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Future of Customer Services with Trading the marketsThe Future of Customer Services with Trading The new era of trading all depends on two things… The experience for trading and the superior customer service, that comes along with it… Consumers depend on it and companies reap the rewards by adapting to excellent customer service to prevent them from failing. In this article, we’ll focus on 7 trends that will shape customer service in the future. This applies for not only trading but with most businesses. Let’s get to them… Trend #1: Social Media Live Chat Human assistants will help answer their customer questions, with a live online chat software or by downloading an application. Think of Skype, Zoom, Facebook or via their personal website. As more people adapt to online communication, the more companies will utilise these opportunities. After all, it’s all about meeting the customers where they are most likely to be. WITH TRADING – There are already live online communication options where human operators can help with trading platform, charting, business features and offers. Trend #2: Virtual Chatbot A virtual chatbot is a pre-programmed response with an artificial intelligence software. You most likely know them as virtual assistants. This way is a cheaper, faster and more consistent approach to help answer customers questions without the need of a human operator. With virtual chatbots there’ll be no restricted or waiting times. Also with machine learning, means the bots will get better, they’ll be more researched and will provide better answers over time. WITH TRADING – You’ll be able to ask for financial markets information, prices, charts, how to guides and trading platform queries. Trend #3: RIP Phone Calls & Faxes Companies will strive to cut costs and cut out old fashion ways. This includes mobile-data related phone calls taking a back seat as well fax machines. WITH TRADING – You’ll notice that with most global Forex and trading companies, they have taken out the options of phoning and faxing them. This shouldn’t worry you as they are adapting to the new ways of trading. Trend #4: 24-Hour Support With Apps Instead of calling or messaging companies via mobile communication, companies are adapting to more text and voice messaging apps. I’m talking about WhatsApp and Facetime. It’s cheaper, faster and more accessible from anywhere in the world. This will bring about 24 hour support, for their customers. WITH TRADING – I’m sure you’ll be able to send a quick message to your broker via WhatsApp or another app to place or close a trade or facilitate other transactions. Trend #5: Video Email Email has been the most widely used tool for customer service. In the future, we’ll be taken to the next level where email will allow for video emails. This way we’ll have a higher level of engagement and with a more personal and natural touch. WITH TRADING – You’ll be able to ask your trading related query with an illustration rather than explaining via text. And when you receive your answer, it will be shown with an easy to understand and visualise demo explanation. Trend #6: Remote Working & Flexible Times COVID-19 was the catalyst that helped push the remote working environment for employees. As customer service and contact agents are confined more to their homes, they will be working with more flexible times. WITH TRADING – Instead of an employee having to work in an office setting, they will be more flexible with their times. Eventually, we’ll see questions answered by them at all hours of the day. Trend #7: Multi-language Support Customers are connecting with more companies, located all over the world. It is critical to offer customer service support in multiple languages. The more languages are offered, the bigger the reach for potential customers. WITH TRADING – Forex and crypto-currency is a global phenomenon, taking over the world. It is inevitable for these kinds of companies to offer their services in different languages. Final words With us being able to expose, report and send our reviews about our experiences, means one thing… Businesses will continue to strive to serve and improve their customer support and services. And that’s why, it is and should always be a priority for companies to improve. Is customer services improving with trading? Let me know in the comments... Trade well, live free. Timon MATI Trader
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
What a Leopard can teach you about Successful trading I’m from South Africa. I’ve observed the movements and ways of life of wildlife at different game reserves, resorts and zoos. Penwarm, Kruger National Park, Londolozi and Sabi Sand Game Reserve to name a few. And I’ve seen how leopards work when they catch their prey. This methodology is very similar to how we as trader should act in the financial markets. They lurk behind the bushes in a crouch position. They can wait all day for just the right moment to pounce on its prey and bring the hunt back to its family. Even though they know they can outrun their prey, they still wait for the perfect moment to pounce. Either they’ll wait for the animal in a vulnerable position, injured or the perfect time where they will have a higher probability of catching it.. Patience my friend. That’s the most important element to grow your portfolio. You don’t make money taking a trade. You make profits while holding, waiting and letting the market play out. Here are five reasons why Patience is key for your trading success. #1: Stops you from making impulsive decisions Once you’re in your trade, holding and leaving it alone can help you avoid making impulsive decisions that are based on emotions rather than careful analysis. #2: Helps you spot high probability trades You need to have the patience to wait for the right opportunities to arise, rather than jumping into a trade just because you're feeling anxious. #3: Hold onto winners Trading is NOT about banking small profits. Because you do that and your losses will outweigh your winners. Your Risk to Reward should ALWAYS be above 1.5 at the minimum. This way you’ll hold onto your positions for longer periods of time, which can increase the potential for profits. #4: Takes away fixation When you enter into a trade, you may feel the instinct to watch it and observe ALL day. This will spark up your cortisol levels and will distract you from your higher priorities you have in a day. Once you’ve taken the trade, leave it alone to do its thing. You have your winning trading strategy in place. #5: Wait for the prey Like a leopard, successful traders need to be patient and wait for the right opportunities to arise, rather than acting impulsively or making rash decisions. This is why having a clear and proven plan can also teach us the importance of running it which is essential for success in the financial markets… If you enjoyed this article follow for more Daily tips. I enjoy sharing information I've gained since 2003. Trade well, live free. Timon MATI Trader
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
1
25 METRICS and 10 BENEFITS of a Trading JournalTrading Journals are essential. It's your game plan to what you could potentially see in the future as a trader. In the above image are the 25 metrics every Trading Journal should have... And below are 10 benefits for having a trading journal... 1. KEEP TRACK A trading journal helps to keep track of your trades, including the reasons for making the trade, the results of the trade, and any lessons learned. 2. CUT OUR BAD HABITS It can help to identify and eliminate bad habits and biases in your trading. 3. POWERS DISCIPLINE A trading journal can help to improve your discipline, which is essential for long-term success in trading. 4. CONSISTENCY It can help you to develop a consistent and effective trading strategy. 5. FEEDBACK FOR REFINEMENT A trading journal can provide valuable feedback that can be used to refine and improve your trading. 6. FOCUS ATTAINED It can help you to stay focused and avoid making impulsive decisions. 7. TRACKS SUCCESS A trading journal can provide a valuable record of your progress as a trader, which can be useful for reviewing and analyzing your performance. 8. CONFIDENCE BOOSTER It can help to increase your confidence and reduce stress by providing a clear and objective record of your trading activities. 9. STAY ORGANISED A trading journal can help you to stay organized and avoid missing important details or opportunities. 10. LEARN AND IDENTIFY NEW POSSIBILITIES It can be a valuable tool for identifying and learning from your mistakes, which is essential for long-term success in trading. Why else do you think a trading journal is essential? Let me know and follow for more daily trading tips from information I've gathered over the last 20 years as a financial trader. Trade well, live free. Timon MATI Trader
