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Discipline

Simple ways to improve trading disciplineIn order to be successful in any market, it is essential to have trading discipline. This blog post will discuss what trading discipline is, why it is important, and how to improve it. Having self esteem and a positive outlook are crucial for any trader, as well as being able to stick to your trading plan. There are no shortcuts to success, so traders need to be patient and handle losses in order to achieve their goals. The importance of trading discipline Trading discipline is key to success in any market. This blog will explore what trading discipline is, why it is important, and some tips on how to improve it. What is trading discipline? Trading discipline is the ability to stick to a plan and not let emotions get in the way- one of the most important factors for success in any market. A lack of discipline is often one of the main reasons why traders fail. Why is trading discipline important? Having a trading plan that you can stick to is crucial, and this plan should be based on sound analysis. Once you have a plan, you need to be disciplined enough to follow it; however, this can be difficult as there are often temptations to enter trades that are not in line with your plan. Additionally, it is easy to let emotions get in the way of your decisions- which can lead to bad trades. How do I improve my trading discipline? To be successful, traders need to be patient and handle losses well in order to achieve their goals. Some tips on how to improve your trading discipline include being selective with your trades- only taking trades that meet your criteria, and waiting for the right opportunities rather than taking every trade that comes along. In conclusion, trading discipline is essential for success in any market and there are no shortcuts to success. By following these tips, you can improve your trading discipline and increase your chances of success. Why having self esteem is key to being a successful trader? Self esteem is incredibly important for traders, as it is key to success. Traders with high self esteem are more likely to take responsibility for their own success or failure, believe in their own ability to succeed, take risks, handle losses, and stick to their trading plan. Conversely, traders with low self esteem are more likely to second guess themselves, give up after a loss, take too much risk in an attempt to recoup losses, or abandon their trading plan. Self esteem is not something that can be faked – it’s either there or it isn’t. And it’s not something that can be built overnight. It takes time, effort and patience to develop self esteem. However, it is worth the investment, as traders with high self esteem are more likely to be successful in the long run. There are a few things that traders can do to build their self esteem. Firstly, they need to have realistic expectations. They need to understand that there will be ups and downs in the market and that they will make losses as well as profits. Secondly, they need to develop a positive mindset. This means looking at the positives even in tough times and believing in themselves even when things are tough. Lastly, they need to take small steps and celebrate each victory, no matter how small. Building self esteem takes time and effort but it is worth it for traders who want to be successful in the long term. How your personal life can affect your trading discipline? Your personal life can have a big impact on your trading discipline. For example, if you’re going through a divorce or have a sick family member, you may be more likely to take risks in your trading. That’s why it’s important to be aware of how your personal life can influence your trading. If you have any major life changes, it’s important to reassess your risk tolerance. And make sure that you stick to your rules and discipline. Don’t let emotions get in the way of making rational decisions. It can be helpful to keep a journal of your trades. This can help you track your progress and reflect on your successes and failures. By doing this, you can identify any patterns in your trading that may be influenced by your personal life. Making small tweaks to your trading strategy can also help you stay disciplined. For example, if you find that you tend to take more risks when you’re stressed, try setting stricter limits on how much risk you’re willing to take. Or if you find that you tend to impulsively buy or sell when the market is volatile, consider using stop-loss orders. The bottom line is that being aware of how your personal life can affect your trading is crucial to success. There are no shortcuts to success—traders need to be patient and handle losses as well as wins. But by sticking to your rules and being disciplined, you increase your chances of success in the long run. There are no shortcuts to success There are no shortcuts to success. You need to put in the work, be willing to sacrifice, and be persistent and consistent. Luck is also a factor in success. You need to be willing to put in the work if you want to be successful. This means being disciplined and sticking to