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Get Out When You’re Wrong

wrongSuccessful traders know that discipline is what allows them to enter their trades when the odds are in their favor and, more importantly, to get out when they’re wrong.
Being right is not the problem. What you do when you’re wrong is the crucial issue.

There are a lot of traders who buy then pray while the market goes against them, because they think that it will eventually go their way.
Most traders average down and wait for the market to turn their way.
Trading my way, I always have defined amount of money that I am willing to lose.
I let the market decide how much money I’m going to make.

10 Points for Traders

1. “Between stimulus and response, lies our freedom to choose” – Steven Covey
This quote is very important. What it tells us as traders is that there should be a specific setup you’re looking for (a pattern of sorts) and then aspecific protocol that follows it. Too many traders just “wing it” when they are trading instead of having a specific setup and plan that they know works and they know what their risk/reward is. If you don’t know what you’re looking for and you don’t know exactly what you’re doing when you see it, you’re likely headed down the wrong path.
2. Stick to your plan.
It’s extremely easy to lose focus of what you’re doing and start doing what someone else is doing. Stick to your trading plan and what you know works.
3. Ignore the noise.
Noise comes in a variety of ways. At times it’s economics news, at times it’s other traders. It’s not uncommon for traders to seek what other traders think about their trades because they are unsure about their trade setups. Noise for many traders usually results in less profits and larger losses.
4. Be patient.
Anyone who is successful at anything has patience. Whether it’s an athlete, your favorite musician or successful entrepreneurs, they all have patience. You don’t become successful without having patience. Just as important it is to have a set plan and rules, patience is just as important. (more…)

Intuition Discipline Confidence Risk

Going back to the roots of what ‘risk’ is all about. As I suggested rereading Justin Mamis’ passage of ‘When to Sell’ yesterday, I did reread passages of ‘The Nature of Risk’ probably my all time favourite book which was also written by Justin Mamis. Here is a small excerpt. Enjoy!

Justin Mamis: ‘The Nature of Risk’ page 80:

Intuition although seemingly spontaneous, apparently emotional, stems from a form of “information” that has become built-in from past experience. Discipline means choosing what to do unencumbered by the fear of making a mistake. Confidence means trusting our intuition that what we “see” is what we “know.” There’s no escaping to the external, to the objective, and no standing on the shaky ground of emotions. So the question becomes, How do we create within ourselves the heroic condition of confidence wherein risk is not danger but life?

Profile Of The Successful Trader:

Profile Of The Successful TraderTrading is being young, imperfect, and human – not old, exacting, and scientific. It is not a set of techniques, but a commitment. You are to be an information processor. Not a swami. Not a guru. An information processor.

Participating in the markets can only develop your trading skills. You need to become a part of the markets, to know the state of the markets at any given time, and most importantly, to know yourself. You need to be patient, confident, and mentally tough.

Good traders offer no excuses, make no complaints. They live willingly with the vagaries of life and the markets.

In the early stages of your trading career, pay attention not only to whether you should buy or sell but also to how you have executed your trading ideas. You will learn more from your trades this way.

Never assume that the unreasonable or the unexpected cannot happen. It can. It does. It will. (more…)

Rules of Trade


Never Mix Disciplines.  If you day trade then day trade and do not let a day trade turn into a swing trade.  If you swing trade do not let your swing trade turn into an investment. Follow the rules based on the discipline of your time frame.

  Never Try To Trade Back A loser.  In other words, each trade is a new one and should not be used to win back money lost in the last trade.  Always trade in the present not in the past where too many emotional and psychology factors can affect the current trade.  Revenge does not pay in or out of the market. 

Is Trading an ART?

I don’t think so because if I say so I am expressing a lot of ego which is the least thing you need as a trader.
A trader needs discipline and a structured mind, doesn’t sound like a artist at all.

Trading is not a science either, that is why it is one of the most challenging career.

Art:might not be teachable, it is more of a natural gift.

Trading:Can be taught , and it can be done. 

