TRENDadvisor – Financial Trading Software

Systematic Market Phase Framework for Multi-Year Capital Allocation

Backed by 40 years of market experience, acuTRADE provides professional allocators with a disciplined, rules-based framework for long-term position holding (1+ year horizons), macro trend participation, and systematic tail-risk mitigation across core equities and large-AUM ETFs.

A Multi-Year Lifecycle Methodology, Proven Across Decades

Institutional portfolios demand more than static entry and exit signals. acuTRADE was built for institutions and professional allocators, engineered through decades of market cycles across large-AUM ETFs, equities ranging from $5B to $4T in market cap, and Dividend Growth Equities. Under the methodology developed by Chuck Dukas, a position is never judged by a single static call. It is systematically managed from initial entry, through add-to positions and staged scale-outs, to final exit, with capital preservation built into every stage.

A Decade of Real Markets: DJI 2002–2013

From June 2002 to May 2013, acuTRADE navigated three of the sharpest market drawdowns of the last quarter century: the 2002 bear market bottom, the 2008 global financial crisis, and the August 2011 U.S. debt ceiling selloff. For institutional allocators and family offices, downside protection is not about avoiding market exposure – it is about systematic risk governance through full market cycles.

Three Losses. Shown in Full.

A credible framework should show where it was wrong, not just where it was right.

Over this period, three campaigns experienced losses:

Short (June 26, 2008): Loss of 1,404 points
Buy (May 2, 2009): Loss of 924 points
Short (August 19, 2011): Loss of 1,472 points (-14.0%)

Each occurred during some of the most volatile market conditions of the period. The losses are presented exactly as they occurred, alongside the gains and subsequent campaign activity.

Capital Preservation in Action

The objective was not to avoid every loss. It was to systematically reduce exposure and lock in gains as trends developed.

Across the 11-year period, acuTRADE’s staged profit-taking – using Scale Partials (SP-O) on long positions and Cover Partials (CP-O) on short positions – generated:

SP-O 1: +21.8% and +21.7% gains on the first 50% of the respective long positions
SP-O 2: +39.1% gain on the next 40% of the position
SP-O 3: +56.0% gain on the final 10% of the position
CP-O 1: +17.1% gain on the first 50% of the short position
CP-O 2: +27.6% gain on the next 40% of the short position

These gains were realized before the market reversals that followed.

The purpose of staged scaling is straightforward: secure portions of a successful campaign as the trend develops, while maintaining exposure to participate if that trend continues.

Recovery and Re-Engagement

A loss did not end the campaign process. When market structure improved, acuTRADE systematically re-engaged.

Across the 11-year period, six Add-to/Buy (AT/B-O) signals identified opportunities to add exposure as improving market structure confirmed the developing trend.

Two periods illustrate the process:

2003–2007: A Buy at 8,713 began a nearly five-year advance. As the trend developed, acuTRADE increased exposure through three separate Add-to/Buy (AT/B-O) signals, followed by structured profit scaling through Scale Partials, locking in gains of 22%, 39%, and 56% on their respective position tranches. Those profits were fully realized months before the 2008 financial crisis began.
Post-2009 Recovery: Following the financial crisis, a new Buy at 8,867 began the next long campaign. acuTRADE subsequently added exposure to 10,441 and, following the 2011 market disruption, re-engaged again with a Buy at 12,125 and an Add-to/Buy at 12,652. By May 2013, SP-O 1 had captured a +21.7% gain on the first 50% position tranche, while the remaining 50% of the core campaign remained open.

The objective was not to predict the market bottom or top. It was to re-engage when the rules confirmed improving structure and systematically manage exposure as the trend developed.

Want Every Number?

The complete record is available for review.

The full DJI study includes a chronological appendix documenting every acuTRADE marker across the June 2002 to May 2013 period, including Buys, Shorts, Add-to/Buy signals, Scale Partials, Cover Partials, losses, dates, prices, and percentage gains.

Nothing is removed because it did not work. The three losses appear in the same chronological sequence as the profitable campaigns that preceded and followed them.

Every marker. Every date. Every price. In sequence.

Book Reviews

And it is authors like Chuck Dukas who continue to raise the bar for all of us when he writes that technical indicators will act differently during the six stages of his Market Phase Analysis. He wants his readers to understand that we should all approach the market with a trading plan and the discipline to carry out that plan. Enjoy Chuck’s book, I certainly did.

Identifying a market’s trend, defining a process to time entries and exits, and applying a prudent money management approach are all essential components to consistent long-term trading and investment success and profitability. With clarity and detail, Chuck Dukas presents a much needed prescription to introduce these important elements into one’s trading regimen. This book is essential reading for anyone who operates in the markets and intends to be a survivor.

Chuck Dukas has developed an interesting life-cycle framework for equity analysis rooted in traditional technical analysis concepts that harkens back to the pioneering work of Stan Weinstein. Model builders will no doubt be anxious to test these ideas in the crucible of the markets.

This book, The TRENDadvisor Guide to Breakthrough Profits, not only is a valid comprehensive guide to exploiting profit opportunities in modern equity markets, but also has the virtue of being written by a seasoned professional with a real time record of doing just that. This is no ‘pie in the sky’ wanna-be trader’s hope chest, but a well thought-out, clear exposition of how equity markets actually work, and how to make money from them

Recognition from Industry Leaders

Perspectives from respected leaders in investment management, technical analysis, financial research, and academia.

After 47 years as a professional floor trader, and as a devotee of technical analysis and computerization, I can categorally state that I have never encountered anyone with the breadth of knowledge and insight about trading possessed by Chuck Dukas. Its been an honor to work with him each day over the past year.

I found Chuck's TRENDadvisor course to be encouraging, insightful, and knowledge-filled and thought provoking. The course assisted greatly in shortening my learning curve and guiding me to a formalized trading plan (which took months to create.) It provided me with knowledge and resources while inspiring creative thinking to be profitable while protecting my capital. I attribute my success to the TRENDadvisor course and Chuck's assistance and leadership!!! I have already highly recommended this course to other traders and I continue to highly recommend it to anyone interested in personal trading.

I am so pleased with the acuTREND Trading System. It is a well-thought-out, powerful, comprehensive trading system that has made me a lot of money. I couldn’t possibly have done this well without acuTREND. The process is clear and easy: acuTREND tells me exactly when to enter a trade, when to take 1st objective profits, and when to exit. It is like having an expert trading coach right there beside me day after day. I love it.

I want to compliment you on your seminar. It may have been the most professional, accomplished, well presented trading seminar I have ever experienced. Your methodology is absolutely beautiful. The clarity, simplicity and ease of execution are in a class by itself.

TRENDadvisor’s fully automated position management and systematic risk software is designed to deliver disciplined, multi-year trend exposure for institutional portfolios.