The problem when you start talking about a future trading system is that unless it is a subject the listener is already intensely interested in, you’ll quickly see eyes beginning to glaze over. It’s an obscure topic that’s hard to understand for many people. This then, is an attempt to make it more accessible.

Future trading systems are a lot like cooking steaks on the grill. The  future trading system itself is kind of a black box. You might not understand all the things that the black box does – all the tubes, knobs, wires and hoses coming off of it, but you know what it’s for. Just like with a super deluxe gas grille. You know exactly what it’s for, and so you’re eager to turn the gas on, press the ignition switch and get to it!

When you’re grilling, you also understand that it’s not an automatic process. You can’t just toss the steaks on the grill, close the lid, and let the “magic black box” take care of the rest. Sometimes there are flare ups. The fire starts to get out of control and you’ve got to move the steaks out of the worst of it, after letting them get a bit of a char for seasoning. The point though, is that there’s some timing and finesse involved that might not be visible at first glance. Same thing with an future trading system.

Each Future Trading System is Like a Different Cut Of Meat

Also, each steak is different, just like each future trading system is different. That means that this one over here might need to be flipped more quickly than the other one you just put on. If you want to become a true Grill Master, it’s going to take time and experimentation. You’ve got to try and test different strategies for producing the perfect grilled steak. The same is true of an algorithmic trading system. Much of their experimentation, tweaking and changes happen in the background in a thing called “back testing,” but every good system does this.

Talking about future trading systems in terms of steak not only makes it more accessible and interesting to more people, but is also makes you hungry, so go fire up the grill, put on some steaks, and think about algo trading.