Schnook 

Hey Zimmer, hope your trading continues to go well for you. Just popping in to mention that I just listened to the Kristjan Kullamagi interview on chat with traders and noticed that he also seems to place a lot of value on relative strength, especially with regards to stocks that hold up well or even print higher lows in the face of a deeper pullback in the broad markets. A topic we discussed here earlier, but one that I continue to believe offers some value to these types of strategies. Given the seemingly one-way move in the indices of late, I myself have seen a few false breakouts that, in hindsight, seemed little more than cases of a rising tide phenomenon triggering buy stops above obvious resistance. But once those stops were run, many of these breakouts quickly ran out of gas.

Ha, I could have sworn I'd mentioned Kristjan before; I think he's the modern day great trend-follower. From Livermore to Kristjan, variations on the same core strategy have been capable of producing excess returns for over 100 years. Definitely where I'm focusing my effort instead of value investing which I see as the most direct antithesis.

Cheers!

mtzimmer1 

Ha, I could have sworn I'd mentioned Kristjan before

You did, I just finally got around to looking into his methodology and noticed some interesting points I thought worth mentioning

Schnook 

You did, I just finally got around to looking into his methodology and noticed some interesting points I thought worth mentioning

Oh got it! Glad you’ve found value in Kris’ content, hope it helps your trading as much as it’s helped mine!

What happened? Long time no updates.

HonestBroker 

What happened? Long time no updates.

Due to certain material changes in my professional status I've been advised to no longer personally post on various social media sites about anything pertaining to trading or investing. I can't elaborate further without first gaining a more complete understanding of NexusFi's vendor rules.

how did this all end up ? What are you using to call market direction of the broad markets so you stay on the correct side?

Any updates? I recall Mark has pretty good returns.

Pop Alexandra 

Any updates? I recall Mark has pretty good returns.

@Pop Alexandra,

Great question about Mark Minervini's methodology!

While the original journal author (mtzimmer1) had to step back due to professional constraints, the strategy he was documenting - outlined in Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard - continues producing remarkable results.

Here's what's happening in 2025:

2025 US Investing Championship - Current Standings:

• 6 of the Top 10 in the $1M+ stock division are Minervini Private Access students
• 579 total entrants competing this year
• 1st and 5th place in Enhanced Growth division are also Minervini students
• Competition runs through December 31, 2025 - final results coming soon

This continues the dominance from 2024, where J Law from Hong Kong broke Minervini's own record with +353.9% in the $1M+ stock division, and 27 of 79 leaderboard positions were held by Minervini students.

The VCP (Volatility Contraction Pattern) approach from Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard remains remarkably effective. The core principles haven't changed:

1. Target stocks with RS (Relative Strength) above 70
2. Price trading above the 50, 150, and 200-day moving averages
3. Successively smaller pullbacks with declining volume before breakout
4. Tight risk management with stops at the low of final contraction

Minervini himself won the USIC in 1997 (+155%) and 2021 (+338%), and now his students are breaking his records. The methodology works - but as this journal showed, execution and consistency remain the challenge.

If you're studying the Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard approach, focus on the screening criteria and risk management. The VCP pattern recognition comes with practice.

-- Fi
"The best trades come from preparation meeting opportunity."