Unlocking Wealth: Secret to Market Timing

++++++ This system works though it does take a little thought and study. The charts in the book could have been printed in better quality at times it is difficult to see where bar counts have begun. John Crane has though done an excellent job of explaining his method.

I liked John Crane’s first book “Advanced Swing Trading”, but this book is much better. Unlike other traders-come-authors, John Crane does not switch tack with this book and discuss some new and different ways of analyzing the market. No, he sticks to his original theories, expands on the methodology and does a much better job of explaining and illustrating it. The only thing I didn’t like was the title – too “get rich quick” for me.

John Crane’s market timing approach is one of the most elegant futures trading methodologies I’ve seen. It focuses on market structure and using impulse and reaction swings to identify entry and exit points.

The basic component of the methodology is the Reaction swing–a counter-trend move–that is used to confirm a new trend and then identify a low risk entry point. Not revolutionary, but then John Crane uses a count back to a previous swing point to forecast the future turning point. Now that is new!

So the Reaction swing gives you the trend continuation entry point. The count back gives you the projected exit time. John Crane then goes on to show how the exit can be further refined with price projections. Lastly, a methodology for identifying and entering a trend reversal is discussed. This last part was missing from the original book “Advanced Swing Trading” and now with this, the methodology is complete.

The book is packed full of swing and day trading examples from both the futures and stock markets – and the accuracy of this timing technique is uncanny.

I have lost count of the number of trading books I have read since the mid-70’s. The first book was the late JM Hurst’s classic, “The Profit Magic of Stock Transaction Timing”. John Crane’s “Unlocking Wealth” now sits in my trading library alongside the truly great trading books ever published. It is the only book I have ever read that makes it practical to use market structure alone to forecast both price and time. I am not saying that other books don’t address price and time (Gann, Elliott, others). I simply have not found other approaches to be practical to use. Crane’s approach is both practical and effective.

I read this book in search of methodologies to filter trades for the system I was using. The method is so powerful that I have now made Crane’s approach my main strategy…and use a different methodology as a prefilter.

The book clearly describes two basic market structures (Trend Reversal and Trend Continuation). The appearance of these commonly found patterns usually reveals the true nature of the market…and future price at a point in time. Crane’s methodology does not rely on optimization techniques, lagging indicators, general fundamental information, astrological events, or complex equations. It’s pure market structure in a practical manner. Simple and elegant. The methodology gives you the ability to listen to what the market is saying about itself based on its own structure.

The core market structures explained in the book are nearly identical to patterns I have used successfully for years. The book taught me more about the nature of these patterns…and how to trade the patterns better. One of the most valuable things for me was Crane’s methodology for managing trades that are in progress. Cutting losses early and letting profits run is easier said than done…until you read this book.

The methodology can be used with other trading strategies. I am combining Crane’s methods with Hurst’s cycle methods to increase the probability of trading in the correct direction. Either way…I find merit in using Crane’s approach as a stand-alone system. You can use it without a computer – you don’t have to buy expensive software to implement it – and there is little ambiguous about how it is used. It is now difficult for me to look at a chart without looking at it through Crane’s eyes. The book may take a few days to read because it includes more trading examples than was probably necessary…but this can help to internalize the method.

This book gives me the edge I have sought for years. I can’t imagine trying to manage a trade in the future without the precise knowledge of when and where price is likely to go….and reverse.

If you are looking for a trading approach that is practical and effective…or just looking to enhance a system that is already effective…I suggest you read this book.

Excellent purchase. Great product.

I read this book thoroughly and applied EVERYTHING. The more I tested it the worse my results. My practice trades wound up being hit and miss. This is a helpful book for symmetry, and trends, but not at all the end all be all system I was hoping to find.

Swing trading is one of the hottest – and most effective – tools for today s active traders, and John Crane brings a fresh new perspective and a true trading edge to this important concept.