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
The Money Multiplier of TradingThere is one tool with trading, which you can accelerate your portfolio, compared to with investing. I’m talking about Gearing (or leverage). To wrap our head around this concept, here’s a more relatable life example. When you buy a house for R1,000,000, it is very similar to trading derivatives. Initially, the homeowner most probably won’t have the full R1,000,000 to buy the house with just one purchase. Instead, they’ll sign a bond agreement, make a 10% deposit (R100,000), borrow the rest from the bank and be exposed to the full purchase price of the home. This is a similar concept for when you trade with gearing. Gearing is a tool which allows you to pay a small amount of money (deposit) in order to gain control and be exposed to a larger sum of money. You’ll simply buy a contract of the underlying share, use borrowed money to trade with and be exposed to the full share’s value. Let’s simplify this with a more relatable life example: How gearing works with CFDs Let’s say you want to buy 1,000 shares of Jimbo’s Group Ltd at R50 per share as you believe the share price is going to go up to R60 in the next three months. You’ll need to pay the entire R50,000 to own the full value of the 1,000 shares (R50 X 1,000 shares). In three months’ time, if the share price hits R60 you’ll then be exposed to R60,000 (1,000 shares X R60 per share). Note: I’ve excluded trading costs for simplicity purposes throughout this section If you sold all your shares, you’ll be up R10,000 profit (R60,000 – R50,000). The problem is you had to pay the full R50,000 to be exposed to those 1,000 shares. When you trade a geared instrument like CFDs, you won’t ever have to worry about paying the full value of a share again. A CFD is an unlisted over-the-counter financial derivative contract between two parties to exchange the price difference of the opening and closing price of the underlying asset. Let’s break that down into an easy-to-understand definition. A CFD (Contract For Difference) is an Unlisted (You don’t trade through an exchange) Over The Counter (Via a private dealer or market maker) Financial derivative contract (Value from the underlying market) Between two parties (The buyer and seller) to Exchange the Price difference of the opening and closing price of the Underlying asset (Instrument the CFD price is based on) Let’s use an example of a company called Jimbo’s Group Ltd, who offers the function to trade CFDs. The initial margin (deposit) requirement is 10% of the share’s value. This means, you’ll pay R5.00 per CFD instead of R50, and you’ll be exposed to the full value of the share. To calculate the gearing (or leverage ratio) you’ll simply divide what you’ll be exposed to over the initial margin deposit. Here’s the gearing calculation on a per CFD basis: Gearing = (Exposure per share ÷ Initial deposit per CFD) = (R50 per share ÷ R5.00 per CFD) = 10 times gearing This means two things… #1. For every one Jimbo’s Group Ltd CFD you buy for R5.00 per CFD, you’ll be exposed to 10 times more (the full value of the share). #2. For every one cent the share rises or falls, you’ll gain or lose 10 cents. To have the exposure of the full 1,000 shares of Jimbo’s Group Ltd, you’ll simply need to buy 1,000 CFDs. This will require a deposit of R5,000 (1,000 CFDs X R5.00 per CFD). With a 10% margin deposit (R5,000), you’d have the exact same exposure as you’d have with a conventional R50,000 shares’ investment. Here is the calculation you can use to work out the exposure of the trade. Overall trade exposure = (Total initial margin X Gearing) = (R5,000 X 10 times) = R50,000 With an initial deposit of R5,000 and with a gearing of 10 times, you’ll be exposed to the full R50,000 worth of shares. In three months’ if the share price reaches R60, your new overall trade exposure will be R60,000 worth of shares (1,000 shares X R60 per share). If you sold all of your positions, you’d bank a R10,000 gain (R60,000 – R50,000). But remember, you only deposited R5,000 into your trade and not the full R50,000. This is the beauty of trading geared derivative instruments. Hope that helps for those who don't really grasp Gearing... Trade well, live free. Timon MATI Trader
JSE:AGLEducation
by Timonrosso
4 Sacrifices every trader makesFirst of all, trading is not a short-term proposition to get rich. Anyone who says otherwise, needs to spend some time thinking about doing before speaking inside a jail cell. No… Trading is a lifestyle that you’ll need to adapt and integrate into yours and your family’s financial future. Whenever you start something new, especially for a financial gain, you’ll need to make some form of sacrifices. In today’s article we’ll discuss the four sacrifices every successful trader will make. SACRIFICE #1: Time The money is not going to just fall into your lap. You’re going to need to put in the time to work through the process of successful trading. As a new trader you’ll need to read as many books, websites and forums on how to trade. This will prepare you for what trading is all about. Then you’ll need to take time to learn which: • Markets you wish to trade • Method you’ll use to get in and out of your trade. • Money you’ll risk to grow your portfolio • Mind you’ll need to adapt to avoid any unnecessary emotions from taking over and interfering with the process. Then finally you’ll need the time to back-test, forward-test and actually trade on a daily or a weekly basis. This time can range from 5 minutes a week, which is what I follow with the MATI Trader System, to 5 hours a day if you’re more of an aggressive intraday based trader. No matter what career you pursue, you’ll need to sacrifice the necessary time to learn the ins and outs of it. SACRIFICE #2: Money Another inevitable sacrifice you’ll need to make is to take money out of your savings to trade. I say savings because you should never risk any money you can’t afford to risk or any money that you use on a monthly basis to finance your life. Once a month as you get paid, deposit just 5% of your savings into your trading account. This way you’ll be able to grow your portfolio at a faster and a more sustainable. The other side of money you’ll risk is of course, with every trade you take. Most successful traders out there risk around 1%, 2% to 3% per trade, in order to make a 2%, 4% or even a 6% gain on your portfolio. SACRIFICE #3: Thrill You’ll need to sacrifice the THRILL of trading and exchange it for FOCUS. Trading should be seen as a business rather than playing the lottery once a week. As much as I have loved trading the MATI Trader System for the last 18 years, I’ve also taken it very seriously. Before you commit any money into the markets, you’ll need to have a solid watch list, trading system and money management rules to follow methodically. This way you’ll have a mechanical approach to trading without the thrill, when you bank a profit or without the devastation, anger and disappointment. Remember that a winning portfolio is not about taking a few trades but the 100s of trades over time. Make sure you have the focus for when you trade in the week and sacrifice the thrill for on the weekends when the markets are closed. SACRIFICE #4: Space The final sacrifice you’ll need to make is to make space. Make sure your trading desk is clear of any distracting books, devices and objects that have no aid to your trading. A cleaner and clearer trading desk will prevent a number of distractions for when you trade which could result in unnecessary stress, anxiety and worry. Also you’ll most likely need to make space for just one more monitor. By having two monitors, you can use one for your trading platform to buy, sell and modify trades. The other monitor will then be used for your charting platform to analyse, assess and seek more trading opportunities. Are they actually sacrifices? Coming to the end of the article, I’ve just realised something. These four ‘sacrifices’ you’ll make as a professional trader – Are they sacrifices or are they just opportunities you can take for trading to be smooth sailing?
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
A Santa Claus Rally for the JSE in 2022? What is expected from a Santa Claus Rally? The Santa Claus rally, is essentially where we see stock prices locally and globally rise and close off positively by the end of December. And so, we can expect a rally in December which we can all profit from… Why December? We aren’t 100% sure but we have some speculations on why the market tends to rally… #1: Investment managers cut down on their taxes This is the time when you’ll see investors and investment managers, selling their stocks to lock in tax reductions before the end of the year. Once they sell their positions, they then buy other stocks and markets that they believe will rally in the next year. The buying of these stocks, leads to a rise in stock prices which pushes the stock market indices up. Theory #2: Investors enjoy their bonuses by buying into investments Investors also like to spend their bonuses on investments like stocks… And when they buy, demand picks up. And this leads to higher stock market prices. Speculation is one thing. But nothing confirms a Santa Claus Rally more than proof in the charts… The JSE has gone up 14 out of 19 Decembers! What you see, is the monthly JSE-ALSI stock market chart since 2003… Looking at the chart you can see how each December (Vertical blue line) performed from 2003 up ‘till 2021 Year Gain/Loss Year Gain/Loss 2003 : 7.39% 2004 : 1.28% 2005 : 6.84% 2006 : 3.90% 2007 : -4.99% 2008 : 0.51% 2009 : 2.62% 2010 : 6.69% 2011 : -3.26% 2012 : 2.72% 2013 : 3.27% 2014 : -0.53% 2015 : -1.15% 2016 : 0.48% 2017 : -1.33% 2018 : 4.63% 2019 : 3.51% 2020 : 3.83% 2021 : 4.66% So, there’ve been 14 out of 19 Decembers (74% win rate) that have shown positive gains. And in total, the JSE has accumulated 41.07% gains in all of those Decembers. This means, you have a higher chance of profiting from buying this Christmas than selling. And right now, this December the JSE ALSI 40 is already up an insane 14.48% gain. And I am seeing no signs of a slow down yet… I guess a Santa Claus rally is more likely than not, but we have had three to four winning years in a row... Things are looking good for now but the month is young... Do you think we will have a JSE Santa Claus Rally? Let me know. Trade well, live free. Timon MATI Trader
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
1
Why I LOVE Trading View - Best I've seen in 20 yearsWhether you're new to trading or you’re an advanced chartist – we all have the same expectations when it comes to choosing a charting platform. It must be online, fast, safe, customizable and user friendly. And you know what – it should be free! With the high competition of charting platforms available world-wide, each company must ensure they have free, live streaming, cutting edge, secure and easy to use platforms to offer their customers and clients at the very least – top-notch service. I’ve used many charting platforms since 2003. From London School of Investments, Amibroker, MetaStock, ProTrader, Cycle Trends, IG Markets, Oanda, MetaTrader, Sword Fish… You name it. But there is ONE free charting platform, which has become my absolute favourite over the years, Trading View... TradingView (est. 2012) is a world leading, cutting-edge FREE online visualisation financial charting platform for beginners up to the most advanced professional traders, with over 10 million subscribers. The platform has direct access to unlimited live streaming data from stocks, futures, bonds, indices, Forex, commodities, ETFs and even crypto-currencies. It allows you to customise your watch lists, back test your strategies, share, publish or enjoy live and active trading ideas, signals and tutorials through the platform or directly to your Twitter and Stock Twits feed. With TradingView you’ll be able to enjoy this free charting phenomena across either your web browser, Android or Apple iOS devices. It's incredible to have such a thorough and advanced charting platform. It's even more amazing for new traders under 5 years of experience to have this cutting-edge technology platform to learn how to trade and enjoy the trading process... Trade well, live free. Timon MATI Trader
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
Losses are Just the Costs of TradingLosses are nothing! Come on. Don't you pay for food, electricity, taxes. Don't you run your company with expenses and costs? Don't you spend every now and then on a vacation, time away and even unpaid leave? This is life and it should be NO different with trading. Trading losses are nothing but costs that come with achieving future success. But... and it's a big but. Just like you can control whether to spend your ticket on Economy or First Class. Just like you can choose to go to a 3-star hotel or a 5 star. Just like you can choose between a chicken dish or a lobster. So to must you manage your risk with trading. The learning fees, and the losses you take with trading can all be controlled at a point with obviously your volume, the markets you choose and where you place your stop loss... Every trade needs to be taken into consideration with high risk management skills. Don't be scared of trading losses- it comes with the territory as with life. What do you think? Does this help? Trade well, live free. Timon MATI Trader Financial trader since 2003
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
2
The BEST Trading IndicatorWith the ever increasing number of indicators, it makes sense that beginner traders’ wish to cut the steep learning curve by trying to find which indicator is the best and the most profitable to choose from. It’s overwhelming to start trading with so many jargon terms like, the MACD, RSI, Stochastics, ADX, Bollinger Bands and so on… Luckily, you won’t ever have to worry about any of these indicators. Here’s why… The quest to find the perfect trading indicator There is a big misconception when it comes to learning how to trade. Most new people start by going onto Google to search for the ‘best trading strategy’ or the ‘best trading indicator’ to speed up their success. Everybody wants to find that perfect trading indicator that will help them profit 80% to 100% of the time. Yet, at most, there are only 5% of traders’ out there who are able to make a consistent income with trading. I have two main reasons on this matter, which I’ve gathered since 2003. Reason 1: All indicators are history With local and international markets such as the stock market, Forex and even with crypto-currencies, there are billions of rands traded every day. With the ongoing economic, socio and political events taking place, every transaction from either a company, private individual or even a bot is entirely unique and UNEXPECTED. So which indicator is the best to choose from? Well before you go and do research on each indicator there is to trade with, let me spare you the time and tell you this… Every technical indicator and oscillator out there, is based on one thing. HISTORICAL DATA. When you add an indicator onto a chart, it can only show one of three things which are either the: Current momentum. Current trend direction or the. Demand and supply based on buying and selling volume. Not one indicator has any form of predictive qualities. Even with the dawn of Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing, there will most likely never be that one indicator that will be able to predict the future with accuracy and certainty every time. However, let’s say there is that one Quantum Computer that is able to take every news event, internal and external factor into account. The information assembled and collected, will still be based on past data. By now you may be feeling like your life has been a lie with all the marketing fluff out there with the 100% win-rate and get rich quick scams, but I assure you there is one legit way to succeed from trading. Reason 2: Each element is essential It doesn’t take just one trading strategy to bank a consistent income. It doesn’t take just a few rules to follow and, It doesn’t take a whole lot of money to fund your account to make it as a trader. No, in actual fact it takes four equally important elements namely: MARKETS: You need to find the best markets that are out there to trade and when to trade them. METHOD: You need to create or adopt a proven trading strategy that will fit your personality. (Price action with a few patterns is all that's needed to spot probability trades). MONEY: You need to have just a couple of money management rules, to follow every time you take a trade. MIND: You need to find a way to develop trading self-confidence as well as a strong mindset throughout your career. This is where so many different trading companies, publications and even education institutions seem to miss the mark. They either specialise ONLY in psychology, trading analysis or just on money management. Unfortunately, this is one hobby or lifestyle where being an expert in ONE field will not guarantee your success.
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
2
Trading 101 - What is a Derivative & why are they revolutionary?Derivatives trading! What I believe has been the absolute market revolution since shares. Derivatives might sound complicated and something you would hear from a professor or a know-it-all businessman – but they’re really not. I am no academic or even remotely one of the smartest guy’s in the world. And if I can grasp the idea and understanding of derivatives, I pretty much guarantee you will too. Also, if you want to take trading seriously and really make a living with it, you’ll need to understand derivatives trading sometime in your career. Let’s start at the very beginning. What is a derivative? – Collins English Dictionary – ‘A derivative is an investment that depends on the value of something else’ When it comes to trading, a derivative is a financial contract between two parties whose value is ‘derived’ from another (underlying) asset. Let’s break that down more simply: A derivative is a financial contract (CFDs, Spread Trading, Futures, Forwards, Options &Warrants) Between two parties (the buyer and seller) Whose value (the market’s price) Is derived (depends on or comes from) Another underlying asset (Share, index, commodity, currency, bond, interest-rate, crypto-currency etc…) You’ll find that the derivative’s market price mirrors that of the underlying asset’s price. Why trade using derivatives? The absolute beauty about trading derivatives is that they are a cheaper and a more profitable way to speculate on the future price movements of a market without buying the asset itself. You don’t get all the benefits with derivatives What’s probably important to note with derivatives, is this. When you buy a derivative’s contract, you’re not actually buying the physical asset. You’re simply making a bet on where you expect the price to go. EXAMPLE: When you buy actual shares of a company, means you’ll be able to attend AGMs (Annual General Meetings), Vote and claim dividends from a company. When you trade derivatives on the underlying share, means you’ll be exposed to the value of the shares and the price movements – and that’s it! As a trader, when you buy or sell a derivative, you’re not actually investing in the underlying asset but rather just making a bet (speculation) on where you believe the market’s price will head. This gives you the advantage and opportunity to: Buy low (go long) a derivative of the underlying asset and sell it at a higher price for a profit or Sell high (go short) a derivative of the underlying asset and buy it back at a lower price for a profit Remember when I said it was cheaper and more profitable? You can thank margin With derivatives, you’ll normally pay a fraction of the price of the total sum and still be exposed to the full value of the asset (share, index, currency etc…) The fraction of the price paid is called ‘margin’. EXAMPLE: To buy and own 10 Anglo shares at R390 per share will cost you R3,900 (R390 per share X 10 shares). To buy and be exposed to 10 Anglo shares using derivatives, and the margin of the contract is 10% per share, means you’ll only pay R390 (R390 per share X 10% margin per derivative X 10 shares). I’m sure you can see that with derivatives, you’ll be exposed to more and pay less which will gear up your potential profits or losses versus when trading shares. This is why we call derivatives, geared financial instruments. Enjoyed the article comment below and follow for more... Trade well, Live free Timon MATI Trader Also my socials are below thanks to Trading View.
