Professional dancer and self-taught stock trader
Nicolas Darvas
Nicolas Darvas (1920–1977) was a Hungarian-born professional dancer who left Hungary in 1943 and later toured with his half-sister Julia as a dance team. Trading by cable and telegram from his tours, he said he made about $2.45 million in 18 months during the 1957–58 market. He described the method in How I Made $2,000,000 in the Stock Market (1960).
What they argue
- A rising stock moves in a series of 'boxes' (trading ranges); buy only when price breaks out above the top of the current box.
- Protect every position with a stop-loss order just below the box bottom, and raise it as new, higher boxes form.
- Focus on stocks already making new highs, with volume confirming the move, rather than on cheap or out-of-favour stocks.
Sources
Wikipedia: Nicolas DarvasWallStreetMojo: Darvas Box TheoryMQL5: automating the Darvas box (secondary summary of the 1960 rules)
Summaries are Be The Puck's paraphrase of public material. Be The Puck has no affiliation with the people listed.
Books and papers
- How I Made $2,000,000 in the Stock Market (1960)
- Wall Street: The Other Las Vegas (1964)
- The Anatomy of Success (1965)
- The Darvas System for Over-the-Counter Profits (1971)
- You Can Still Make It in the Market (1977)
Darvas box breakout
Rule and full recordBreakouts & channels · daily
A rising stock climbs in a stack of boxes. Buy when it breaks out of the top of a box; sell if it falls out of the bottom.
In right now97 of 377As of the Oct 13, 2026 close.
Best risk-adjusted results against buy and hold: