Rating: 
Summary: Very useful and well worth the price
Review: ...Well, first of all, this book reveals a method of trading using only market-generated information - price action - no other input, including volume,
is needed. No forecasts, no guesses, no hocus-pocus mystery talk...
Secondly, I like the fact that he concentrates on producing high probability trades. I like to win - that's why I trade. ...BR> Thirdly, after reading his book, I honestly believe that I can use and successfully adapt my $.../Mo ... Basic subscription to building John's indicators into that online charting service so that I can profitably trade those Rydex index funds...I don't need the more expensive charting packages.
Fourthly, I believe him to be a man of integrity - this is of absolute importance to me. I believe this because (1) he is willing to share an eminently successful, crystal-clear, and
easy-to-implement trading strategy with the public, (2) his book not only includes examples of successful trades, but also trades that have not been successful, just like in real life (3) he goes
out of his way to ensure the reader's understanding of the concepts by clear and error-free text reference to charts, clear accurate definitions, appropriate examples, and repetition of past trading technics, and, finally (4) he has arranged his book to have all the necessary textbooklike qualities...including chapter reviews and an index (the "Putting It All Together" chapter is outstanding!) so as to ensure that his readers have every opportunity to learn. Let me say, considering the multitude of overpriced investment books I've bought in which I've found most of that structure lacking, I very much appreciated both the quality and clarity of John's writing throughout the entire book.
I am very happy with the book...I give it my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Clearcut prose & an easy read
Review: A great trading book with straight forward explanation.
A simple system that appears to work on a cross setion of markets with no curve fitting using Directional Day Filter & very common indicaters.The use of pivot points as entry/exit , support/resistance is of great help.
Rating:
Summary: Master trading tool
Review: Dr. John Clayburg:
Thank you so much for share your terrific strategy system based in DIRECTIONAL DAY FILTER.
Everyday work very succesfull with all my stock basket and in whole real world The book is so helpfull to all investors community, daytraders, scalpers and bottom fishing.
Give and let built other perspective about the golden rule of opening price range breakout.
Technique explanation is excellent. Easy to read and easy to learn As a daytrader, put your name John Clayburg in the gallery of my BIG MASTER TRADERS like Toby Crabel,Linda Bradford and Larry Williams.
Thank you again for this jewell book. I hope your next book soon!
Rating: 
Summary: Well intended, but misguided
Review: First, let me clarify an important distinction between my rating of this book and my overview of the authors' intentions. I firmly believe the author has made a sincere effort at conveying valuable information on daytrading. His writing is thoughtful, clear and professional, and he goes out of his way explaining, and re-explaining important concepts. That being said, I believe the author's intents---however well meant---are misplaced. Based on my experience having tried Clayburg's method since December, I find that it simply doesn't work. If it had, I'd be touting the book from the rooftops. Because a book presents ideas and theorems in an authoritative way doesn't make those theorems accurate. But that's precisely what I believe unfolds here. Let's take, for example, Clayburg's core thesis which he calls the "Directional Day Filter." He claims that by drawing an x/y axis from the first bar in the opening range, one can determine with '75%' accuracy the trend bias of the day. So I examined and backtested literally hundreds of charts but could simply find no consistent correlation to this claim. For example, while there *are* stocks which show an upward bias based on the DDF, there are as many which don't, others which break down and show a bearish bias, and still others which are 'bearish' according to the DDF but then retrace and make positive gains the rest of the day. Clayburg offers yet another questionable strategy which involves setting buy or sell stops above or below key resistance/support points which he calls "categories" of resistance or support. For example, when a bullish stock is retracing (correcting), finding key resistance category points within the correction can serve as entry points later on---i.e. finding the "trend within the trend." This is supposedly bolstered by the confirmation of multiple indicators such as stochastics, Williams % and RSI. But again, I found that while some entry points triggered well after category resistance or support thresholds were met, others were simply 'headfakes' and quickly reversed. In other words, more random behavior which if you believe in the veracity of the DDF, is not supposed to happen to any large degree. Still another problem is the authors' inclusion of sideways markets and how to trade them. Here, he claims that indicators often work the best, and he shows examples of long and short trades being made in choppy whipsaw markets. Problem is, the examples tend to highlight stocks which happen to be making wide-ranging moves higher and lower of a point or more. However in my own analysis, I often found such wide moves were the exception and not rule. Still, this strategy might work if you are simply planning to scalp fractions of a point all day. Many traders, however, don't prefer scalping, and many don't have the capital leverage to do so even if they wished. While Clayburg humbly admits that traders should tweak their own systems to fit their own needs and claims to have presented positive as well as negative examples in the name of fairness, the fact is that he presents chart after chart which shows his system's benefits, but I could not corroborate those benefits after examining a large and random selection of liquid stocks. The one positive that I did come away with from this book was Clayburg's insightful analysis of why oscillator and momentum type indicators work---and don't work. I've never come accross any other trading book which quite explained this dilemma the way Clayburg does, and have never thought about stochastics the same way since. Briefly, he explains how indicators work best when representing the trend; for instance, stochastics will give far more accurate *buy* signals in an uptrend than sell signals, and vica versa---a fact which has probably bankrupted many new (and veteran) traders as well as given indicators a bad name. Though intriguing, this information alone is not worth the price of the book. One would do better to read Linc who presents what appears to be a simple analysis of trading, but contains many very important layers of information that traders would do well to heed.
