STA Blog

What a stellar conference! It’s incredible how it managed to surpass last year’s event. With so many outstanding speakers and a wealth of information shared, condensing it into a blog will be quite the challenge, but here’s my attempt.

Stephen Hoad delivered an exceptional talk that ranged from Brussels sprouts to trading systems. He shared his experience of assisting the UK’s largest fruit and vegetable farmers in turning unconventional price data into a technical analysis tool, enabling them to optimize their buying and selling decisions. Hoad outlined a comprehensive 7-step process for building a successful systematic technical analysis trading system, covering everything from conceptualization to real-world implementation and ongoing management.

Adam Hartley, Director at SnapDragon Systems, offered valuable insights into systematic trading and cautioned against common pitfalls. He stressed the importance of diversification across markets and asset classes to enhance system robustness, highlighting the crucial role of trading psychology in navigating market fluctuations. Hartley’s expertise and years of experience shone through in his presentation.

The keynote address by Linda Bradford Raschke, Founder of LBR Group, focused on modelling market structure and laying the groundwork for technical system development. Raschke drew on her extensive experience trading futures since the 1980s, emphasizing the significance of identifying recurring price behaviours and utilizing tools like swing highs/lows and Average True Range to gauge volatility and identify tradingopportunities ahead of major moves.

During the panel discussion on the future of systematic trading, Rustam Lam, CEO of TradeStation International, highlighted the growing accessibility of data for traders, thanks to advancements in technology. Trevor Neil, Managing Director of BETA Group, cautioned that while expectations for technology are high, there are limitations to its capabilities, particularly in handling vast and constantly changing datasets. The discussion hinted at the potential role of quantum computing in overcoming these challenges.
Elizabeth Miller, Lead Commodity & Macroeconomic Analyst at Mars UK & Wrigley UK, aptly summarized the state of AI in trading, likening it to a teenager – confident but lacking in-depth understanding. She emphasized that while AI is not a panacea, it’s an exciting and evolving field.

We also had David Linton, Founder and CEO of Updata (and partner at Beta Group now as well!), David Forino, Co-Founder, Simplify Trading, Victor Kouzmanov, Head of Systematic Energy Book, Freepoint Commodities, Matthew Buxton, Co-Founder and CEO, FTP Capital, Jason Ramchandani from LSEG/Refinitiv and Alan Dunne, Founder, Archive Capital, giving interesting presentations which were very well received by the live and online audience. All these presentations will be discussed in our upcoming Journal.

To wrap up, attendees expressed their admiration for the speakers, with one remarking on meeting their heroes and another noting how the conference brought technical analysis to life. Kudos to the organizers, the Society of Technical Analysts (STA), and heartfelt thanks to sponsors CMC Markets, TradeStation International and Commodities People for their support since the conference’s inception.