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The Stock Trader's circle of Sucess and Failure

The following graphic describes two types of traders.  The first (the circle on the left) describes what I believe to be the characteristics of all beginning traders, most of which end up quitting.  There is a progression here from bad to worst.  However, if the beginning trader can break through this cycle somewhere around undisciplined fear (#3) and paralysis of analysis (#4), the chances of his success improves exponentially.

TWOTYPETRADERS

THE LOSER’S CYCLE OF DESPERATION

Simply put, a trader enters the stock market with little if any knowledge about what to expect.  How can he?  No experience = no knowledge.  Not only that, but his expectation of untold riches distorts his perception of reality.  Once in the market he seeks the holy grail that will make him rich.  When he doesn’t find it he continues his search as fear begins to shackle his feet.  The fear leads to paralysis of analysis or the thinking that the more indicators and patterns and candlesticks etc. that he uses the more likely he will win.  Wrong!  (more…)

The Head Fake

head-fake

Head fake:  A Head fake occurs when a player moves the head to fake a change in direction. 

In financial markets, a head fake is where the market appears to be moving in one direction but ends up moving in the opposite direction. For example, the price of a stock may appear to move up, and all indications prior to that are that it will move up, but shortly after reverses direction and starts moving down.

Head fakes are often caused by market makers who place bids and asks in such a way that they cause the apparent (fake) trend in order to later profit from it.  

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