The Art and Science of Trading

'A highly insightful and practical read' – Alex Spiroglou, Semi-systematic macro trader

Is trading an art or a science?

The Art and Science of Trading reveals why the world's best traders – whether intuitive artists or systematic scientists – all follow the same proven rules.

Some traders are artists, using purely intuitive methods to decide when to trade. Others are more like scientists, trading systematically with no room for human judgment. Among the very best traders in the world, you will find both discretionary artists and systematic scientists.

So, what distinguishes good traders from bad ones? According to ex-hedge fund manager Robert Carver, trading expert and renowned author of Systematic Trading, good traders all follow certain rules.

These rules are virtually the same for all outstanding traders, regardless of their preference for intuition or algorithms. The key rules are scientific – they are underpinned by the mathematics and financial theory which systematic traders are well versed in, and successful artistic traders also follow instinctively.

In contrast, bad traders do not follow these rules. They use a dangerous mixture of gut feeling and half-baked pseudo-scientific methods. Most of them will lose money, unless they are especially lucky.

This book is an authoritative yet applicable guide to combining art and science when trading. Part of a successful trading strategy can be purely artistic – down to your intuition. It could also be entirely scientific. But however you trade, you must always follow certain key, scientifically grounded rules.

Master these principles, and you will have a better chance of succeeding as a trader.