Rating: 
Summary: Thin But Not Concise
Review: ...As the book progresses, many interesting and educational points are given to the reader, such as Time Diversificaton and a solid manner of choosing the different time frames to be studied. I also liked the forecasting grid and the comparing of various time frames to improve forecasting as well as the synthetic bars. However, the meat and potatoes of the book are the mathematics used in the indicators which she never fully divulges. She hints at them with statements such as "The RWI, with our correction, forms the basis for the mathematics used in calculating the Kase PeakOscillator (p90)." Now I think I have been able to piece together this oscillator but many readers I fear will be left short thinking they were left one dune in front of the oasis and still in the desert. The same process continues in the chapter entitled Using Statistics to Find Optimal Stop: Kase's Adaptive Dev-Stop. We are given great instructions on how to use this indicator, it is just too bad we cannot code for it or actually use it without purchasing the indicators from a vendor. So the last part of the book is Walking Through Trades, an interesting peak into trading the processes we have previosuly been learning. Their application though is contingent upon purchasing the indicators. And for my favorite part, "This represents a total gain of .5715 on this 2/3 and a net overall gain of $1.43 million on the overall strategy." Of course that is assuming an average trade size of 250 contracts!! So now I have answered my question I think, this book is probably written as a counterpart to her indicators for professional corporate traders with an attempt to make it relevant to the common trader. So as a book that stands alone I am forced to give it 2.5 stars, but as an instruction manual to using her indicators, I would probably score it much higher.
Rating: 
Summary: The Total Package
Review: Cynthia's work is perhaps the best I've ever seen. She takes a true "top down" approach to market timing. Her "Permission Stochastic" consistently keeps us trading with the trend. Her "Dev Stops" allow for emotionless exits. The "Peak Oscillator" is a mathematically sound method of determining overbought/oversold conditions. Her "KCD" is in class by itself. I'm stumped every time I try to recreate it in Easy Language. Reading Cynthia's book was bittersweet for me. She's already done the work I set out to. Simply put, her "Statware" package tackles nearly every issue facing a trader, trend, time, volatility, noise, skew, etc., and does it well. If you want to give yourself a fighting chance as a speculator, understand the concepts in this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Serious Professional - Excellent Work!
Review: For any trader looking for real concrete answers and positive direction in technical analysis, this is the book to read! Ms. Kase is able to break down the main elements of the markets into easy to understand terms and logically explains how and why her approach and methods work. Her impressive successful background and experience cannot be disputed; this shows in her work. There are many weak "black box" systems for sale out there - this is not one of them. The Kase indicators and methods to trading in the markets are not limited to specific periods in time, nor are they limited to specific markets; this is the fundamental basis for their solidity and amazing accuracy. Her "Dev-Stop" and "PeakOscillator" are excellent tools! I highly recommend this book and the fine work of Ms. Kase to any trader serious about trading using technical indicators.
Rating:
Summary: A Serious Professional - Excellent Work!
Review: For any trader looking for real concrete answers and positive direction in technical analysis, this is the book to read! Ms. Kase is able to break down the main elements of the markets into easy to understand terms and logically explains how and why her approach and methods work. Her impressive successful background and experience cannot be disputed; this shows in her work. There are many weak "black box" systems for sale out there - this is not one of them. The Kase indicators and methods to trading in the markets are not limited to specific periods in time, nor are they limited to specific markets; this is the fundamental basis for their solidity and amazing accuracy. Her "Dev-Stop" and "PeakOscillator" are excellent tools! I highly recommend this book and the fine work of Ms. Kase to any trader serious about trading using technical indicators.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, Cynthia, I do indeed love you.
Review: I just couldn't stand by any longer and let this book get 3.5 stars and not speak out. I've owned this book for several years now and it is the "truth" of market momentum mathematics.
People, this is a 5 star book. Easy. Done. Stick a fork in it. Take it to the bank.
The no-nonsense bottom line approach of Kase's remarkable contribution to market analysis is well known, documented and is not something to be questioned. And, it is contained within this book. It might even be a well kept secret for those in the know.
A few complained about the indicators not being explained in the book. Untrue. You just have to "nuke them out". (Sorry, that was a reference to my nuclear power school days when we often had to stop and think in order to understand a concept that the instructors refused to spoon feed us).
A few complained about the book as a marketing ploy for her software. Well, "STATWARE" is "still cutting edge" and this is 9 years after her books' release.There's a reason why Esignal, CQG, Tradestation, Prophet, etc. carry her "STATWARE" package. Its because its "darn" good.
Those with the brains to discern know and have let their data vendors know.
Also, this lady doesn't do half the marketing of others who have at best "questionable" analysis packages. She's a quiet achiever. A very serious lady this Cynthia.
My only complaint is the expense of leasing her indicator package. $200/month on top of real time data. Wow! I couldn't handle that one. Thats a corporate (they get to write it off) fee to me. And she has (to this day) been slow to release the indicator package for Metastock, my software of choice. So, I had to "program them myself". Oh well, the pain was worth it. And my version works okay.
Yes, do yourself a favor if you think you understand market momentum, volatility, oscillators and stochastics: Let Cynthia school you.
No, I've never met and am not related to Cynthia Kase, but if she wants to ever marry into the family. She has my blessing.
Rating:
Summary: Good ideas, average book
Review: I like this book because it uses some similar methods that I already incorporate into my trade. Using Elliot Wave to form a possible pattern in the near future and create a bias , and then using an indicator as a filter for an allowance of trade ("permission"). Kase develops a number of oscillators, stop variation and so forth that are custom to her and requires you to buy it from her webpage . That part is a bit annoying, especially when I doubt the indicators are any less useless than all the others out there. Nevertheless, this is a decent effort by a profitable trader and that alone is reason to take a look at it.
Rating:
Summary: Statistics approach to the markets - Excellent
Review: I ordered this book and then devoured it twice. I disagree with other inputs that the book does not provide details for the indicators. Ms. Kase is extremely open in disclosing the math and logic behind her technical indicators and her overall approach to the markets via statistics. With little study, one can easily derive her mathematical approach. The chapter explaining standard deviations was worth the price of the book alone. Having taken a post-graduate level statistics class, I found her explanation of standard deviations and statistics to be the best I've ever read to explain the math. You do not need to be a math whiz to understand her approach because of the easy-to-understand explanations. If you trade using standard deviations, this is a "must-read" book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed and yet...
Review: If you want a book that will try to convince you (indirectly) to buy/lease the proprietary software behind it, then this book is for you. If you want to learn about trading with Elliott Waves and fibonacci retracements and other subjective trading tools and rules (without any statistics backing them up - only trading experience) then this book can help. If you want to use the power of statistics (see title) to improve your trading profits then this book may fall a little short.
On the other hand you may learn about new ways at looking at things (e.g. tick-volume charts) and the apparent relationships between price, time, volume, etc that you can explore and continue your trading education.
This is not a great trading book but it's also not a complete loss either.
Rating:
Summary: ok
Review: Interesting concepts and many seem valid.
Rating:
Summary: Statistics approach to the markets - Excellent
Review: Kase is a very smart woman, unfortunately she has hooked into the hype and "guru" mentality that is the financial community for futures. ...it is a mere proxy for getting you to buy her software. Save your money!! I agree, listing systems in the back portion of the book showing spectacular profits that are based on trading unrealistic quantities(250) is purely eye candy. I wonder if she pulled some of this some stuff in her "distinguished education" classes.
| 
