rss

THE FIVE IMMUTABLE LAWS OF INVESTING

Be Patient And Wait For your Trade.  Many investors suffer from “action bias” or a desire to do something.  However, when there is nothing to do the best thing to do is nothing.

 Be Contrarian.  The herd is usually wrong.  The punch bowl of speculation is usually spiked with denial.  Be careful getting in when the getting is at the end.  Risk Is Permanent Loss of Capital, Never A Number.  Pay attention to valuation, fundamental, and financial risks and thus avoid permanent impairment of your capital.

Be Leery of Leverage.  Leverage is a dangerous beast.  It can’t turn a bad investment good, but it can turn a good investment bad.  Whenever you see a financial product with leverage as its foundation you should be skeptical, not delighted.

 Never Invest In Something You Don’t Understand.  If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.  If you do not understand where your money is going then don’t press the pedal ’cause the vehicle may be in reverse. 

Invest when the law is on your side; otherwise you may find yourself on the other side of the barbed wire fence at BROKE prison. 

6 Points For Traders

1.  Anything can happen in the market…and often does.6-steps

2.  There is ALWAYS someone on the other side of the trade…ALWAYS.

3.  Stock market rules are made to be broken…because there are none.  Only yours… that you never break-for buying or for selling.

4.  There may be more than one pattern at work at the same time-both diametrically opposed to one another. 

5.  If on the wrong side jump to the other.  The market is no place for marriage or inflated egos.

6.  Never listen to the herd.  Instead, follow your own analysis and the charts you use as the basis of this analysis.  This is just one of the many reasons I do not watch Blue Channels before, during, or after hours.

48 Trading Laws

1. Never outshine the master. (You can trade better than your mentor, just don’t expect him to like it. You’ll also learn more from people who you help, than from those who you work against.)

2. Never put too much trust in friends. Learn how to use enemies. (The only one you can trust as a trader is yourself and your own decisions. When the herd is against your positions, find something that is misunderstood, overlooked, or not fully recognized in the current stock price.)

3. Conceal your intentions. (Limit orders are good for the novice and undisciplined, but the market makers will never let you pick off the bottoms and tops using these.)

4. Always say less than necessary. (Talk is cheap and being concise is a good thing. It’s ok to keep some things you learn and strategies you create all to yourself.)

5. So much depends on reputation – guard it with your life. (Wall Street watches where the smart money is going at all times and herd-like patterns typically follow. Find those with the best reputation and figure out what they’re doing now. It will help unlock some secrets to their success.)

6. Court attention at all cost. (The key is to be ahead of the tape before Wall Street takes notice. Find stocks that few are looking at which offer tremendous growth prospects. They’ll be tomorrow’s winners, not the stocks you hear so much about right now.)

7. Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit.(It’s ok to use others’ research and opinions, but realize that none of these can serve as a substitution for common sense and developing your own edge in the market. What is already known and published by others has already been acted upon no matter what you may think or have been told. Assume you’re always the last to know.)

8. Make other people come to you – use bait if necessary.(Success breeds popularity. If others think that they can learn or profit from you, you’ll never be lonely. However, with respect also comes responsibility to act in the best interests of others, many times before your own.)

9. Win through your actions, never through argument. (Don’t waste time convincing others on message boards how good or bad a stock is and/or telling people how smart you were because of good calls you’ve made in the past. Instead, trade the stock and make your profit. Talk will never pay your bills. Show others by demonstration, not by time wasting chatter.)

10. Infection: avoid the unhappy and unlucky. (This is right on the money. I couldn’t have said this better myself. Who you surround yourself with will ultimately determine your destiny. Marry for love, choose your friends carefully, and spend time with people who’ve been more successful and who are much smarter than you. Good and bad emotional states are as infectious as a disease.)

11. Learn to keep people dependent on you. (If you tell everyone everything you know, they’ll end up knowing more than you know. Having others dependent on you will also serve as great motivation, especially when times are tough and you need a reason to work harder than ever before.)

12. Win through your actions, never through argument. (At the end of the day, all that matters is that you make good trades or investment decisions. There’s lots of hype in this business and you should run, not walk, from anyone who spends more time talking than learning.)

13. Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim.(Sorry, I’m not in agreement with this. In my view, you have to be honest with yourself and others at all times. In addition, generosity is always a good thing, especially when it is done without the desire of getting something in return. Having good Karma through generous acts also go a long way in keeping the trading gods on your side!)

