Master pivot point trading with Franklin Ochoa’s proven system.
This comprehensive review covers everything you need to know about one of the most effective price action trading books ever written.
Contents
About The Book And Author
Book Details:
- Title: Secrets of a Pivot Boss: Revealing Proven Methods for Profiting in the Market
- Author: Franklin O. Ochoa
- Published: 2010, 314 pages
- Current Price: ~$30-40 (varies by retailer)
- Available formats: Paperback, Kindle
Franklin Ochoa brings over 12 years of daily market analysis experience to this comprehensive guide on pivot point trading.
Unlike many trading books that focus on theory, Ochoa provides a complete, systematic approach with actionable tools and real-world applications.
The book has maintained its relevance for over a decade because pivot points are based on pure price action, a timeless concept that works across all markets and timeframes.
Who Should Read Secrets Of A Pivot Boss
This book serves multiple types of traders effectively:
Day Traders and Scalpers
The intraday pivot strategies provide clear entry and exit levels for short-term trading.
The Central Pivot Range (CPR) concept alone can transform how you approach daily trading sessions.
Swing Traders
Weekly and monthly pivot analysis helps identify longer-term support and resistance levels.
These work particularly well for swing trading setups lasting several days to weeks.
Options Traders
While not specifically written for options, the pivot levels provide excellent reference points for strike selection, particularly when selling credit spreads or choosing iron condor ranges.
Price Action Enthusiasts
If you prefer leading indicators over lagging ones, this book delivers pure price-based analysis without relying on oscillators or moving averages.
Technical Analysis Students
The systematic approach to pivot calculation and application provides a solid foundation for understanding market structure.
Core Pivot Trading Concepts Explained
The Money Zone System
Ochoa’s “Money Zone” concept identifies high-probability trading areas where multiple pivot levels converge.
These zones often act as strong support or resistance, providing traders with clearly defined risk-reward scenarios.
The Money Zone approach helps eliminate guesswork by focusing attention on areas where institutional traders are likely to make decisions.
This creates a more systematic approach to trade planning.
Floor Pivots and Daily Analysis
Traditional floor pivots calculate key levels based on the previous day’s high, low, and close.
Ochoa expands on this foundation by explaining how professional floor traders actually use these levels in real-time trading.
The book covers the psychological aspects of why these levels work, making the system more intuitive rather than just mechanical.
Understanding the “why” behind pivot points significantly improves your ability to trade them effectively.
Central Pivot Range (CPR)
One of Ochoa’s most valuable contributions is the Central Pivot Range concept.
Instead of viewing pivots as single lines, the CPR creates zones that account for market volatility and provide more realistic trading targets.
This approach acknowledges that markets rarely respect exact levels, giving traders more flexibility in their entry and exit strategies while maintaining the structural benefits of pivot analysis.
Camarilla Equation Applications
The Camarilla equation produces eight distinct levels (L1-L4, H1-H4) that create a comprehensive map of likely price action for the trading session.
Ochoa explains how breaks through specific Camarilla levels often signal trend continuation or reversal.
For options traders, these levels provide excellent reference points for selecting strike prices and managing risk. The L3/H3 levels, in particular, often align with optimal delta ranges for credit spread strategies.
Advanced Pivot Strategies And Techniques
Two-Day Pivot Relationships
Ochoa introduces the concept of pivot relationships across multiple sessions, showing how today’s pivots interact with yesterday’s levels.
This multi-day analysis helps identify stronger support and resistance zones.
These relationships become particularly powerful during trending markets, where consecutive pivot breaks often signal extended moves.
Understanding these patterns helps traders avoid premature exits during strong trends.
Pivot Width Forecasting
The book teaches traders how to use daily range data to anticipate volatility shifts.
Narrow pivot ranges often precede volatile breakouts, while wide ranges may signal consolidation periods.
This volatility forecasting proves invaluable for options traders who need to anticipate changes in implied volatility.
Narrow pivot ranges often coincide with low IV environments that favor option selling strategies.
Multi-Timeframe Pivot Analysis
Ochoa demonstrates how weekly and monthly pivots provide macro-level context for daily trading decisions.
This higher timeframe analysis helps traders align their positions with longer-term market bias.
For swing traders and position traders, this multi-timeframe approach creates a hierarchical system where daily pivots provide tactical entries while weekly pivots confirm strategic direction.
Hot Zone Identification
When multiple pivot systems converge at similar price levels, these “hot zones” become high-probability areas for significant price reactions.
Ochoa provides specific criteria for identifying and trading these convergence zones.
Hot zones work particularly well for options income strategies, as they often provide natural boundaries for credit spread and iron condor positioning.
Trading Platform Integration
The book includes coding examples for platforms like OmniTrader and VisualTrader, allowing traders to automate pivot calculations and alerts.
While these specific platforms may be less common today, the logic translates to modern platforms like TradingView, ThinkOrSwim, and MT4.
Manual Calculation Methods
For traders who prefer manual analysis, Ochoa provides step-by-step calculation methods for all pivot systems.
This understanding helps traders verify automated calculations and adapt the concepts to any trading platform.
Backtesting Guidelines
The book emphasizes the importance of testing pivot strategies before risking real capital.
Ochoa provides specific guidelines for backtesting that help traders understand the statistical edge of different pivot approaches.
How Pivot Points Apply To Options Trading
While Secrets of a Pivot Boss wasn’t explicitly written for options traders, the concepts translate beautifully to options strategies:
Strike Selection for Credit Spreads
Pivot levels provide natural reference points for selecting strike prices.
Selling credit spreads with short strikes near pivot resistance (for call spreads) or pivot support (for put spreads) often improves the probability of success.
