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SAVE YOURSELF!!

Many of us will sit at our screens, cursing, praying, begging, but the best thing to do is to save yourself, by cutting bad trades quickly. DON’T DEPEND ON THE MERCY OF THE BANKS TO DO IT!!!!!! THEY ARE OUT TO EAT YOUR LUNCH ALWAYS ! THEY ARE YOUR ENEMY, AND THEY ARE RUTHLESS WITHOUT MERCY!!!!!

#1. DON’T LEAVE OPEN POSITIONS! Trade what You can see. When You are not in the market take your money out with You. That way You can save on all of those foul words to Your broker when he tries to explain the price slippage that caused price to go beyond Your stop loss.

#2. If You must leave trades opened, put in a physical stop losses..

#GRANDDADDY OF THEM ALL!!!!!!!!!

NEVER LET LOSSES RUN !!!!!!

NEVER LET LOSSES RUN !!!!!!

NEVER LET LOSSES RUN !!!!!!

CUT THE LEGS FROM UNDER THAT BEAST AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!

Two things are essential if You are going to enjoy a very successful and lucrative trading career.

#1 Wait for a proper trade set-up

#2 Learn to save yourself. CUT BAD TRADES QUICKLY!!!!!! So what if it comes back in your favor, many times it will, but it only takes one good shakeout to leave your lifestyle in jeopardy.

Cut bad trades to leave the most capital possible for a more profitable trade set-up. THE MARKET IS VERY VERY GENEROUS, IT WILL ALWAYS GIVE YOU ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOME PAPER, BUT YOU HAVE TO CUT YOUR LOSSES QUICKLY SO THAT YOU HAVE THE MAXIMUM CAPITAL TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITY WHEN IT PRESENTS ITSELF!!!

The market is swim, float or sink. Don’t let them sink You. SAVE YOURSELF!

LESSONS FROM TRADING IN THE ZONE BY MARK DOUGLAS

1.) When it comes to trading, it turns out that the skills we learn to earn high marks in school, advance our careers and create relationships with other people, turn out to be inappropriate for trading.  Traders must learn to think in terms of probabilities and surrender all of the skills acquired to achieve in virtually every other aspect of life.

2.) Within 9 months of moving to Chicago, I had lost nearly everything I owned.  My losses were the result of both my trading activities and my exorbitant lifestyle, which demanded that I make a lot of money as a trader.

3.) You don’t need to know what’s going to happen next to make money.  Anything can happen.  Every moment is unique, meaning every edge and outcome is truly a unique experience.  The trade either works or it doesn’t.

4.) More or better market analysis is not the solution to his trading difficulties or lack of consistent results.  It is attitude and “state of mind” that determine his results.  A winner’s mindset means learning how to think in probabilities.

5.) The edge means there’s a higher probability of one outcome than another.  The greater your confidence, the easier it will be to execute your trades.

6.) Do you ever feel compelled to make a trade because you are afraid that you might miss out?

7.) People , expressing their beliefs and expectations about the future, make prices move- not models.  The fact that a model makes a logical and reasonable projection based on all the relevant variables is not of much value if the traders who are responsible for most of the trading volume aren’t aware of the model or don’t believe in it.  In other words, people who trade don’t always act in a rational manner.

8.) Price movement could be so volatile that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to stay in a trade in order to realize the fundamental analysts’ objective. (more…)

Excerpt from Winning Methods of the Market Wizards

Chapter 2: Hard Work

I am sure that the theme of this chapter comes as no surprise to you. We all know, (or at least most of us do) that to get anywhere in this life, no matter what your field may be, it is going to require some hard work along the way. There can’t be a harvest if you haven’t worked in the fields. And no where is this concept of hard work more evident than in the professional traders I have come to know over the years.

What is striking to me about this group of super-traders, the Market Wizards, is how almost every single one of them is a genuine workaholic. For these people, the level of commitment and dedication to trading is absolutely amazing, and it has engendered in them a performance level so intense and so consistent, it almost boggles the mind. When you look at these individuals, you find the kind of hard work that is almost inconceivable for most people to maintain even for one day, never mind as a lifestyle. But it is this difference in personality and commitment that makes the Market Wizards who they are, and accounts for much of their high levels of achievement.

In order for you to get a real sense of the kind of hard work we are talking about here, I think I should describe for you a couple of individuals and how they work. This will give you a good idea as to how intensely passionate they are about their pursuits.

