Frequently Asked Questions
There are many trading services on the Internet. Some provide you with a weekly newsletter telling you what you should buy or sell and at what price, leaving you with having to make no decision (and often no money) at all. Some just sell books, some just advice, some...well...something else. So you are going to have questions that need answering. I want you to be able to make an informed decision. So I put this FAQ page together in the hopes of answering questions you may have. If you don't find an answer to your question, write me at Rick@amazingaccuracy.com or give me a call at 479 696-8812 (10:00am - 2:00pm Central time Tuesday, Thursday and Friday only please.)
Q. What is a swing top or bottom?
A. Another name that you may know them by is 'pivot' top or bottom. They are quite easy to identify on your price chart.
A Swing Top is a price bar that has a higher/equal high to the prior price bar high and is eventually followed by lower low prices by one of the following price bars. A Swing Bottom is a price bar that has a lower/equal low to the prior price bar low and is eventually followed by higher high prices by one of the following price bars. These are the tops and bottoms that our calculated FDates are designed to forecast in advance.
Q. What are daily turn dates (DTDs) and weekly turn dates (WTDs)?
A. DTDs and WTDs are the dates listed on our FDate Report for both the daily time frame (tops and bottoms on a daily price chart) and weekly time frame (tops and bottoms on a weekly price chart). All these 'turn dates' are collectively referred to as FDates (future turn dates).
Q. What is the accurate of these FDates?
A. From the time FDates burst onto the trading scene back in 1997 as offered here by this membership, we've seen the FDates averaging an accuracy of 80%+ for a swing top or bottom to confirm within +/- 1 price bar. In addition, the other approximate 20% is not a complete failure but has shown to be useful for trading as well. For example, approximately 10% of the time the FDate will produce what we call a PAUSE top or bottom. These are chart patterns where a swing top or bottom was in the process of confirming and only failed to complete by a matter of a few ticks. These patterns are EASY to spot in advance due to the formation of an INSIDE BAR that will form following the expected top/bottom price bar. PAUSE tops and bottoms are tradable in the direction of the trend. That leaves the other 10% that often produces GAPS and ACCELERATION price moves as cycles are aligning in the direction of the trend. These accuracy rates may fluctuate slightly from one market to the next and from one period in time to the next. These averages have been calculated as a whole (all the markets on the report), so some markes may even exceed 90% accuracy during certain periods (cycling rather than strong trending) while another market may bring the average down for the whole for having a slightly lower accuracy rate. Test samplings are usually 1-3 years of historical price data and FDates.
Q. As a member, what exactly should I expect to receive?
A. Everything we do as members starts at our private FDates Precision Trading forum. You are provided with a username and password and encouraged to log into your membership as often as possible. Within this forum is where you will be able to view/download your weekly (posted each Friday or Saturday) FDate Report that contains all the turn dates for the upcoming week (daily time frame DTDs) and weeks (weekly time frame WTDs). The member is also provided with an seemly unexhaustable amount of lessons and training documentation. There are also lessons on video as well as regular postings about the markets from Rick Ratchford as well as occasional postings from other members. The education is ONGOING and members are encouraged to ask questions within the forum in order to gain even more insight. Also, there is a Rick's Picks section where Rick will post actual money trades he is taking. Members can see the gains and losses of these actual money trades that are posted to note that Rick puts his money where his mouth is. Disclaimer: The purpose of Rick's Picks is only to show the various ways Rick uses FDates to time all his trades. It is not designed as a recommendation to buy/sell or hold for the members. Members trading any of Rick's Picks do so of their own and accept the risks associated. The Rick's Picks section is for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
Q. What markets do you cover on the weekly FDate Report?
A. A list of the markets currently covered can be found by clicking here.
Q. Can we request FDates for other markets not on the report?
A. You can always ask about the possibility of adding a different market on the report, but we do not provide FDates for different markets on request. Only those listed here are currently offered on the report.
Q. If I am currently doing the Introductory Plan and would like to do the 4-week extension plan at a later date rather than immediately after my current plan expires, would I be able to do this?
A. Absolutely! In fact you can do the 4-week extension plan ANYTIME you like. There are no restrictions to the 4-week extension plan as there is for the Introductory Plan (can only be taken once).
Q. On your list of markets covered, I do not see any Forex pairs listed. Do you provide cycle turn dates for Forex as well?
A. Our turn dates are calculated using historical price data on the futures markets found on our 'markets covered' list. For trading Forex, which is what I enjoy doing myself, you would use the dates listed for the currency futures. Since the currency futures are pegged to the USD, they can be used with the Forex pairs that are also pegged to the USD, such as USD/CAD and AUD/USD for example. Note: As of 7/4/2008, we've added a new FDate Report for FOREX called the FOREX Report. This report is currently offered to Premium Members only. The currency pairs currently on this report are AUD/USD, USD/CAD, EUR/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF, GBP/USD.
Q. Do you give specific trade recommendations?
A. No. Let me repeat that. No. The purpose of this membership is to provide our members with highly accuracy turn dates (DTDs and WTDs) in order to find trades with excellent profit potential. Even the Rick's Picks section is not designed to give recommendations but is simply Rick's way of exposing the fact that he not only forecasts market turns but he actually trades many of them. The forum and including the Rick's Picks section and the Daily Setup Reports within the forum are NOT intended to be recommendations to buy/sell or hold any market or trade. Traders are provided with all this powerful information in order to make their own trading decisions. We provide educational information such as the Guidelines that spell out how to use FDates to find and execute trades including initial stop-loss placement. All trades that members take they do so of their own choice and responsibility.