Rating:
Summary: signals don't work
Review: I agree with the writer who programmed Clayburg's signals into his software; the idea of entering a long position in the countertrend simply doesn't work most of the time. Other than that, the book is gramatically well written.
Rating: 
Summary: Rationality and Realism
Review: I am writing from Italy and I bought a lot of books about day trading. I read Clayburg interview on the issue of December of Tasc and I was striken by his words.
In particular way I appreciated the rationality and realism he shows towards the market, and the way he is at the same time easy to understand while being technical, precise and effective in creating this system trading. An interesting tool for everyone who uses normal indicators as stochastic, Rsi and William's %R. With studies about Support and Resistence. Nothing more nothing less. This is a "standalone" book, the first i think: you don't need to buy others seminars, software or to subscribe to newsletters, chat rooms and give other money away.
Rating:
Summary: A Well-Described Logical Approach to Trading
Review: John Clayburg has produced a well written book that would be a valuable addition to the library of any serious trader. Although the book is directed primarily to intraday trading, his basic concepts are appropriate for all styles of trading. His method of always defining the major trend and never trading against that trend may seem fundamental, but it is a lesson that most traders (including me) have learned the hard and expensive way. The author provides a systematic approach which keeps the trader on the right side of the major trend while providing specific techniques for entry and exit. His entry methodology invloves defining exhaustion of minor pullbacks against the major trend and defining short term support and resistance levels. By requiring these support/resistance levels to be broken prior to entry, many bad trades are avoided. The book is also well illustrated with numerous example charts. If you are trading or planning to trade, you can save yourself some money by reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Topnotch Trading Book
Review: Mr.Clayburg has written a very imformative and helpful
book.His "Daily Directional Indicator" is something I've
never seen before and is quite unique.I have read numerous
books on trading and not one of them has ever touched
on a "trading tool" such as this.Chapter 10 is worth the price
of the book alone and possibly much more.I intend to use this
daily indicator in my own trading from now on to give me
a daily directional bias. I reccomend this book to all aspiring traders.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: One of the few books that presents a truly viable short term trading method (sub 5 min charts). Clayburg meticulously "babies" you through the setup, procedure and entries. The charts are presented step by step and then bombs you with example after example. It is also annoying how well his setup is explained. If you are looking for an logical method of daytrading, this has to be on your desk.
Rating:
Summary: The way trading books should be written
Review: There are now many trading books available in the market. The quality of these books varies immensely. This whole book really only explains one trading plan- to be used in a short time frame, ie. daytrading. The four steps, in short, are descriptions of the rationale and steps used to enter an exit a market. Many other books will also offer the same. What is unusual and laudable however, is the depth of research that the author had undertaken in order to justify why his apparently logical approach may be used in the timeframe he suggests to make money. Exemplary is the pages upon pages of data on the directional day filter. Few books I know even come close to matching this degree of scholarly depth. The author himself notes that few people will trade using his indicators the same way. What this book allows, when combined with one's own research, however, is sensible and rationale debate of the merits or not of any particular approach, tested objectively, in a way few other books offer. For example, is the 'personality of markets' approach, a form of curve fitting optimization? Is using a chart based support and resistance technique for entry really the best way? Most successful traders will already have their own set trading plan- and probably have their own ' four step' process. However, one may have reservations or even disagree completely with the author's approach to trading, and yet cannot fail to be impressed by the outstanding quality of this work.
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