The Art of Trade: What I Learned (and Lost) Trading the Chicago Futures Markets [Hardcover]

The Art of the Trade is a searing portrait of the futures and options industry as seen through the eyes of someone who has participated in this arena for more than twenty years. On one level, it′s a brutally honest, no–punches–pulled look at the individuals and institutions that comprise this unique community. On another level, The Art of the Trade is a personal story of the challenges author Alan Jankovsky faced as he battled the markets, the brokerage industry, and his own early penchant for self–destruction.

Trading is an intensely personal and subjective endeavor—one that is more an art than a science. And like all forms of art, the results are clearly visible, but the struggles of the artist involved are rarely ever seen.

Over the course of his career, author Jason Alan Jankovsky has experienced both the best and the worst that trading has to offer, and now, in The Art of the Trade, he puts this discipline in perspective by taking you on a personal journey that reveals the harsh dynamics of this world.

The Art of the Trade is a searing portrait of the futures and options industry as seen through the eyes of someone who has participated in this arena for more than twenty years. On one level, it′s a brutally honest, no–punches–pulled look at the individuals and institutions that comprise this unique community. Page by page, Jankovsky deftly describes the pseudo–professional brokerage offices that spring up like weeds in Chicago′s financial district, only to suddenly disappear months later, and lays bare an industry where drug use, financial irresponsibility, and personal vendettas are commonplace—and where the customer is often the victim.

On another level, The Art of the Trade is a personal story of the challenges faced by Jankovsky as he battles the markets, the brokerage industry, and his own early penchant for self–destruction. With each chapter, Jankovsky takes you through his journey of self–discovery and discusses what it takes to succeed on your own terms. He skillfully shares his hard–won experiences—from realizing that markets have a reality all their own to unlearning things we might consider essential to trading success—and shows you how these insights can put you in a better position to make it as a true trader.

Both entertaining and informative, The Art of the Trade will help you come to grips with the realities of trading today′s markets and deal with the constant state of adversity that is so much a part of them. With the lessons found throughout this book, you′ll be prepared to survive and thrive in an environment that is far from stable.

Praise for The Art of the Trade

"Mr. Jankovsky′s The Art of the Trade is a fascinating account of trading futures and options from his perspective as a professional in the business. The harsh realities of the brokerage business he describes are sobering, if not frightening, to retail traders. Though some of his points are controversial, Jankovsky′s emphasis on the necessity of self–study in obtaining consistent trading profits and his conclusion that so many people fail in the markets because they refuse to discover what market reality is and adapt to it make this book an important contribution to trading literature."
—BILL KRAFT, author, Trade Your Way to Wealth: Earn Big Profits with No–Risk, Low–Risk, and Measured–Risk Strategies

"This book is a must–read for anyone interested in learning to trade or those who have never quite been able to make trading profitable. It is not often that you get an author who bears his soul to his strength and weaknesses, and his conclusion that you should never believe in anything but yourself is worth the price of the book. It is learning to know ′how to think′ as opposed to ′what to think.′ "
—LARRY PESAVENTO, author, Trade What You See: How to Profit from Pattern Recognition

"Having traded for over twenty years, I′ve seen dozens of books about trading techniques and methods. But this is the first time I′ve encountered a book that goes into the unchartered territory of a trader′s soul. Jankovsky delves into places that others haven′t ventured, and this book′s mixture of philosophy, theology, and real–life trading experiences provides a jolt of fresh perspective. This is unlike any other trading book that′s ever been published."
—TIM KNIGHT, author, Chart Your Way to Profits: The Online Trader′s Guide to Technical Analysis; founder, Prophet.net; and Senior Vice President, thinkorswim Group

"Jason tells it like it is: he packs a real punch in telling you the true story of what it′s like to be on the other side of the phone, from the broker′s perspective. What you′ll read might shock you, it will surely entertain you, and most of all — it will teach you things about the market that you can′t learn anywhere else. One of the best books I′ve read about the market in the last ten years."
—Rob Booker, independent trader and host of TraderRadio.net

"I have read hundreds of trading books, and The Art of the Trade is the first book that kept my interest from beginning to end. I have been weary to endorse books in the past. Not only do I endorse this book, I am also giving it to all of my friends."
—GREG G. SWEET, President, Lotusbrokerage.com and Forexte.com

Jason Alan Jankovsky is a twenty–plus year veteran of leveraged transaction trading. Trading extensively in futures, options, and FOREX since 1986, first as a customer and then as a registered broker, he is self–taught and self–educated. Working in almost all facets of the business, he has authored several trading systems, trained other successful traders and has been published in many industry periodicals; his numerous articles on global cash FOREX have appeared in TraderSavvy, The Perspective, SFO Magazine, and other industry publications. He is the author of Trading Rules that Work: The 28 Essential Lessons Every Trader Must Master (Wiley), an Amazon top–100 bestseller in the category of futures. He has focused on the psychology of trading as the key component to a successful trading methodology and teaches a six–week course on trading psychology every quarter to traders around the world. Jankovsky appears regularly as a guest speaker at many public and private trading forums and has been invited to speak at round–table discussions offered by the Orlando Money Show and others. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Jankovsky is an avid sailor and private pilot.