In-house training Suggestions: How to get the most out of your training

TAILOR THE COURSE TO YOUR EMPLOYEE’S EXPERIENCE AND INTERESTS

At BETA Group we appreciate that each of our clients has a unique way of trading and training.  Hence we try to offer you the greatest flexibility we can.

If your teams are using a variety of platforms and are at different levels of Market Timing experience, I would recommend choosing modules from PART I (see summary on the left and details on the following page).  We can easily separate the sessions into half day modules so that people with a basic understanding are not obliged to attend or pay for the introductory sessions.  In fact we will ask you how many people are likely to join but you are under no obligation to stick to that and can go above or under it if you need.  The final invoice will reflect final attendance figures and we have a minimum fee per day of 3000 GBP.  This is the best approach to take if you have different levels of understanding and different platforms.

If you are mainly using Thomson Reuters and your teams already have a basic knowledge of Market Timing Techniques I would recommend that you chose a selection of modules from PART II (see summary in box on the left and following details).  These modules are half day modules which build on the knowledge already learned from the webinars.  If there are people who have not followed the webinars we will forward the manual for the webinar to allow them to catch up. Experience shows that this approach is the best to get your teams as advanced as possible in the shortest possible time.

You can swap and change the content of any courses in PART I following consultation with Trevor Neil.

Continuous Professional Development
OUR IN-HOUSE COURSES MARKED “*CPD” QUALIFY FOR CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

*CPD is Continuous Professional Development.
In the UK all Registered Persons are required to do a minimum amount of relevant training hours per year. This applies in other countries too and is also the practice internally in some of the best firms. We supply a certificate which you should give to your Compliance Officer as evidence of your hours of relevant training.  If you are outside the UK please let us know if we can contact somebody in order to have our courses count for your country.

PART I - Customisable Full Day Courses

Module A – Full Day Course

The Fundamentals.
•    Why Does Technical Analysis work?
•    What is its scientific basis? What are its limitations?

Charting scales.
•    Comparing linear and log scaling on charts – what they show and when to use them

Candlestick charts.
•    The unique advantages of candlestick charting
•    An overview of the 40 most popular patterns and their signals
•    Some lesser known but effective patterns and how to trade them
•    Developing a trading strategy by applying stochastic studies to candlestick charts

Module B – Full Day Course

Chart patterns.
•    The most effective continuation and reversal patterns and how to identify and trade them: head-and-shoulders, double tops and bottoms and consolidation areas.

Understanding Oscillators.
•    How they are constructed
•    Trading signals
•    Divergence

Trading Volume.
•    Volume theory
•    The On Balance Volume (OBV) indicator
•    Chaikin’s Oscillator

Moving Averages Techniques.
•    Choosing ideal period settings for moving average lines across different markets
•    Optimization

Module C– Full Day Course

Fibonacci Ratios.
•    Fibonacci and market psychology
•    Practical applications: retracements, targets and time.

Trend Lines.
•    Drawing them correctly
•    Targets and false breaks
•    Exit methods

Ichimoku Charting.
•    Ichimoku is a much talked about mechanical charting technique that can be applied to all markets. This section presents a detailed explanation of Ichimoku and its practical application.

Module D – Full Day Course

Indicators and Techniques.
•    Moving Average Convergence-Divergence
•    Wilder’s Relative Strength Index
•    Stochastics
•    Directional Movement Index

Long-term Trend Analysis.
•    Identifying a trend and assessing its strength
•    Indicators that measure if the market is trending or non-trending
•    Measuring if the trend is close to exhaustion using volume data and histograms
•    Market breadth indicators - how broadly based is a market rally?
•    Advance/Decline analysis techniques

Module E– Full Day Course

Elliott Wave.
•    The Basics
•    Current market analysis
•    Automated wave counts with TD Wave

Module F – Full Day Course
DeMarkTM Indicators.
•    TD SequentialTM
•    TD ComboTM
•    TD LinesTM

Module G – Full Day Course

DeMarkTM Indicators.
•    TD Relative RetracementTM
•    TD Absolute RetracementTM
•    Limitations of Conventional OscillatorsTM
•    TD Range Expansion Index (REI) TM
•    TD Moving AverageTM

PART II - Following on from the Thomson Reuters Academy Webinar:

Make money from Elliott Wave – Half Day Course

Elliott Wave Analysis is notoriously difficult to learn. Maybe you have some grip of it but how do you actually trade using it? This seminar looks at that aspect of Elliott Wave. Where can you confidently buy or sell? Where to place stops and gauge targets? It is a practical seminar and will be your bridge between the theoretical and the placing of orders.

