The Biggest Turning Point Isn’t in the Market — It’s in YouHard truth:
No new strategy, indicator, or tool will work until you change how you operate.
Here’s why:
Strategy hopping is fear wearing a costume.
If you keep switching tools after every loss, you’re not refining — you’re running.
You don’t need more — you need fewer, better decisions.
Simplifying your process is harder than adding new ideas. But that’s where edge lives.
Belief is the multiplier.
Without conviction, you’ll quit before any system has time to work.
🚀 The shift?
For us, it was trusting what we built — TrendGo.
When we finally stopped tweaking and started trusting the system, everything changed: our mindset, our consistency, our results.
The best tool is worthless if you don’t believe in your process.
🧠 Start there.
Psychology
If You’re Bored, You’re Probably Doing It RightYou think trading should be exciting?
That every day should feel like a high-stakes chess match?
That if it doesn’t feel intense, something’s wrong?
Nope.
Good trading is boring.
Systematic.
Repetitive.
Unemotional.
You take your setup. You size properly. You respect your stops. You move on.
Same rules. Same routine. Same process.
It’s not sexy. But it’s stable.
The truth?
The more exciting your trading feels, the more likely you’re slipping.
Overleveraging. Overtrading. Overreacting.
Boredom isn’t a bug. It’s a feature.
It means you’re not chasing.
You’re not forcing.
You’re following your edge — and letting the numbers do the heavy lifting.
You don’t need adrenaline.
You need consistency.
Get comfortable with boredom. That’s where the money is.
Boredom is not your enemy — it’s your ally.
Stay patient, stay consistent.
Charts & Grit
The Hot Seat: Adapt or BurnSo, you've found yourself squarely in the hot seat.
Welcome to the Trading Trail, Dorothy—except this isn’t Kansas, and you’re lightyears from home.
This is new terrain, uncharted and merciless. In prior episodes, I barely skimmed over the dark side of trading—the facets of your psyche that stealthily pilot your decisions. Perhaps it left you sighing, unsure of where to begin. Let's change that today.
Consider this a no-frills exposé into the abyss—the countless unseen facets of your being that dictate your behavior on autopilot. As traders, many scream manipulation as markets sway violently against their carefully plotted plans. Yet, all the market truly does is wield a figurative hot pogo stick, jabbing precisely where your weak points lie—not maliciously, but with unerring precision.
Let’s be honest.
Western Hollywood scripts spoon-feed us formulaic redemption arcs. Fifteen minutes in, the hero lands their mission. Fifteen minutes before the credits roll, the final showdown begins.
Tomato, tomahto—it’s predictable fluff.
But real life doesn’t stick to screenplay rules. It’s jagged, it’s raw, and the narrative rarely ties up neatly. If you’re seeking depth, you won’t find it in blockbuster tropes—you’ll find it by doxxing your own dark side.
That’s right—exposing the facets of yourself you don’t even realize exist. It’s intense, it’s uncomfortable, but it’s transformative.
Here's a quick roll call of scenarios you might recognize:
- You close your trade prematurely due to impatience and wavering conviction.
- You've DCA'd your account into oblivion, clutching blind hope from a TA analysis you were too stubborn to question—aka Disney goggles.
- Revenge trading—you've been there, too. We all have.
Here’s the brutal truth: every “loss” is nothing more than the market holding up a mirror to your imbalances. Every poke, every jab, is a lesson about you.
Your job isn’t to whine about manipulation, but to analyze yourself. Figure out where you are falling short, because the longer you deny your flaws, the deeper that pogo stick sears into your psyche. Embrace the battlefield; don’t cower. The market is your adversary, yes—but it’s also your greatest teacher.
Now, the million-dollar question—where do you begin?
Start by delving into the layers of yourself.
Explore tools like the Myers-Briggs personality test—it’s one type of gateway to understanding your cognitive tendencies.
Answer impulsively, not meticulously, to ensure untainted results.
Once you unearth your MBTI type, dive deeper. YouTube has a treasure trove of creators offering insights, and here’s a quirky trick: pay attention to the memes that resonate with your dark humor—if it makes you laugh, it may hold clues to your personality type.
Go further. Unearth whether you align with alpha, beta, gamma, or sigma archetypes. And don’t cheat—being an alpha isn’t necessary for trading success. Honesty is paramount. The market will sniff out dishonesty like a bloodhound.
Are you a Heyoka empath? Research it thoroughly, as such individuals often absorb and act under external influences. Understanding this facet could shield your portfolio from emotional sway.
Perhaps astrology speaks to you.
If it does, approach it with sophistication—understanding your sun, moon, and ascendant sign is merely scratching the surface.
True mastery lies in uncovering the full depth of your natal chart through the myriad systems that exist.
Trading and astrology, though seemingly worlds apart, share a startling resemblance: both rely heavily on indicators, and both are prone to human inconsistency.
Ultimately, explore yourself as though you’re reconstructing a high-performance machine.
What happens when your rev limiter is in the red, the tires gripping the pavement at 144mph—do you fishtail with control or spin into oblivion?
That’s trading in its essence, but you’re motionless in a chair, adrenaline pumping, palms sweating.
The goal?
Serenity.
No matter whether you rake in gains or cut losses, your micro-expression remains unchanged—
neutral and poised. Not numb or robotic, but wholesome and unshakeable.
When you embrace this awareness, you transform. You shed skin like a serpent, emerging sharp, agile, and complete.
Suddenly, the market loses its fangs.
You dodge the pogo stick like a lethal machine, executing trades with finesse.
You stop being a victim, instead becoming a warrior.
The market ceases to intimidate, recognizing you as an equal contender.
There are countless tools to learn more about yourself. Skip the IQ tests—this isn’t about being book-smart.
Explore psychological tests, data intake styles, and sensory preferences.
What works for others may not work for you, and that’s okay. Clarity is the key.
And before you dive in each day, try the Human Benchmark website—a simple way to check your mental acuity.
If you’re off your game, sleep.
The trade can wait.
Finally, ponder the Dark Triad—a concept that brushes against psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. It’s not just a speculative theory—it exists all around us.
Are you one?
Are you dealing with one?
Knowing yourself will sharpen your moral compass and guide your decisions in the battlefield.
Trading isn’t just a skill.
It’s an intimate confrontation with your entire self—the good, the bad, and the shadowy. And like any great narrative, the real depth doesn’t come from shortcuts—it comes from the untamed, unvarnished truth.
Craft
Why Traders Chase — and Always LoseHard truth:
You don’t miss opportunities. You chase noise.
