Hot Topics at Traders Expo Dallas 2012

Learn more about this year's can't-miss topics.

Scheduled to take place June 6 through June 9, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion,

comes jam-packed with more than 60 speakers who will be sharing their trading expertise with expo attendees. "I started the Traders Expo simply because it was an event I wanted to attend myself as a trader," Tim Bourquin, the co-founder of The Traders Expo and The Futures & Forex Expo, told Benzinga. "I knew there were lots of people out there who wanted to learn more but online trading and investing was just getting started so there wasn't a lot of information out there. I brought in speakers I wanted to hear and called sponsors and exhibitors I used myself." Bourquin said that he designed the entire event by asking himself, "What kind of convention would I want to attend myself?" "Most importantly, I wanted to have detailed workshops where traders could come learn practical strategies they could use immediately to make money," he said. "No theory allowed. I need that information myself and made that the number-one goal of every event. It still is the number-one goal today."

While some expos and conferences are regarded as a necessary evil, Anne-Marie Baiynd, the President and CEO of

, said that speaking at The Traders Expo has been "a real joy" for her. "It's the only time I get out to meet traders and aspiring traders," she said. "Many of them want to understand and perform well so badly -- it's like an unquenchable thirst. It is a familiar feeling to me and I enjoy getting to meet people who have spent time following me or really want to understand technical topics more completely." This year, Baiynd's topic is "STACK RANKING - What makes a technical indicator great and how to rank your technical indicator results in order to achieve the greatest probability of trading success." "I chose this topic first because many traders keep too many indicators because they think that more is better," she said. "But more is not better -- more is usually worse due to the personal conflict that arises when technical indicators disagree with each other. With the skill of stack ranking, a trader can look at the indicators and with power ranking, they can choose the order of importance to make better decisions when they trade. It is a skill I see that a great number of traders do not possess." Baiynd is a Traders Expo and MoneyShow veteran. "This might be my fourth or fifth appearance here in Dallas," she said. "I would recommend it to any trader who wants to see new trading technologies, learn from very qualified traders and trading experts, meet other traders who might be part of an online group and serve as support structures. [It's] a great place to go if you want to learn."

Why has Brian Shannon, the President of

, attended The Traders Expo events for the past 10 years? "I enjoy meeting traders I have only conversed with in emails, on the phone or on StockTwits," said Shannon. "It is really great to put the faces to all the names I encounter online. The Expos are a great place for learning, networking, and fun!" "My topic for the Expo is 'Daytrade and Swing Trade Idea Generation,'" Shannon continued. "On the evening of Thursday June 7, I plan to do a blog post at www.alphatrends.net, which shows some potential trade setups and then on Friday during the talk I will do actual trades in those setups or explain how the market may have changed to make the setup invalid." Shannon said that one of the most important skills traders can possess is to recognize the need for flexibility. "A setup you may have loved and looked forward to trading the evening before may have completely changed overnight and the risk/reward ratio we thought was present no longer exists," he said. "So, in addition to how to find the ideas and plan how we would like to trade them the next day, I plan on showing how we need to adjust our plan as the market gives us new information." Ultimately, Shannon said that the worst thing that could happen is if the trade setups he presented act exactly as outlined the evening before, "because that is typically

how it works in the market!" "I hope the real value of the talk will be recognition of the importance of flexibility within a general framework which was laid out in advance," he said. "If we are prepared for all potential scenarios we will very [rarely] be taken by surprise in the markets."

Everyone has a reason for attending

. Jeff White, founder of

, attends because of the all-around experience -- including the ability to catch up with friends. "[My] first was in Las Vegas about five years ago when I happened to be in town already and wanted to catch up with some trader friends I knew would be there," said White. "I was hunting for a new broker at the time, so it was the perfect place to kick tires on all of them and make an informed decision." Last summer, White attended

. "I had some friends in the trading industry who were presenting, and I wanted to hear them speak," he said. "I also enjoyed getting to catch up with several trader friends from different states whom I just don't get to see very often." "And then this year I was invited to speak at the New York Traders Expo, which was a huge event and something I really enjoyed," White continued. "It was my first trip to NYC, and my wife and I were able to see the sights, which was fun. I spoke at the Expo and also to a prop firm in NYC, which was a great experience." This year, White's topic is, "Unique Traits of High-Performance Traders." "For those unable to attend live, my session will be webcast so if you're interested you can attend virtually," said White. "In my experience, the most successful investors and traders share a variety of foundational traits which transcend whatever markets they're involved in, the timeframes they're operating on, or the instruments they're trading. So rather than trying to promise attendees the magic bullet indicator or some kind of amazing can't-lose software (neither of which exist), I'm covering core principles which I think must be adopted in order to have long-term success in the markets."