The other day I came across an article about Warren Buffett’s office. The writer catalogued in full detail all of the knick knacks that Buffett has in what was described as “the domain of a mid-level executive in a generic corporation.” I knew that Buffett was frugal, but the fact that one of the world’s richest men still watches television on cathode ray TV really surprised me.

Yet what really caught my eye about the article was that Buffett had a picture of Ted Williams in his office. I wrote about trading like Ted Williams several years ago and it appears that Buffett is a fan of the baseball great for the very same reason that I am. As Buffett tells the writer the picture of Williams is there to remind him to “wait for the right pitch”.

If you really think about what Buffett is saying, it means that you must let price come to you. It means effectively that Buffett never trades trend. As a value investor he is always buying when everyone is selling and selling when everyone is buying. He, of course, is not alone. Almost all great investors do this including Seth Klarman whose book sits on Buffett’s desk.

Yet think about the idiotic cult of trend that pervades all retail trading. From the moment you are newbie to the very last penny that you lose from your account you are told by every paper trading guru that you “must trade with trend”. Now there is no doubt that some -- few -- traders can trade with trend successfully, but the vast majority of traders lose all their money following that useless advice.

Why?

Because trading trend puts you at a disadvantage from the moment go. You are chasing price, you are following the crowd and that strategy only works if the wave continues to swell. But hurricanes are rare and most of the time the wave crests and you just crash into the rocky bottom of unforgiving ocean wondering what you did wrong.

Currency markets -- and for that matter all capital markets -- are just like the ocean. On a day to day basis prices crest and fall and rise again. That’s why in my day trading room we trade counter-trend almost all the time. Trading counter trend by no means guarantees success. In fact, if you do what most retail traders do, which is -- add to the position and trade without a stop -- you will most certainly go bankrupt. But counter trend trading with a robust entry model and an intelligent trade management system is a much better way to day trade. It puts odds in your favor.

Just ask Warren Buffett.