rss

Greed & Fear

Emotions, emotions and emotions, trading will always full of them, movement of the market based on them. Our rush to buy or sell sometimes overflow our plans. The common  traders question was “Why did I do this or do that?”

What is driving us to get into the market when we are not prepared and exit on completely different prices, which completely disagree with our plans? Two major factors, Greed and Fear.

Greed come when market goes as we expected then we want more! We believe it will continue for very long time. We forgot that everything changes. For successful trading you need a good strategy and discipline to execute that strategy. No matter how good it is, trading is completely useless without proper execution of the strategy.

We Fear when we afraid to miss the profitable move or to loose the money. And until fear and greed will dominate us, our results will be very unstable. And worse if our money management is not the strongest point, this is the weakest point for emotional traders, will soon will be out of money, before we even had a chance to establish ourself as a trader.

Patience

PATIENCE FOR U1) If you insist on trading during unstable or volatile markets, keep your positions small.

2) If you go into cash, don’t get upset on days when we rally, it’s simply part of the game.

3) Don’t buy or sell stocks because someone else is doing it. Have your OWN plan, find a philosophy that works for YOU, and don’t blindly follow anyone!

4) Wait for the wind to be at your back. Right now, it’s swirling. No sense in forcing trades to make a few pennies when there are dollars to be made in better environments.

5) Let the market correct, let the dust settle, don’t be in such a rush to trade. I see too many people trying to bottom-fish this market and I feel like screaming: “You don’t have to trade!”

I am not saying all this to be an ass. I simply want traders to learn from my mistakes. I have lost too much money in the past by forcing trades in unfavorable environments. You are better off protecting your capital and more importantly, protecting your confidence. Wait for proper bases to form, wait for some institutional accumulation, and wait for sentiment to be “less bullish.” In other words, wait for a healthier environment…it might not be that far away. The key right now is discipline and patience.

A Trade or a Gamble?

I love to trade a lot – which is of course a euphemistic way of saying I love to gamble. Although I have been to Vegas more than a dozen times I never laid down so much as a dollar bet in any casino. I have absolutely no interest in backjack, craps, slot machines or any other games of chance and I look down with disdain at the excited masses crowding the cavernous Vegas gambling halls. But deep down, if I am honest with myself, I have to admit that whenever I trade a lot I am just as much of a sucker as every hopeless loser that gives up his hard earned money to Steve Wynn or Sheldon Adelson

If you are constantly trading just for the sake of trading, just for the rush of being “in the game”, just for the momentarily thrill of being right you are gambling. You are trading without an edge, without any solid information and are therefore completely vulnerable to the random vagaries of price. (more…)

EMOTIONS-GREED and FEAR

Emotions, emotions and emotions, trading will always full of them, movement of the market based on them. Our rush to buy or sell sometimes overflow our plans. The common Forex traders question was “Why did I do this or do that?”

What is driving us to get into the market when we are not prepared and exit on completely different prices, which completely disagree with our plans? Two major factors, Greed and Fear.

Greed come when market goes as we expected then we want more! We believe it will continue for very long time. We forgot that everything changes. For successful trading you need a good strategy and discipline to execute that strategy. No matter how good it is, trading is completely useless without proper execution of the strategy.

We Fear when we afraid to miss the profitable move or to loose the money. And until fear and greed will dominate us, our results will be very unstable. And worse if our money management is not the strongest point, this is the weakest point for emotional traders, will soon will be out of money, before we even had a chance to establish ourself as a trader.

5 Ways to Reduce Your Losses When Trading

Trading is an evolutionary process. Nobody can wake up being a Master Trader. Unfortunately there is no book or magic trick that can turn you into the highly profitable trader . Although the belief and the hope to obtain those skills instantly is still in place.

 The statistics say that only the ones with the self-dedication and discipline succeed in this business.

The most common mistakes leading to losses:

-Trading against the market;

-No trade potential;

-No serious buyers or sellers in the stock;

-Wide stop-loss;

-Fear of loss.

Traders should stay calm during the trading, this helps to observe and analyze the situation on the market much better, see some small details and make a competent decision.

Panic, stress or fear, always lead to mistakes.

