There is a difference between working on a problem and focusing on a solution.  Thus, trying to improve performance is different than focusing on limiting losses. 

Einstein said: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

It got me thinking. Most trading charts are time-based (meaning that price change is measured against time).  But maybe looking at price change in other ways would provide a different perspective.

 

There are several interesting techniques gaining favor among technical traders.  These include measuring price change based on a certain volume traded or a constant range of directional movement.  Here is a link to a brief article about this in StockCharts.com.

 

In some respects, these are "smoothing" techniques.  Nonetheless, they present a different picture of the market, and are something worth investigating.

 

Here is how the S&P 500 Index looks like in one of these charts.