 

David Shaw

David is a private, almost secretive individual, who has been running a very successful hedge fund for many years now. Basically, his fund is a very sophisticated form of arbitrage. Over the years, it has posted excellent results. (more…)

10 Pitfalls of Trading & Answers

What are the 10 major mistakes that these traders make that cost them dearly?

  1. Having no trading plan

When you don’t have a plan, you don’t have a template to follow. It becomes very costly when your emotions are high and you have to make decisions on the fly.

  1. Using strategies that do not match your personality

You hear of a trading strategy that has worked very well and you are anxious to follow it. One important factor to consider is: does it match who you are and your lifestyle?

  1. Having unrealistic expectations

Most traders assume that it is very easy to make money in trading. They have unrealistic expectations with regard to their initial capital, their risk profile and how much money they can expect to make.

  1. Taking too much risk

Usually when traders are down, they want to make their money back very quickly. Therefore, they increase their position size without thinking about the risk/rewards.

  1. Not having rules to follow

Most traders think if they have rules to follow, they are restricting themselves. It is on the contrary. Having rules allows you to be more flexible since you have thought about lots of issues beforehand.

  1. Not being flexible to market conditions (more…)

10 Pitfalls of Trading & Answers

What are the 10 major mistakes that these traders make that cost them dearly?

  1. Having no trading plan

When you don’t have a plan, you don’t have a template to follow. It becomes very costly when your emotions are high and you have to make decisions on the fly.

  1. Using strategies that do not match your personality

You hear of a trading strategy that has worked very well and you are anxious to follow it. One important factor to consider is: does it match who you are and your lifestyle?

  1. Having unrealistic expectations

Most traders assume that it is very easy to make money in trading. They have unrealistic expectations with regard to their initial capital, their risk profile and how much money they can expect to make.

  1. Taking too much risk

Usually when traders are down, they want to make their money back very quickly. Therefore, they increase their position size without thinking about the risk/rewards.

  1. Not having rules to follow

Most traders think if they have rules to follow, they are restricting themselves. It is on the contrary. Having rules allows you to be more flexible since you have thought about lots of issues beforehand.

  1. Not being flexible to market conditions (more…)

4 Trading Mistakes

1.  Do the Math
 

Sit down and go over your expected Risk to Reward Ratio for each trade.  If you have already been trading for a period of time sit down and analyse how much you are making each trade and your winning %.  These two numbers will help you formulate a solid profit goal.  No trading strategy works 100% of the time so you need to work out how much you lose per losing trade vs. how much you make per winning trade and then figure in your percentages.  From there you should have a realistic idea of how much you can expect to make in through your trading. 

2.  Don’t Expect Instant Returns
 

Trading is a business and like any other business it requires not only capital investment but time investment as well.  It takes time to find your rhythm and develop your trading skills.  Try not to be to hard on yourself during the learning phase and remember to focus on the positive aspects of your trading.  The vast majority of traders lose money and this number is even higher with traders who are just starting out.  Factor this in when you are setting your goals.

3.  Skill vs. Profits
 

Try to come up with goals that are not directly tied to your P&L statements.  For example, set a goal of following your rules for every trade for an entire trading day.  Once that is completed shoot for an entire week, then a month, and pretty soon you will be doing following your rules without even realising it.   Train yourself to develop your trading skills and reward yourself when you reach those goals. 

4.  It Takes Money
 

It takes money to make money.  Small accounts are fantastic for testing out whether or not trading is for you but when you get serious and want to go full time make sure you have enough capital to support your business.  Solid traders should expect to make 8% in the market over the course of a month.  That equates to 96% over a given trading year.  Make sure this figure allows you to have the lifestyle that you are expecting. 

Happiness and Quality of Life

1) Inner Abundance – This relates to self-care and maximizing one’s energy and internal resources;
2) Quality Time – Time spent by oneself, for oneself;
3) Finding Meaning – Having goals that give purpose and significance to life.
The key idea here is that happiness is not just something that happens to people. It is the result of one’s relationship to oneself. 
I encounter many traders who lack a sense of abundance–they are forever fearing that they will miss market moves and opportunity. I find many traders that lack quality time: they are slaves to the screen and experience more frustration than joy in their efforts. I also see many traders who derive little sense of meaning and purpose in their work. If they’re not making money, they are not happy. (more…)

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