Mastering the Stock Market: High Probability Market Timing and Stock Selection Tools

To trade successfully in the markets you need an edge. If you don't know what your edge is then you don't have one. John Person's tools, methods, and rules presented to you the trader in Mastering the Stock Market are the necessary building blocks to build your edge. At the core of his trading approach are three uncorrelated tools/indicators: Candles, Person's Pivots, and Seasonality. Used togther these three form the heart of the trading strategy. Next by using On Balance Volume and Breadth Studies as confirming indicators the high probability trade opportunity is brought into tight focus. When trading stock index futures, currencies, and commodities the Commitments of Traders data adds another valuable data point in understanding "who owns the market". Lastly, and most importantly in my opinion, John covers position sizing and risk management in detail. No trader can ever be successfull without proper trading discipline. Mastering the Stock Market is an outstanding resource for novice and experienced traders alike. I recommend it.

John has written several terrific books. I believe this is his best effort yet!! If you trade stocks, he shows you how to drill down and find the "gem" nobody is talking about. Better still, his research tools show you when to stay out. He teaches you how to use seasonal analysis, breadth indicators and useful volume studies for effective entries and exits. His chapter on "Comparative Relative Strength" is key to confirm sector rotation, meaning where is the money flowing. Whether you trade stocks, ETFs, options or futures, this book is a must. Run, don't walk to get your keys to trading success.

A good writer is one who knows his/her subject matter and who can explain it clearly to the reader. John Person's content presentation is poorly organized; in addition, there is a lack of sufficient explanation of important concepts related to technical analysis. Perhaps I have become too accustomed to the outstanding technical analysis books written by John J. Murphy- books that are also published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. I own all of Mr. Murphy's books, and I continue to reread them to broaden my conceptual background in this very relevant field. A novice in the field of technical analysis would not be able to comprehend Mr. Person's content; the writer assumes incorrectly that the reader already has a prerequisite background. After having read Mr. Person's book in its entirety, I have only learned one concept: there is a positive correlation between seasonality and the sectors of the stock market. In summary, Mr. Person's book does nothing to further the field of technical analysis.

There are a lot of errors in the book. One can work through these by staying focused but the book definitely needed a good proof reading prior to publication. There is still a lot of good information presented in the book in an easy to read format. I'm almost done with my second reading.

For a $59 book, it is very cheaply printed. The paper is coarse, "oatmeal grained". The printing is tight, very little space between lines and the type should be larger. The charts and tables should be larger and printing larger. The pages should be larger than 5.5x9 to accommodate charts and tables that should be larger. I have never seen a more squeezed in table in any other book than Table 2.2 on pg. 31. It was virtually impossible to read. Also numbers in shaded blocks were very very difficult to read and too small usually.