your trading plan. It also means being patient and not giving up when things get tough. You need to be willing to sacrifice your time and energy if you want to be successful. This means making trading a priority and not letting other commitments get in the way. Luck is also a factor in success. While there are things that you can do to increase your chances of success, there is no guarantee that you will be successful. The markets are unpredictable and anything can happen. The bottom line is that there are no shortcuts to success. If you want to be successful, you need to put in the work and be willing to sacrifice. You also needto be persistent and consistent. Luck is also a factor, but there are things that you can do to increase your chances of success. Writing down your rules and being strict with yourself Many traders are not successful because they do not have well-defined rules, which are important because they help to keep you disciplined and focused. Without rules, it is easy to get sidetracked or to make impulsive decisions. Having a set of rules that you strictly adhere to can help you to avoid these pitfalls. It is also important to be flexible and adaptable in your application of the rules. The market is constantly changing and evolving, so your rules need to be able to change with it. Reviewing your rules on a regular basis will ensure that they are still relevant and effective. There are no shortcuts to success in trading; you need to be disciplined, put in the work, and be willing to sacrifice. Luck is also a factor but there are things you can do to increase your chances of success--writing down your rules and being strict with yourself is one of them. Being patient and handling losses Successful trading requires patience and the ability to handle losses. It is important to be patient when looking for the right opportunity to enter a trade. You also need to accept that losses are part of the process and not let them get to you emotionally. Finally, you must have realistic expectations about the market and understand that there are no guarantees you will make money.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by Lingrid
8
☠️COMMON MISTAKES IN TRADING☠️ 1. Not having a trading plan: A trading plan is a set of rules that outlines a trader's entry and exit points, risk management strategy, and overall trading approach. Without a plan, traders are more likely to make emotional and impulsive decisions. 2. Not managing risk properly: Risk management is crucial in trading, as it helps to limit potential losses and protect trading capital. Traders should always use stop losses and position sizing to manage risk. 3. Overtrading: Overtrading is when a trader takes on too many trades at once, which can lead to over-exposure to risk. Traders should focus on quality over quantity when it comes to trades and only take on trades with a high probability of success. 4. Chasing losses: Chasing losses is when a trader tries to recoup losses by increasing their trade size or taking on additional trades. This is a dangerous behavior as it can lead to over-exposure to risk and a depletion of trading capital. 5. Not staying disciplined: Trading discipline is crucial for success. Traders should stick to their trading plan and avoid making impulsive decisions based on emotions such as greed, fear, and hope. 6. Not keeping a trading journal: Keeping a trading journal can help traders to track their progress, identify patterns in their trading, and make adjustments to their strategy. 7. Not having a proper understanding of the markets: Understanding the markets, economic news, and the underlying assets you are trading is crucial. Not having a proper understanding of the markets can lead to bad decision making. 8. Not diversifying: Putting all your eggs in one basket by not diversifying your portfolio can expose you to a higher risk. Traders should diversify their portfolio across different markets, asset classes, and strategies to minimize risk. 9. Not getting educated: it is much better to learn form other people’s mistakes especially if this can save you years of your time and thousands of dollars. There is no reason not to tap the wealth of knowledge accumulated by generations of traders because it will make you a profitable trader much faster. In conclusion, trading can be a challenging and risky endeavor, but by following a well-defined trading plan, managing risk properly, staying disciplined, and avoiding common mistakes, traders can increase their chances of success. Stop loss is a powerful tool to manage risk and limit potential losses, but it's important to choose the right method that suits the trader's strategy and risk tolerance. Keeping a trading journal, having a proper understanding of the markets, and diversifying your portfolio are also important to maximize your chances of success. It's important to remember that the most successful traders are those who are able to learn from their mistakes and adapt their approach over time. I Hope you guys learned something new today✅ Wish you all Best Of Luck👍 😇And may the odds be always in your favor😇 Do you like this post? Do you want more articles like that?
Education
by ProSignalsFx
6
The 4 fears of every traderTrading in the financial markets, whether it be forex or cryptocurrency, can be a thrilling yet challenging experience. It requires a level of strategy, discipline, and risk tolerance to make informed decisions and reap profits. But, as traders, we are often faced with fears that can cloud our judgment and hinder our success in the market. To help you overcome these fears, we will delve into the four main categories that traders face: fear of being wrong, fear of losing money, fear of leaving money on the table, and fear of missing out. These fears can be crippling, but with the right understanding and approach, they can be conquered. Join us on a journey to understand these fears and how to overcome them, so you can become a confident, successful trader in the forex and cryptocurrency markets. Fear of being wrong The fear of being wrong is the most common obstacle for traders. It's only natural to want to be right all the time, but in the fast-paced and ever-changing world of trading, being wrong is an inevitable part of the process. But this fear can hold us back from making the bold and calculated decisions necessary for success. When we're too afraid of being wrong, we may avoid taking calculated risks, miss out on potential profits, or even make impulsive decisions based on emotions instead of data. But here's the thing: being wrong is a valuable opportunity to learn and grow as a trader. Every misstep is a chance to analyze what went wrong and improve our strategy for the next trade. So instead of letting the fear of being wrong hold you back, embrace it. Embrace the possibility of being wrong and use it as fuel to become a better trader. Remember, even the most successful traders make mistakes and face losses all the time. The key is to learn from those mistakes and come back stronger. Fear of losing money No one wants to watch their hard-earned capital disappear, but in the world of trading, losses are a fact of life. However, letting this fear control our decisions can be just as detrimental to our success as the fear of being wrong. If we're too afraid to lose money, we may be hesitant to take calculated risks, miss out on potential profits, or even exit positions prematurely. But here's the truth: losses are an integral part of the trading process and can be managed with a solid trading plan in place. By implementing risk management techniques, such as stop-loss orders, traders can minimize their losses and protect their capital. So instead of letting the fear of losing money paralyze you, turn it into a strength. Use it as motivation to develop a comprehensive trading plan that incorporates effective risk management strategies. Accept that losses are a natural part of trading, and use them as an opportunity to improve your strategies and refine your approach. Don't be afraid to lose money, be afraid of not taking advantage of opportunities to grow your wealth. Fear of leaving money on the table The fear of leaving money on the table is a tricky one, as it often arises when we're in a winning trade. It's tempting to hold on, hoping to squeeze out even more profits. But this can be a dangerous mindset that can lead to ignoring stop-losses and exposing ourselves to unnecessary risk. After all, you don't have a crystal ball ( and aren't an FOMC member ), so you should expect to buy the exact bottom and sell the exact top. Instead, you need to have a clear exit strategy in place and stick to it, no matter how much you feel like the trade can continue to go in your favor. By having a predetermined exit plan, we can lock in profits, manage risk, and avoid emotional decision-making. So, instead of succumbing to the fear of leaving money on the table, embrace discipline. Develop a solid exit strategy that balances the desire for profits with the need for risk management. Don't be afraid to lock in your profits, even if it feels like there's still money to be made. Trust in your strategy and stick to your plan, and you'll be in a better position to capitalize on future opportunities. Fear of missing out The fear of missing out (FOMO) is a feeling that all traders have faced at some point. It's especially prevalent in a volatile market, where prices are moving quickly, and it can be tempting to jump in without fully analyzing the situation. But succumbing to FOMO can lead to hasty decisions based on emotions, rather than logic, which can result in costly mistakes ( emotions causing mistakes...do you see a pattern? ). It's important to resist the temptation of FOMO and stick to your trading plan, even when the market is moving rapidly. By having a clear strategy in place and following it, we can avoid impulsive trades and make informed decisions that are grounded in logic and analysis. Take the time to thoroughly analyze each opportunity before making a decision. Trust in your strategy and stick to your plan, even when it feels like the market is passing you by. How to overcome our fears? For a brighter reader, it is easy to notice that these fears are omnipresent. No matter what you do or don't do during your trading day, you can't avoid these fears. Overcoming them is not easy, but it is essential for achieving success in the market. Here are a few pointers that can help you overcome these four fears and become more disciplined and consistent traders: Develop a reliable trading plan Having a well-defined trading plan can help us to manage our risks and make informed, rational decisions. A good trading plan should include our goals, risk management rules, and entry and exit strategies. By following our plan, we can stay disciplined and avoid making emotional decisions based on fear. Practice proper risk management Risk management is an essential part of trading, and it can help us to overcome our fear of losing money. By setting clear stop-loss levels and position sizes, we can minimize our losses and protect our capital. This can give us the confidence to take on appropriate levels of risk and pursue potential trading opportunities. Realize that your ego is the enemy How many times have you held a losing position past your stop loss and literally prayed for the break-even? Did anything fundamentally change about your position? No, you just didn't want to take the loss, am I right? See, even though we know that losses are part of the process it is still very hard for us to accept that any trade can go against us. And sometimes you do everything right, and still lose. Every trading system works with probabilities. Losses are normal. Let your ego go and stop trying to force a win out of every single position you take. ( Add this to your daily affirmation ritual if you must ) Stay focused on the long term It's easy to get caught up in the short-term movements of the market, but it's important to remember that trading is a long-term game. By focusing on our long-term goals it becomes easier to stay disciplined. Every losing day can get you closer to your long-term goal, as long as you sit down, analyze what happened, and learn from it. Take regular breaks Trading can be mentally and emotionally exhausting, and it's important to take regular breaks to recharge and refocus. By stepping away from the markets for a while, you can clear your mind and come back to our trading with a fresh perspective. This can help you avoid making rash decisions. Learn from your mistakes This is the big one. Realize that nobody is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes in their trading careers. It's important to learn from these mistakes and use them as opportunities for growth and improvement. By analyzing your past mistakes and adjusting your strategies accordingly, you can become better trader and overcome your fears. Consider automating your trading process Our trading platform does a fantastic job of keeping your emotions out of trading. You can set multiple take profits and stop losses, understand your risk-to-reward ratio, the trade's impact on your portfolio and much more before you even place the trade. You can backtest your strategies, trade them live automatically, and much much more. Leveraging technology in your favor can yield a tremendous difference in your trading results, as it did for our 15 thousand users. Conclusion The four main fears that traders face - fear of being wrong, fear of losing money, fear of leaving money on the table, and fear of missing out - can have a significant impact on our success in the markets. However, with the right approach and mindset, these fears can be overcome and transformed into positive drivers for our trading. By accepting that being wrong is a natural part of the trading process, managing our risks, having a clear exit strategy, and resisting the temptation of FOMO, we can overcome these fears and become more confident and successful traders. By doing so, we can capitalize on opportunities, make informed decisions, and achieve our trading goals. So embrace these fears, overcome them, and take control of your trading journey.
