📖William Gann

Integrity Above All

🌱 Beginner★★★★★

Integrity is the most valuable asset.

💬

Reputation takes a lifetime to build and moments to destroy. In investing and in life, integrity is the most valuable asset you can possess.

— 45 Years in Wall Street,1949

🏠 Everyday Analogy

Market cycles resemble seasons: planting, growth, harvest, and winter. Using one strategy in every season leads to repeated mistakes.

📖 Core Interpretation

W.D. Gann sees markets as cyclical rather than linear. Understanding cycle position improves risk-taking decisions more than trying to call exact tops and bottoms.
💎 Key Insight:Reputation, once lost, is nearly impossible to rebuild.

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❓ Why It Matters

Ignoring cycles repeats the same mistakes: excessive optimism at peaks and excessive pessimism near troughs. Context matters for position sizing.

🎯 How to Practice

Monitor credit, valuation, earnings, and sentiment signals; reduce aggressiveness in euphoric phases and preserve flexibility in fearful phases.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Treating short rebounds as full cycle turns
Extrapolating peak conditions indefinitely
Becoming maximally defensive near valuation troughs

📚 Case Studies

1
Post-Crash Accumulation (1932)
After the 1929–1932 bear market, Gann used square-of-9 time and price levels to signal a long-term bottom in the Dow Jones.
✨ Outcome:He accumulated quality stocks near the lows and benefited from the ensuing multi‑year recovery rally.
2
Railroad Stock Forecast (1909)
Gann reportedly applied Gann Angles to predict turning points in several railroad stocks, including Union Pacific, correctly forecasting price reversals based on angle support and resistance from key swing lows.
✨ Outcome:Executed multiple short-term trades with favorable risk-reward, compounding returns over several months.

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