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
BACK TO THE FUTURE VS TRADINGI watched the Oscars recently and saw Michael J. Fox receive his humanitarian award. This brought me back to my childhood with the legendary Back to the Futures movie... Also this year we saw The Back to the Future stars Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) reunited and shared the stage at the New York Comicon 2022. This is where they reminisced over their iconic roles in the beloved film trilogy. There were a bunch of mixed emotions but mostly the feeling of nostalgia and childhood memories… And so, I watched the trilogy and I found it was super interesting to watch a movie when at the time, they were trying to predict the future by making a number of predictions about 2015… They certainly got a few spot ons such as: • Smart watches • Hover boards • Virtual reality headsets (which we use Quest, PlayStation and even HTC) • Talking from TV to TV (Instead we use tablets and smart phones, but close enough) • Donald Trump like figure as president They also made a few wrong predictions like: • People wearing their pockets inside out • Dogs having drones walk them (but we do have drones though) • Mechanical car fuel attendants • Pizza hydrators But overall, there is a very big lesson we can learn from this… If scientists, businessmen, producers, directors and actors can’t accurately predict the future, nobody can. And trading the financial markets are similar to “Back to the Future” movies. It’s unpredictable and normally plays out differently to what we think… Thing about the future is… When you know what is going to happen and you act according, the future changes… Let’s say you know what’s going to happen at a certain point in the future. If you act according to what will happen in the future, then your action will change the future. So, if the future is so unpredictable, how can anyone ever make money from trading? Simple. You don’t need to know the future when you trade When you take a trade, you should never try to predict where the market will go. Instead, we should base the future predictions and decisions on one word. Probability. If the market is moving up, there is a higher chance it will continue to move up. (It’s going up for a reason). If the market consolidates in a sideways formation and then the price breaks down, there is a higher chance the price will continue to move down. We say, go with the trend rather than against it… Our job is not to predict every turn and bank a profit from every point move. Our job is to anticipate a change in the market, wait for confirmation and then act accordingly to follow the MORE likely scenario… You might not get it right 30% to 40% of the time, but you can get it right 50% - 70% of the time during certain market environments… That’s all I do when I do trades and analyses… I base probabilities on where a market is more likely to go at a certain time… If I’m wrong, I adjust – rather than deny… This was a short reminder of why you don’t need to predict the markets to make it as a trader. Did you enjoy this short piece? Let me know in the comments. It's a passion to help share the knowledge I've gained over the last 20 years as a trader. Trade well, live free. Timon MATI Trader
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
2
When you should feel THRILL as a traderThrill is a dangerous emotion to have as a trader. Especially, when you bank a winning trade, when you lock in profits during a favourable environment and when you count your profits at the end of the week. You are only as good as your last trade. Which means, you need to forget about the past and focus on the future. However, this doesn't mean you can't enjoy the journey during the trading day. I've been in the markets since 2003 and yes I do get thrill and enjoyment but NOT when I bank a winning trade. Here are 6 elements I get thrill from... 1. When analysing the markets and seeing what opportunities lie up. 2. When optimising strategies and seeing how to improve by finding new markets, removing old markets that don't work and possibly tweaking the system according to the current market environment. 3. Searching for trades always feels like somewhat a treasure hunt. When X marks the spot, we know to take action. 4. Monitoring results. This isn't monitoring daily or weekly results but rather looking at your journal over an extended period of time. Look at your drawdowns, look at where you are in terms of having your portfolio at ATH and seeing what market environment your system is in. 5 Adapting new markets and instruments...There are always new high liquid and low volatile markets that will suit your system. It's our jobs to look, analyse and adapt into the new. 6. Reading new developments. Are there better trading platforms, new indicators to help with your current system and maybe even new calculations to manage your drawdowns better? What about the instruments. I've gone from trading shares, warrants, ETFs, Futures, Spread Trading to CFDs. You never know when the next instrument will come... I hope this helps give some enlightenment on when you should feel thrill as a trader. Cut the ego, cut the instant gratification of today's performance and focus on the marathon. Follow for more daily trading lessons :) Trade well, live free... Timon
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
REVEALED: 14 Ways to Spot a Trading ScamIf you’re new to trading, listen up. There are serpent companies and individuals out there, with only one goal. To make profits and money for themselves and NO one else. They do this by exploiting the newbie trader’s optimism, greed and fear by tricking them into what I call “Easy-Money-Traps”. As a savvy trader, you need to know how to spot and avoid these scams, before you fall victim to one of them. I’m going to kick you off with 15 of the most common trading scams you may find nowadays. SCAM #1: Flaunting money and posing in flashy cars WARNING: When you see an advert with a fake ‘guru’ posing in a Lamborghini holding stacks of cash, this manipulates people into thinking they’re rich. REALITY: Most times the cash notes are fake and worthless, which is prop money that is usually used in movies. It’s also been proven that 90% of these companies or individuals usually rent the car, borrow it from their rich friend or they take selfies in front of a stranger’s car. WHAT TO DO: Don’t believe everything you see online. Scam #2: They chase after your contact number WARNING: When a fake “guru” begs for your contact number and persuades you to buy a trading course or ticket to their seminar. The more aggressive they are trying to get your money, means that their primary income is mostly likely from what they’re trying to sell rather than the money they make when trading. REALITY: A true trader with a product or service to offer, will not pester you, sound desperate and bully you with tons of marketing and promises. Their main goals are to offer you value, help and develop a relationship over time. WHAT TO DO: Never share your contact number just to “Learn More”, “Book A Free Consultation” or “Check Out” information on what the product is about. You will have marketers call you on a weekly basis trying to suck you into buying their products. Scam #3: There is NO background information WARNING: When a scam artist has little to no background or legal information. Whether it’s a trader, broker, money manager or an educator – Never work with anyone who doesn’t have the following: • A website • A proven track record (at least 5 years) • Valuable content • An “About Us” page (To learn more about them) • Contact information • Customer reviews and testimonials (Ask people!) • A company registration number • Tax registration details• Financial regulation • A website that isn’t secured (When it starts with HTTP and not HTTPS) REALITY: Most times these non-regulated individuals will try their luck to get you to deposit money into their account and then will disappear. WHAT TO DO: Always do a full check-up on the person or company through Google, Facebook, websites and reviews and take notes with the bullet points above to see if the person or company is licensed, legit and regulated by independent organisations. Scam #4: You can’t withdraw your money WARNING: Your broker or money maker, doesn’t allow you or limits your ability to withdraw funds or profits. Whenever there are delays to withdraw your money, chances are you’re dealing with illegitimate trading companies. It should never take more than a few days for your money to be returned… WHAT TO DO: Don’t invest a single cent more into the company, until you have received your funds. Use your rights and speak to a lawyer about your options, in order to find a way to get your money back. NOTE: This does not apply to fixed-term securities such as, hedge funds, bonds, retirement funds with periodic redemption rights and other constraints. Scam #5: Failure to prove their BOGUS trading results WARNING: When you see someone bragging about their winning trades or money they made for the day and how they can help you – but not willing to