PEPPERSTONE:GER40Education
by CleoFinance
36
📖 STEP 5 to MASTER TRADING: Create a Checklist 📖 🟩 Checklist is the necessary and essential part of your trading plan 🟩 If you already have a trading plan - that’s really great. Now it’s time to take one step further and create a checklist. You will refer to it before each and every trade, and you’ll enter only if 100% of the checklist is present. You can have different kinds of trading plan, it can have 5 or 50 pages - and it will describe your overall approach. Unfortunately, when it comes to executing your edge in the market, it’s very easy to bend your rules “just a little bit”, and all of a sudden you find yourself taking trade that is only a distant reminder of your actual trading setup. Most traders will damage their account not because their strategy is bad but because they start to take random set up outside of their trading edge. Blowing the account usually doesn’t take more than several hours of emotional trading. So that’s why it’s essential to have a short and clear checklist, usually up to 10 sentences usually that describes, point by point, what your trade entry looks like. You can even check every point before entering a trade (I do it). Of course, with time you’ll perfectly remember that checklist, but it’s also important to honestly follow it without checking every time, and the rule-following skill itself is a separate topic. 🟩 You're trading randomly if you don't have a checklist 🟩 Think about it. How many traders are constantly looking for “something else”, one more strategy. Instead of grinding deep into some specific concept, pattern or trading system, they will run to the next one with the first normal losses. They are running on the surfice for years instead of going deep to the core of trading - which, in my opinion, is the perfection of one strategy. Sometimes they even find what they like and what starts to show some kind of results. But then some time passes, and after any kind of emotional stress (would it be euphoria after a winner or fear and anger after a loser), he can start to deviate from his rules. A beginner can be so emotional that he can enter random trades, one after another, in the course of a few hours, destroying a big part of his account. There are a lot of other issues behind such inefficient behavior, however, a checklist is one of the first steps to handling it. Because if you don’t truly know what you’re looking for at the market, you’ll take the first trade you’ll find. 🟩 "Right or wrong" mentality is a fundamental flaw 🟩 You’re only right when you’re following your rules, and you’re only wrong when you take random setups. Again: even if you have a loser but you followed your setup - you're right, and even if you have crazy profit but it was a random trade - you're wrong, because this approach is not stable long-term. Yes, traders do predict the price movements in a way, but only as a side effect of following their rules and executing their system. A trader will not be fixed on his predictions, and because he drew a box or a line, he will not expect the market to obey his colored drawings. A trader’s job is to take a setup based on his experience and testing, and he should let go of the expectations and his trade, managing on the way of course. This is a very deep question, in my opinion, and deserves a separate post later. That’s why next time when you’ll see someone asking: “Should I buy or sell sir?”, you can surely tell the person is in the very beginning of his journey. 🟩 How to create a checklist? 🟩 Take a moment and describe in the short form how does your entry look like. What are your rules for Structure, Zones of interest, what is your entry confirmation, and what is your risk and management? I like to actually checkmark every point before each of my trades, so I’m sure I’m following my plan. Here’s an example of what my checklist looks like: 🎁Bonus for everyone still reading :) If you’re struggling with any discipline issues, ask yourself a question: “If I would receive a fully funded 100k account, for free, would I start to follow my rules and would I be more disciplined than I am now, and would I start “trading the right way” at last?” Try to be honest with yourself. It may seem strange, but many novice traders think that something should happen before they will “really stick to their plan”. It could be “just one more good winner”, or “if only I had bigger capital”, or “when I finish this yet one more educational course’’ - and AFTER that I’ll do what I know I should be doing. So, if your answer to that question is yes, then this is a clear indication you’re still in a very beginner mindset. Try to realize that ANY external change will not change the way you are. You need to change yourself FIRST, the way you behave in the markets and your mindset, and then everything external will follow.
