How Does He Do It?

Matt Caruso caught up with legendary trader Larry Williams in Sydney, Australia by phone. In this revealing interview, Larry shares some of his secrets on how he does it.

Larry Williams has been trading futures and commodities for well over 40 years. He is among the most highly regarded and well known short term traders in the world. No other trader is as accomplished as Larry Williams. He has taught thousands to correctly trade the markets, won many trading championships, and has been the only futures trader in the world to repeatedly trade $1 million of his own money live at seminars around the globe.

Larry began following the markets in 1962 after his interest was sparked by the Kennedy market crash, when President Kennedy forced a roll back in steel prices. The crash was front page news everywhere. People lost millions but Larry was more taken by the fact that if you had been "short" the market, you would have made millions. Larry began to understand that he could make a $100 day trading the markets, whether the market was going up or down, and he was smitten. To a 20 year old college kid, $100 bought a lot of beer and pizza. Larry Williams graduated from the University of Oregon in 1964 with a bachelors in Journalism, thus his passion for writing.

By 1965 Larry was actively trading the markets and began writing newsletters as well. In 1966 Larry developed his famous timing tool, Williams %R. In 1970 Larry's first investment book, The Secret of Selecting Stocks, was published, followed shortly by, Sure Thing Commodity Trading, How Seasonal Factors Influence Commodity Prices.

In between trading, researching and developing trading tools, teaching, and writing, Larry managed to run twice for the U.S. Senate as well as 65 marathons. He holds a higher degree in archeology and has manned several expeditions. Larry's long list of best-selling books includes 1982's How to Prosper in the Coming Good Years, which accurately forecasted the largest bull market and surge in economic growth in American history. He is a past board member of the National Futures Association and the recipient of numerous awards. On October 6, 2002 the mayor of San Diego declared that day as Larry Williams' Day.