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Common Trading Mistakes

  
  Education
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In trading, as in life in general, we all know that experience is the best teacher. However, failures in stock market trading bear more weight since you stand to lose thousands of dollars (or more) with each mistake that you make. So as to help you recognize red flags and prevent you from losing money further, here is a list of some common mistakes you might want to avoid.

# 1: Lack of proper knowledge
Many people who come into stock trading with the notion that they can simply learn the ropes along the way may be fatally mistaken. This is because this kind of activity requires some degree of stock market know-how, as well as experience. First, you have to learn how to trade stocks, because this is the only that you can be familiar with terms, such as “stocks,” “shares,” “dividends,” “trends,” and so on. Without proper education, you might make decisions that could prove to be costly in the future. If you want to engage in trading, the first rule is for you to learn about the basics-read a book, enroll in a course, attend lectures by experts-anything that can help you understand what this is all about.

# 2: Acting on Impulse
In learning stock trading, you will realize that many emotions may come into play as you go through each and every transaction-impatience, greed, fear, and over confidence are some of these emotions. One of the most common mistakes people commit while trading is making decisions based on impulse. While it is true that you can feel a wide range of emotions as you evaluate the data in front of you, do remember that a cool, logical reasoning must prevail. Do whatever you can to always make decisions on a clear head.

# 3: Not having enough practice
As you engage in trading, the saying that “practice makes perfect” could not be truer. Again, if you want to learn how to trade stocks and are serious about engaging in trading, then you should also enhance your skills apart from just learning the basics. However, you could not afford the trial and error method using real money, because this is impractical and a waste of time. Fortunately, there are now some sophisticated tools that can help you practice through simulated trading and practice accounts. For a fee, companies can help you set up a practice account, through which you can execute “simulated trading.” What this does is it helps you learn how to trade stocks by honing your skills without the risk of losing actual money.

# 4: Having unrealistic expectations
Finally, another common mistake in trading is having unrealistic expectations. Sure, we may have all heard of those who got rich quick because of the stock market, but you cannot expect to earn millions without being able to make sound decisions based on fact. In the process of learning stock trading, you must be able to set a clear set of objectives, and not unrealistic expectations that could lead you to make rash (and costly) decisions.

In the future, try to avoid committing similar mistakes so that you can truly benefit from the time and effort you are trading in the stock market.

What’s Warren Buffett Buying Now?

  
Analysis, Education, US Market
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warrenbuffet-buyingDon’t miss to read……..

As shares of Berhshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) plunged over the past year, it became fashionable to ask whether or not Warren Buffett had lost his touch.

(See: ETF Guide: Down $16 Billion – Has Warren Buffett Lost His Touch?; MSN Money: The problem with Warren Buffett; Forbes: Has Buffett Lost His Touch; Reuters: Is Warren Buffett losing his touch?)

In June, financial advisor and CNBC contributor Dennis Gartman even called Buffett “an idiot.”

But now that Berkshire has rallied more than 35% from its March lows, the only idiots to be found are those that ever doubted the world’s second-richest man’s business savvy. Indeed, many of the moves Buffett made during last year’s market melee are paying off in a big way. (more…)

A Visual Timeline Of The Endless Greek Crisis Through The Economist's Covers

  
Analysis, Education
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It all started in April 30, 2010, days ahead of the first Greek bailout , when the Economist shocked the world with its first Greece-themed cover, the infamous Heart of Eurodarknessreprise, “Acropolis Now.”

Ever since then it has been a veritable cornucopia of content for the Economist’s cover designer. As the London-based publication itself says, “for a relatively small country it is a rare distinction (or misfortune) to make the cover of The Economist. Greece, however, has managed the feat no less than seven times over the past five years. It first made the grade in May 2010 as its sovereign-debt crisis spiralled out of control. Frequent trips back to the brink of disaster have been responsible for repeat cover performances, as has the occasional bail-out or election”

Here is a quick stroll through memory lane of how the Greek fiasco unwound over the past 5 years, as summarized by cover art:

June 25, 2011:

  (more…)

The Difference Between a Speculator and a Gambler

  
  Education
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“gamblers are willing losers who occasionally win”

That is, gamblers risk their capital on propositions where the odds are either:

– unknown to them
– cannot be known

– which actual experience has shown to have negative expectation
– or which they know with mathematical precision to be negative

They are rewarded for doing so on a random schedule and a random reward size, which is a pattern of stimulus-response which behavioral scientists have established as one which induces the subject to engage in the behavior the longest without a reward, and creates superstitious as well as compulsive behavior patterns. Because they have traded reason for emotion, they tend not to follow reasonable and disciplined approach to sizing their bets, and often over bet, leading to ruin. (more…)

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