You will learn:
•    How to find the current correct wave count
•    Set targets
•    Place stop losses
•    Develop a mechanical approach to your trading strategy
•    Trevor Neil will use a live terminal to discuss current wave patterns in your markets and in your timeframe.

You will be provided with pre-seminar reading material in the form of a 20 page grounding in Elliott Wave theory. You will also be provided with a copy of all Trevor Neil’s slides used in the seminar and a comprehensive manual.  Attendees will receive a credit for one hours post-seminar consultancy from Trevor Neil – value £200.

This seminar is suitable for: traders, analysts, portfolio managers, technical analysts and investors trading currencies, bonds, energy and commodities.

Become a skilled Point & Figure Chartist – Half Day Course

This is a technique developed in the 1930’s and was very popular when traders kept their own charts by hand using graph paper and pencils. It fell out of favour when technical analysis became computerised in the 1980s. It was never really done well in charting packages due to the intensity of data required. Too many compromises were made by software developers and it was not calculated as well as it has been when done manually. P&F charting is having a revival of interest. This can be put down to better computing power which makes properly formed P&F charts possible. It has some unique advantages for analysis. It is a practical seminar and will be your bridge between the theoretical and the placing of orders.

You will learn:
•    How to appreciate the advantages of this charting technique
•    How to trade from the chart patterns
•    How to generate their 45⁰ trend lines
•    How to calculate targets
•    Trevor Neil will use a live terminal to discuss current P&F charts of your markets and in your timeframe.
•     You will work though case studies to ensure you leave the seminar understanding how to use P&F chart techniques

You will be provided with pre-seminar reading material in the form of a 20 page grounding in P&F charting. You will also be provided with a copy of all Trevor Neil’s slides used in the seminar and a comprehensive course manual.  Attendees will receive a credit for one hours post-seminar consultancy from Trevor Neil – value £200. Course time counts for CPD*. A certificate of attendance will be provided.

This seminar is suitable for: short term and day-traders, analysts, portfolio managers, technical analysts and investors trading currencies, bonds, energy and commodities.

Japanese Day – Part I:  Using Candlestick Charting today – Half Day Course recommended in conjunction with Ichimoku, Renko and Kagi Charting

This Japanese Day is in two parts: Candlestick charting and the second part covers Ichimoku, Kagi and Renko charting.

Candlestick charting is an ancient technique which has works for traders since the 17-centuary and is, if anything, increasing in popularity today.  You will become proficient in the technique. You will see how a technique which was developed in a different time should be applied in modern markets. This is a practical session and Trevor Neil will give you the skills to use candlesticks in your trading.

You will learn:
•    The candlestick patterns
•    What do they mean?
•    How to place orders correctly, including stop losses
•    Which are the strongest and most reliable?
•    You will learn how to use them in conjunction with other trading techniques
•    Who should not use Candlestick charting and why
•    Trevor Neil will use a live terminal to discuss current Candlestick charts of your markets and in your timeframe
•    You will work though case studies to ensure you leave the seminar understanding how to use Candlestick chart techniques

You will be provided with pre-seminar reading material in the form of a 20 page grounding in Candlestick charting and a laminated cheat sheet of the patterns. You will also be provided with a copy of all Trevor Neil’s slides used in the seminar are a comprehensive course manual.  Attendees will receive a credit for one hours post-seminar consultancy from Trevor Neil – value £200. Course time counts for CPD*. A certificate of attendance will be provided.

This seminar is suitable for: traders, analysts, portfolio managers, technical analysts and investors trading currencies, bonds, energy and commodities.

Japanese Day – Part II:  Ichimoku, Renko and Kagi charting – Half Day Course recommended in conjunction with Candlestick Charting Today

Ichimoku charting may be known to you but Renko and Kagi charting techniques are possibly not.  Ichimoku is not an old technique but has only recently been appreciated by analysts outside Japan.  It is a trend-following technique using five unique lines. The Cloud in Ichimoku chart extends into the future. Normal technical analysis indicators end with the current bar. Ichimoku tells what the conditions ahead will be like. It is a rule based technique and so can be used systematically. Renko and Kagi are also trend following and systematic and have some very interesting messages for traders.

