Goodmanisms: Charlie Goodman’s Sayings on Trading, Explained
'Sit on your hands, Dad.' 'A small profit is a loss.' The complete Goodmanisms, Charlie Goodman's trading sayings, with Michael Archer's interpretations.
11 Jul 2025 · 7 min read
The blog
Notes from the house of Goodman
Chart studies, market notes and Charlie Goodman stories from Michael Duane Archer.
Soybean Meal Chart Outlook: Inverted Wall & Goodman Knot
Two soybean meal charts through a Goodman lens: an Inverted Wall at 1-Day, a potential Goodman Knot and a 1-Week range for a large Molokai.
11 Jul 2025 · 2 min read
The Wall: A Goodman Bottom Formation for a Clean Slate
The Wall is a rare bottom formation Charlie Goodman identified after a steep decline. Learn to spot it and trade it as a Jumbo Swing.
11 Jul 2025 · 3 min read
Discretionary Trading vs Bots and AI: Can Humans Still Win?
After 51 years of charts, Michael Archer reflects on bots, AI and old trading boardrooms. Are discretionary traders a dying breed?
11 Jul 2025 · 6 min read
Why You Should Stick to Your Trading Plan: A Soybean Story
A true Hawaii brokerage story: a trader with a sound plan for a soybean downtrend talked himself out of it. Stick to your plan.
8 Jul 2025 · 5 min read
Make a Little, Give a Little: Charlie Goodman on Money
Lunch at Denver's Petroleum Club, a briefcase full of $100 bills and Charlie Goodman's advice on money: make a little, give a little, and keep perspective.
8 Jul 2025 · 3 min read
The Goodman Wave Theory Paradigm in a Nutshell
Goodman Wave Theory in six principles: everything is a 1-2-3, what a Jumbo Swing is, what makes a Setup, and why more 'next swings' make a better trade.
7 Jul 2025 · 3 min read
Akiko, Wittgenstein and Charlie: Serendipity in the Markets
A Hawaii gift-stand owner, a broken-down tour bus and a line from Wittgenstein: why you should pay attention when something unusual shows up in the markets.
6 Jul 2025 · 4 min read
Sugar Futures Chart Analysis: Jumbo Swing and 1-2-3
Sugar futures show a near-perfect Swing Jumbo followed by a 1-2-3. Will it propagate into a Goldilocks or Molokai Setup? What Goodman traders watch next.
6 Jul 2025 · 2 min read
The Golden Ratios 2: Bottom-Line Leverage for Traders
Small changes in your winner-to-loser ratio can transform your return. A ten-trade example shows the 10-4-1 Rule and the power of a single Line trade.
6 Jul 2025 · 5 min read
The list
One letter, when there is something to say
Charlie wrote to his students. We do the same: a new plate, a chart worth looking at, a note when a book is finished. No schedule, no sequence, no selling to you every Tuesday. Leave when you like.
We keep the list ourselves. It is never sold, rented or shared.