Let’s break down the real reason you keep “missing moves”:
1. FOMO is not urgency — it’s confusion.
When you enter because “everyone’s talking about it,” you’re not trading a setup. You’re reacting to social proof.
2. Volatility ≠ opportunity.
Big moves look attractive, but if they’re not in your plan — they’re distractions, not trades.
3. The market rewards patience, not activity.
Every click, every chart, every refresh feeds your dopamine — not your edge.
🚫 Solution?
Stop scanning. Start filtering.
Use tools that prioritize structure over noise. That’s why we built TrendGo — to give clarity in chaos and help you avoid traps masked as opportunity.
📌 Don’t chase. Build your edge.
Are You Using Technical Indicators All Wrong?Most indicators aren’t broken. Most traders use them wrong.
Thousands of traders rely on RSI, MACD, and moving averages — and most of them still lose money. Why? Because they use tools the wrong way, in the wrong context, with the wrong mindset.
Let’s break it down:
1. Indicators don’t predict — they react.
RSI hitting 30 doesn’t mean “buy”. It means selling pressure dominated recently.
2. One tool ≠ one strategy.
MACD or CCI alone won’t build you a system. Context, confluence, and confirmation matter.
3. Emotional confirmation kills discipline.
Seeing RSI 70 after price moves doesn’t mean you’re late. It means your emotions want to join the move — not your logic.
🚨 Solution?
Use indicators as filters, not triggers.
Build rules. Track what works. Trade the system — not your excitement.
Want to see more posts like this? Let us know — We're preparing a series of deep-dives into indicator psychology and structure.
Why Financial Clarity Comes Before Any Forex Trade?Before any strategy or setup, I ask one thing: is my personal financial foundation strong enough to support this trade?
In this reflection, I explore the direct impact that personal finance management has on trading performance — not as an abstract idea, but as a daily reality. When financial clarity is missing, emotional decision-making creeps in. When it’s present, I trade with more patience, discipline, and perspective.
This is not trading advice. It’s a caution to those who see trading as a way out, rather than something built upon stable ground.
Guess what? I am on a Demo Account. I will keep on trading on a Demo Account until I know that I have a solid risk management plan and a trading methodology that both will give me consistent profits.
The whole Idea with personal finance management in forex trading is to know whether you can afford trading and once you know the answer to that what is your game plan.
Just a quick hint.. If your answer is no; meaning that today you cannot afford trading, don't be discouraged, there is still a plan that can be designed. Actually, I think the ones who cannot afford trading are in a better positions than those who can.
The ones who cannot afford trading today, can easily start learning without having the itch to open a live account.
Why Being Delusional Might Be Your Greatest Asset in TradingIf you think you’re going to make a full-time living trading financial markets you’re completely delusional!... and that's a good thing.
It was 1997, and two friends—let’s call them Reed and Marc—thought it would be fun to have a movie night and rent Apollo 13 from their local Blockbuster store.
For those of you who might need some context, Blockbuster was a video rental store where you’d go to rent a movie you’d like to watch.
This was shortly after discovering fire and the wheel, and it was revolutionary. At its peak, Blockbuster was worth approximately $5 billion and had over 80,000 employees across 9000 stores worldwide.
Their business model was very simple, and although they generated revenue in various ways, their core revenue was generated through a combination of rental fees, video sales and late fees.
You see, it just so happened that our two friends who thought it would be fun to rent Apollo 13, chill at home, and eat popcorn would essentially have to pay the $40 late fee, and they were admittedly, not too happy about that.
As they sat in frustration, one of them came up with the idea to start a website and rent movies to people without charging a late fee.
Instead people would just pay a monthly subscription of around $19.95 per month and they could rent up to three movies of their choosing and keep it for as long as they wanted, no rental fee, no video sales, no late fees, just a monthly subscription of $19.95.
If people wanted to rent a new set of DVD’s then all they’d need to do is return the DVD’s they’d initially rented and the new set was mailed to them within a day or two.
Now it is important to mention that all this occurred toward the end of the third industrial revolution and the internet was not nearly as advanced as it is today. People would use a dial-up connection which only produced 56 kbps or slower.
Streaming was near impossible unless you enjoyed watching a movie in three-minute increments before it loaded the next three minutes. Downloading a movie could take an entire day or even longer.
It’s fair to say that our two friends Reed and Marc were throwing stones at giants, but they had very good aim.
I’m sure you heard the story where a boy aimed at a giant's head and threw him with a stone. Turns out the boy won that fight, and ultimately claimed victory for his people, but I digress.
You see Reed had a background in computer science and software development, and at the time he co-founded a software company called Pure Software. Marc had a background in marketing and product development.
It’s safe to say that they made a very good team, but they were still going up against giants, they were challenging a system that was working with a system that was not even established yet. Essentially, they either had to be very confident or extremely delusional. Turns out they were both.
They decided to brainstorm a few names for their little startup, everything from Kibble to TakeOne, and even DirectPix and none of it seemed to stick. Eventually, they decided to combine the words “internet” and “film” to make “Netflix”.
Today Netflix is the most popular streaming platform, with its annual revenue peaking at 33.7 Billion back in 2023.
I share this story with you because it really takes more than just experience, skill, and luck to take on giants, I would argue you need to have a healthy amount of delusion as well.
So, if you think you're going to make a full-time living trading financial markets, you're completely delusional—and that might be the best thing going for you.
Because the truth is, every breakthrough, every disruption, every world-changing idea begins with someone who dares to believe in something that doesn’t quite make sense to the rest of the world—yet.
Reed and Marc didn’t just challenge a system; they challenged what was possible at the time. They bet on a future that didn’t exist—on a slower internet, a skeptical audience, and an unproven model. What looked like delusion was a vision in disguise.
In trading, as in business and life, it’s not the most logical or the most experienced who wins—it’s often those who are bold enough to stay in the game when everyone else calls it crazy. You’ll need skill, yes.
Strategy, of course. But you’ll also need the unreasonable belief that you can beat the odds, learn the rules, and then rewrite them entirely. So go ahead—be delusional.
Just make sure you’ve got the grit, the patience, and the aim to back it up.
What “giant” are you bold enough to challenge next?
Books on Trading PsychologyHello Tradingview Community, I'm right in the beginning of my Trading Journey.
Which books helped you with your Mindset/Psychologie?
I have a few Classics for now:
The Intelligent Investor, Trading in the Zone, The Disciplined Trader,
Psychologie of Money & Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.