prove their results. Watch out with Facebook and Instagram posts on traders posting fake trading results on Telegram, MyFxBook, WhatsApp and other groups. REALITY: If they are not willing to prove their results, chances are they have been Photoshopped and are only trading with a demo account. Also you’ll see them posting their gains and winnings only and never their losses. This is a big red-flag for me which screams out – SCAM! WHAT TO DO: Avoid any person who is not willing to share their broker statements or trading results which have been verified by a reputable and licensed firm. Scam #6: When they urge you to buy immediately WARNING: When someone tries one of their high-pressure sales techniques to get you to invest or buy a product or service on the spot. If ever you get one of those sleazy salesperson’s try to intimidate you, make you feel stupid for not making a decision – warnings bells should ring. Many con artists, will pressure you with limited time offers or tell you to buy on the phone or you’ll lose the deal. REALITY: A legit and ethical company will never create such urgency. They will in fact, want you to do your own research, consider your options and take your time to see if their product or service offered will benefit you or not. They will NEVER force you to buy anything on the spot. WHAT TO DO: Do your own research before you make a decision, and make sure you leave those high-pressure salesmen charlatans. Scam #7: You hear bad investment advice or too-good-to-be-true deals WARNING: When you hear bogus advice or too-good-to-be-true statements from an individual or company that is contrary to anything you’ve ever been told. As soon as you hear any of these messages, they are most likely scams: • “You can put your life savings into our brokerage firm.” • “Follow our +80% win rate trading system.” • “Do you want GUARANTEED returns?” • “Take out a loan and invest with us.” • “You’ll bank over 10% a month.” • “We don’t use stop losses.” • “100% accurate signals.” • “Get rich quickly.” • “Easy money.” WHAT TO DO: Don’t run away just yet. Do the full check up on the company and with their track record and then decide for yourself. Most times it’s just the marketing agency, rather than the actual trader, who’s trying to hype up the copy through their copywriting, Click Funnels, Value Ladders etc… Scam #8: They ask for your personal information WARNING: When someone asks you for unnecessary personal information to make a transaction. There are salesperson’s out there that will ask you for a bunch of unnecessary personal information including: • Bank card details • Facebook account details • Phone number • Income per month • Trading account password • Home address REALITY: If you’re looking to invest in a trading product or service or open an account with an institution, then no trusted and legit company will ever ask for the above details. WHAT TO DO: Never give any details to an individual or company that you don’t trust. You can also ask for their Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy statements, to read each detail of their security and privacy matters. Scam #9: You get a call from a stranger WARNING: You may get an unexpected and unsolicited local or international phone call “cold call”, email, letter or personal visit from a stranger offering you a deal. REALITY: These are most times marketers or customer services trying to sell you something, in order to make a sale. WHAT TO DO: Kindly tell them to remove your number off their data-base and that you will do your own research and will call them back if you are interested in what they have to offer. Scam #9: Watch out for bad wording WARNING: When the company or individual is packed with bad wording. Bad wording includes: • Misspellings • Incorrect dates (Look at the footer of a website where it says ©) • Badly written content • Unprofessional content i.e. emoticons, !!!, ??? and swearing • Typos everywhere • URL website has spelling mistakes e.g. (Foerxtrading.com) WHAT TO DO: This should be your judgement… NOTE: I personally am sceptical whenever I see any of the above, even though I may make a typo or grammar mistake with my own content every now and then. Scam #10: The never-ending Facebook scams WARNING: When you see posts that offer you free signals, tools, get rich quick messages or advertising ploys that direct you to deposit money. You’ll see countless scams on a daily basis in Facebook groups and pages that will direct you away from them by sending messages such as: • “Inbox me” • “Ask how” • “Join our Telegram” • “100% accurate signals” • “Reply add” • “Do you know you can make XXX amount of money” • “Click this link” • “Ask for more info” • “Daily free signals” • “Daily 200 – 500 pips” • “Guaranteed results” • “No scam” WHAT TO DO: Do your thorough research and follow the above #3 step before making your decision. EXTRA TRADING SCAMS TO WATCH OUT FOR: #11: Trading software, robot or EA that guarantees a +70% win rate system. #12: Fake Facebook profile name, picture with dodgy friends. #13: Any product or service that promises “Zero-Risk”. #14: Any notion that promises you riches quickly and tells you to trust them or take their word for it. If you enjoyed this trading lesson of the day let me know in the comments and follow me for more daily tips. Trade well, live free. Timon MATI Trader
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
1 Rule to STOP a portfolio CRASH I guess my number one rule to prevent a portfolio going bust is my 20% Rule… The rule is simple. If my portfolio ever drops below 20%, due to a losing streak, I halt trading… Notice the word halt instead of STOP. When a portfolio is down 20%, this is where you’ll halt your trading but you’ll KEEP following your trading strategy. So, you’ll simply demo trade your system and continue journaling your entries and exits… And only once the equity curve (your portfolio) goes back to all-time highs (on paper of course) then you can resume trading live… Do you have a trading question? Ask in the comments and I'll fully answer it in one of these posts on TradingView... Trade well, live free Timon MATI Trader
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
27 Ways to Save money to TradeSaving money to trade, or in general, can be a pain. Either it drops your quality of life, or you find that you just can’t save a cent at the end of the month. No matter what you’re earning, I’m going to show you exactly how to save money the easy way. Here are my 27 favourite money savings tips with a couple of personal notes… SAVINGS TIP #1: Stick to your shopping list Write your shopping list down on a piece of paper or on your phone, and stick to it to avoid overspending. When you are prepared for what you have to buy when it comes to your grocery shopping, this will more likely stop you from buying extra items you don’t need. SAVINGS TIP #2: Pay with hard cash Pay using real money instead of swiping your debit or credit cards. When you pay with a card, instead of cash, you’ll find that you’ll spend more money on unnecessary items than you should or with money you don’t even have. Personal note: While I’ve been living and trading in Greece, I find this is the best savings tip I’ve used so far. SAVINGS TIP #3: Pay yourself firstay yourself first As soon as you’re paid your salary, wage or income for the month – deposit a portion of that money straight into your trading or savings account. I like to use the 10% rule, but this all depends on what you can afford to deposit. This means, if you earn R60,000 per month deposit R6,000 into your trading account or savings account each month. SAVINGS TIP #4: Don’t shop when ‘hangry’ or emotional Avoid shopping when you’re feeling hungry, thirsty, angry or upset. You’ll find you’ll spend more money than you should. In a recent study: Hungry mall shoppers who were hungry spent on average 64% MORE than non-hungry shoppers. Make sure you have a nice meal and drink lots of water, before you go on your next shopping trip. SAVINGS TIP #5: The ‘cookie-jar’ approach When you empty your pockets, at the end of the day, drop them into a yearly cookie jar for your savings. You’ll be surprised how many thousands of rands you’ll be able to save, collect and be able to deposit into your trading account for the next year. SAVINGS TIP #6: Use the 24-Hour-Rule Before paying money for non-essential and expensive items on clothes, cosmetics, appliances or even tools, just wait 24 hours before buying it. You may find that you’ll lose that desire to buy them after 24 hours, which will save you tens of thousands of rands a year. Maybe when your parents said “sleep on it”, there was method behind their madness. SAVINGS TIP #7: Go generic Save a ton of money by buying the generic prescription medicines instead of paying a fortune for the name branded drugs. Ask your local pharmacist or physician if you can have the generic prescription drugs instead of the brand-name drugs. You’ll find that the generic products cost far less than the brand names, and will work equally well. SAVINGS TIP #8: A quick breakfast that lasts a week Breakfasts are not only