One of the serious problems in trading is rush and mania to be present on the market all the times, opening positions when there is no potential for a trade or where the market is either flat or going the other direction.

Tips to resolve the mistakes:

1. Always look at the market. If there is no clear picture of the market’s behavior, don’t risk your money.

2. Always look at a trade potential.

3. Always look either at the Open Book or Market Maker window and Tape.

4. Always know where you are going to place you stop-loss order.

5. If you’re just not sure, or if the situation is uncertain, don’t enter the trade.

Following these tips requires some work and changes to our habits. It is not easy at all! We always hear sayings that the trader should be disciplined. What it actually means is changing your old habits and training yourself to have new ones. It is not comfortable, but it brings positive results, which will be noticeable on your month-end P/L report.

Common Mistakes for losing Money

Trading is an evolutionary process. Nobody can wake up being a Master Trader. Unfortunately there is no book or magic trick that can turn you into the highly profitable trader. Although the belief and the hope to obtain those skills instantly is still in place.

The statistics say that only the ones with the self-dedication and discipline succeed in this business.

The most common mistakes leading to losses:

-Trading against the market;

-No trade potential;

-No serious buyers or sellers in the stock;

-Wide stop-loss;

-Fear of loss.

Traders should stay calm during the trading, this helps to observe and analyze the situation on the market much better, see some small details and make a competent decision.

Panic, stress or fear, always lead to mistakes.

One of the serious problems in trading is rush and mania to be present on the market all the times, opening positions when there is no potential for a trade or where the market is either flat or going the other direction.

Tips to resolve the mistakes:

1. Always look at the market. If there is no clear picture of the market’s behavior, don’t risk your money.

2. Always look at a trade potential. If you look at the daily charts and see that the daily bars are just 20 cents long, then look for other stocks, where the potential is at least 40 cents.

3. Always look either at the Open Book or Market Maker window and Tape. If you don’t see any order flow on the Tape or the order sizes are small (less than a 1000 shares), then don’t enter the trade.

4. Always know where you are going to place you stop-loss order. If it is more than 10 cents away from your entry point, don’t enter the trade.

5. If you’re just not sure, or if the situation is uncertain, don’t enter the trade.

Following these tips requires some work and changes to our habits. It is not easy at all! We always hear sayings that the trader should be disciplined. What it actually means is changing your old habits and training yourself to have new ones. It is not comfortable, but it brings positive results, which will be noticeable on your month-end P/L report.

Know When to Trade (and When Not to Trade)

Successful traders know when to trade: they trade when their system tells them to. That might seem like an obvious point, but people too often forget it during the excitement of actually having money on the line.
A trader should be governed by his or her system, not by the circumstances of the moment, the market, or the outcome of a few trades. Keep a long-term perspective which focuses on developing a consistent, repeatable strategy. You won’t know what is successful or what fails if you constantly change your reasons for trading.
It is hardest to keep this kind of control when you’re experiencing losses. But this is also the most crucial time to be consistent. Otherwise, you won’t know how to avoid downturns in the future, or how to prevent them from becoming too damaging. (more…)

Japan Mar Retail Sales +4.7% Y/Y, Biggest Rise In 13 Years

– Japan Retail Sales Post 3rd Straight Y/Y Rise; Feb +4.2%
– Japan Mar Retail Auto Sales +19.6% Y/Y Vs Feb Revised +14.8%
– Japan Mar Retail Sales Also Pushed Up By Higher Fuel Prices

TOKYO (MNI) – Japanese retail sales surged 4.7% in March from a year earlier, posting the largest year-on-year gain in 13 years, data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released on Wednesday showed.

It was the third straight year-on-year increase after an unrevised rise of 4.2% in February. (more…)

Reduce Your Trading Loss

Trading is an evolutionary process. Nobody can wake up being a Master Trader. Unfortunately there is no book or magic trick that can turn you into the highly profitable trader. Although the belief and the hope to obtain those skills instantly is still in place.

The statistics say that only the ones with the self-dedication and discipline succeed in this business.

The most common mistakes leading to losses:

-Trading against the market;

-No trade potential;

-No serious buyers or sellers in the stock;

-Wide stop-loss;

-Fear of loss. (more…)

Go to top