I'm trading Forex & Commodities for now, Stocks and Crypto will come the better i get.
I wish you all a happy Easter and happy trading.
Have added in the Background a Goldtrade i might take on the Leap.
NIFTY Futures | Liquidity Sweep + Bullish Structure Shift NIFTY Futures (15min) – Technical Analysis using SMC | ICT | Price Action
1. Price took liquidity below 22,405, sweeping sell-side stops — a common smart money move
before reversing.
2. A clear market structure shift occurred as price broke previous swing highs after the liquidity
grab.
3. Price is currently reacting from a bullish order block between 22,440 – 22,480, showing signs
of accumulation.
4. The entry aligns with ICT’s Optimal Trade Entry (OTE) zone near the 61.8% Fibonacci
retracement level.
5. Price was consolidating in a tight range (5min) and has now started breaking out to the
upside.
6. There is a visible imbalance / fair value gaps between 22,760 – 22,920 that price may look to
fill.
7. Immediate targets are:
- 22,760 (start of imbalance)
- 22,920 (buy-side liquidity above recent highs)
- 23,250 (clean inefficiency zone)
- 23,310 (major resistance / previous high)
8. The setup becomes invalid if price breaks and closes below 22,405 — that’s the stop-loss level.
Thanks for your time..
Why you should WAIT for trades to come to YOU!In this video, we dive deep into one of the most underrated but powerful habits that separates consistently profitable traders from the rest: waiting for the trade to come to you.
It sounds simple, even obvious. But in reality, most traders—especially newer ones—feel the constant urge to do something. They scan for setups all day, jump in at the first sign of movement, and confuse activity with progress. That mindset usually leads to emotional trading, overtrading, and eventually burnout.
If you've ever felt the pressure to chase price, force trades, or trade just because you're bored… this video is for you.
I’ll walk you through:
1. Why chasing trades destroys your edge—even when the setup “kind of” looks right
2. How waiting allows you to trade from a position of strength, not desperation
3. The psychological shift that happens when you stop trading to feel busy and start trading to feel precise
4. How the pros use waiting as a weapon, not a weakness
The truth is, trading is a game of probabilities and precision. And that means you don’t need 10 trades a day—you need a few good ones a week that truly align with your plan.
Patience doesn’t mean doing nothing, it means doing the right thing at the right time. And when you develop the skill to sit back, trust your process, and wait for price to come to your level… everything changes. Your confidence grows. Your equity curve smooths out. And most importantly, your decision-making gets sharper.
So if you're tired of overtrading, feeling frustrated, or constantly second-guessing your entries—take a breath, slow it down, and start thinking like a sniper instead of a machine gun.
Let the market come to you. That’s where the real edge is.
A Practical Framework for Overcoming Fear in Trading“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice.” - Will Smith, After Earth
Although I firmly agree with this statement, I also have to acknowledge that while fear is a choice, it’s also a biological response to perceived threats like uncertainty, lack of control, and experience.
When faced with these threats the brain activates the amygdala which triggers the fight or flight response releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, preparing the body to respond quickly and instinctively.
If left alone, traders consumed with fear will either seek to take vengeance against the markets, typically referred to as “Revenge Trading” or they’ll hesitate when taking the next position fearing that it would be a repeat of the last. Either way, it never ends well.
In today’s article we’re going to be breaking down fear both figuratively and literally, by gaining a deeper understanding on how it works and what steps we should take to overcome it.
Three Types of Fears in Trading:
Now I’m sure most of you reading this article are familiar with the three types of fears related to trading, so I’ll go through these quite briefly but for those of you who might not be that familiar I’ll leave a short explanation for each of the fears highlighted.
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO):
The apprehension of missing profitable opportunities leads traders to enter trades impulsively without proper analysis, often resulting in poor outcomes. Traders experiencing FOMO generally find themselves in trading signal groups or rely on social media for direction, see my previous article on Trading Vs. Social Media
Fear of Losing Money:
The anxiety associated with potential financial loss can cause traders to exit positions prematurely or avoid taking necessary risks. This fear is closely linked to loss aversion, where the pain of losing is felt more intensely than the pleasure of equivalent gains.
Fear of Being Wrong:
The discomfort of making incorrect decisions can deter traders from executing trades or cause them to hold onto losing positions in an attempt to prove their initial decision was right.
In many respects, traders try to deal with these fears directly but usually without much success. This is because they’re treating the symptom but not the cause.
In order to deal with any of these fears either independently or collectively you’d need to first learn to become comfortable in three very specific areas.
Uncertainty - At its core, trading is a game of probabilities, not certainties. Certainty in trading comes only when you’re able to shift your focus from the outcome of any one trade to your ability to take any one trade regardless of the outcome. Remember, it's not your job to predict the future, rather you should prepare for it.
Past Losses - The outcome of one trade has absolutely no impact on the outcome of the next, and the best way to deal with past losses is to embrace the lessons that came with it.
Lack of Control - Although we cannot control the outcome of a trade, we do control the type of trade we take. We can control when we enter, exit, and how much we risk, which when examined closely carries far more significance than merely seeking to control the outcome.
Debunking The Biggest Myth In Trading
If you won then you were right, if you lost then you were wrong. This is the biggest myth in trading today and one of the main reasons why so many traders chose being right over being profitable.
Instead of accepting a loss, they’ll remove whatever stop loss they had in place in the hope that the market will eventually turn in their favor, refusing to accept that they may have been wrong.
There are very good reasons for this type of behaviour which is tied directly to our identity, social belonging and self-worth. When we’re faced with the possibility of being wrong our intellect, competency and self-image is challenged.
In order to protect ourselves from this challenge, we begin to resist any new information that could conflict or even threaten our existing belief, creating discomfort even when the evidence is clear.
This can trigger emotions like anxiety and avoidance behaviour which can show up in the form of hesitation, overthinking, or avoiding placing trades altogether. However, I’m about to share a framework with you that will help you overcome the fear of being wrong and instead of avoiding it, if you follow this framework, you’ll begin to embrace it.
3 Step Process To Profit From Being Wrong
In trading Losses are inevitable. In fact, some of the most successful traders lose far more times than they actually win, and yet they’re still able to make money. This is because you don’t need to be a winning trader in order to be a profitable one.
It’s under this principle that you’ll apply the 3 step process to profit from being wrong.
1. Reframe “Wrong” as “Feedback”
Generally being wrong comes with consequences, in trading those consequences comes in the form of losses. However, you determine how much you’re willing to lose on any given trade. This means that because you control how much you’re willing to lose, you ultimately control the consequences.