You will learn:
•    The five Ichimoku lines
•    How they are calculated and why these strange calculations offer an advantage to traders
•    The rules for trading Ichimoku
•    Who should not use Ichimoku, Renko and Kagi charting and why
•    Trevor Neil will use a live terminal to discuss current Ichimoku, Renko and Kagi charts of your markets and in your timeframe
•    You will work though case studies to ensure you leave the seminar understanding how to use Ichimoku, Renko and Kagi chart techniques

You will be provided with pre-seminar reading material in the form of a 20 page grounding in Ichimoku, Renko and Kagi charting. You will also be provided with a copy of all Trevor Neil’s slides used in the seminar and a comprehensive course manual.  Attendees will receive a credit for one hours post-seminar consultancy from Trevor Neil – value £200. Course time counts for CPD*. A certificate of attendance will be provided.

This seminar is suitable for: traders, analysts, portfolio managers, technical analysts and investors trading currencies, bonds, energy and commodities. It is particularly suited to those who have an intermediate- or long-term horizon.

Trading Psychology Day – Part I: Understanding Behavioural Finance – Half Day Course

This new science is grabbing traders and investment managers’ attention. Until now the academic world of finance and the practical market participants could not explain something to each other: Why does the market not do what it is supposed to do? Why is it irrational? Academics said it was impossible, traders and investment managers could see it was true. Behavioural Finance explains why the markets do what they do. It is the study of market psychology.  Trevor Neil presents this course from a market participant’s perspective. He will show you that you are over-confident and that you cannot help it. He will show you how your brain is poor at recognising a falsehood, even when it has seen it before and realised then it was false. Trevor Neil says, “For me, Behavioural Finance is the link between fundamental analysis (which discovers if this is a good security),and technical analysis (which tells us when to buy or sell).   Behavioural Finance explains why the market does what it does and what it will do next.”

You will learn:
•    Why Black and Scholes’ option valuation model and Value at Risk and much other commonly used economic theory are simply wrong
•    What financial biases are built into people?
•    Which are the strongest and which cannot be corrected?
•    Why do Bubbles and Crashes occur? Why can you be confident they will happen again?
•    What is happening now in market thinking and what will happen next?
•    You will see how you are a susceptible as anyone else to these biases though some short games
•    How you can be smarter than the market by understanding its desire to be irrational

You will be provided with pre-seminar reading material in the form of a 20 page grounding in Behavioural Finance. You will also be provided with a copy of all Trevor Neil’s slides used in the seminar and a comprehensive course manual.  Attendees will receive a credit for one hours post-seminar consultancy from Trevor Neil – value £200. Course time counts for CPD*. A certificate of attendance will be provided.

This seminar is suitable for: traders, analysts, risk managers, portfolio managers, technical analysts and investors trading currencies, bonds, energy and commodities. A skilled and intelligent analyst is a better analyst.

Trading Psychology Day – Part II: Trading Psychology and you – Half Day Course

While Trading Psychology Day – Part I: Behavioural Finance is about market psychology, Trading Psychology Day – Part II: Trading Psychology is about your psychology in the markets.  It is highly recommended you have an understanding of Behavioural Finance before attending this course. It will show how to control and profit from the strong psychological biases in the market. This course is about you the individual. Few traders are prepared for or understand the reality of the trading environment, which is a "lonely psychological wilderness." The world of trading does not resemble normal social or business reality. Dr. Alexander Elder says it lacks "normal human helpfulness." That may be an understatement. Trevor Neil says, “People ask me, ‘how do you look and stay so calm?’  I remember it is only an intellectual game and no one gets killed.”  This course is taken from Trevor Neil’s experience of over 30 years of trading the markets.

