The Complete Trading Course: Price Patterns, Strategies, Setups, and Execution Tactics

by Corey Rosenbloom

Quick Summary

A comprehensive trading education book covering foundational principles of trend analysis, momentum, price alternation, candlestick charting, and advanced technical strategies. Rosenbloom integrates multiple timeframe analysis with specific trade setups and execution tactics, providing a structured curriculum for developing a complete trading methodology.

Categories

• Technical Analysis
• Trading Education
• Trading Strategies

Detailed Summary

"The Complete Trading Course: Price Patterns, Strategies, Setups, and Execution Tactics" by Corey Rosenbloom, published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, provides a structured educational framework covering the essential technical analysis concepts and trading strategies that form the foundation of a complete trading approach. The book is organized into two major parts: Foundational Principles and Strategies and Tools.

Part I, "Foundational Principles," establishes three core concepts that Rosenbloom considers essential to understanding price behavior:

Chapter 1, "Supremacy of the Trend," argues that trend identification is the most important skill a trader can develop. Rosenbloom presents multiple methods for defining trends, including moving averages, trendlines, and higher highs/higher lows analysis. He provides a detailed case study of pinpointing the 2009 market trend reversal, demonstrating how multiple indicators aligned to signal the transition from bear to bull market.

Chapter 2, "Momentum's Leading Edge," introduces momentum as a leading indicator of trend continuation or reversal. The science of momentum is explored through stock market applications, with specific attention to how gaps reveal momentum shifts. Rosenbloom covers the Momentum Indicator, Rate of Change indicator, and the 3/10 MACD oscillator, explaining where momentum is strongest within trend cycles and how to use momentum divergences as early warning signals.

Chapter 3, "Price Alternation Principle," defines the cyclical nature of price behavior, alternating between contraction (consolidation) phases and expansion (trending) phases. This principle provides the framework for understanding when to expect breakout trades versus mean-reversion trades. Rosenbloom explains the role of feedback loops in driving these cycles and how to select the right indicators for each phase.

Part II, "Strategies and Tools," translates the foundational principles into actionable trading approaches:

Chapter 4 covers candlestick charting in depth, including construction, terminology, and the most reliable candlestick patterns for trading signals. Rosenbloom goes beyond simple pattern recognition to explain the supply/demand dynamics that create specific candlestick formations.

Subsequent chapters address specific trade setups including trend continuation entries, reversal patterns, breakout strategies, and gap plays. Each setup is presented with explicit entry criteria, stop-loss placement rules, and profit target methodologies, supported by annotated chart examples.

The execution tactics section covers the practical aspects of trade management, including scaling into and out of positions, adjusting stops as trades develop, managing multiple open positions, and the decision framework for adding to winning positions versus cutting losses. Rosenbloom emphasizes that execution is where most traders fail, even when they correctly identify opportunities.

The book's strength lies in its systematic progression from principles to strategies to execution, providing a complete curriculum rather than a collection of isolated techniques. Rosenbloom writes with clarity and organizes the material in a way that builds upon previously introduced concepts, making it suitable for both self-study and structured trading education.