Q. Do you have some kind of track record or hypothetical statement that we can use to compare?
A. What we do here there is no comparison. We do not provide specific buy and sell signals. As a member, you are provided with a weekly FDate Report that contains highly accurate turn dates for the markets we cover. How you trade them is up to you, although we do provide recommended 'Guidelines' that teaches you how to determine when and where to buy or sell, and where to place your initial stop. Additionally, being part of a membership means you will have continuous training as well as access to my weekly market forecasts. With this 'information', you will have at your disposal all that is needed to make precision trading decisions. Whether you decide to trade based on our Guidelines or some other way is up to you, and therefore results vary from member to member. Since trading is discretionary and independent of each member, it is impossible to produce a track record. There simply are no trade recommendations here to track. However, the next best thing is to note the Rick's Picks section and see what Rick has been doing with many of his trades (Rick's trades are usually posted in advance or at the time of execution. Sometimes they may appear some minutes late because some trades require attention and speed and turning that attention away in order to post a report can be costly to Rick's personal account. Time stamps of the actual trades are usually posted for these however. Your trading results are not likely to match Rick's or anyone elses but may be better or not as good. It will depend on how you apply yourself to the training provided.)
Q. Do you offer any guarantees?
A. Of course! I guarantee that I'll do everything in my power to help you trade with greater precision. All I ask is that you take full advantage of our training materials and ask questions. And if this is not enough, if within the first 14 days you are not completely satisfied, simply email billing@amazingaccuracy.com and request a full refund. Note: If you some reason you decide to cancel within the first 14 days, you must stipulate that you wish a refund rather than ask to have the account cancelled. You can cancel any membership at anytime, but only the Introductory Membership offers a money-back guarantee.
Q. I trade only the FOREX. How can FDates help me?
A. Would knowing in advance when the Australian Dollar was likely to make a top or bottom be helpful? Would knowing in advance when the British Pound was likely to make a top or bottom be helpful? What about the Canadian Dollar, Euro or Japanese Yen? We provide FDates for these 5 major currencies on our weekly FDate Report. So if you know with a high degree of certainty that the Australian Dollar was going to put in a top on a particular day, that would mean you know with a high degree of certainty that the AUD/USD is going to put in a top, correct? Same with the British Pound or the Euro. For the Canadian Dollar and Japanese Yen, both that have the USD as the base (USD/CAD and USD/JPY), you simply invert. For example, a top in the Canadian Dollar is a bottom in the USD/CAD. A bottom in the Japanese Yen would be a top in the USD/JPY. Very simple. Note: As of 7/4/2008, we now offer a FOREX Report that contains FDates for the majors. AUD/USD, GBP/USD, EUR/USD, USD/CAD, USD/CHF, USD/JPY. These are available only to our Premium Members at this time.
Q. How do I join?
A. At the top of this page you will see a link that says JOIN. That will take you to the Membership Plans we currently have available. Hope to see you aboard!
Q. When does a membership expire?
A. The membership expires when you receive your final report. The 4-week Membership, for example, would mean that your membership is good for 4 FDate Reports. Premium Memberships never expire unless you chose to cancel. The FDate Report is posted at our private Precision Trading forum each Friday or Saturday and is good for the upcoming week of trading.
Q. I'm currently in the Introductory Membership and would like to upgrade to the Premium Membership now. When would my Premium Membership dues start?
A. The first 8 weeks of reports come as part of your initial Premium Membership fee (Platinum PM plans include the first 52 weeks). Upon receipt of your 8th report (or 52nd report for Platinum members), your credit card on file would be debited for your membership dues (usually on a Wednesday) for the next 4 weeks of reports and every 4 weeks thereafter for as long as the account is open and active. If you are currently in a membership plan such as the Introductory plan, your Premium Membership dues would not start until you receive your final report of your current plan. However, you would have all the rights and privileges of a Premium Member as soon as your PM application is accepted regardless of whether you have completed a different plan.
Q. Do you manage a fund for your members?
A. No. I only manage my own personal account.
Q. I want to renew my membership now that my Introductory Plan is over. How is the Premium Membership "the best deal" over your weekly plans?
A. If you break the cost down to the weekly basis, you will find that in a short period of time, the Premium Membership is a real bargain. Also, you receive discounts on our other products (where specified) and have access to special areas within our private forum only for Premium Members. Depending on the Premium Plan, you can also receive for free some valuable trading tools, books and software. Make sure to read the plan carefully to determine what bonuses come with it.
Q. I think it is great that you do all the work of forecasting market tops and bottoms provided each week on the FDates Report. However, it would also be great if we could use the FDates program for our own personal use, to forecast turns in markets not covered in the report. It would be nice to have a copy of this amazing program. Is it possible to purchase/license your FDates program?
A. Yes, but there are some strict restrictions. For one, we only make the opportunity available to our Premium Members. Also, we only make the opportunity available once or twice a year during special opportunity months. It's a rare opportunity made available to our Premium Members on rare times, so when it is offered you do not want to delay.
