>> gimmicks to beat the market <<
Along those lines, one clever idea was an arbitrage play - you short the 3X long ETF and simultaneously short the 3X short ETF for the same index (say the S+P). This takes advantage of the built-in share price erosion over time for these enhanced 2X and 3X ETFs due to their having to reset daily. So you pocket the amount of the price erosion, which is substantial over time. I never tried it myself, but in theory it should work extremely well, however the problem is finding the shares to short, since in shorting the shares have to be 'loaned' to you and that's apparently a big problem when dealing with these 2X/3X enhanced funds - the shares to short aren't readily available.
Another approach is the 'Pincher Play', which can work if you're skilled enough at it. You look for a stock that is collapsing and then time a long trade for the dead cat bounce using a series of TA chart parameters to time the entry point. It takes practice but is really fun, though I only tried it with paper trades myself. There was an I-Hub board dedicated to the 'pincher' approach.
Another fast buck approach from my biotech days is to determine when key binary events are coming for a bio stock and go long during the lead up period to the event (when optimism usually elevates the stock). Then you bail out just prior to the binary event to avoid the big risk inherent in the event. If you did enough of these the overall odds would be in your favor, though you'd undoubtedly have some screw ups too.
There's no shortage of ideas for beating the market, but for most people these will fail. Better to just make sure you're getting whatever the market can give you via index funds, and for excitement get a sports car or have some hobbies.
