Why Some Clients Can’t Trade: The Mama-San Story
A Honolulu mama-san opened a $10k commodity account, was profitable, and closed it in a panic. A true story about temperament, risk and who should not trade.
3 Jan 2025 · 4 min read
The blog
Notes from the house of Goodman
Chart studies, market notes and Charlie Goodman stories from Michael Duane Archer.
Goodman White Space: What Charlie Meant by a Clean Setup
Charlie Goodman wanted 'clean' Goldilocks and Molokai setups. Student Ken W. named it: white space between swing points. See the diagram and two real charts.
1 Jan 2025 · 3 min read
What a Dog-Track Pro Taught Charlie Goodman About Betting
Charlie Goodman meets a 300-pound greyhound handicapper named Tiny. Their four parallels between dog racing and trading: logic, patience, the Line and setups.
19 Dec 2024 · 4 min read
Position Sizing Lesson: Goodman and the 6th Race
A greyhound race, a father's advice and Charlie Goodman's three rules for growing a small trading account: size up slowly, add after losses, fund after wins.
18 Dec 2024 · 7 min read
Charlie Goodman on Trading Emotions: The 1-to-10 Sheet
After a broker's windfall profit, Charlie Goodman warned about the King Kong Syndrome and gave Michael Archer a simple 1-to-10 emotional temperature sheet.
14 Dec 2024 · 3 min read
The Goodman Knot: Where Is Point C in the Propagation?
The Goodman Knot is the market's indeterminacy in a nutshell: past point C, which way is the propagation heading? Michael Archer explains it as Charlie did.
13 Dec 2024 · 3 min read
Focus, Luck and Skill in Trading: The Agate Marble Story
Why did Charlie Goodman carry an agate marble? A brief 1975 conversation about focus, loose-as-a-goose trading, luck and preparation, and a Capablanca quote.
9 Dec 2024 · 2 min read
The Three-Legged Chicken Syndrome: Seeing What You Expect
Charlie Goodman's three-legged chicken lesson: traders see the setup they expect and miss the most likely one. Why objectivity matters when reading charts.
2 Dec 2024 · 3 min read
Tarry Awhile: Ghost Trading and Waiting for the Setup
Itching to trade? Michael Archer explains why it is sometimes right to tarry awhile and how ghost trading keeps you in sync with the market while you wait.
16 Nov 2024 · 3 min read
Leading and Lagging Currency Pairs, Part 2: A Scalping Strategy
How to trade a lagging USD currency pair when the leader breaks out first: the Difference Oscillator, entry rules, pip thresholds and why paper trading comes first.
11 Nov 2024 · 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.