The market is a nearly endless pool of trade opportunities and no one trade can determine the outcome of the next. Therefore, a losing trade cannot mean you were wrong, because as long as you still have capital to trade there is another opportunity lining up.
Instead, what the losing trade does uncover is the market conditions in relation to your plan. It’s at this point where you review your initial analysis and see if anything has changed. If nothing changed, then it's likely you may have gotten in a bit too early and you’d just have to wait for the next setup.
However, upon your review, you discover the market conditions have changed, and you now have to re-evaluate your approach, then this is the feedback the market is giving you. This is what it means to take feedback from the markets and this is what it takes to be profitable instead of being right.
2. Separate Identity From Outcome
The mistake many trades tend to make is measuring their success on the outcome of a trade. This is a recipe for disaster because in order for them to feel successful they’d have to win every single time.
This of course is impossible, instead I’d encourage you to separate yourself from the outcome of the trade and focus on just trading. There are only one of three outcomes you can experience in a trade. 1. Loss, 2. Win, 3. Breakeven. When you’re able to accept 1. Loss then you don’t have to worry about numbers 2,3.
Because you control how much you’re willing to lose you should be able to accept what you’re willing to lose, and by accepting what you're willing to lose you’ve then separated yourself from the outcome of the trade and you can now focus on just trading.
To keep you in check with this step here is a very simple but highly effective practice:
✅ Practice saying: “This was a good trade with a bad outcome — and that’s okay.”
3. Celebrate The Process, Not Perfection
“That which gets rewarded gets repeated” If you’re only rewarding yourself when you close a winning trade then you’re simply reinforcing the notion of viewing the markets through the lens of right and wrong.
As we’ve already discovered this view is detrimental to your longevity as a trader and so I would argue that instead of celebrating a winning trade, celebrate your process. Reward yourself every time you follow your plan regardless if the trade resulted in a win, loss or breakeven.
This approach will help you improve your process which in turn will improve your overall returns and performance.
Conclusion
📣 You are not here to be perfect. You’re here to grow, to learn, and to keep showing up — fear and all.
The market rewards the trader who is calm under pressure, humble in defeat and focused on the long game.
Go into this week knowing that fear may still show up — but you’re more prepared than ever to handle it.
Let fear be a signal, not a stop sign.
You've got this. 🚀
$100, $1,000, $100,000 — When Numbers Become Turning PointsHey! Have you ever wondered why 100 feels... special? 🤔
Round numbers are like hidden magnets in the market. 100. 500. 1,000. They feel complete. They stand out. They grab our attention and make us pause. In financial markets, these are the levels where price often slows down, stalls, or makes a surprising turn.
I’ll admit, once I confused the market with real life. I hoped a round number would cause a reversal in any situation. Like when I stepped on the scale and saw a clean 100 staring back at me, a level often known as strong resistance. I waited for a bounce, a sudden reversal... but nothing. The market reacts. My body? Not so much. 🤷♂️
The market reacts. But why? What makes these numbers so powerful? The answer lies in our minds, in market dynamics, and in our human tendency to crave simplicity.
-------------------------------------
Psychology: Why our brain loves round numbers
The human mind is designed to create structure. Round numbers are like lighthouses in the chaos — simple, memorable, and logical. If someone asks how much your sofa cost, you’re more likely to say "a grand" than "963.40 dollars." That’s normal. It’s your brain seeking clarity with minimal effort.
In financial markets, round numbers become key reference points. Traders, investors, even algorithms gravitate toward them. If enough people believe 100 is important, they start acting around that level — buying, selling, waiting. That belief becomes reality, whether it's rational or not. We anchor decisions to familiar numbers because they feel safe, clean, and "right."
Walmart (WMT) and the $100 mark
Round numbers also carry emotional weight. 100 feels like a milestone, a finish line. It’s not just a number, it’s both an ending and a beginning.
-------------------------------------
Round numbers in the market: Resistance and support
Round number as a resistance
Imagine a stock climbing steadily: 85, 92, 98... and then it hits 100. Suddenly, it stalls. Why? Investors who bought earlier see 100 as a "perfect" profit point. "A hundred bucks. Time to sell." Many pre-set sell orders are already waiting. Most people don’t place orders at $96.73. They aim for 100. A strong and symbolic.
At the same time, speculators and short sellers may step in, viewing 100 as too high. This creates pressure, slowing the rally or pushing the price back down.
If a stock begins its journey at, say, $35, the next key round levels for me are: 50, 100, 150, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000…
Slide from my training materials
These levels have proven themselves again and again — often causing sideways movement or corrections. When I recently reviewed the entire S&P 500 list, for example $200 showed up consistently as a resistance point.
It’s pure psychology. Round numbers feel "high" — and it's often the perfect moment to lock in profits and reallocate capital. Bitcoin at $100,000. Netflix at $1,000. Tesla at $500. Walmart at $100. Palantir at $100. These are just a few recent examples.
Round number support: A lifeline for buyers
The same logic works in reverse. When price falls through 130, 115, 105... and lands near 100, buyers often step in. "100 looks like a good entry," they say. It feels like solid ground after a drop. We love comeback stories. Phoenix moments. Underdogs rising. Buy orders stack up and the price drop pauses.
Some examples:
Meta Platforms (META)
Amazon.com (AMZN) — $100 acted as resistance for years, then became support after a breakout
Tesla (TSLA)
-------------------------------------
Why round numbers work for both buyers and sellers
Buyers and the illusion of a bargain
If a stock falls from 137 to 110 and approaches 100, buyers feel like it’s hit bottom. Psychologically, 100 feels cheap and safe. Even if the company’s fundamentals haven’t changed, 100 just "feels right." It’s like seeing a price tag of $9.99 — our brain rounds it down and feels like we got an epic deal.
Sellers and the "perfect" exit
When a stock rises from 180 to 195 and nears 200, many sellers place orders right at 200. "That’s a nice round number, I’ll exit there." There’s emotional satisfaction. The gain feels cleaner, more meaningful, when it ends on a round note.
To be fair, I always suggest not waiting for an exact level like 200. If your stock moved through 145 > 165 > 185, don’t expect perfection. Leave room. A $190 target zone makes more sense. Often, greed kills profit before it can be realized. Don’t squeeze the lemon dry.
Example: My Tesla analysis on TradingView with a $500 target — TESLA: Money On Your Screen 2.0 | Lock in Fully…
Before & After: As you see there, the zone is important, not the exact number.
