Compare the Legends
Same market, six different playbooks. See where the methodologies agree — and where your temperament should pick your mentor.
Mark Minervini
The Precision Sniper
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William O'Neil
The Institutional Edge
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Jesse Livermore
The Original Tape Reader
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Stan Weinstein
The Stage Master
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Nicolas Darvas
The Self-Made Trader
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Richard Wyckoff
The Tape Reader
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core idea | SEPA — superperformance stocks tighten before they break out | CANSLIM — fundamentals + technicals + market direction together | Price follows the line of least resistance | Every stock cycles through 4 stages — only buy Stage 2 | Strong stocks climb in stacked price boxes | Smart money accumulates quietly before the markup |
| Buy trigger | Breakout from a VCP pivot after contractions tighten | Breakout past a cup/flat-base buy point on big volume | Break of a pivotal point in the trend's direction | Weekly close above a rising 30-week MA out of Stage 1 | Push above the box top at new 52-week highs | Spring or Sign of Strength out of accumulation |
| Stop discipline | 7–8% absolute max — usually far tighter | 7–8% below the buy point, no exceptions | Out the moment the pivotal point fails | Below the 30-week MA or the breakout low | Just under the bottom of the current box | Below the spring low / last support |
| Typical hold | Weeks to a few months — swing the strongest move | Months — ride the institutional campaign | As long as the trend runs — sit tight | Months to a year+ — the whole Stage 2 advance | Weeks to months — until a box floor breaks | The markup phase — exit into distribution |
| Market filter | Only trades confirmed uptrends | M in CANSLIM — wait for a follow-through day | Trades with the broad tape, never against it | Market and sector must also be Stage 2 | New highs only happen in healthy markets | Reads the whole tape's accumulation/distribution |
| Fundamentals? | Yes — accelerating earnings & sales back the chart | Heavy — C, A, N are earnings and innovation | No — pure price and volume | Light — price/volume and sector strength lead | Techno-fundamental — a growth story plus the box | No — supply and demand are the only facts |
| Never does | Average down or hold laggards | Buy low-RS stocks or fight the market | Take tips or argue with the tape | Buy Stage 4 declines or guess at bottoms | Buy cheap stocks or second-guess his stops | Chase moves without cause built first |
| Adding to winners | Concentrates in the few best names | Pyramids small after the breakout works | Adds at each confirming pivotal point | Adds on pullbacks to the rising 30-week MA | Adds as each new box forms higher | Adds at the Last Point of Support |
| Best fit for | Precise swing traders who love risk control | Growth investors who enjoy research | Patient trend riders | Part-time traders on weekly charts | Rule followers who can't watch all day | Chart readers fascinated by volume |
| Scanner patterns | VCP Power Play Three Weeks Tight High Tight Flag | Cup & Handle Flat Base Pocket Pivot | Bull Flag Pennant Falling Wedge Inverse Head & Shoulders | MA Pullback Basing Rising Wedge | Darvas Box Ascending Triangle Base Breakout | Wyckoff Spring Wyckoff SOS |
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Summaries are drawn from each trader's published books and public methodology. Legend AI is not affiliated with or endorsed by any featured trader. Educational only — not investment advice.