the most important meal of the day, but can also be the quickest, easiest and most inexpensive meal for the day. When you eat a full and healthy breakfast, you’ll find it will keep you from going out to eat an expensive lunch… Personal note: For the last two years, I have had the same breakfast which I make once and it lasts an entire week. This has truly been life-changing as it makes my day start with one less decision to make before I get on with the rest of the day. It’s called “Overnight Oats”. If you’d like to see my personal recipe feel free to click here… SAVINGS TIP #9: Follow the 30-Day-Rule Before you buy something really expensive, give it 30 days and then decide if it’s worth it. I’m talking about items like jewellery, motorbikes, paintings, juice extractors and any other item that can cost over R3,000. SAVINGS TIP #10: Don’t be fooled by sales Avoid sales and don’t be duped by discounts, special offers, buy 1 get one free etc… Remember this for every time you see a sale for 50% at the next Black Friday’s Special. “You’re not saving 50% of your money, you’re spending 50% of your money that you weren’t planning to spend in the first place.” SAVINGS TIP #11: Skip the alcohol and bottled water! When you go out to a restaurant, avoid spending unnecessary money on alcohol and expensive water bottles. A standard restaurant can mark up their cost of alcohol by three to five times. Instead order just plain water or even a sugar free soda. Personal note: In Europe I have noticed that when you ask for tap water, they pour it from a bottle of expensive water (R30) anyway. This is due to the danger of drinking tap water in Europe. SAVINGS TIP #12: Own your doggy bag Ask your waiter to put the food that you didn’t finish in a doggy bag, so you can save money on lunch for the next day. People are far too embarrassed about everything nowadays which I think needs to stop. There should not be a stigma attached to taking leftover food home. Everybody easts, drinks and sleeps. And when it comes to the food you ordered at the restaurant, you paid for it so why waste it? This will also save you money, time and effort the next day for lunch, which will make your trip to the restaurant EVEN MORE WORTH IT. SAVINGS TIP #13: Put three items back after shopping When you’ve added extra items to your shopping that weren’t on the list, to avoid overspending, put back at least three items that you believe you can live without. It’s very easy to walk through the final naughty aisle grabbing a whole bunch of crisps, chocolates, biltong, dried fruit and even a bottle of juice. SAVINGS TIP #15: Cut down on smoking and drinking Try to cut down your smoking and drinking by half the number per day. This is really tricky to do but if you put your mind to it and challenge yourself, I know you can achieve this. Personal note: What I do with smoking is I’ve limited it to two in the morning, two in the afternoon and two at night. This tip has saved me hundreds of rands per week from buying more boxes and I will continue to try cut it down until I’ve quit completely. SAVINGS TIP #16: Fill up your milk with water As soon as the milk reaches, the half way mark – fill it up with water. YOU WON’T TASTE THE DIFFERENCE. As a parent or as a milk drinker, it can be extremely expensive to buy milk on a daily basis. SAVINGS TIP #17: Become a vegetarian (at least once a week) At least once a week, switch to meatless dishes which will help drop your grocery bill. Replace it with: Chickpeas, couscous, okra, rice, sauerkraut, quinoa, beans, nuts, pasta dishes etc… You’ll be surprised what you can find at your local supermarket. Personal note: Inspired by my cousin, she insisted I cut meat out just once a week. I call this day “Meatless Monday”. EXTRA MONEY SAVINGS TIPS #18: Grow your own vegetables #19: Sign up for loyalty cards #20: Track your spending on your finance budget app #21: Make meals that will last a week e.g. Lasagna, casserole, giouvetsi, gemista, soups, roasts, ratatouille etc… #22: Buy the generic foods rather than the expensive name branded foods #23: Pay careful attention to expiration dates #24: Check your eggs in their boxes and your vegetables in their packets #25: Freeze your foods in bulk #26: Eat a meal before going to a restaurant #27: Keep to Pay-As-You-Go with your cell phone account and use the Wi-Fi to call on WhatsAapp This will be fun! With these savings tips you can watch your money grow in your savings and trading account!
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
Why you should LOVE your losses 5 REASONSWe are brought up in society to WIN, WIN, WIN! Throughout our upbringing we must either: Achieve top grades Drive the fanciest cars Wear and own the best brands In other words, we are raised to win with everything we do in life, until you get welcomed into the world of trading. Today I’m going to be the contrarian and share with you why you should love, embrace and own your losses in order to ensure you grow your portfolio on a consistent basis. Let’s start with: What happens after a winning streak? There will be a time during your trading career, where you’re going to endure a magical time where you end up taking sometimes 6, 8 to even 10 winning trades in a row. Your portfolio will be smiling at a new all-time-high and, you’ll feel invincible. You may think that you’ve cracked the holy-grail of trading where you can quit your job and just make a living with the markets. Research shows that individuals tend to invest and trade more actively when their most recent trading performance was successful. In fact, here are: 4 DANGEROUS Actions Traders Take During A Winning Streak: They take on more trades. They upper their trading positions. They start to go against their trading strategy. Their self-confidence and greed levels pick up. Winning streaks are normal and INEVITABLE, but eventually they’ll end and the losing streak will begin. No matter how good you believe you are as a trader or how perfect your trading execution skills are, there will be a time when the honey-moon phase for your trading strategy will be over and the markets will stop acting in your favour every time. The reason is that due to the conditions of supply and demand, the markets environment will eventually change. A market that was trending up or down, could enter into a 3-months sideways phase very easily. When this happens, you will enter into a drawdown (downside) phase. The problem is not the downside for the next three months. The problem is how you’ll treat your trading going forward, based on the DANGEROUS actions you would have taken during your winning streak. Let’s bring them back, to see what will happen to ‘invincible traders’ portfolios and minds with their unexpected losing streak… They start to take on more trades – THIS MEANS MORE LOSSES They upper their trading positions – THIS MEANS BIGGER LOSSES. They start to go against their trading strategy – THIS MEANS UNEXPECTED LOSSES. Their self-confidence and greed levels pick up – THIS MEANS DEPRESSION MAY KICK IN WHICH WILL LEAD TO QUITTING. Now going back to what we said in the beginning. When a winning streak ends, you should love, embrace and own your losses because of these five reasons. 5 Reasons To Love Your Trading Losses Reason #1: Losses are part of your trading success journey Once you have a winning and proven trading strategy, you’ll need to go back to your trading journal to remind you of the flow of winning streaks, losing streaks, average gain & loss per trade and other historical statistics. I’ve back, forward and real-tested the MATI Trader System strategy for over two decades and so I know exactly what kind of winning and losing streaks are to come and that I’ll end up profitable in the medium to long term. Reason #2: Losses help keep your emotions in check Knowing there are inevitable losses to come, this should curb the ego, greed and fear emotions. Reason #3: Losses should keep your risk low With a losing streak that is inevitable to enter your trading results, this alone should be a reason to keep your losses low. I personally never risk more than 2% or my portfolio in any one trade, no matter how many winning trades I take in a row. You can read more about the timeless money management rules in lesson three of the MATI Trader System programme. Reason #4: Losses stop the “Hot Hand Fallacy” Another reason that I love losses when trading is that it reminds me that the winning streak will come to an end. This keeps me humbled and grounded to know that there will be a time where I’ll need to give back to the market, when the trading environment is less conducive to the trading strategy. Reason #5: Losses don’t take me back to the drawing board After a winning streak ends, you’ll find new traders will then quit trading and look for another system to find that will work for them during the changing market environment. The thing is they don’t realise and accept that losses come with the trading territory and that one should never throw a profitable system away because a market enters into a drawdown phase. Let me know what you thought about today's trading tutorial. I'm just sharing information I've learnt over the last 20 years as a trader. Trade well, Live Free... Timon MATI Trader