BITSTAMP:BTCUSDEducation
by Yelli_trades
19
4 Rules every successful trader should follow📈😎1. Trade according to the system. 2. Keep statistics. 3. Have strict risk management. 4. Adapt to the market. Trade according to the system When you trade without a system, it's gambling. Usually, when you ask a beginner why he has opened a position, he uncertainly begins to refer to the fact that someone gave him a signal, or that he thinks it's time for the coin to go in his direction. Trading is a job in which discipline is rewarded. That is why every trader has his own trading system, which he follows in every trade. It's like with the road rules, you can drive car without knowing them, but then you are almost guaranteed to get into an accident. Keep statistics Professional athletes constantly watch recordings of their performances and practice all the movements in front of a mirror, paying attention to every detail. It is vital to get better. For a trader, statistics is a riddle that helps him learn from his mistakes. You should write comments on each trade, filter them by reason of entry or closure, track the average risk, average profit, percentage of successful trades and analyze each trade in detail on a tradingview chart. Have strict risk management Sometimes the market goes against you and you feel the full range of emotions – hope, anger, disappointment, despair. On such days, you will lose all your money if you do not have clear rules. Set yourself a clear limit – no more than 3% of the deposit lost per day. For example, you have a deposit of $1000. You can't lose more than $30 a day. In this way, you no longer risk falling victim to a spiral of negative emotions, you will begin to be more responsible in the trades you open, and you will be able to create financial stability. Adapt to the market Institutional players are always coming up with new ways to entice young players to invest in their coins, and technicians are developing increasingly sophisticated robots. That is why our responsibility as traders is to develop faster than them and to not stand still. To do this, you need to monitor the market and watch which setups work best and which end up as traps. An obvious example: during a bull market, breakouts work upwards, and downward breakouts are usually false. The same is true for the bear market – downward breakouts are cool, upward breakouts are deception. In addition, you need to experiment with your trading algorithm and identify its weaknesses. Add new rules, test them, evaluate the difference. Follow these rules and I guarantee that you will earn much more from trading, and the process itself will give you more pleasure than ever. Good luck with your trades and see you in the DOM ✌️
Education
by Artem_Dishel
1
LET'S GET REAL: Fear of Losing! Hey Traders, Most traders battle it. I myself had to progress past this in order to achieve consistent returns trading the markets. It is seen as one of the hardest challenges to pass in terms of emotional discipline. Understanding yourself better so you can make decisions in a calm, composed and consistent manner is crucial to success. Today I wanted to touch on that. I wanted to talk about the fear of losing what spurred from my fear of losing, how I progressed through it (it still creeps in from time to time). Hopefully you can take from my story and how it improved your trading or how it can help you progress past that fear of losing. If anyone has any questions or maybe some other stories in the way they progressed through a fear of losing or a fear of being a failure, please feel free to share in the comments and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a fantastic trading week!
Education
by the5erstrading
6
Patience and Discipline Key to become consistently profitable trader is to be patience and discipline Don't ever bend the rules thinking it will work just as well. it won't Don't be greedy. No matter how good the trade setup looks, stick to your rules and your predetermined order size. Trading can get boring, there are many times when nothing is happening in the market. Have patience and wait for the best setups. No matter what strategy you use, you will always have bad trades from time to time. Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement. Take the loss and move on. Every loss should be a lesson to learn from. study what happened, identify what mistake you've made, journal it down and try not to do it again. There are times where you didn't do anything wrong but still suffer a small loss. This is part of trading, don't try to explain what cannot be explained. The market makes random moves occasionally. If the strategy is not bad, don't change it, stick to it and always manage your risk. ALWAYS MANAGE YOUR RISK
Education
by AhKeongTheTrader
3
A few words about time management How do you planing your day? If you look like Jack you should think about time management! Benefits of Time Management The ability to manage your time effectively is important. Good time management leads to improved efficiency and productivity, less stress, and more success in life. Here are some benefits of managing time effectively: 1. Stress relief Making and following a task schedule reduces anxiety. As you check off items on your “to-do” list, you can see that you are making tangible progress. This helps you avoid feeling stressed out with worry about whether you’re getting things done. 2. More time Good time management gives you extra time to spend in your daily life. People who can time-manage effectively enjoy having more time to spend on hobbies or other personal pursuits. 3. More opportunities Managing time well leads to more opportunities and less time wasted on trivial activities. Good time management skills are key qualities that employers look for. The ability to prioritize and schedule work is extremely desirable for any organization. 4. Ability to realize goals Individuals who practice good time management are able to better achieve goals and objectives, and do so in a shorter length of time. Thanks for your support! Take care of yourself!))
