Archives of “discipline” tag

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The Top 10 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. Inadequate trading assets or improper money management.
It does not take a fortune to trade futures markets with success. Traders with less than $5,000 in their trading accounts can and do trade futures successfully. And, traders with $50,000 or more in their trading accounts can and do lose it all in a
heartbeat. Part of trading success boils down to proper money management and not gunning for those highly risky “home-run” type trades that involve too much trading capital at one time.

3. 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. (more…)

Trader's Emotions

  
  Education
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Despair = Losing Money – Trading Better

Do not despair look at your losses as part of doing business and as paying tuition fees to the markets.

Disappointment = Expectations – Reality

Enter trading with realistic expectations. You can realistically expect 20%-35% annual returns on capital with great trading. More than that is possible but unlikely.

Regret = Disappointment in a loss+ Caused by lack of Discipline

If you followed your trading plan and lose money because the market did not move in your direction so be it, but if you went off your plan and traded based on your feelings and opinions then you should feel regret and stop being undisciplined.

Enjoying your Trading = Winning Trades – Fear of Ruin

Trading is much more enjoyable when you are risking 1% of your capital in the hopes of making 3% on your capital with a zero chance of ruin. It is not enjoyable when you are putting a huge percentage of your capital on the line in each trade and are only a few bad trades away from your account going to zero.

Wisdom = Square Root of Experience through years of successful trading

To get good at trading you have to trade real money. Wisdom comes from putting real money on the line for years and proving to yourself that you can come out a winner in the long term.

Faith in your system = Belief through back testing + Experience of winning with it for years

While you have to hold the opinion of whether each trade is a winner or loser it is different for your trading method. A lot of emotional trading can be overcome when you do not have doubts about your method. When you hold an almost religious fervor over believing in your method, system, risk management, and your own discipline you will overcome many of the emotional problems that arise with other traders in the heat of action.

Mirage

  
  Education
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MiragenewProfits resulting from the violation of one’s own system or methodology constitute the most treacherous mirage of success. We’ve all been tempted at one time or another to suspend our collection of pre-defined rules (so painstakingly accumulated, yet so easily put aside) for the possibility that for this one particular moment, distinguished from all others, things might be different. And perhaps we were right — this time — and the register rung. Yet for those of us who have chosen the way of the System, the momentary suspension of discipline is a transgression beyond profit or loss. For no matter the what the outcome of the trade executed, the damage has already been done — any gains secured in such a manner will only serve as future tuition until that particular lesson is learned. This must be understood before forward progress can occur, for unless process takes precedence over result, the cycle repeats ad infinitum.

Discipline

  
  Education
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A day trader should leave no room for fear and greed to take over, otherwise, this will be the key to your losses. A good trader should be disciplined, make discipline a habit, and act in accord with trading systems/strategies. You can do your trade in a consistent and reliable manner this way. Certain situations require an individual to make decisions based on their pre-set criteria and parameters.

 You should make it a point to habitually follow your trading system/plan. When you’re making trading decisions, don’t let your emotions rule you. A day trader should always be disciplined, and once you attain your objective, leave the market first. Oftentimes people plunge in deeper because they are influenced by greed and fear.

 There are also day traders who are quite reluctant to lose money. For instance your stock goes down,and you’re still hoping that after some time it will rise again. And to your surprise, the share price goes further down. If only you were not reluctant to lose money, you could have sold it the first time its price went down, and prevent further loss.

 Day traders need to make fast executions and confirmations of the trade, so you must have a fast internet connection. They also need to receive and deliver quotes, news, and other pertinent market data. A fast internet connection allows you to make your day trading in a timely fashion. If you’re serious with your day trading. You would need hardware and software requirements to put a sufficient platform at home for online trading.

 You can practice through simulated trading before using real money. Here you can incorporate all your trading techniques and see if they actually work. Don’t be a scared to lose a certain amount of money. But it doesn’t mean that you should not limit your losses. Most importantly, you should learn from your past losses. Becoming a day trader is a simple thing. But in any case it requires dedication, time and effort. You will reap profits that you’ve never imagined, if you are able to put all of these things together.

Mark Douglas : Trading in the Zone

  
  Education
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Without doubt the foremost reading, it seems, in trading circles. Douglas’ book, in my view, deserves its place at the top of a traders reading list. Whether you are trading currencies, commodities, stocks or futures this book will have something for everyone. The book tackles the psychology involved in being a successful trader. The book attempts to give the reader the tools to develop the Confidence and discipline to become and consistent winner.

I think the book is a superb read and although I cannot say right now how succesful it has been, it is one of the few books that I pick up nearly every day and read another chapter again and remind myself of some of Douglas’  inspiring ideas and thoughts.