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
4
5 Market entry Orders Easily ExplainedBack in the old days, to action a trade you only had two easy options. Buy or sell… Fast-forward into the present day, and today you get slapped with five different options to choose from when you get into a trade. Right now, I’m going to simplify these five trading entry orders in way that you’ll never forget. Entry Order #1: Market Order The first entry order is the easiest to understand. This is where you’ll buy or sell at the most current market price. When you choose a market order, it is the quickest, most effective and easiest way to enter into your ‘long’ or ‘short’ trade at the current bid (buy) or offer (sell). Entry Order #2: BUY Limit When you place a ‘Buy Limit Order’, you’ll place your long trade entry price BELOW where the current price is trading at. Once the market price drops on or below the Buy Limit Order price, you will be automatically entered into your ‘long’ trade. EXAMPLE: BUY Limit If BHP Billiton’s share price is currently trading at R305 per share and you would like to buy (go long) at R300 per share, you’ll choose the Buy Limit Order. You’ll then wait for the market price to drop to your chosen order price or below it where you’ll then be automatically entered into your ‘long’ trade. Entry Order #3: SELL Limit When you place a ‘Sell Limit Order’, you’ll place your short trade entry price ABOVE where the current price is trading at. Once the market price hits this entry point or above it, you will be automatically entered into your ‘short’ trade. EXAMPLE: SELL Limit If BHP Billiton’s share price is currently trading at R300 per share and you would like to sell (go short) at R305 per share, you’ll choose the Sell Limit Order. You’ll then wait for the market price to rise to or above your chosen order price, where you’ll then be automatically entered into your ‘short’ trade. Entry Order #4: BUY Stop When you place a ‘Buy Stop Order’, you’ll place your long trade entry price ABOVE where the current price is trading at. Once the market price hits this entry point or above it, you will be automatically entered into your ‘long’ trade. EXAMPLE: BUY Stop If BHP Billiton’s share price is currently trading at R300 per share and you would like to buy (go long) at R305 per share, you’ll choose the Buy Stop Order. You’ll then wait for the market price to rise to or above your chosen order price, where you’ll then be automatically entered into your ‘long’ trade. Entry Order #5: SELL Stop When you place a ‘Sell Stop Order’, you’ll place your short trade entry price BELOW where the current price is trading at. Once the market price drops on or below the Sell Stop Order price, you will be automatically entered into your ‘short’ trade. EXAMPLE: SELL Stop If BHP Billiton’s share price is currently trading at R305 per share and you would like to sell (go short) at R300 per share, you’ll choose the Sell Stop Order. You’ll then wait for the market price to drop to your chosen order price or below it where you’ll then be automatically entered into your ‘short’ trade. I hope this helps with knowing how to place an entry order for next time! Trade well, live free... Timon MATI Trader
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
CFDs Vs Spread Trading Explained For DummiesIn this issue, we’ll discuss the differences between both CFDs and Spread Trading… What are CFDs and Spread Trading? Spread Trading (betting) and CFDs are financial instruments that allow us to do one thing. To place a bet on whether a market will go up or down in price – without owning the underlying asset. If we are correct, we stand a chance to make magnified profits and vice versa if wrong. Both CFDs and Spread Trading, allow us to buy or sell a huge variety of markets including: • Stocks • Currencies • Commodities • Crypto-currencies and • Indices. When you have chosen a market to trade, there are two types of CFD or Spread Trading positions you can take. 1. You can buy (go long) a market at a lower price as you expect the price to go up where you’ll sell your position at a higher price for a profit. 2. You can sell (go short) a market at a higher price as you expect the price to go down where you’ll buy your position at a lower price for a profit. EXPLAINED: CFDs for Dummies DEFINITION: A CFD is an unlisted over-the-counter financial derivative contract between two parties to exchange the price difference between the opening and closing price of the underlying asset. Let’s break that down into an easy-to-understand definition. EASIER DEFINITION: A CFD (Contract For Difference) is an: • Unlisted (You don’t trade through an exchange) • Over The Counter (Via a private dealer or market maker) • Financial derivative contract (Value from the underlying market) • Between two parties (The buyer and seller) to • Exchange the • Price difference (Of the opening and closing price) of the • Underlying asset (Instrument the CFD price is based on) EASIEST DEFINITION Essentially, you’ll enter into a CONTRACT at one price, close it at another price FOR a profit or a loss depending on the price DIFFERENCE (between your entry and exit). Moving onto Spread Trading. EXPLAINED: Spread Trading for Dummies DEFINITION: Spread Trading is a derivative method to place a trade with a chosen bet size per point on the movement of a market’s price. EASIER DEFINITION: Spread Trading is a: • Derivative method (Exposed to an underlying asset) to • Place a trade (Buy or sell) with a chosen • Bet size per point on where you expect a • Market price will • Move (Up or down) • In value EASIEST DEFINITION: Spread Betting allows you to place a BET size on where you expect a market to move in price. Each point the market moves against or for you, you’ll win or lose money based on their chosen TRADING bet size (a.k.a Risk per point or cent movement). The higher the bet size (value per point), the higher your risk and reward. The costs you WILL pay with Spread Trading and CFDs Both Spread Trading and CFDs are geared-based derivative financial instruments. As their values derive from an underlying asset, when you trade using Spread Trading or CFDs, you never actually own any of the assets. You’re just making a simple bet on whether you expect a market price to rise or fall in the future. If you decide to go with the broker or market maker who offers CFDs or Spread Trading, there are certain costs you’ll need to pay. Costs with Spread Trading With Spread Trading, you’ll only have one cost to pay – which are all included in – the spread. The spread is the price difference between the bid (buying price) and the offer (selling price). EXAMPLE: Let’s say you enter a trade and the bid and offer prices is 5,550c – 5,610c. The spread, in this case, is 60c (5,610c – 5,550c). This means your trade has to move 60c to cross the spread in order for you to be in the money-making territory. Also, if the trade goes against you, the spread will also add to your losses. Why the spread you ask? The spread is where the brokers (market makers’) make their money. Costs with CFDs Brokerage With CFDs, it can be different. Depending on who you choose to trade CFDs with, you may need to cover both the spread as well as the brokerage fees – when you trade. These brokerage fees can range from 0.2% - 0.60% for when you enter (leg in) and exit (leg out) a trade. NOTE: If the minimum brokerage per trade is R100, you’ll have to pay R100 to enter your trade. Daily Interest Finance Charge The other (negligible) cost, you’ll need to cover is the daily financing charges. If you buy (go long) a trade, you’ll have to pay this negligible charge (0.02% per day) to hold a trade overnight. However, if you sell (go short) a CFD trade, you’ll then receive this negligible amount (0.009%) to hold a short trade overnight. The costs you WON’T pay as a Spread Trader With spread trading (betting), you don’t own anything physical. When you take a spread bet, you’re simply making a financial bet on where you expect the price to move and nothing else. This means, there will be no costs to pay as you would with shares including: • NO Daily Interest Finance charges • NO Stamp Duty costs • NO Capital Gains Tax • NO Securities Transfer Tax • NO Strate • NO VAT • NO Brokerage (all wrapped in the spread). The costs you WON’T pay as a CFD trader With CFDs, you’ll notice that there are similar costs with Spread Trading that you won’t have to pay including: • NO Stamp Duty costs • NO Securities Transfer Tax • NO Settlement and clearing fees • NO VAT • NO Strate 24-Hour Dealings The great thing about Spread Betting or CFD trading is that, you can trade markets trade 24/5. I’m talking about currencies, commodities and indices. And with Crypto-currencies you can trade them 24 hours a day seven days a week. I have left out a very important difference between CFDs and Spread Trading… Gearing and how it works in real life… We'll save that for next time. Do you have any questions or did you find this helpful on CFDs or Spread Trading? Let me know in the comments below... Regards, Timon Rossolimos Founer, MATI Trader