Education
by Yuriy_Bishko
8
💡 Discipline vs Motivation 💡Welcome friends!💋 What's more important to you: Discipline or Motivation? Today we'll talk about it.😊 There are two main ways to force yourself to do something: ⚡ the first, most popular, is try to motivate yourself; ⚡ the second, less popular, is to develop self - discipline. What's the difference?🧐 Motivation is based on the erroneous assumption, that a specific mental or emotional state is needed to complete a task. Discipline separates activity from moods and feelings and thus bypasses the problem. The consequences are staggering. Simply put, you don't have to wait until you'll in Olympic form to start training. No, you train to achieve this form!!!! Why discipline is more important than motivation ? IMHO🧐 Chasing motivation means, that we need to do only what we're in the mood for. The trick is to cut the connection between feelings and actions, to do right thing anyway. You will feel good and energetic afterwards. To achieve success with only motivation is the wrong way. You risk losing your enthusiasm very quickly. Since real life in the real world sometimes requires people to do things that can't always be done only with enthusiasm, sometimes willpower is needed. Motivatio n has a tiny shelf life and needs to be constantly updated. Motivation is not the best foundation for your normal daily activities, and it is unlikely to help you achieve long-term results. Discipline is a motor, that once started and constantly supplies energy to You. For consistent, long-term results, discipline trumps motivation. Discipline is when you do something even when you're not in your best condition. Discipline is more or less permanent, and motivation is fleeting. How to develop discipline? 🧐 You need to acquiring habits - starting with small, even micro ones, gaining momentum, using them to make further changes in daily life. THE MAIN ADVICE TO YOU: Even if it's difficult for you - fight!🔥 The hardest fight is the fight with yourself! But the victory would be so sweet💪🏻 Thanks for Your attention🙏🏻 Stay in touch🧡 Sincerely yours Rocket Bomb 🚀💣 My first two chapters of free manual . Links below👇🏻 ENGOY YOUR LEARNING 🚀💣
BITSTAMP:BTCUSDEducation
by RocketBomb
25
The only way to profit from trading is discipline. Wrong Wrong !We all come to trading for freedom, financial freedom, free of work, trade whenever and wherever we want to... Now, everyone told you that you must be disciplined in order to be profitable from trading. Can you do it? Instead of discipline, you should be responsible... Yes, Responsibilities will change your trading. You are responsible for protecting your account, working on time, your health and etc... Please watch it and like and share if you think this video is useful. Thank you for watching!
Education
by FxFran
Trading Plan February 2019This is my trading plan for February 2019. Will be working this plan for the rest of the year, and review December 31 2019. This is based on: - 2 years of crypto trading - realisation that I suck at daytrading - suspicion I could be good at macro swing trading - recent education on Babypips and other trusted sources The focus of the year is on: - learning - refining a system that plays to my strengths - understanding risk management and R:R - becoming effective at pulling the trigger on entries/exits Profit is really not a concern for this year. Profit will come when I'm competent as a trader and can consistently show a meaningful, non-negligible winrate, net of fees.
