Safety in the Market began with our founder, David Bowden, and his fascination with the extraordinary work of legendary trader W.D. Gann - and his determination to understand the principles behind Gann’s success and turn them into practical methods everyday traders could use.
What started as David's own journey into the markets became something much bigger: an approach to trading education that has now helped thouusands of people learn to analyse the markets, manage risk and make their own trading decisions with greater clarity, confidenced and independence.
More than 35 years later, the principles that started it all still sit at the heart of everything we teach.
Gann's methods were developed in an era long before computers, charting software, algorithms, trading bots or artificial intelligence.
One of the most famous remarkable accounts of Gann's trading came from a documented observation of his trading in 1909. Over 25 market days, Gann reportedly completed 286 trades, with 264 of them profitable - a success rate of more than 92%.
More than a century later, his achievements in the market remain remarkable - even by today's standards.
Gann believed that markets were governed by repeatable principles. He studied price, time, cycles, geometry and the patterns of the past to anticipate where markets could move next - sometimes with remarkable precision.
But at the heart of his work was another powerful idea: markets are ultimately drive by people, and human behaviour has a tendency to repeat.
Gann believed that by studying what markets had done in the past, traders could uncover valuable clues about what they might do in the future.
The markets may change. Technology may change. But the emotions that influence people's decisions - fear, greed, optimism, hesitation and uncertainty - remain remarkably familiar.
And when those behaviours repeat, they can leave patterns behind in the charts.
Read more about W.D. Gann and his work in the markets on our full Safety in the Market website
It was this idea of studying the past to better understand what could come next that would become a major influence on David Bowden - and ultimately, the foundation of Safety in the Market.
Gann was well known for his complex and often difficult-to-interpret writing style. His work contained extraordinary ideas - but the real challenge was knowing how to put them to work.
David Bowden - founder of Safety in the Market, spent years studying Gann’s original writings, charts, and forecasting techniques, exploring the relationships between price, time, ranges, cycles and repeating market behaviour.
David did the hard work of testing Gann's ideas in the modern markets and became recognised internationally as a leading authority on W.D. Gann’s trading techniques, earning a reputation for publishing highly accurate market forecasts - including nominating precise time and price targets for multiple major tops and bottoms in the Australian Share Price Index.
Read more about David Bowden on our full Safety in the Market Website.
But David wanted to do more than successfully apply these techniques himself.
He wanted to teach other people how to do it for themselves, and in 1989, David founded Safety in the Market with a simple but powerful goal: to remove unnecessary complexity from trading and provide everyday traders with a safe, logical, and disciplined approach to trading grounded in time-tested methods - not hype, tips and guesswork.
This philosophy ultimately became the foundation of the Active Trader Program.
And more than 35 years later, the purpose remains the same:
To help you make smarter, safer trading decisions when it matters most.
Every lesson, rule, and process exists for a reason - because David's goal was never to tell you what to trade.
It was to teach you how to think like a Professional Trader.
Because professional traders don't guess or gamble.
They don't follow the latest hot tip from YouTube.
And they don't make decisions based on fear, greed or emotions.
Professional traders start with a plan.
They:
It’s this disciplined approach that helps take emotion out of the decision-making process, replaces guesswork with a plan, and builds the consistency needed for long-term trading.
And that’s where trading can become about something much bigger than the trade itself.
Because when you develop a skill you can use to pursue income from the markets, you’re also building something that can give you more choices in life.
Choices about how much you work.
Where you work.
What you do with your time.
That’s the bigger goal of the Active Trader Program.
Not simply to teach you how to place a trade - but to give you the skills, process and confidence to make your own trading decisions, and potentially build an income from the markets that gives you more choice over what comes next.
Read more about David Bowden, WD Gann and Safety in the Market here, via our full website.
Darren's journey with Safety in the Market began in 2009 as a student, where he learned many valuable lessons, particularly from the early challenges of trying to catch the 'falling knives' trading during the GFC.
After graduating from our Platinum Course in 2013, Darren's trading success has given him the freedom to pursue his other passion - professional soccer coaching - while earning an income from both pursuits. His unique blend of skills as both a trader and coach makes him a great addition to our team and we're thrilled to have him on board.
Learning the process is one thing. Building the confidence to apply it in the real market takes practice - and that’s where Darren comes in.
Get Started Today in the Active Trader Program
$2,995 including 3 Months Expert Coaching
Stop Guessing. Start Trading with a Plan Today!
© 2026 Safety in the Market. All Rights Reserved