Archives of “obsession” tag

rss

Market is like a woman

  
  Education
#  #  #  #  #  #  #

One is amazed by the similarities between the market and the femme fatale. Especially when you continue to chase the market with expectations of a reversal that never comes.

The more you chase it, the more parabolically it goes up. No matter how you count or look at indicators and candles, it simply goes up. When you finally give up, that is when the market surprises you once more with a sudden reversal and drop of prices.

In same way, you chase the femme fatale and that keeps you hooked and brings you near self destruction and obsession. When you finally give up exhausted and frustrated, she gets back at you once again. Looking for her prey…

How good is your WHY?

  
  Education
#  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #

I’ve been taking a minor natural break in trading over recent weeks, and in the meantime I’ve been pondering the power of the “WHY” I have when entering trades. You need a good why, no matter what you are doing in life, but especially when you walk into one of the toughest and most volatile markets in the world and put your money on the line.

What’s your WHY?

I can see looking back that the vast majority of my trading had a feeble why behind them; no wonder I lost cash hand over fist. Really my reason for entering was that I just wanted to enter, thats all. The second problem most likely is that even when I THOUGHT I had a good reason, the idea behind it was faulty.

So you can have no reason to enter, or you can have a wrong reason to enter.

Also I notice on the forums that the VAST MAJORITY of newbie / semi newbie traders there are trying to formulate their own personal why. Their own UNIQUE system, inventing unique indicators.

They think that the idea of the game is to outsmart everyone else in the market; to be unique. The obsession with system creation or inventing new indicators has being unique and outsmarting everyone else behind it as a hidden motivation. The thing with markets though is that its not about you, its about consensus. If you invent your own amazing oscillator and you are the only person in the world looking at it, then how good a reason is this to enter the market? How much consensus do you have behind you? Who supports your decision? Who agrees with you?

Probably nobody, except a handful by pure chance.

There’s more to say on this, but ponder your WHY when you pull the trigger. How good is that why?

How good is your WHY?

  
  Education
#  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #

I’ve been taking a minor natural break in trading over recent weeks, and in the meantime I’ve been pondering the power of the “WHY” I have when entering trades. You need a good why, no matter what you are doing in life, but especially when you walk into one of the toughest and most volatile markets in the world and put your money on the line.

What’s your WHY?

I can see looking back that the vast majority of my trading had a feeble why behind them; no wonder I lost cash hand over fist. Really my reason for entering was that I just wanted to enter, thats all. The second problem most likely is that even when I THOUGHT I had a good reason, the idea behind it was faulty.

So you can have no reason to enter, or you can have a wrong reason to enter.

Also I notice on the forums that the VAST MAJORITY of newbie / semi newbie traders there are trying to formulate their own personal why. Their own UNIQUE system, inventing unique indicators.

They think that the idea of the game is to outsmart everyone else in the market; to be unique. The obsession with system creation or inventing new indicators has being unique and outsmarting everyone else behind it as a hidden motivation. The thing with markets though is that its not about you, its about consensus. If you invent your own amazing oscillator and you are the only person in the world looking at it, then how good a reason is this to enter the market? How much consensus do you have behind you? Who supports your decision? Who agrees with you?

Probably nobody, except a handful by pure chance. (more…)

Are Great Traders Born or Bred?

  
  Education
#  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #

In a recent speech to a class at Harvard Business School Mark Sellers, founder of Chicago-based hedge fund Sellers Capital, argues that great traders are born and not bred. He believes that there are seven “structural assets” that cannot be taught, adding, ” They have to do with psychology. You can’t do much about that.”

The traits:

1) The ability to buy when others are panicking, and vice versa

2) An obsession with the trading game

3) A willingness to learn from past mistakes

4) An inherent sense of risk based on common sense

5) A confidence in your convictions and a willingness to stick with them

6) An ability to have “both sides of your brain working” (i.e. to go beyond the math)

7) The ability to live through volatility without changing your investment thought process

I  think that some of the concepts discussed here are spot on (and I spend a great deal of time hammering home the importance of #7) , but I disagree with the overall idea that great traders are born, not made. I believe success in trading is not about a specific style, but rather about understanding your personality traits and then developing a trading style (and which product – i.e. stocks, commodities, fx) that fits you best.

We are who we are. That does not change throughout our life, but we can learn to wait for times when the market is paying our personality type and then generate successful returns when that window of opportunity appears.

7 Unfortunate Habits of Unhappy People

  
  Education
#  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #

1.  Playing it too safe.

Don’t play it so safe that you put yourself in situations where none of your potential options satisfy your calling.  Dream your dream, but also realize that you are more than just the dreamer, you are the point of origin for your dream’s reality.

Your dream is your creative vision for your future life.  You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar.  Start smashing through those emotional barriers.  Move forward.  Life doesn’t magically give you what you want in your mind; it gives you what you insist upon with your actions.  Read The Power of Habit.

2.  Continuous self doubt.

You will inevitably become who you believe yourself to be.

If you spend enough time saying, “I’m not smart enough, thin enough and rich enough,” it’s likely that you will someday be right.  On the contrary, if you havethe belief that you are smart enough, thin enough and rich enough now to take the next positive step forward, over time you will likely acquire the capacity to be these very things at your desired level of expectation. (more…)

Are Great Traders Born or Bred?

  
  Education
#  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #
Harvard Business School Mark Sellers, founder of Chicago-based hedge fund Sellers Capital, argues that great traders are born and not bred. He believes that there are seven “structural assets” that cannot be taught, adding, ” They have to do with psychology. You can’t do much about that.”The traits:
1) The ability to buy when others are panicking, and vice versa
2) An obsession with the trading game
3) A willingness to learn from past mistakes
4) An inherent sense of risk based on common sense
5) A confidence in your convictions and a willingness to stick with them
6) An ability to have “both sides of your brain working” (i.e. to go beyond the math)
7) The ability to live through volatility without changing your investment thought process
I  think that some of the concepts discussed here are spot on (and I spend a great deal of time hammering home the importance of #7) , but I disagree with the overall idea that great traders are born, not made. I believe success in trading is not about a specific style, but rather about understanding your personality traits and then developing a trading style (and which product – i.e. stocks, commodities, fx) that fits you best.

Technical Analysis Obsession

  
Education, Humour
#  #  #  #  #  #  #  #

 

‘You know that you’re obsessed with Technical Analysis when…’

*Trapped in traffic at a roundabout, you find yourself waiting for a “breakout”.

*The best that lingerie advertisements can do is start you thinking about double tops.

*You start thinking about your marriage in terms of risk-reward.

TRADING DISCOMFORT

  
  Education
#  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #

Causes of Trading Discomfort

Discomfort in trading usually comes in two forms and both have micro and macro causes.

Monetary Discomfort – Just like it sounds, this is where you are uncomfortable because you are losing money.

This can happen simply because you have a position with an open loss that is beyond your comfort level, or it can have more a more complex genesis.

Are you down big for the year in your trading account?  Are you in financial trouble in your regular life?  Is the mortgage payment coming due and your trading profits are the funds you have to use to pay it?

Control Discomfort – This where you feel discomfort not because of the monetary loss, but because the trade is “not doing what it is supposed to.”

This could be the result of a choppy day where every trade you attempt, no matter long or short, reverses against you.

Or once again it could be a related to larger issue.  Are you the type of person that always needs to be in control in your life?  Do you have an obsession with always being “right?”  Is the world a place that would  be better off if it listened to your opinions DAMMIT? (more…)

Go to top