-------------------------------------
Round numbers in breakout trades
When price reaches a round number, the market often enters a kind of standoff. Buyers and sellers hesitate. The price moves sideways, say between 90 and 110. Psychologically, it’s a zone of indecision. The number is too important to ignore, but the direction isn’t clear until news or momentum pushes it.
When the direction is up and the market breaks above a key level, round numbers work brilliantly for breakout trades or strength-based entries.
Slide from my training materials
People are willing to pay more once they see the price break through a familiar barrier. FOMO kicks in. Those who sold earlier feel regret and jump back in. And just like that, momentum builds again — until the next round-number milestone.
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) — every round number so far has caused mild corrections or sideways action. I’d think $500 won’t be any different.
-------------------------------------
Conclusion: Simplicity rules the market
Round numbers aren’t magic. They work because we, the people, make the market. We love simplicity, patterns, and emotional anchors. These price levels are where the market breathes, pauses, thinks, and decides. When you learn to recognize them, you gain an edge — not because the numbers do something, but because crowds do.
A round number alone is never a reason to act.
If a stock drops to 100, it doesn’t mean it’s time to buy. No single number works in isolation. You need a strategy — a set of supporting criteria that together increase the odds. Round numbers are powerful psychological levels, but the real advantage appears when they align with structure and signals.
Keep round numbers on your radar. They’re the market’s psychological mirror, and just like us, the market loves beautiful numbers.
If this article made you see price behavior differently, or gave you something to think about, feel free to share it.
🙌 So, that's it! A brief overview and hopefully, you found this informative. If this article made you see price behavior differently, or gave you something to think about, feel free to share it & leave a comment with your thoughts!
Before you leave - Like & Boost if you find this useful! 🚀
Trade smart,
Vaido
Trading Minest. Welcome to the most difficult game in the worldUnfortunately, you will be playing against some of the sharpest, fastest, smartest, most intelligent, well-informed, irrational, and, in many cases, unethical intellects in the world.
You are fighting a computer that reacts faster than you.
A trader who has more experience than you.
A fund that has more money than you.
An insider who has more information than you.
Others who misinform you.
An inner voice that will do everything it can to stop you.
So, give up your dreams of making a quick and easy buck.
Your first goal is survival.
Your first absolute goal is to learn how to stay in the game.
You can only do this by marking your territory.
By understanding how the competition thinks and acts.
By having a clear game plan.
And by choosing your attacks very, very carefully.
I've been sharing my knowledge on TradingView for years, but I'm sure this post will help you, too.
I want to talk about Trading Minest. After I set up a trading firm, I realized that this is the knowledge that most traders lack.
1. Survive at all costs
The higher your survival rate, the better trader you'll be.
If you disagree with that, you better give your money to me.
You don't have a survival instinct.
A strong survival instinct is an essential personal quality you must possess.
It teaches you to jump out of losing deals and hold on to winning ones with a dead grip.
That's what your inner attitude should be. It's essential because trading is all about survival.
It's also the essence of our lives.
2. You must be constantly afraid
You have to evaluate the opponent. If he is a stone, be water; if he is water, I will be a stone.
Maximize objective assessment of your opponent and adapt to him, but most people lack enough fear.
And if we don't have fear, we can open any trade.
And we won't use stop losses.
We're gonna do everything wrong.
And lose.
I want you to be afraid.
Example: If you are not afraid to lose, and we have the same trade, who will choose the more defensive tactic?
Whoever thinks I'm not afraid of all this nonsense, I have plenty of money. With that attitude, you will lose.
But if I am scared to death, I will use stops, watch what is happening in the market, and calculate my actions. But if a person has no fear, he will act recklessly, and then all of a sudden, bam, bam, and disaster will happen.
Many traders have lost money and committed suicide because they had no fear.
3.The ability to win when things aren't going well for you
The most essential quality of an athlete is the ability to score points when they need to catch up.
You should be able to win when you fall behind or have four losing trades; that is the difference between good traders and bad traders.
You say to yourself, "I'm behind; I'm not doing well."
And you have a choice to throw up the white flag and give up.
Or you can say, "To hell with it. I'm just gonna grit my teeth and get back in the ring and give it my best."
That's what your inner attitude should be.
You have to be able to win when you're behind.
You have to learn how to win when you're in a losing position.
That's how you have to set yourself up.
Otherwise, you will be in big trouble because no one can avoid losses in market trading.
And at some point, you are guaranteed to have a losing trade.
Only optimists can trade.
You're all so damn optimistic.
Because you think you can win a game, many people believe it's impossible. Many people say how much they lost in the market, but if they failed, someone made millions of dollars every year waiting for me to take money from the dealing. You're donating money to people who don't know the basic rules.
4. Use only proven methods
Do what works and don't do what doesn't work.
Reinforce the strong.
Best Regards, EXCAVO
_____________________
Disclosure: I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analysis.
DOGS Main Trend. Tactics of Working on Risky Crypto 03 2025Logarithm. Time frame 3 days. Tactics of working on super-risky cryptocurrencies of low liquidity, which are always sold (without loading the glass), by the creators of “nothing”. In order to increase sales, of course, when they rationally reverse the trend and make pumps at a large % and marketing positive news "have time to buy". On such assets with such liquidity, “killed faith” (at the moment), and control of the emission in “one hand” it is not difficult. Something like in BabyDOGE.
On such assets you should always remember:
1️⃣ allocate a certain amount for work in general on such assets from the deposit as a whole.
2️⃣ distribute money (potential reversal and decline zones) from this allocated amount to each similar asset in advance.
3️⃣ diversify similar assets themselves (5-10 cryptocurrencies), understanding that sooner or later they will scam. The scam of one of them should not be reflected significantly on the balance of the pump/dump group of low liquidity. It is impossible to guess everything that does not depend on you, and it is not necessary. Your miscalculations (what does not depend on you) are smoothed out by your initial trading plan and risk control, that is, money management (money management).
4️⃣ Set adequate goals. Part of the position locally trade 40-80% (not necessary, but this sometimes reduces the risk).
5️⃣ Work with trigger orders and lower them if they did not work and the price falls.
6️⃣ Remember that in consolidation and cut zones in assets of such liquidity, stops are always knocked out, so the size of the stop does not really matter. It will be knocked out, especially before the reversal.
7️⃣ Before the reversal of the secondary trend, as a rule, they first do a “hamster pump” by a conditionally significant %, when everyone is "tired of waiting". They absorb all sales. Then the main pumping without passengers by a very large % takes place to form a distribution zone. As a rule, it will be lower than the pump highs, that is, in the zone when they are not afraid to buy, but believe that after a large pump, the highs will be overcome significantly.
