Strategy & Tactics FAQ — ContraryThinker

1. What is Strategy & Tactics, and what does it cost?

Strategy & Tactics is the paid tier of the ContraryThinker™ publication. It is the working playbook layered on top of the MarketMap™ timing framework: cycle reads, position structure, risk parameters, and the specific tactics our team is applying right now across the markets we cover.

The current subscription is $96.75 per month (regularly $129.00 per month). You can cancel at any time from inside your Beehiiv account.

2. What exactly do I get with the membership?

You get the publications: written analyses, tactical updates, and the timing maps that drive position and risk decisions. The publications operate as both a standalone timing and strategy framework and as a working user guide for the proprietary plug-ins and indicators we publish on TradeStation, NinjaTrader, MetaTrader 5, and TradingView.

Indicators and strategy code are licensed separately. The membership covers publications only. That separation is deliberate. We do not want you paying for software you do not use, and we do not want our publications held hostage to a platform.

3. Do you cover day, overnight, swing, and core (position) trading?

Yes. Strategy & Tactics is timeframe-agnostic by design. The same cycle read drives different tactics at different timeframes.

Inside the publication you will see day-trade setups, overnight and swing structures, and longer core positions running from two to five weeks out to several months. If you trade after the cash open because you have a day job, the swing and core layers are where most of your edge will sit. The day-trade material is there when you have screen time.

4. Which markets do you cover?

The core coverage list is the E-mini index complex, gold, silver, natural gas, crude oil, and US Treasury bonds and notes. Equities, currencies, and selected single-stock setups appear when the cycle read justifies it.

5. How do I know which market is in which cycle, and which strategy to apply today?

This is the whole point of the publication. Every ContraryThinker™ market read is filed under one of four cycle states: ranging, reversal, uptrend, or downtrend. Each state has its own tactic set. A range market is not traded the same way as a trend market, and a reversal is not traded like either.

When you open the publication, you see the cycle label for each market we cover, the time window the read applies to, and the specific tactic the team is running against it. The job is to match what you are doing to the cycle, not to force a single style across every market on every day.

6. Which platforms do you support?

TradeStation, NinjaTrader, MetaTrader 5, and TradingView. If you have been on TradeStation for years, you do not need to switch. The publications are platform-neutral. If you choose to run the proprietary plug-ins, they are available across all four platforms (licensed separately).

7. What indicators and strategies are available, and what do they cost?

The current indicator and strategy library is published on the ContraryThinker™ site. Pricing is per indicator or per strategy, with bundle pricing for traders running multiple tools together. If you previously bought %C or the Ed Short strategy in the mid-2000s, those still have a place in the current toolkit, and the modern successors are listed alongside them.

For the current price list, see the Indicators & Strategies catalog on contrarythinker.com. We do not move prices around to chase a campaign.

8. Do you send push or email notifications?

Yes. Subscribers receive email notifications when a new publication, cycle update, or tactical alert is posted. Push notifications are available through the Beehiiv mobile app for readers who want delivery on the phone instead of the inbox. You can mix and match in your account settings.

We do not flood the channel. The cadence is driven by the cycle, not by a content calendar.

9. Do you offer automated strategies?

Yes, with a caveat. We publish coded strategies for TradeStation and NinjaTrader that traders can run in automated or semi-automated mode, and study or signal versions for MetaTrader 5 and TradingView. These are licensed separately from the publication.

The caveat: ContraryThinker™ does not push fully hands-off, “set and forget” automation as a substitute for understanding the cycle. The automated strategies are tools, not babysitters. The publication is the brain.

10. I have a full-time job and can only trade after 10:00 a.m. US Eastern. Does this still work?

Yes. A large share of our readership trades around a day job. The swing and core tactics do not require you to be at the screen on the open, and the day-trade material that is relevant after 10:00 a.m. is flagged accordingly. The publication is structured so a part-time trader gets the same edge as someone watching the open tick by tick.

11. I have limited capital and want to grow it. Where should I start: day, swing, or options?

This is a personal question, not a publication question, so the answer below is general and not personalized advice.

For most traders building capital, swing and overnight structures on liquid futures (E-mini, gold, crude, T-bonds) carry better risk-adjusted economics than pure day trading, because the noise-to-signal ratio improves as you step out in timeframe. Day trading is the most demanding seat in the house and the most expensive way to learn.

Options can be powerful when the cycle calls for them, particularly on directional surges in metals and energy. They are not a shortcut. The publication will tell you when the cycle favors an options expression versus an outright.

12. Can I subscribe only for options content, or only for a single market?

No. Strategy & Tactics is a single, integrated publication. Carving it up by market or instrument would defeat the purpose of cycle work, which depends on cross-market context.

13. How do I cancel?

From your Beehiiv account, under Subscriptions, click Manage and then Cancel. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period and you retain access until then. We do not require a phone call or a retention conversation.

14. Who do I email if I have a question that isn’t on this list?

Reply directly to any ContraryThinker™ email, or write to support@contrarythinker.com. Member questions often become the next FAQ entry, so do not assume the question is too small.

Compliance

The ContraryThinker™ publication and Strategy & Tactics are issued for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing in this material constitutes personalized investment, tax, or legal advice, nor a solicitation to buy or sell any security, futures contract, option, or other financial instrument. Trading futures, options, and securities involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Past performance, hypothetical or actual, is not indicative of future results. Hypothetical results have inherent limitations and do not reflect the impact of slippage, commissions, liquidity, or emotional factors present in live trading. Readers are solely responsible for their own trading and investment decisions. ContraryThinker™ and its principals may hold positions in the markets discussed.