14. When asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude. (Sad, but true. If you can help others, they’ll be far more likely to help you. I know I always make a tremendous effort to help those who’ve helped me in the past.)

15. Pose as a friend, work as a spy. (You can find out more about people and companies you invest in by having friends who have specialized knowledge about certain industries. Their unique insight can be a powerful edge if you can get it. Sometimes a simple phone call or email to someone who works in the business will tell you much more than any chart or balance sheet.)

16. Crush your enemy totally. (When you’re right in a trade or investment and things are going well, don’t back off UNTIL you have good reason to sell.)

17. Use absence to increase respect and honor. (Knowing when not to trade is a skill few possess. Take vacations and breaks away from the market. It will only empower you to return refreshed, relaxed, and well-motivated. Remember, we trade to live, not live to trade. Achieving balance in your work and personal life will lay the foundation for long-term success.)

18. Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability. (It’s good to mix it up from time to time to relieve trading/investing boredom. If you think you’re in a rut, make some changes and go find something you can get excited about again.)

19. Do not build fortresses to protect yourself – isolation is dangerous. (Take time to bounce ideas off of people who are smarter than you. At all times, seek out opinions that are against you instead of with you – you’ll learn a great deal more. And, remember, no one is right all of the time. But some people are more right than others.)

20. Know who you’re dealing with – do not offend the wrong person. (As a small investor, it is best to avoid picking fights with market elephants (i.e. institutions, hedge funds) who think they know your stock better than you do. They have the power to move the market and your stock for longer than you have time or money to fight it.) (more…)

Difference between Real Traders and the mass

REAL TRADER1) Trading – Speculating – Gambling – In the eyes of the vast majority, these things are blurred together, and very many things that the herd get up to in the name of “trading” is really either speculating or gambling. To that end, much of the advice published on the subject of trading can equally be as confused.
 
But not to real traders; real traders know the difference and are very clear that what they are doing is neither speculating or gambling. Just because you can know your risk per trade when speculating or gambling does NOT mean you are trading. Every game at the roulette table you can know your risk. Think about that…
 
 
2) Real traders create and trade systems. They follow the rules exactly because they know that to break the rules is to break the fundamental expectation of their system which immediately throws them back into the speculation/gambling camp. Oh by the way, casino owners do not gamble; they trade. Think about that too…
 
 
3) True systems can be rigorously forward and back tested and withstand shifts in the market, or at least behave more or less as expected as the market switches between trending and non-trending, high volatility and low volatility.
 
 
4) Real traders take every trade, even when their systems are getting a hammering. Why? Because they know that the next trade could be the turn around, and that their system can weather the storm. Again, to tinker with the system is to immediately be back to speculating and gambling.
 
 
5) All systems experience drawdown. Real traders know this, and they weather it without emotion. You can be flat or in drawdown for an extensive period, but they keep on following the rules. It’s a part of the business.

Newton’s Law of Trading Rules: Every lousy trading rule has an equal and opposite trading rule.

“Always seek out differing opinions and challenge your beliefs. Except when you know you’re right, then that other bullshit just becomes a distraction. Good luck with that.

It is very important to be flexible and open-minded. But invest with set rules and an iron discipline. Good luck with that.

Technical analysis and charts only tell you about what has already happened in the past. It’s much better to use the information from the future that we have when making decisions.  Good luck with that.

Never run with the herd. It’s much better to be all alone on open ground, running in the wrong direction and wholly conspicuous to predators. Good luck with that.

Take your losses quickly. But don’t get scared out of a good position. Good luck with that.

Amateurs trade in the morning, pros trade in the afternoon, junkies trade overnight and lots of guys on TV just trade on paper.  Good luck with that.

Be tactical and stay informed! But don’t try to time the market. Good luck with that.”

10 KEYS TO SUCCESS

1.  How you think is everything – always be positive.  Think success, not failure.  Beware of a negative environment.

2.  Decide upon your true dreams and goals.  Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

3.  Take action.  Goals are nothing without action.  Don’t be afraid to get started.  Just do it.

4. Never stop learning.  Go back to school or read books.  Get training and acquire skills.

5.  Be persistent and work hard.  Success is a marathon, not a sprint.  Never give up.

6. Learn to analyze details.  Get all the facts, all the input.  Learn from your mistakes.

7. Focus your time and money.  Don’t let other people or things distract you.

8.  Don’t be afraid to innovate.  Be different.  Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9.  Deal and communicate with people effectively.  No person is an islan.  Learn to understand and motivate others.