JEducation
by Timonrosso
1
What are derivatives? and why they’re a revolution for traders Derivatives trading! What I believe has been the absolute market revolution since shares. Derivatives might sound complicated and something you would hear from a professor or a know-it-all businessman – but they're really not. I am no academic or even remotely one of the smartest guy’s in the world. And if I can grasp the idea and understanding of derivatives, I pretty much guarantee you will too. Also, if you want to take trading seriously and really make a living with it, you’ll need to understand derivatives trading sometime in your career. That’s where MATI Trader comes in… In the next few weeks, I’ll be sending you a series of articles on everything you’ll need to know about CFDs and Spread trading derivatives – Starting with this one… Make sure you add us to your email address book and set a reminder for every Monday at 7:30am. Let’s start at the very beginning. What is a derivative? – Collins English Dictionary – ‘A derivative is an investment that depends on the value of something else’ When it comes to trading, a derivative is a financial contract between two parties whose value is ‘derived’ from another (underlying) asset. Let’s break that down more simply: • A derivative is a • financial contract (CFDs, Spread Trading, Futures, Forwards, Options &Warrants) • Between two parties (the buyer and seller) • Whose value (the market’s price) • Is derived (depends on or comes from) • Another underlying asset (Share, index, commodity, currency, bond, interest-rate, crypto-currency etc…) You’ll find that the derivative’s market price mirrors that of the underlying asset’s price. NOTE: As there are a number of different derivatives you can trade nowadays, we will ONLY focus on CFDs and Spread trading in the next few weeks, as those are the only ones I trade with MATI Trader. Why trade using derivatives? The absolute beauty about trading derivatives is that they are a cheaper and a more profitable way to speculate on the future price movements of a market without buying the asset itself. You don’t get all the benefits with derivatives What’s probably important to note with derivatives, is this. When you buy a derivative’s contract, you’re not actually buying the physical asset. You’re simply making a bet on where you expect the price to go. EXAMPLE: When you buy actual shares of a company, means you’ll be able to attend AGMs (Annual General Meetings), Vote and claim dividends from a company. When you trade derivatives on the underlying share, means you’ll be exposed to the value of the shares and the price movements – and that’s it! As a trader, when you buy or sell a derivative, you’re not actually investing in the underlying asset but rather just making a bet (speculation) on where you believe the market’s price will head. This gives you the advantage and opportunity to: • Buy low (go long) a derivative of the underlying asset and sell it at a higher price for a profit or • Sell high (go short) a derivative of the underlying asset and buy it back at a lower price for a profit Remember when I said it was cheaper and more profitable? You can thank margin With derivatives, you’ll normally pay a fraction of the price of the total sum and still be exposed to the full value of the asset (share, index, currency etc…) The fraction of the price paid is called ‘margin’. EXAMPLE: To buy and own 10 Anglo shares at R390 per share will cost you R3,900 (R390 per share X 10 shares). To buy and be exposed to 10 Anglo shares using derivatives, and the margin of the contract is 10% per share, means you’ll only pay R390 (R390 per share X 10% margin per derivative X 10 shares). I’m sure you can see that with derivatives, you’ll be exposed to more and pay less which will gear up your potential profits or losses versus when trading shares. This is why we call derivatives, geared financial instruments. To understand this better, we’ll need to examine the very essence of how derivatives work through the function of gearing, which we’ll cover in more detail in the next coming weeks. Or if you’d like to watch a complete video I recorded earlier this year on how gearing and leverage works with live relatable derivative examples, click here to start watching… Until next time, Trade well... Timon Rossolimos Founder, MATI Trader
JSE:AGLEducation
by Timonrosso
Why You Should Love Your Trading Losses We are brought up in society to WIN, WIN, WIN! Throughout our upbringing we must either: Achieve top grades Drive the fanciest cars Wear and own the best brands In other words, we are raised to win with everything we do in life, until you get welcomed into the world of trading. Today I’m going to be the contrarian and share with you why you should love, embrace and own your losses in order to ensure you grow your portfolio on a consistent basis. Let’s start with: What happens after a winning streak? There will be a time during your trading career, where you’re going to endure a magical time where you end up taking sometimes 6, 8 to even 10 winning trades in a row. Your portfolio will be smiling at a new all-time-high and, you’ll feel invincible. You may think that you’ve cracked the holy-grail of trading where you can quit your job and just make a living with the markets. Research shows that individuals tend to invest and trade more actively when their most recent trading performance was successful. In fact, here are: 4 DANGEROUS Actions Traders Take During A Winning Streak: They take on more trades. They upper their trading positions. They start to go against their trading strategy. Their self-confidence and greed levels pick up. Winning streaks are normal and INEVITABLE, but eventually they’ll end and the losing streak will begin. No matter how good you believe you are as a trader or how perfect your trading execution skills are, there will be a time when the honey-moon phase for your trading strategy will be over and the markets will stop acting in your favour every time. The reason is that due to the conditions of supply and demand, the markets environment will eventually change. A market that was trending up or down, could enter into a 3-months sideways phase very easily. When this happens, you will enter into a drawdown (downside) phase. The problem is not the downside for the next three months. The problem is how you’ll treat your trading going forward, based on the DANGEROUS actions you would have taken during your winning streak. Let’s bring them back, to see what will happen to ‘invincible traders’ portfolios and minds with their unexpected losing streak… They start to take on more trades – THIS MEANS MORE LOSSES They upper their trading positions – THIS MEANS BIGGER LOSSES. They start to go against their trading strategy - THIS MEANS UNEXPECTED LOSSES. Their self-confidence and greed levels pick up – THIS MEANS DEPRESSION MAY KICK IN WHICH WILL LEAD TO QUITTING. Now going back to what we said in the beginning. When a winning streak ends, you should love, embrace and own your losses because of these five reasons. 5 Reasons To Love Your Trading Losses Reason #1: Losses are part of your trading success journey Once you have a winning and proven trading strategy, you’ll need to go back to your trading journal to remind you of the flow of winning streaks, losing streaks, average gain & loss per trade and other historical statistics. I’ve back, forward and real-tested the MATI Trader System strategy for over two decades and so I know exactly what kind of winning and losing streaks are to come and that I’ll end up profitable in the medium to long term. Reason #2: Losses help keep your emotions in check Knowing there are inevitable losses to come, this should curb the ego, greed and fear emotions. Reason #3: Losses should keep your risk low With a losing streak that is inevitable to enter your trading results, this alone should be a reason to keep your losses low. I personally never risk more than 2% or my portfolio in any one trade, no matter how many winning trades I take in a row. You can read more about the timeless money management rules in lesson three of the MATI Trader System programme. Reason #4: Losses stop the “Hot Hand Fallacy” Another reason that I love losses when trading is that it reminds me that the winning streak will come to an end. This keeps me humbled and grounded to know that there will be a time where I’ll need to give back to the market, when the trading environment is less conducive to the trading strategy. Reason #5: Losses don’t take me back to the drawing board After a winning streak ends, you’ll find new traders will then quit trading and look for another system to find that will work for them during the changing market environment. The thing is they don’t realise and accept that losses come with the trading territory and that one should never throw a profitable system away because a market enters into a drawdown phase. Until next time, Trade well, Timon Rossolimos Trading View - Timonrosso
TVC:UKOILEducation
by Timonrosso
3