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The Right Side

  
  Education
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A quote from one the best traders of our time, Jesse Livermore: “It takes a man a long time to learn all the lessons of all his mistakes. They say there are two sides to everything. But there is only one side to the stock market; and it is not the bull side or the bear side, but the right side. It took me longer to get that general principle fixed firmly in my mind than it did most of the more technical phases of the game of stock speculation.”

Being a bull or a bear alone is meaningless out of the crucial context of the current market conditions. All that really matters for the great game of speculation is being on the “right side”, knowing when the markets are in a bull or a bear trend and deploying your speculative capital accordingly.

Once again Livermore ties speculation back into the speculator’s own internal emotions. He points out that it makes no sense to be bullish or bearish as a rule, but to carefully watch the market conditions in order to be on “the right side” at any given moment. Most speculators are burdened with an innate emotional bias to be bullish that is dangerous and must be eradicated if they wish to succeed in speculation. (more…)

The art of War

  
  Education
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Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War, would make a great stock trader.  Although The Art of War is a 2500 year old military treatise it could just as easily be written for today’s stock trader as the principles outlined therein are as applicable in the stock market as in the theatre of war.  I read The Art of War again this past weekend and highlighted what I believe are some of the most pertinent and applicable principles for stock traders as seen through the eyes of Sun Tzu the would be stock trader.   Make sure you copy and post these in a prominent place for quick reference when in the heat of battle.

I. 17  When the market is rewarding your trading strategy, you should modify your position sizing accordingly.

I. 26  Now the successful trader prepares before he enters battle.  The unsuccessful trader makes but a few, if any, preparations before he enters battle.  Proper preparation leads to victory; a little preparation leads to defeat; and no preparation leads to ultimate destruction!  The one who is properly prepared is the one who is most likely to win.

II. 7   Appreciating the gains better helps you accept the losses.

II. 19  In trading, let your great object be a quick and decisive victory, not the slow death of a lengthy loss.

III. 18  If you know who the enemy is and you know yourself, you will never fear the next trade.  If you know yourself but not the enemy, you will win one lose one.  If you do not know the enemy or yourself, you will lose on each trade.

IV. 1  The good traders of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat and then waited for the right time to defeat the enemy.

IV. 4  It is possible to know technical analysis without being able to properly apply it.

IV. 13  The successful trader wins his battles by making no mistakes.  Making no mistakes establishes the certainty of victory.

V. 13  The quality of entry is like a well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.

V. 15  Proper preparation may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of the trigger.

VI.  5  Take advantage of opportunities such as support and resistance where the enemy must put up a strong defense; take swift action and catch the enemy off guard.

VI. 19  Be prepared for battle by knowing the exact time and place for proper trade entry.

VI. 32  Just as water retains no constant shape, so in trading know the market is constantly changing.

VII. 5  Trading with familiar stocks is advantageous; with unfamiliar most dangerous.

VII. 13  We are not properly prepared to trade a stock until we are familiar with the most likely direction of the general market.

VII. 21  Ponder and deliberate before you enter a trade.

VII. 28  Now the trader’s spirit is keenest in the pre-market; by noon day it is becoming weary; and by post market ready to relax.

VII. 32  To refrain from entering a market that is prepared to defend its current course is the art of practicing patience by studying current market conditions.

VIII. 3  There are trades which must not be taken; sectors that are not ready to be attacked; patterns that are set up for failure; positions that are to be surrendered; egotistical commands that are not to be obeyed.

IX.  28  In a mixed market when some stocks are seen advancing and some retreating, it is a trap.

IX.  41  He who does not think through his trade while making light of the situation is sure to fall victim to a loss.

X.  24  The trader who makes money without coveting fame and loses money without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his equity and ignore his ego, is considered to be a jewel of the kingdom.

XI. 17  When it is to the trader’s advantage, he will enter a trade; when otherwise he will not.

XI. 67  Trade in the path defined by rules and do not face the enemy until you feel you can trade with confidence.

XII.  15  Unhappy is the fate of the trader who tries to win his battles and succeed in his decisions without cultivating the spirit of confidence, for the result will be a waste of time and a drain on his trading account.