The book ends with a great 20 trades learning excercise that is a must.

The key learnings I get from reading this book :

1)The market is random; you cannot predict it. Unless you know every individual who has a position in the market and you know their strategy for each trade it is impossible to know what will happen next.Give up trying to predict, and focus on the now moment and managing yourself , your money and your strategy.

2)The Power of Association. Douglas uses throughout the book a story about a boy and his fear of  dogs. He uses this analogy to describe how previous experiences that have given pain, or expected pain, to us will mean that our mind will do everything possible to protect itself from future pain when it is exposed to similar circumstances at some point again in the future. i.e. If you recognise a market pattern where previously you lost a trade you will be compelled to exit the trade at that point or not take that trade on; because you will not want to experience pain. Douglas again talks about the here and now and describes how we can overcome these internal obstacles.

101%….Don’t miss to Read this Book !!!!

Market Wisdom from Bernard Baruch

  
  Education
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You don’t read a lot about Bernard Baruchanymore, but his teachings about the market are useful today as they always have been. There are several good books about him including his own“Baruch: My Own Story” which I recommend highly especially for those of you looking for a book to take with you on your summer vacations.

Although I’ve provided several quotes from Bernard Baruch through the years, here are some notes that I’ve taken from reading about him and his market wisdom. Enjoy!

    • Baruch started out as most traders do – i.e. losing lots of money because he lacked the knowledge, experience, & discipline. “You have to lose money in order to better yourself.”
      • Real success in the market takes time and money. Unfortunately “most people view the market as the place where the miracle of great and quick riches can be performed with little effort.”
        • Overtrading and holding too many positions in his early years caused Baruch to go broke many times before he developed the discipline to succeed.
          • A successful speculation is “a man who observes the future and acts before it occurs.” Acting swiftly in the market is important.
            • After losing money from the recommendation of others, Baruch focused himself on the facts. “One must search through a maze of complex and contradictory details to get to the significant facts…..Then he must be able to operate coldly, clearly, and skillfully on the basis of those facts.” The challenge for the successful speculator is “how to disentangle the cold hard facts from the rather warm feelings of the people dealing with the facts.” Moreover, “if you get all the facts, your judgment can be right; if you don’t get all the facts, it can’t be right.” (more…)

            Technical Analysis Fact and Fiction

              
              Education
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            “Technical analysis, I think, has a great deal that is right and a great deal that is mumbo jumbo…

            “There is a great deal of hype attached to technical analysis by some technicians who claim that it predicts the future. Technical analysis tracks the past; it does not predict the future. You have to use your own intelligence to draw conclusions about what the past activity of some traders may say about the future activity of other traders.

            “For me, technical analysis is like a thermometer. Fundamentalists who say they are not going to pay any attention to the charts are like a doctor who says he’s not going to take a patient’s temperature. But, of course, that would be sheer folly. If you are a responsible participant in the market, you always want to know where the market is — whether it is hot and excitable, or cold and stagnant. You want to know everything you can about the market to give you an edge. (more…)

            Nicolas Darvas Quotes

              
              Education
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            Discipline:
            “I knew now that I had to keep rigidly to the system I had carved out for myself.”
            Risk/Reward:
            “I was successful in taking larger profits than losses in proportion to the amounts invested.”
            Exiting profitable trades:
            “I decided to let my stop-loss decide.”(Speaking on when to exit an up trending stock)
            Bear Markets
            “I also learned to stay out of bear markets unless my individual stocks remain in their boxes or advance.” (more…)

            The Right frame of Mind

              
              Education
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            The psychology of the trader plays a very important role in his trading decisions and style. The best traders keep their sentiments (greed and fear) out of their analysis and decide to trade with clear mind. Follow the advices below and you will notice a great deal of improvement in your trading style.

            Never trade when your mind is occupied with other things. Try to be concentrated on the market. Try to feel the market, that is the Market Sentiment. When you feel overwhelmed of the information in your head, take a break. Then come back with clearer mind. Do not be trigger happy with your trades and always have a trading plan. Follow your Forex system with discipline. Apply the rules of Money Management with care. Always mind your loses! Then let the profits come. Stop loss orders are there to save you by yourself. Always use them and never stay on a false trade just to feed your ego. Ego never makes money! Even the best traders are often wrong. But market is always right!

            The best traders have the vigilance to realize the market sentiment quickly and ride the market in the right position. Even when they are wrong at first, they quickly change their posiotions when they realize it!

            d your ego. Ego never makes money! Even the best traders are often wrong. But market is always right!

            The best traders have the vigilance to realize the market sentiment quickly and ride the market in the right position. Even when they are wrong at first, they quickly change their posiotions when they realize it!

             

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