[brownsfan019]

I've always liked the idea of creating a program to do your work and then watch it print money, but outside of the mega I-banks and institutions with huge pockets, I wonder how many actually make money over the long haul being automated.

In the end, whether you are automated or not, there is still the human element involved - the human element of EMOTIONS.

The argument that automation removes that is simply not true. At the end of the day, when you are reviewing your statement, human emotions can get the best of you whether automated or not. A human will decide when to turn the program on or off and therefore, emotions will drive that decision sooner or later. It's easy while making money. As soon as there is a threat of drawdown however, things change. I believe that being in the market daily and watching the charts yourself gives you an advantage (no matter how slight) over the machine in seeing what is out there and how things are reacting.