Archives of “January 2, 2019” day

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Extract From R.W. Schabacker's -Stock Market Profits :Written 82 Years Back

  
  Education
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It is very interesting to note that the forefathers of technical analysis, unlike many snake oil salesmen of today, while espousing the benefits of technical analysis, went to great lengths to warn future chartists of the many dangers inherent in charting, such as the desire to be right.  Schabacker, in his classic Stock Market Profits, published nearly 80 years ago, writes in an eloquent prose few today can match

No trader can ever expect to be correct in every one of his market transactions.  No individual, however well he may be grounded, no matter how much experience he has had in practical market operation, can expect to be infallible.
There will always be mistakes, some unwise judgments, some erroneous moves, some losses. The extent to which such losses materialize, to which they are allowed to become serious, will almost invariably determine whether the individual is to be successful in his long range investing activities or whether such accumulated losses are finally to wreck him on the shoals of mental despair and financial tragedy.
 
 

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Trading and Ego

  
  Education

Some typical symptoms of ego-tizing trading would be the following:

  • Not putting in stops. The ego doesn’t want to be proven wrong.
  • Hesitating before putting on a trade. The ego wants reassurance before it begins.
  • Overtrading. The ego wants to prove itself big time.
  • Getting stuck in a trade. The ego has intertwined itself with a trade and is holding on for dear life. It cannot cut out. The ego doesn’t want to be wrong.
  • Adding to a losing trade. The ego digs its hole deeper in a massive effort to crawl out.
  • Grabbing a profit too soon. The ego wants a pat on the back.

Top 6 Mistakes Traders Make

  
  Education
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1. Failure to have a trading plan in place before a trade is executed. A trader with no specific plan of action in place upon entry into a futures trade does not know, among other things, when or where he or she will exit the trade, or about how much money may be made or lost. Traders with no pre-determined trading plan are flying by the seat of their pants, and that’s usually a recipe for a “crash and burn.”

2.Expectations that are too high, too soon. Beginning futures traders that expect to quit their “day job” and make a good living trading futures in their first few years of trading are usually disappointed. You don’t become a successful doctor or lawyer or business owner in the first couple years of the practice. It takes hard work and perseverance to achieve success in any field of endeavor–and trading futures is no different. Futures trading is not the easy, “get-rich-quick” scheme that a few unsavory characters make it out to be.

3.Failure to use protective stops. Using protective buy stops or sell stops upon entering a trade provide a trader with a good idea of about how much money he or she is risking on that particular trade, should it turn out to be a loser. Protective stops are a good money-management tool, but are not perfect. There are no perfect money-management tools in futures trading.

4.Lack of “patience” and “discipline.” While these two virtues are over-worked and very often mentioned when determining what unsuccessful traders lack, not many will argue with their merits. Indeed. Don’t trade just for the sake of trading or just because you haven’t traded for a while. Let those very good trading “set-ups” come to you, and then act upon them in a prudent way. The market will do what the market wants to do–and nobody can force the market’s hand. (more…)

The Purpose of Living Life Purposefully

  
  Education

There are some good self-assessment questions:
*  How purposeful are you in getting the sleep you need to function at your best?
*  How purposeful are you in getting the exercise you need to function with maximum energy?
*  How purposeful are you in eating the right foods to sustain your health and well-being?
*  How purposeful are you in organizing your time so that you’re spending your highest quality time on your most important priorities?
*  How purposeful are you in cultivating the quality of time with the people who matter most in your life?
*  How purposeful are you in ensuring that, each day, you are accomplishing something meaningful in your life?
Can we really expect to achieve our life’s purposes if we are not living our days purposefully?
Can we trade with intention and discipline if we don’t live the rest of our lives intentionally?
Everything in life can be approached with intention and purpose or it can be approached mindlessly and routinely.  In carrying out daily activities with self-direction, we strengthen our ability to stay mindful and purposeful for life’s greater goals.   

Minimize The Impact Of A Setback!

  
  Education
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First, minimize its symbolic importance. Many people over interpret setbacks by imbuing them with more emotions than are warranted. They view setbacks as a form of punishment, as if a teacher or parent is punishing them for doing something wrong. Take the setback in stride and move on to the next winning trade.

Second, don’t confuse trading outcomes with personal significance. If you lose big, for example, the loss may have great financial significance but it doesn’t need to have great personal significance. You can wipe out your entire account, but that doesn’t mean you are diminished in the eyes of friends and family. You don’t need to let a loss or setback make you feel less worthy as a person.

Ironically, when you psychologically minimize the impact of a setback, and treat it as if it isn’t important, you’ll stay calm, free, and objective. And when you feel this way, you’ll trade profitably.

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