You will learn:
•    How to deal with perfectionism
•    How to recover mentally from a series of losses
•    Rehearsing for trouble
•    How to cope with position sizing changes
•    Dealing with dealing room competition
•    What type of trades work consistently best for you?
•    Are extraneous facts ( such as personal relationships, health) interfering with your judgement?
•    Is burn out leading to sloppy habits and indiscipline?
•    How to rate your psychological trading state and how to know when it has changed.
•    How to get a life

You will be provided with pre-seminar reading material in the form of a 20 page grounding in Trading Psychology. You will also be provided with a copy of all Trevor Neil’s slides used in the seminar and a comprehensive course manual.  Attendees will receive a credit for one hours post-seminar consultancy from Trevor Neil – value £200.  Course time counts for CPD*. A certificate of attendance will be provided.

This seminar is suitable for: traders, portfolio managers, technical analysts and investors trading currencies, bonds, energy and commodities. A skilled and in control trader is a better trader.

Risk & Money Management Day – Part I: Money Management Techniques – Half Day Course

This is a practical course in understanding risks in your trading. Yes, trading is risky but without risk there is no possibility to outperform a safe investment. How much risk is there? Are you taking enough risk?

You will learn:
•    The importance of risk/reward ratios
•    The effect and advantage of pyramiding in your trading and how to do it so as to reduce, not increase risk
•    Do you understand asset correlation effect?
•    How much should be risked on each trade?
•    How to reduce or eliminate drawdown.

You will be provided with pre-seminar reading material in the form of a 20 page grounding in Market Psychology. You will also be provided with a copy of all Trevor Neil’s slides used in the seminar and a comprehensive course manual.  Attendees will receive a credit for one hours post-seminar consultancy from Trevor Neil – value £200. Course time counts for CPD*. A certificate of attendance will be provided.

This seminar is suitable for: traders, analysts, portfolio managers, technical analysts and investors trading currencies, bonds, energy and commodities. A skilled trader is a better trader.

Risk & Money Management Day – Part II: The Application of Game Theory in Trading – Half Day Course

Do you understand how to calculate probability and how to apply this to your trading? This course instructs you in the mathematics of Game Theory as it relates to trading and investing.

You will learn:
•    You will understand the Random Process and Gambling Theory
•    You will understand the advantages and dangers of Optimisation
•    You will appreciate the effect of reinvestment on Geometric Growth
•    What is your Risk of Ruin?
•    Optimising fixed fractional trading
•    Understand the Portfolio Effect

You will be provided with pre-seminar reading material in the form of a 20 page grounding in Market Psychology. You will also be provided with a copy of all Trevor Neil’s slides used in the seminar and a comprehensive course manual.  Bring a calculator. Attendees will receive a credit for one hours post-seminar consultancy from Trevor Neil – value £200. Course time counts for CPD*. A certificate of attendance will be provided.

This seminar is suitable for: traders, analysts, risk managers, portfolio managers, technical analysts and investors trading currencies, bonds, energy and commodities. A skilled and intelligent analyst is a better analyst.

Stop – Loss Techniques Day (Over a full day and counts as two sessions)

There is great fear of stop-losses amongst traders, although they know how vital they are. They fear, for example, sitting on the profitable long position, being stopped out on a pull-back, only to see the market flip back around and push strongly higher leaving them high and dry with no position. They cannot help thinking how much better off they would have been if only they had not used a stop-loss. Experienced traders also appreciate how some of the stop-losses they have used have, quite literally saved them from ruin.

You will learn:
•    Skills in popular stop loss techniques
•    How to get the levels right so as to not be hit in the noise of trading nor be too far away and there ensure a larger loss than necessary
•    How to reduce the false break sops
•    What works best in what markets
•    What techniques or techniques are best for your trading or investing
•    New techniques developed by Trevor Neil which are sensible and self-adjusting
•    Stops for entry and stops for exit
•    Stops to capture profits
•    Stops to avoid getting out until the market changes direction
•    What stop loss techniques should you use in your work after this course?
•    Trevor Neil will use a live terminal to illustrate stop loss placement in your markets, in your timeframe and even your current positions
•    You will work though case studies to ensure you leave the seminar understanding how to use appropriate stop-loss techniques

You will be provided with a copy of all Trevor Neil’s slides used in the seminar and a comprehensive course manual.  Attendees will receive a credit for one hours post-seminar consultancy from Trevor Neil – value £200. Course time counts for CPD*. A certificate of attendance will be provided.

This seminar is suitable for: traders, analysts, portfolio managers, technical analysts and investors trading currencies, bonds, energy and commodities. A skilled trader is a better trader.