
Chapter 15: Getting to the Meat of the Markets: Livestock and More
Exploring Meat-Market Supply and Demand, Cycles, and Seasonality
Understanding Your Steak
Understanding Your Pork Chop
Matching Technicals with Fundamentals
Watching for the Major Meat-Market Reports
Interpreting Key Report Data
Outside Influences that Affect Meat Prices
Chapter 16: The Bumpy Truth About Agricultural Markets
Staying Out of Trouble Down on the Farm
Agriculture 101: Getting a Handle on the Crop Year
Cataloging Grains and Beans
Culling Some Good Fundamental Data
Gauging Spring Crop Risks
Agriculture 102: Getting Soft
Part V : The Trading Plan
Chapter 17: Trading with a Plan Today So You Can Do It Again Tomorrow
Financing Your Habit
Deciding Who’s Going to Do the Trading
Choosing a CTA
Choosing a Broker
Chapter 18: Looking for Balance Between the Sheets
Exploring What’s on Your Mental Balance Sheet
The Financial Balance Sheet
Calculating Your Net Worth
Chapter 19: Developing Strategies Now to Avoid Pain Later
Deciding What You’ll Trade
Adapting to the Markets
Managing Profitable Positions
Back Testing Your Strategies
Setting Your Time Frame for Trading
Setting Price Targets
Reviewing Your Results
Remember Your Successes and Manage Your Failures
Making the Right Adjustments
Chapter 20: Executing Successful Trades
Setting the Stage
Getting the Big Picture
Stalking the Setup
Jumping on the Wild Beast: Calling In Your Order
Riding the Storm
Knowing If You’ve Had Enough
Reviewing Your Trade
Mastering the Right Lessons
Part VI : The Part of Tens
Chapter 21: Ten Killer Rules to Keep You Sane and Solvent
Trust in Chaos
Avoid Undercapitalization
Be Patient
Trade with the Trend
Believe in the Charts, Not the Talking Heads
Remember, Diversification Is Protection
Limit Losses
Trade Small
Have Low Expectations
Set Realistic Goals
Chapter 22: More Than Ten Additional Resources
Government Web Sites
General Investment Information Web Sites
Commodity Exchanges
Trading Books
Newsletter and Magazine Resources
: Further Reading