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VaderDan
Expert TraderProfessional trader specializing in Candle Range Theory (CRT), Wyckoff Method, and institutional order flow analysis. Helping traders master prop firm challenges and develop consistent trading strategies.
The Origins & History of the Wyckoff Method
Rule the Candle, Rule the Trade
INTRODUCTION
Most traders are taught what to buy. Very few are taught why price moves at all.
Over a century ago, one man decided to stop guessing — and start observing.
His name was Richard D. Wyckoff.
While the public chased headlines, rumours, and tips, Wyckoff studied something far more dangerous: the behaviour of the largest players in the market. Banks. Syndicates. Institutions. The entities that actually move price.
He discovered a simple truth: Markets do not move randomly. They are engineered.
This is the origin of the Wyckoff Method.
WHO WAS RICHARD D. WYCKOFF?
Richard Demille Wyckoff (1873–1934) was one of the earliest pioneers of technical market analysis. He is widely considered one of the five founding figures of modern trading methodology.
He began his career at age 15 and later founded The Magazine of Wall Street, which reached over 200,000 subscribers. His mission was to teach traders how markets truly worked.
Richard D. Wyckoff
The Father of Technical Analysis
From stock runner at age 15 to one of the most respected market analysts of his era, Wyckoff dedicated his life to understanding how markets truly operate.
His revolutionary approach to reading institutional behavior transformed trading from speculation into a systematic discipline.
THE PROBLEM HE SAW
Wyckoff noticed that retail traders were repeatedly losing — not due to lack of intelligence, but lack of understanding.
He saw that institutions were accumulating quietly, distributing slowly, and using emotional reactions as liquidity.
THE COMPOSITE MAN
Wyckoff described the market as being controlled by a single entity: the Composite Man. This figure represents the combined actions of large institutional players.
This mental model forces traders to stop reacting and start interpreting.
WHY WYCKOFF STILL MATTERS
Technology has changed. Human behaviour has not.
Institutions still accumulate, mark up, distribute, and mark down. Wyckoff's work applies today because it is based on psychology, not indicators.
CLOSING
Wyckoff did not teach predictions. He taught perception.
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