INDEX:FTSEMIBEducation
by emotionallydetached
USDTRY - Be wary of Intervention ex-post Rapid MovesTraders layering into TRY potentially got burnt last week as the Turkish Central Bank intervened to halt the local currency's worrying devaluation by raising interest rates by a whopping 3% Whilst i tend to let the majority of fundamental data pass me by , it often pays to atleast maintain a health awareness of key macro factors that might have a direct impact on any currency pairs you are trading or tracking (this is different to following any random commentator's subjective opinion) While I do not like setting upside targets , it can pay to trail stops at healthy profit levels during large abnormal moves so as not to give back profits (we saw this in crypto in Dec 17) adn if we miss the big move initially wait for natural pullbacks / consolidations rather than chase an entry. There will ALWAYS be a pullback or another instruments that will offer the next big move. Worst thing to do is chase an entry through FOMO , get burnt and then be paralysed the next time a big opportunity presents itself. Stay rational, stay calm and nimble
Education
by TJP_Trader
Self-discipline - what's that?Whilst I am on a roll, I'm pushing out loads of questions and thoughts that have occupied me for the last two years. All this is well ' Beyond Technical Analysis '! In too many trading/training videos out there, I've heard the words 'discipline' and 'self-discipline'. These are so commonly used words that many take their meaning for granted, or as something very elementary. I know - because I was one of those people who thought I knew what the words meant. However, there is also a thing called self-deception which works against self-discipline. Self-deception at its heart, is the ability of the mind to justify anything! Quite simply - it's dangerous. The Collins Dictionary defines self-discipline as, " controlling of oneself or one's desires, actions, habits ... .. the act of disciplining or power to discipline one's own feelings, desires... with the intention of improving oneself. " It's easier now to see how this connects to trading environments. A sound trader needs a lot of personal self-control over actions, habits, feelings and desires. I add 'thinking processes'. Certainly there must be a routine that improves one abilities, as the markets are not static. Their behaviour changes so one needs to improve to match those changes. The obvious question for many (especially new traders) is, " How do I become more disciplined? " I'm afraid there is no magic formula that I can prescribe. I can only share a few personal experiences that drove me to become more disciplined. It's like a weird sandwich: A firm and unshakeable desire to make myself consistently profitable. Pain i.e. painful mistakes. Non-acceptance that if others could do it, I couldn't. Pain drives people - let's not debate that. By pain I include from the worse kinds of suffering to the more subtle kinds. One can include things like frustration, anger and disappointment. Pain stood like a distasteful filling between the two sides of my sandwich. I just couldn't ignore it. If I wanted to make this thing right I had to fix the pain; all sources of it. I was/am my own pain. My enemies arise from within me to cause me pain. My mind plays tricks on me in trading environments. To deal with the sources of pain I had to deal with my own mind, else just give up. I'm no quitter! So whilst I do not claim near-perfect discipline now, I have been addressing the trickery of my own mind - those inner enemies - that thwart my thinking processes. After all, if I don't the whole sandwich (three bullet points above) become nothing - and I'd have to join the 90-odd percent of people who give up on trading in the first couple years. Am I saying that pain is a necessary ingredient for everybody to reach a greater self-disciplined state? Well yes I am! In every walk of life people have to suffer some sort of discomfort in achieving their goals. If you wanted to become a top-rated lawyer, you would have to suffer the 'pain' of years of study, and the trauma of being beaten in court rooms. If you want to get to the North Pole on foot, that involves pain and personal sacrifice. But nobody gets to the North Pole alive, with poor discipline. I shan't go on to mention other areas where people suffer extreme discomfort in order to achieve their goals. If there are take away points to consider, traders should to find out what they are about and anchor themselves on what they want and what they won't have. Then, systematically whittle away at all obstacles by robust self-refection. It takes time - and bargain for pain! Do the time - take the pain. Don't blow up a live account.