8️⃣ Remember that assets of such liquidity decrease after listings or highs by:
a) active hype, bull market -50-70%
b) secondary trend without extraordinary events -90-93%
c) cycle change -96-98% or scam, if it is a 1-2 cycle project (there is no point in supporting the legend, how it is easier to make a candy wrapper from scratch without believing holders with coins).
9️⃣In the capitulation zone, there can be several of them depending on the trend of the market as a whole and rationality, the asset is of no interest to anyone. Everyone gets the impression that everything is a scam. That is, on the contrary, you need to collect the asset, observing money management, that is, your initial distribution of money and the risk that you agreed with in advance. As a rule, in such zones people "give up" and abandon their earlier vision.
🔟 After the entire position is set (pre-planned, according to your money management), stop and do not get stuck in the market and news noise. Wait for your first goals.
Remember, people always buy expensive, and refuse to buy cheap ("it's a scam", they try to "catch the bottom"), when "the Internet is not buzzing". This all happens because there is no vision, and as a consequence, no tactics of work and risk control . Many want to guess the “bottom”, or “maximums”, and refuse to sell when they are reached. The first and second are not conditionally available, on assets of such liquidity and emission control. But, there are probabilities that you can operate and earn on this, without getting stuck in the market noise. And also in the opinions of the majority (inclination to the dominant opinion and rejection of your plan and risk control), from which you must fence yourself off.
Most people, immersed in market noise and the opinions of others , choose for themselves the price movement, which is beneficial to them at the moment , and to which they are inclined, but do not provide themselves with the tactics of work. This is a key mistake, and the main manipulation that the conditional manipulator achieves, who, by the way, is sometimes not on the asset, to form an opinion and, as a consequence, the actions of the majority.
Because, in essence, most people do not have the tactics of work. Where the news FUD (inclination to the dominant opinion), “market noise” (cutting zones and collecting liquidity), the opinion of the majority, is directed, that is what they are inclined to.
When the price goes in the other direction, it is disappointment.
If these are futures — liquidation of the position. Zeroing out due to greed.
If this is spot — "proud random holders" , without the ability to average the position (no money), to reduce the average price of the position set as a whole, and as a result increase the % of profit in the future.
A trading plan and risk control are the basis, not guessing the price movement. If you do not have the first “two whales” of trading in your arsenal, then you have nothing. It doesn't matter how much you guess the potential movement, as the outcome of such practice is always the same, and it is not comforting.
Solana: Time to Buy or More Pain Ahead?Solana has been in freefall since peaking at nearly $300 on January 19, 2025, dropping a staggering 61% to $115,47 in just 50 days, currently trading at around $119. A support zone for potential reversals.
The big question now: Is this the time to go long, or is more selling pressure ahead? Let’s break it down.
Key Support & Resistance Levels
Lost Key Level at $120
Solana lost the key support at $120, turning it into a resistance zone. For bulls to regain control, SOL must reclaim this level with confirmation and increased volume.
Next Key Lows to Watch
Below the current price, the next key liquidity zones are at $110 and $105, where buyers may step in.
Major Support Zone – $104 to $96
If selling continues, we have a strong support zone between $104.14 and $96.96, backed by multiple confluences:
Anchored VWAP Support: Taking the anchored VWAP from the 2023 lows at $8, we find it currently aligning near $100, a key psychological level.
Monthly Order Block: On the monthly timeframe, an order block sits right at $100 mark, reinforcing this level as strong support.
2024 Yearly Open: The yearly open from 2024 is at $101.72, adding another layer of confluence.
0.666 Fibonacci Retracement: Measuring from $8 to the all-time high of $295.83, the 0.666 Fib retracement is at $104.14, further strengthening this support zone.
Liquidity Pools: There's a lot of liquidity around the $100 area
Fib Speed Fan Support: The 0.7 Fib speed fan also aligns perfectly with this support zone.
Conclusion: The $104–$97 range becomes a high-probability long entry zone with minimal risk.
Long Trade Setup
Entry Zone: $118 – $97
Stop Loss: Below $95
Take Profit Target: $135
Average Entry: $105 (DCA)
Risk-to-Reward (R:R): a solid 3:1 or better
Strategy & Execution
With SOL already down over 60%, scaling into a long position makes sense. Here's how to do it the right way:
1️⃣ DCA Strategy – Instead of going all in, scale in gradually within the $118–$97 range for a better average entry.
2️⃣ Volume & Price Action – Watch for a spike in volume and bullish price action before adding to the position.
3️⃣ Psychological Level Play – There are likely many buy orders around $100, meaning a bounce before hitting lower support is possible.
Stay tuned for updates as this trade unfolds! 🚀
LTC/USD Main trend. Halving. Cycles The psychology of repetitionMain trend. The graph is logarithmic. The timeframe is 1 month. This idea is relevant both for understanding the secondary trend work and as a training in simple cyclic, logical manipulation processes. Note also the halving of the LTC and the designated time zones between cycles.
The primary trend is an uptrend in which a huge butterfly is forming (forming part 2)
Secondary trend is a downward channel.
Local trend in the secondary trend is a wedge.
Coin in the coin market : Litecoin
The chart is taken from the Bitfiniex exchange, I used it because of the long price history (the coin has been traded on this exchange for a long time). Of course, the chart is relevant for all exchanges with liquidity. The coin and the pair are liquid, it is acceptable to set large positions. The price behavior is predictable. Ups/Downs are similar. Let's consider them below.
Everything is unpredictable only for absolutely predictable people, it always was, is and will be.
Same time frame on a line chart (no market noise, pure trend direction)
A close-up of this area on the line chart.
And this area on the candlestick chart.
What matters is the average buy/sell. Approach the market regardless of the size of your deposit as a major market participant. Stop thinking like a "hamster". You don't need to guess, you need to know and be prepared for any outcome, even unlikely scenarios.
Psychology of behavior in the market.
Expectation. Reality. "Stop-loss resets. Cyclicality of predictable behavior. .
Predictable price behavior. "Knockouts" of obedient (acting by the rules) and naughty (acting on emotion) fools are as logical and predictable as anything else everywhere else. Increase your knowledge and experience, and it won't affect you.
Remember, theory without practice is nothing. Real trading is very different from theory, you should understand that. That's why all "programmed traders" lose money or their earnings are quite modest.
