Uploaded November 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Adrian Reid spent three years trying every approach he could find - fundamentals, analyst tips, indicators, charts, short-term trading, buy-and-hold - and went nowhere. Then he read Market Wizards as a filter, not a textbook. What he crossed out sent him to systematic trend following. His equity curve turned on a dime.
► Full article: bettersystemtrader.com/trading-triumphs-the-journey-to-success-with-adrian-reid
In this episode:
• What it takes to switch from discretionary to systematic - and why the results change structurally, not just tactically
• How Adrian handled 27 losing trades in a row by going to curiosity instead of fear
• The threshold he required before leaving a $230K consulting salary: trading income had to match or exceed it for a full year
0:00 Introduction
3:34 How Adrian got interested in markets - and what changed after engineering school
5:40 The stock market board game at age eight
9:35 Frustration as a trigger for curiosity
15:35 What four to five hours of chart analysis per night actually looked like
21:22 Why Adrian stayed in corporate until trading income matched his salary
26:41 The bus commute and the corporate life he was ready to leave
32:18 27 losing trades in a row - and what he found when he investigated
38:03 Going to curiosity: how analysis beats fear in a drawdown
43:44 Position sizing, low leverage, and building slowly
44:01 Deepest drawdown: 27% - and why it didn't feel like a crisis
49:10 Learning that doing nothing is a legitimate systematic response
54:48 Confidence to follow the system when it feels like it's failing
1:00:12 The outlier trade: pyramiding in three times and riding it
1:04:14 Waiting for the sell signal: eight times ATR trailing stop
1:07:44 Handling a massive gain - why most traders give it back
1:12:11 As capital grows, curiosity drives the next expansion
1:12:25 Closing - Adrian's Trader Acceleration Week
Related episodes:
• Adrian Reid: Building Trading Strategies with Confidence (Episode 147): youtu.be/gbYMOgMnJJk
• Trading Triumphs: Brent Penfold's Journey to Success: youtu.be/FyfvS5cNEPM
Adrian Reid's switch from discretionary to systematic was not a strategy change. It was a structural change. He went from four to five hours a night of uncertain decisions to opening software, pressing scan, and placing the orders. The work moved from execution to design. Frustration that used to mean "this isn't working" became curiosity about what wasn't working and why. That shift - in how he related to the difficulty - is what made the edge stick.
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► Better System Trader: bettersystemtrader.com
► Follow on X: twitter.com/bettersystrader
#SystemTrading #TrendFollowing #AlgoTrading
Disclaimer:
Trading in the financial markets involves a substantial risk of loss. All content produced by Better System Trader is for informational or educational purposes only and does not constitute trading or investment advice.
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Adrian Reid spent three years trying every approach he could find - fundamentals, analyst tips, indicators, charts, short-term trading, buy-and-hold - and went nowhere. Then he read Market Wizards as a filter, not a textbook. What he crossed out sent him to systematic trend following. His equity curve turned on a dime.
► Full article: bettersystemtrader.com/trading-triumphs-the-journey-to-success-with-adrian-reid
In this episode:
• What it takes to switch from discretionary to systematic - and why the results change structurally, not just tactically
• How Adrian handled 27 losing trades in a row by going to curiosity instead of fear
• The threshold he required before leaving a $230K consulting salary: trading income had to match or exceed it for a full year
0:00 Introduction
3:34 How Adrian got interested in markets - and what changed after engineering school
5:40 The stock market board game at age eight
9:35 Frustration as a trigger for curiosity
15:35 What four to five hours of chart analysis per night actually looked like
21:22 Why Adrian stayed in corporate until trading income matched his salary
26:41 The bus commute and the corporate life he was ready to leave
32:18 27 losing trades in a row - and what he found when he investigated
38:03 Going to curiosity: how analysis beats fear in a drawdown
43:44 Position sizing, low leverage, and building slowly
44:01 Deepest drawdown: 27% - and why it didn't feel like a crisis
49:10 Learning that doing nothing is a legitimate systematic response
54:48 Confidence to follow the system when it feels like it's failing
1:00:12 The outlier trade: pyramiding in three times and riding it
1:04:14 Waiting for the sell signal: eight times ATR trailing stop
1:07:44 Handling a massive gain - why most traders give it back
1:12:11 As capital grows, curiosity drives the next expansion
1:12:25 Closing - Adrian's Trader Acceleration Week
Related episodes:
• Adrian Reid: Building Trading Strategies with Confidence (Episode 147): youtu.be/gbYMOgMnJJk
• Trading Triumphs: Brent Penfold's Journey to Success: youtu.be/FyfvS5cNEPM
Adrian Reid's switch from discretionary to systematic was not a strategy change. It was a structural change. He went from four to five hours a night of uncertain decisions to opening software, pressing scan, and placing the orders. The work moved from execution to design. Frustration that used to mean "this isn't working" became curiosity about what wasn't working and why. That shift - in how he related to the difficulty - is what made the edge stick.
---
► Better System Trader: bettersystemtrader.com
► Follow on X: twitter.com/bettersystrader
#SystemTrading #TrendFollowing #AlgoTrading
Disclaimer:
Trading in the financial markets involves a substantial risk of loss. All content produced by Better System Trader is for informational or educational purposes only and does not constitute trading or investment advice.
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