Education
by Captain_Walker
Case Study for Mismanaging a Disciplined Trade StrategyIn the most recent BTCUSD dip I made a series of mistakes that put me in a slightly nervous position overall, but still generally favorable. Over a series of trades I managed to find myself in a position with an average buy price of $7486.13. Trading profitably on the dips I reduced this average buy price to $7348.21. Throughout this series of trades I had multiple opportunities to take profit and this discussion will focus on trading psychology and process failure. Early in my trading session I had managed to identify successfully entry levels that were reasonably close to where I could make a "dip" profit. Generally my target is around 2%. Given the big dip from $9.2k to below $8k and given the duration and recovery of that dip from $10k I felt confident that the market was oversold and all of the order book charts indicated an overall strong buying to selling ratio. My price target was just below $8.5k and on the first move up it hit $8.4k and I felt like there would be an orderly move over time. What I learned with this recent price action was that trading bots and whales/funds that control them have disproportionate leverage over price action. Not being fully aware of their techniques, I decided against adjusting my price target and I was "too greedy" and completely missed my profit opportunity after being presented double my normal target over two periods. Now having missed that opportunity I was forced to double down knowing that the next price move would likely be much bigger and deeper. Trading for profit on the way down I was able to recoup some of poor positioning but again, I did not quite understand the techniques of these algo bots until near the end when I was able to make an adjustment to how I choose price targets to better compensate for whale/shark algo bots. Setting price targets for exiting my position and reducing my risk came down to three possible outcomes: 1) Sell ALL at a higher price that would make profit but also leave me no room for error if I missed at $7800. This price level would have still been poor risk/reward overall so this exit strategy seemed like a mistake. 2) Sell ~half (47%) of my position at a profit at $7400 and then sell the other half at $8000 for "break even" on that part of the trade. This seemed like a prudent risk management strategy as I would have funds to take additional profit if the market moved back down while leaving in place a position that could become profitable over a longer duration. 3) Sell ALL at the higher price target that would give me a much bigger target but leave me open to poor risk management again. This was definitely the worst option. So I chose 2) which worked ok in that the first trade target was hit as expected. Then, while watching the order book I started to worry because there were big sell walls below $7500. I thought about how stressful it would be to ride that position back through another big dip and because of fatigue also overly focused on this possibility rather than going back to my pre-defined strategy of hodling for $8k on half and trading with the other half. Clearly, stress causes one to adopt a risk averse mental state. And this kind of risk aversion usually leads to the panic selling and "weak hands" phenomenon of selling at exactly the WRONG time, i.e. when you should be thinking about buying. So when I saw the price being challenged at $7k to $7.1k with very clear algo bot action pushing the price in both directions with very light buy order positioning I became a pawn in this algo bot action and decided to exit early and go take a nap rather than have to sit through another big dip with half of my fund at risk. Rather than see any huge sell wall the sell-side volume relented and the price nearly hit my price target of $7.9k. If I had been more disciplined I could have set a contingency (less greedy) target below $8k but I changed my plan using no particular reasoning whatsoever other than fear of these algo bots.
COINBASE:BTCUSDEducation
by powderpc
The markets are there to make you feel stupid or brilliantMany a trader will have made their best analysis based on information at the time and then taken an entry position, only to find that the market does something unexpected. Price may move violently in the wrong direction i.e. not the favoured direction and comes close to a stop loss or actually stopping out the position for a loss. Now with hindsight a trader feels or thinks, " How stupid - I should have seen it coming. I shouldn't have done that. " This happens enough times to new traders. Seasoned traders live with it and have less such self-talk. I think it's important to acknowledge those feelings. These are partly thinking processes and emotional processes. New traders often feel demoralised after 10 or so failures in a row. " Am I doing something wrong? " - they may think. This is a reasonable question. It could be that something is wrong. However, nothing may be found wrong with one's methodology or application of one's personal rules - after a careful reassessment. It's good to check. The BTCUSD chart shows what is some sort of 'head and shoulders' pattern. It's not the best picture of it in the world but something is there. Wherever one takes a position in BTCUSD, it could be wrong. Why? The markets respect no one person. A proportion of traders will have taken a position in this and made some real profits. They will punch the air and with joy go, " YESSSS!! " From my long experience I've learned that 'feelings' of being right or wrong, actually bends the mind a trader. I'm speaking for myself quite clearly. Others may have similar experience. A feeling of being good after a string of wins, often creates a subconscious sense of confidence. Imperceptibly this can creep into future trades and then one realises some major losses. My own strategy is to try at best to reduce trading frequency and exert even greater diligence in entering trades after a series of wins. I aim to expect the unexpected. It's always a tad difficult when I get stopped out for a loss. But I repeat to myself that the stoploss is there to protect against the 'unexpected' - so it's not actually unexpected. It is a limit. It is the expected limit of price moving not in a favoured direction. There is no single path to 'a promised land' in trading. Traders can adopt different methods, different rules, and be consistently profitable. The largest obstacle which is difficult to train out a trader, is their own personal psychology . By this I mean things like attention to detail, biases, emotions, discipline etc. So in many ways feeling stupid or brilliant can affect our future decision-making in imperceptible ways. Traders can lose discipline after losses or big gains. Mark Douglas spoke about these sorts of things. The BTCUSD chart is not intended to attract thoughts on whether to go long or go short. I'm not really interested in whether the H&S is there at all or correctly drawn. I'm taking it beyond that. What happens next to traders who come out of this period - some bruised, some overjoyed? Trading is not about winning one trade or a small handful. It's about the long road ahead. I'm delighted if others can share their experiences.
BITSTAMP:BTCUSDEducation
by Captain_Walker