The Art of the Trade What I Learned Trading the Chicago Futures Markets

The Art of the Trade is a searing portrait of the futures and options industry as seen through the eyes of someone who has participated in this arena for more than twenty years. On one level, it's a brutally honest, no-punches-pulled look at the individuals and institutions that comprise this unique community. On another level, The Art of the Trade is a personal story of the challenges author Alan Jankovsky faced as he battled the markets, the brokerage industry, and his own early penchant for self-destruction.

Trading is an intensely personal and subjective endeavor—one that is more an art than a science. And like all forms of art, the results are clearly visible, but the struggles of the artist involved are rarely ever seen.

Over the course of his career, author Jason Alan Jankovsky has experienced both the best and the worst that trading has to offer, and now, in The Art of the Trade, he puts this discipline in perspective by taking you on a personal journey that reveals the harsh dynamics of this world.

The Art of the Trade is a searing portrait of the futures and options industry as seen through the eyes of someone who has participated in this arena for more than twenty years. On one level, it's a brutally honest, no-punches-pulled look at the individuals and institutions that comprise this unique community. Page by page, Jankovsky deftly describes the pseudo-professional brokerage offices that spring up like weeds in Chicago's financial district, only to suddenly disappear months later, and lays bare an industry where drug use, financial irresponsibility, and personal vendettas are commonplace—and where the customer is often the victim.

On another level, The Art of the Trade is a personal story of the challenges faced by Jankovsky as he battles the markets, the brokerage industry, and his own early penchant for self-destruction. With each chapter, Jankovsky takes you through his journey of self-discovery and discusses what it takes to succeed on your own terms. He skillfully shares his hard-won experiences—from realizing that markets have a reality all their own to unlearning things we might consider essential to trading success—and shows you how these insights can put you in a better position to make it as a true trader.

Both entertaining and informative, The Art of the Trade will help you come to grips with the realities of trading today's markets and deal with the constant state of adversity that is so much a part of them. With the lessons found throughout this book, you'll be prepared to survive and thrive in an environment that is far from stable.