You should not ask anyone where to buy/sell this or that crypto-asset. You should initially know yourself under what conditions you will buy and under what conditions you will sell.
Past "stop-losses" before secondary trend reversals .
Secondary trend reversal zones and "takeout" before pullbacks in 2019 (+450 average) and 2021 (+900% average).
Candlestick chart. 3-day timeframe. Fear peak zones.
Line chart. Three-day timeframe. Fear peak zones. (without market noise).
As we can see, this "fear peak" on the line chart evaporates, all these local "super resets" have no effect on the trend. It's just the "death of hamsters." The capitulation of human stupidity and greed. You can add predictability and submissiveness to this. The train always leaves without such marketable characters.
Such always sell (fear) at the lowest prices, shortly before the trend reverses. It is worth adding that they buy at the highest prices "at the behest" of the pump to get fabulously "rich. This makes the cryptocurrency market super profitable. Such fuel is the basis of profit. "Market fuel flows" lend themselves to cycles.
Price management is the psychology and manipulation of people's minds through basic instincts through price values. All of this is real and as old as the world. A foolish person keeps stepping on the same rake, each time telling himself that this is the last time, or this is a special case.
This "last case" must be repeated systematically, but in different conditions that you create. Your effectiveness depends on how masterful you are at forming such obsessive thoughts in the mind of such market characters.
Fundamentals of Trading. Trading strategy. Capital management. Price forecasting.
It is your trading strategy and money management, based on your experience, that is the basis of trading, not guessing the price. But guessing is what most people want. Such people should have no money. As a rule, such people in real life are very poor, do not have their own business, go "to work" (do not want to take responsibility).
They think real life doesn't give them many resources, but market speculation will quickly make them fabulously rich. Rather the opposite is true. Total impoverishment regardless of the direction of the trend due to the reinforcement of destructive qualities of a person with financial instruments. The behavior of such people in the market is a projection of what they are like in real life.
The behavior of people in financial markets is a projection of what they are in real life. That is, their positive and negative psychological qualities. You can't run away from yourself. A stupid person will be overtaken by his own stupidity, a greedy person by greed, an intolerant person by intolerance, an indecisive person by indecision, an irresponsible person by irresponsibility.
Such will be punished by their own destructive qualities. The main thing is that the victim draws conclusions from this and it is an incentive to correct the root cause and basis of the failures, rather than looking for the culprit of his own stupidity in "random events" and other people.
You guessed once, second time, third time zeroed in and hit your own self-confidence with your own stupidity and predictability. Consequently, all your previous guesses at the distance equals zero.
Trading is a probability game. It is impossible to guess everything because of the many components of pricing. It is possible not to guess, but to know the more and less potentially realizable probabilities because of certain market conditions.
No one knows the exact future, there is only an assumed more likely future and the work that leads to it.
The basis of profit/loss is what you are in the here and now. Your knowledge and experience are projected onto the chart. The symbiosis of these two parameters makes or loses money in practice.
Read these 6 points carefully:
1) The first problem most marketers have is that everyone wants to get a lot of money in the moment and, most importantly, without effort. That's what most people want, so it's not rational or dangerous to satisfy their desires.
2) The second problem is that they can't be "out of the market" until they find a good entry point. "Fear of missing out" does its destructive work.
3) The third problem is, of course, the disease from "childhood," which manifests itself in adulthood. People begin to collect various crypto coins, endowing them with different values according to their beliefs and, above all, their desires.
4) The fourth problem is greed, insatiability combined with inexperience. People don't want to protect their profits, they want more and more and more and more and more, eventually from greed and inexperience they completely (more greedy) or partially (less greedy) nullify themselves.
5) Lack of knowledge and experience. Lack of desire to develop and learn. The less experienced a market participant is, the more confident he is in his competence and "screams text".
6) The sixth most serious problem - laziness. It manifests itself in the fact that few people want to work, everyone wants to have.
Under ideas are captured my trading ideas for this trading pair over the past 3 years. Most of them are previously closed trade ideas. There are 3 learning ideas that I have shown on this trading pair (based on publicly published simple trading ideas) .
The Right Questions to Ask Before Entering a TradeEvery day, traders—especially beginners—ask the same recurring question:
❓ What do you think Gold will do today? Will it go up or down?
While this seems like a logical question, it’s actually completely wrong and one that no professional trader would ever ask in this way.
Trading is not about predicting the market like a fortune teller. Instead, it's about analyzing price action, managing risk, and executing trades strategically.
So, instead of asking, "Will Gold go up or down?" , a professional trader asks three critical questions before taking any trade.
Let's break them down.
________________________________________
Step 1: Identifying the Right Entry Point
Let’s say you’ve done your analysis, and you believe Gold will drop. That’s great—but that’s just an opinion. What really matters is execution.
🔹 Where do I enter the trade?
Professional traders don’t jump into the market impulsively. They use pending orders instead of market orders to wait for the right price.
If you believe Gold will fall, you shouldn’t just sell at any price. You need to identify a key resistance level where a reversal is likely to happen.
For example:
• If Gold is trading at $2900, and strong resistance is at $2920, a professional trader will set a sell limit order at that resistance level rather than shorting randomly.
This approach ensures that you enter at a strategic point where the probability of success is higher.
________________________________________
Step 2: Setting the Stop Loss
🔹 Where do I place my stop loss?
A trade without a stop loss is just gambling. Managing risk is far more important than being right about market direction.
The key is to determine:
✅ How much risk am I willing to take?
✅ Where is the invalidation level for my trade idea?
For example:
• If you are shorting Gold at $2920, you might place your stop loss at $2935—above a recent high or key technical level.
• This way, if the price moves against you, you have a predefined maximum loss, avoiding emotional decision-making.
Professional traders never risk more than a small percentage of their account on a single trade. Risk management is everything.
________________________________________
Step 3: Setting the Take Profit Target
🔹 Where do I set my take profit, and does the trade make sense in terms of risk/reward?
Before taking any trade, you must ensure that your reward outweighs your risk.
For example:
• If you risk $15 per ounce (short at $2920, stop loss at $2935), your take profit should be at least $30 away (for a 1:2 risk/reward).
• A good target in this case could be $2890 or lower.
This means that for every dollar you risk, you aim to make two dollars—ensuring long-term profitability even if only 40-50% of your trades succeed.
If the trade doesn’t offer a good risk/reward, it’s simply not worth taking.
________________________________________
Conclusion: The “Set and Forget” Mentality
Once you’ve answered these three key questions and placed your trade, the best approach is to let the market do its thing.