Successful Traders Must Have Discipline

Discipline is paramount for success over the LONG term. Every trader has a limited amount of capital (money) available to trade. The trader without discipline will make trades, be quick take the profit when he is right, and call his trade an investment when he is wrong. 

This action of cutting winners and letting losers run will almost certainly eventually lead to trading capital being wiped out. The natural tendency in humans is to take profits.  Learning to cut losing positions and let winners run is a skill that must be developed. 

 Have you ever caught yourself saying any of the following statements to justify inaction on cutting a losing position?

  •  I am holding on to this trade and hoping it recovers 
  • If I didn’t own it already I would be buying it here
  • I just want to get back to break even and then I will get out
  • The market is wrong

Everyone has said these things at some point in their trading lives, but let me tell you, any time your position requires HOPE it is likely HOPELESS!

If you say I would buy it here and you don’t want to buy more – you may be better off selling what you have!

The market doesn’t know or care what price you bought a position. The market price of a stock is the value of that stock right here, right now!  Even though the market presents opportunities, market pricing is not WRONG. 

While I am not giving buy sell or hold advice, I would strongly recommend that when you find yourself staring at a losing position consider selling it! If you  close it out completely,  you can really make an honest determination when you ask yourself, “Do I REALLY want to own it here?” 

Too often I see traders let their existing positions do the talking for them. Don’t fall into that trap!

Discipline

discipline-0Every day, every trade requires 100% discipline.

Discipline = Emotional Mastery, A Formula Of Confidence/Caution + Humility.

Confident but no caution = Arrogance. Cautious but not Confident = a lack of Conviction, Weakness.

A freedom from pride & Arrogance is Humility. A Weak Trader will never win in the long run.

A Super Trader = A Disciplined Trader. In Discipline, No Weakness Can Exist.

 

HOW DISCIPLINE HELPS IN TRADING

“Discipline in executing each and every trade according to your trading methodology is the secret to your success. If you want to improve your trading, what you need to do is very simple. Before you enter any trade, imagine that you will have to explain this trade to a panel of your peers, by explaining to them the reason for your entry, your money, trade, and risk management guidelines, and why you exited the trade. Imagine having to explain why you chose this particular market and this particular time frame, along with how you set objectives for the trade, and how you determined where your initial protection would be. If you can truly do this, I strongly believe that you can be successful.

Just prior to entering every trade, try to imagine yourself executing the trade perfectly. Imagine how it will feel when you enjoy having made money with your trading.

Yes I know, you don’t have time to do that. Why? Because you never plan your trades ahead of time. You probably don’t have a strategy, and instead of waiting patiently for trade that meets your well-defined parameters and your thought-out plan, you just jump in the minute you think you see something that looks good.

You need to take a lesson from a spider. The spider waits patiently in his web until some unsuspecting insect flies into the spider’s trap.

42 Ways To Trade Like A Market Wizard

What if you could read the principles for success for some of the world’s greatest traders? Well you can, here is how author Jack Schwager summed up the the similarities of the ‘Market Wizards’ he spent years interviewing in his second book.

The following is a summarized excerpt from Jack D Schwager’s book, The New Market Wizards. I highly recommend this book for all active traders.

  1. First Things First
    You sure you really want to trade ? It is common for people who think they want to trade to discover that they really don’t.
  2. Examine Your Motives
    Why do you really want to trade ? Did you say excitement ? Then don’t waste your money in market, you might be better off riding a roller coaster or taking up hand gliding.
    The market is a stern master. You need to do almost everything right to win. If parts of you are pulling in opposite directions, the game is lost before you start.
  3. Match The Trading Method To Your Personality
    It is critical to choose a method that is consistent with your your own personality and conflict level.
  4. It Is Absolutely Necessary To Have An Edge
    You cant win without an edge, even with the world’s greatest discipline and money management skills. If you don’t have an edge, all that money management and discipline will do for you is to guarantee that you will gradually bleed to death. Incidentally, if you don’t know what your edge is, you don’t have one.
  5. Derive A Method
    To have an edge, you must have a method. The type of method is not important, but having one is critical-and, of course, the method must have an edge.
  6. Developing A Method Is Hard Work (more…)
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