10.  Be honest and dependable.  Take responsibility.  Otherwise, nos. 1-9 won’t matter.

10 trading commandments

1.) Respect the price action but never defer to it.

Our eyes are valuable tools when trading, but if we deferred to the flickering ticks, stocks would be “better” up and “worse” down. That’s backward logic.

2.) Discipline trumps conviction.

No matter how strongly you feel on a given position, you must defer to the principles of discipline when trading. Always try to define your risk and never believe you’re smarter than the market.

3.) Opportunities are made up easier than losses.

It’s not necessary to play every day; it’s only necessary to have a high winning percentage on the trades you choose to make. Sometimes the ability not to trade is as important as trading ability.

4.) Emotion is the enemy when trading.

Emotional decisions have a way of coming back to haunt you. If you’re personally attached to a position, your decision-making process will be flawed. Take a deep breath before risking your hard-earned coin. See related link.

5.) Zig when others zag.

Sell hope, buy despair and take the other side of emotional disconnects. If you can’t find the sheep in the herd, chances are you’re it. (more…)

Book Review: "Warrior Trading"

Talk about stretching a metaphor beyond breaking point, this book delivers. The metaphor in question goes something like this: “The Market can be likened unto a battlefield”. No arguments there; least of all from me, I’m covered in trading scars.

But based on the above, the author concludes that if the market is a battlefield, then successful traders (such as himself it should be noted) are the new age equivalent of the ancient Samurai Warriors and Knights, carving up enemies and vanquishing any foolish dumb money who dare to get in their way. The mindless herd and the Mum n Dad investors must all be mercilessly put to the sword.
Like a modern day Elric of Melbnibone, the goal of these Warriors of Wall Street is not be the Stealer of Souls but rather the Stealer of Your Money. They ride out each day into the field to seek glory armed with their two deadly weapons (fundamental and technical analysis) plus the third ingredient – advanced mind control achieved by 20 minutes of zen meditation on a Sunday.
Quote: … “They enter the fray with a focus that inspires awe in their opponents, even as the warriors cut them down. But warriors do not celebrate their victories – they remain still and focused, ready to strike and enter a fresh battle, for they know that opportunity may arise at any moment.” 1
Quote: … “The warriors can be seen standing – perhaps exhausted, but still standing – upon the battlefield with many a slain enemy lying lifeless, or in agony, around them.” 2

I dunno folks, this is all a bit too homoerotic for my liking.


10 KEYS TO SUCCESS

1.  How you think is everything – always be positive.  Think success, not failure.  Beware of a negative environment.

Click here to find out more!

2.  Decide upon your true dreams and goals.  Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

3.  Take action.  Goals are nothing without action.  Don’t be afraid to get started.  Just do it.

4. Never stop learning.  Go back to school or read books.  Get training and acquire skills.

5.  Be persistent and work hard.  Success is a marathon, not a sprint.  Never give up.

6. Learn to analyze details.  Get all the facts, all the input.  Learn from your mistakes.

7. Focus your time and money.  Don’t let other people or things distract you.

8.  Don’t be afraid to innovate.  Be different.  Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9.  Deal and communicate with people effectively.  No person is an islan.  Learn to understand and motivate others.

10.  Be honest and dependable.  Take responsibility.  Otherwise, nos. 1-9 won’t matter.

An important lesson

 

It is that I am, in one sense, ‘wired to lose’. Being of a contrarian mind, I have a tendency to ask ‘why’, to look at the other side of the coin, stay away from the herd, etc. In itself, this isn’t a problem, but trading is as much about getting in as getting out, and looking at my trading behaviour retrospectively I can see that I tend to establish trades that are usually against the consensus or trend with the result that I often have to endure some pain in the short-term; however, when and if the trade eventually goes my way, I am way too quick to close the position, because the contrarian in me is again telling me that the consensus is wrong. I simply don’t give enough room for the trade to carry on. It’s absurd. I know I can’t have it both ways and I realise that I need to have less of ‘me’ in the trade. I’ve only just realised this, so it’s a bit late. Nevertheless, a useful self-analysis if I ever return to trading in a meaningful way.

Go to top