The Central Pivot Range becomes particularly useful for iron condor positioning, as it helps identify the likely trading range for the underlying asset.
Volatility Environment Assessment
Narrow pivot ranges often coincide with low implied volatility environments that favor option selling strategies.
Wide pivot ranges may signal higher volatility periods better suited for long option strategies.
Trade Management Levels
Pivot points serve as excellent reference levels for adjusting or closing options positions.
Breaks above key resistance pivots might trigger early closure of call spreads, while breaks below support pivots could signal put spread adjustments.
Weekly and Monthly Options
With the proliferation of weekly options, Ochoa’s multi-timeframe pivot analysis becomes even more relevant.
Weekly pivots help options traders select appropriate expiration cycles based on expected price ranges.
Pros And Cons: Honest Assessment
What Works Well
Universal Application: The concepts work across all markets and timeframes, making this a versatile addition to any trader’s toolkit. Whether you trade futures, stocks, or ETFs, pivot analysis remains relevant.
Visual Clarity: Ochoa’s approach turns abstract price levels into clear visual zones that make trade planning more intuitive. The “hot zone” concept particularly helps traders focus on high-probability setups.
Systematic Approach: Rather than relying on discretionary judgment, the book provides systematic rules for identifying and trading pivot levels. This structure helps eliminate emotional decision-making.
Coding Resources: The inclusion of actual code sets this book apart from most trading literature. Even if you don’t use the exact platforms mentioned, the logic helps you implement similar systems elsewhere.
Timeless Concepts: Published in 2010, the book’s core concepts remain as relevant today as when first written. Pivot points are based on fundamental price action principles that don’t become obsolete.
Potential Limitations
Learning Curve: This isn’t a casual read. The material requires dedicated study and practice to implement effectively. Expect to revisit sections multiple times as you develop proficiency.
Platform Dependencies: Some of the coding examples reference older trading platforms that may be less accessible today. Modern traders may need to adapt the concepts to current technology.
Information Density: The book covers numerous pivot systems and applications, which can feel overwhelming initially. New traders might benefit from focusing on one system before exploring others.
Limited Options Focus: While the concepts apply to options trading, the book doesn’t specifically address options-related applications like strike selection or volatility considerations.
Is This Book Worth Reading In 2025?
Absolutely.
Despite being published in 2010, Secrets of a Pivot Boss remains one of the most comprehensive resources on pivot point trading available.
The core concepts are timeless because they’re based on fundamental price action principles.
Modern Relevance
Today’s markets, with increased algorithmic trading and faster execution, actually make pivot levels more important than ever.
Institutional algorithms often respect these levels, creating self-fulfilling prophecies that benefit traders who understand pivot dynamics.
The rise of day trading and retail participation has also increased the relevance of intraday pivot systems.
More traders watching the same levels often increases their effectiveness.
Technology Integration
While the specific coding examples may reference older platforms, the underlying logic translates perfectly to modern trading tools.
Platforms like TradingView, ThinkOrSwim, and Interactive Brokers all support custom pivot indicators based on Ochoa’s methods.
Skill Development
The systematic approach taught in this book helps develop crucial analytical skills that remain valuable regardless of changing market conditions.
Learning to read price structure through pivot analysis improves overall trading competency.
Alternative Resources
If Secrets of a Pivot Boss appeals to you, consider these complementary resources:
Similar Books
- Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy: Broader technical analysis coverage, including pivot points
- Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas: Psychological aspects of systematic trading
- Market Profile by James Dalton: An Alternative approach to understanding market structure
Final Verdict And Recommendation
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Secrets of a Pivot Boss earns a strong recommendation for traders serious about improving their market analysis skills.
The systematic approach, comprehensive coverage, and practical tools make it a valuable long-term reference.
Best For:
- Traders seeking systematic entry and exit rules
- Anyone interested in pure price action analysis
- Day traders and swing traders, looking for better timing
- Options traders who are looking for better strike selection criteria
Skip If:
- You prefer fundamental analysis over technical analysis
- You’re looking for a quick-fix trading system
- You’re not willing to invest time in learning and practice
Implementation Suggestion
Start with the basic pivot calculations and the Central Pivot Range concept.
Practice identifying these levels on your charts for several weeks before moving to advanced techniques.
Focus on mastering one or two pivot systems rather than trying to implement everything simultaneously.
For options traders specifically, begin by using pivot levels as reference points for strike selection in your existing strategies.
Once comfortable with basic applications, explore the volatility forecasting aspects to improve your strategy timing.
Value Proposition
At around $30-40, this book provides exceptional value for the depth of content and systematic approach it offers.
The concepts, once learned, provide a lifetime foundation for better market analysis and trade planning.
The investment in learning pivot point analysis often pays for itself within the first few improved trades, making this one of the highest ROI trading education purchases available.
Learn Options the Right Way — Step by Step
Understanding pivot points is just one aspect of developing a complete trading system.
If you’re interested in learning a systematic approach to options trading:
- Options Income Mastery: Learn proven option strategies with proper risk management techniques ($397). 1-month program.
- The Accelerator Program: 12-month program covering 9 major strategies with comprehensive portfolio management for serious options traders ($1,497).
Both programs include detailed modules on managing assignment scenarios, technical analysis, trading psychology, and proper position sizing techniques.
We hope you enjoyed this review article on the book Secrets of a Pivot Boss.
If you have any questions, send an email or leave a comment below.
Trade safe!
Disclaimer: The information above is for educational purposes only and should not be treated as investment advice. The strategy presented would not be suitable for investors who are not familiar with exchange traded options. Any readers interested in this strategy should do their own research and seek advice from a licensed financial adviser.