XII.  17  Do not trade unless you see there is an advantage in doing so; use not your money unless there is something to be gained.

XII.  22 The successful trader is heedful and full of caution.  This is the way to have peace of mind and to live to trade another day.

XIII.  4  What enables the wise and successful traders to trade and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary traders, is proper preparation.

25 rules of trading discipline

  
  Education
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thoughtful-disciplined-trader
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  1. The market pays you to be disciplined.
  2. Be disciplined every day, in every trade, and the market will reward you. But don’t claim to be disciplined if you are not 100 percent of the time.
  3. Always lower your trade size when you’re trading poorly.
  4. Never turn a winner into a loser.
  5. Your biggest loser cant exceed your biggest winner.
  6. Develop a methodology and stick with it. dont change methodologies from day to day.
  7. Be yourself. Dont try to be someone else.
  8. You always want to be able to come back and play the next day. Once you reach the daily downside limit, you must turn your PC off and call it a day. You can always come back tomorrow.
  9. Earn the right to trade bigger. Remember: if you are trading poorly with two lots you must lower your trade size down to a one lot.
  10. Get out of your losers.
  11. The first loss is the best loss.
  12. Dont hope and pray. If you do, you will lose. (more…)

The Ultimate Psychological Block

  
  Education
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It’s my belief that the ultimate psychological block in trading is the ability to consistently follow a set of rules for a long period of time. If you can do this, then you have the Trading Psychology part mastered (as this would also take care of the Fear and Greed aspects).

For some reason, I personally find this simple task outrageously difficult to accomplish. I can see that there are two things that cause this, which are what you might call GOAL DECAY (I just invented that term) and NEW DATA.

GOAL DECAY is when you set your goal on Monday, and it feels meaningful and purpose driven, but by Friday you’ve lost the plot. It seems stupid, pointless, wrong etc. Or else you just plain forgot… Your trading goals start off with energy, but then the energy quickly dissipates and the goal loses force. At this point you are ripe for the second issue:

NEW DATA – Once your previous goal has decayed, your then happen upon or else purposefully go looking for NEW DATA. This new data can also spring up from within your own mind as some great new idea and you set a new goal.

Then this cycle repeats. Somehow going around and around on this Ferris Wheel has to come to an end and some clearly defined goals need to be set. I guess in my previous post I alluded to this in terms of ‘sorting out’ all of the information and techniques I have acquired.

10 Questions for Trend Followers ,Yes Just Answer Them

  
  Education
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Now, let’s get practical. Answer the following five questions, and you have a trend following trading system:

1. What market do you buy or sell at any time?
2. How much of a market do you buy or sell at any time?
3. When do you buy or sell a market?
4. When do you get out of a losing position?
5. When do you get out of a winning position?

Said another way (Bill Eckhardt inspired):

1. What is the state of the market?
2. What is the volatility of the market?
3. What is the equity being traded?
4. What is the system or the trading orientation?
5. What is the risk aversion of the trader or client?

You want to be black or white with this. You do not want gray. If you can accept that mentality, you have got it.

State of Mind

  
  Education
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The goal of any trader is to turn profits on a regular basis, yet so few people ever really make consistent money as traders. What accounts for the small percentage of traders who are consistently successful is psychological—the consistent winners think differently from everyone else.

The defining characteristic that separates the consistent winners from everyone else is this: The winners have attained a mind-set—aunique set of attitudes—that allows them to remain disciplined, focused,and, above all, confident in spite of the adverse conditions.

Those traders who have confidence in their own trades, who trust themselves to do what needs to be done without hesitation, are the ones who become successful.They
no longer fear the erratic behavior of the market. They learn to focus on the information that helps them spot opportunities to make a profit, rather than focusing on the information that reinforces their fears.

You don’t need to know what’s going to happen next to make money; anything can happen, and every moment is unique, meaning every edge and outcome is truly a unique experience.

The trader that it’s his attitude and “state of mind” that determine his results.

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