Editor's Note to the June 1999 Issue: (order this issue!)

One of the key differences between CTCR and other publications is that we focus entirely on proven information to make or save you money. No hype.

As a result of that philosophy, we like to find professional traders who are actually on the front lines of trading and making a living doing it. I believe that we can all learn a lot from listening to what profit making traders are doing.
There are a lot of vendors out there who have very interesting ideas but can't trade their way out of a paper bag. That doesn't mean that their ideas are not valid but that their ideas have to be able to work in the real world.

You and I can try to figure out new and exciting trading systems all day long but I believe that it is even more valuable to talk to profitable traders, find out how they make money, and then copy them (if their style suits us). These traders are on the front lines and are doing something right in order to make money as professional traders.
It's amazing to me that many readers would prefer to read an article about a vendor than one from a profitable trader. To me, I want to emulate what works in the real world, not discuss some theory from a vendor that may or may not work. It's also amazing to me how similar the interviews are. The actual trading techniques are often very different but there is usually a key element of the need for self-discipline.

Also in this issue is a discussion of a key money management strategy for trading systems. We take the 40/20 system from our previous issue and place a hard money stop. This simple technique increases profits and decreases risk.

It's a very simple technique that can be applied to virtually all trading systems. This is the next in our series of articles about trading systems. Each system we present will reveal all the rules. No hidden information. Each system will also show an extensive test of the system. We don't want to just make claims about a system without really showing if it works or not. Other publications give just the most cursory test, if any test at all.

We will be presenting either profitable trading systems that you can use right away or we will be presenting concepts to be used in trading systems that will enhance profitability. Every so often we will test a famous system or a popular idea to reveal to our members if it is any good or not. CTCR is dedicated to providing the best research into trading systems of any publication!

We also review OptionVue 5 in this issue. This is a very powerful options program. We are going to have a review of Omega Research's OptionStation coming up in a future issue so we will be having a head-to-head shootout between the two heavyweights in the options arena. (order this issue!)

From the Editors Note: We presented a fascinating article two issues back where we showed how a variation on a thirty year old system was a profitable system. In this article, we look at a way to improve the performance of that system by limiting the losses. In the first article, contributing editor Lars Kestner examines the use of both static and dynamic stops using the 40/20 system. Following that, I take another perspective on the same problem. The bottom line is that the use of hard dollar stops can signifi-cantly improve the performance of a trading system. (order this issue!)

"OptionVue Systems International has created a product to provide quotes, option analytics, and what-if scenario analysis to the trader. With the popularization of electronic day trading over the past couple of years, it is probably only a matter of time before interest spills over into the option market as traders look for vehicles to customize their market opinions."

But is this the program to provide that? Find out what contributing editor Lars Kestner has to say! (order this issue!)

If you were not aware of this previously, CTCR tracks 25 of the top commodities advisory services to show you how well you would have done financially if you had been followed their advice. Obviously, this cuts through the hype surrounding these advisors and demonstrates just how good these 'gurus' really are!

The 'Statistics' section of the CTCR newsletter kicks off with the CTCR Index (available here on CTCR online), which shows in graphical form how well the tracked advisory services have done in aggregate since 1997.
The 'Performance by Market Group' section shows the top performing tracked advisors in Stock Indexes, Interest Rates, Currencies, Metals, Energy, Cereals and Soybeans, Sugar and Beverages and meats.
And of course, the centerfold (click here to see all the amazing information that CTCR exposes about the tracked advisors and their performance!)! This editions top three performers are now up on the 'Top Performers' page at CTCR Online.
Also included is a directory of the advisors tracked, contact details and their pricing. (order this issue!)