NEVER THROW MORE MONEY AFTER A LOSING POSITION
Never add to a losing position under any circumstances. Throwing more money at a losing trade will burn your capital faster than you can imagine. This is the main contributor that eliminates losing investors from the trading game. The only thing that happens when you buy more of a losing position is that your net worth declines. You hope that it may turn around eventually and your decision to buy will prove fortuitous. For every example of a fortune from an unexpected turnaround, there are ten examples of bleak outcomes.
ALWAYS INVEST ON THE WINNING SIDE
Do not worry about trading on the bullish or bearish side, but always trade on the winning side. This is a brilliant piece of wisdom. Learn to master the art and science of investing on the winning side. You should be willing to change sides immediately when one side has gained the upper hand. You cannot stay rigid in your positions because the market is dynamic. Keep a close eye to see if the facts have changed regarding the company. If the facts have changed, you must change.
DO NOT HANG ONTO A LOSING POSITION
Failure to admit you were wrong and holding onto losing positions will cost you money. Watching your capital deplete in front of your eyes is de-motivating and mentally exhausting. However, your mind will be even more exhausted if you hold onto a losing trade. You will get more and more fearful with each passing minute, day and week.
In the meantime, you are missing out on a treasure chest of potentially profitable stocks that are waiting to make you money. Bad decisions are valuable sources of learning to master your trading technique. Cut your losses, adapt your trading strategy to include your new knowledge, and search for stocks that will make you money. In the stock market, time is money; there is no time to watch your stock fall all the way to the bottom. (more…)
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rss5 Keys to Dealing with Trading Fear
How comfortable are you dealing with uncertainty?
As volatility and uncertainty increases, so does fear. When our emotions run high, then our decision making process suffers.
It seems like the harder we try, the worse things get.
We start reacting to things instead of being proactive. Then we feel overwhelmed.
Does this sound familiar?
One of the hardest things to deal with is uncertainly.
We have strategies for managing our risk in most aspects of our trading. However, we seldom talk about or have strategies for the most crucial element, our Personal Risk.
Have you noticed the panic that is going on in the markets? Do you know people who have been a contributor to it? Do you know them intimately?
How do you manage your Personal Risk?
1. Trade With a Clear Mind
Do not make emotional decisions. Realize that emotions are emotions. What differentiates the successful traders from others is how we recalibrate our reactions to our emotions.
I was watching an interview with a surfer. The interviewer asked him what he does when a big surf comes and he goes underwater. The surfer said it was simple. “If I panic, I only have 3-5 seconds of air to breathe. If I stay calm, I have 45-60 seconds of air.“
What does surfing have to do with trading? If you panic and operate from a place of fear, you could lose all of your capital. However, if you take a moment and think about your strategies, you can have much better results.
2. Look at Your Portfolio Objectively
Think about your portfolio as if you are looking at the portfolio of your best friend. How would you advise him/her?
3. Limit Your Input
There are a lot of conflicting points of view. If we want to listen to all of them, it becomes very confusing, and the confused mind does not make a decision.
Instead of listening to everybody, pick the top 3 people that you respect and listen to them. This way, you can remain focused and have much better trading results.
4. Be In Tune With the Markets
Trade the markets as they are and not as you want them to be.
If we are not in tune with the markets and don’t listen to them, we are going to be in a losing game.
After all, hope is a lousy hedge.
5. Be In a Supportive Environment
It is important to listen to the people that we respect and are successful.
There are traders whose spouse and/or friends have little or no risk tolerance. As a result, these traders allow the fear of their spouse and/or friends to become the boundaries of their success.
Who are you choosing to surround yourself with?
Remember, not the most talented or skilled person wins the game. The game is won by the ones who can manage their Personal Risk and have a Mental Edge.