✅ Set your entry, stop loss, and take profit.
✅ Follow your trading plan.
✅ Avoid emotional reactions.
Many traders lose money because they constantly interfere with their trades—moving stop losses, closing positions too early, or hesitating to take profits.
Instead, adopt a professional approach: set your trade and let it run.
📌 Final Thought:
The next time you find yourself asking, “Will Gold go up or down today?” , stop and ask yourself:
📊 Where is my entry?
📉 Where is my stop loss?
💰 Where is my take profit, and does the risk/reward make sense?
This is how professional traders think, plan, and execute—and it’s what separates them from amateurs.
👉 What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to executing trades? Let’s discuss in the comments! 🚀
Disclosure: I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analyses and educational articles.
MINDSET: Trading is The Only True Path to Financial FreedomFinancial freedom—it’s the goal everyone chases but few ever reach. The world sells you a million ways to get rich: grinding a 9-to-5, climbing the corporate ladder, starting a business, investing in real estate. But the truth? Trading is the only path that offers complete financial autonomy. No bosses, no employees, no overhead—just you, the markets, and the ability to scale your wealth indefinitely.
The Illusion of Traditional Wealth-Building
People spend decades in careers that leave them dependent on someone else’s paycheck. Even business owners and investors face external risks—regulations, economic downturns, and unpredictable market shifts that limit their control.
Trading, however, is a pure meritocracy. The market doesn’t care about your background, degrees, or connections. It rewards skill, discipline, and adaptability.
Why Trading Stands Alone
Unlimited Earning Potential – Unlike a job, where your salary is capped, trading offers the ability to scale indefinitely.
Complete Time Freedom – Once profitable, you decide when and how much you work. A few well-placed trades can replace weeks of grinding at a traditional job.
No Middlemen – You don’t need clients, customers, or employees. Your success is fully in your hands.
Geographical Independence – As long as you have an internet connection, you can trade from anywhere in the world.
The Harsh Reality: Trading Isn’t Easy
Now, let’s be real—most traders fail because they treat it like a lottery ticket instead of a skill.
They chase signals, blow accounts, and then blame the markets. But those who master the psychological and technical aspects of trading gain something no job or business can provide: total financial sovereignty.
Are You Ready to Take Control?
Trading is the only financial vehicle where you set the rules and have the power to create generational wealth—without relying on an employer, a system, or a customer base.
The real question is: Are you willing to put in the work to claim that freedom?
Let’s talk in the comments.
#TradingFreedom #NoMore9to5 #FinancialIndependence
PEPE Spot Long Trade Psychological trade
the market behavior and trader psychology that can drive price movements during breakout events. Traders often react to certain price levels, trends, and patterns in ways that influence decision-making and price action.
How to Manage Psychological Challenges in Breakout Trades:
Plan and Discipline: Having a clear plan helps avoid the emotional traps that can lead to rash decisions. This includes setting entry points, stop losses, and take profits ahead of time, so traders don’t rely on emotional reactions to price moves.
Risk Management: Proper position sizing, stop losses, and using a risk-reward ratio can help mitigate the psychological stress of a breakout trade. When risk is controlled, traders are less likely to panic during a false breakout or sudden market reversal.
Avoiding Overtrading: Traders who become overzealous or overly excited about breakouts can end up entering trades without proper confirmation or at bad risk-reward ratios. Sticking to a strategy and being selective with trades helps in avoiding emotional burnout.
Recognize False Breakouts:
False breakouts can be psychologically draining, especially when traders experience significant losses. Being able to step back, reassess, and avoid chasing every breakout can help reduce the psychological impact.
The Inside Out InvestorThere is a common misconception that investing in stocks is always stressful and emotionally overwhelming. Many people think that this activity is only available to extremely resilient people or crazy people. In fact, if you know the answers to three key questions, investing becomes a rather boring activity. Let me remind you of them below:
1. Which stocks to choose?
2. At what price should the trade be made?
3. In what volume?
As for me, most of the time, I'm just in waiting mode. First, I wait for the company's business to start showing sustainable growth dynamics in profits and other fundamental indicators. Then, I wait for a sell-off of strong company shares at unreasonably low prices. Of course, this requires a lot of patience and a positive outlook on the future. That's why I believe that being young is one of the key advantages of being a beginner investor. The younger you are, the more time you have to wait.
However, we still have to get to this boring state. And if you've embarked on this long journey, expect to encounter many emotions that will test your strength. To help me understand them, I came up with the following map.
Next I will comment on each of its elements from left to right.
Free Cash horizontal line (from 0% to 100%) - X axis
When you first open and fund a brokerage account, your Free Cash is equal to 100% of the account. Then it will gradually decrease as you buy shares. If Free Cash is 0%, then all your money in the account was invested in shares. In short, it is a scale of how much your portfolio is loaded with stocks.
Vertical line Alpha - Y axis
Alpha is the ratio of the change in your portfolio to the change in an alternative portfolio that you do not own but use as a reference (in other words, a benchmark). For example, such a benchmark could be an ETF (exchange-traded fund) on the S&P500 index if you invest in wide US market stocks. Buying an ETF does not require any effort on your part as a manager, so it is useful to compare the performance of such an asset with the performance of your portfolio and calculate Alpha. In this example, it is the ratio of your portfolio's return to the return of the S&P 500 ETF. At the level where Alpha is zero, there is a horizontal Free Cash line. Above this line is positive Alpha (in which case you are outperforming the broader market), below zero is negative Alpha (in which case your portfolio is outperforming the benchmark). Let me clarify that the portfolio yield includes the financial result for both open and closed positions.
Fear of the button
This is the emotion that blocks the sending of an order to buy shares. Being captivated by this emotion, you will be afraid to press this button, realizing that investing in shares does not guarantee a positive result at all. In other words, you may lose some of your money irretrievably. This fear is absolutely justified. If you feel this way, consider the size of your stock investment account and the percentage amount you are willing to lose. Remember to diversify your portfolio. If you can't find a balance between account size, acceptable loss, and diversification, don't press the button. Come back to her when you're ready.
Enthusiasm
At this stage, you have a high share of Free Cash, and you also have your first open positions in stocks. Your Alpha is positive. You are not afraid to press the button, but there is a certain excitement about the future result. The state of enthusiasm is quite fragile and can quickly turn into a state of FOMO if Alpha moves into the negative zone. Therefore, it is critical to continue learning the chosen strategy at this stage. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
FOMO
FOMO is a common acronym used to describe a psychological condition known as fear of missing out. In the stock market, this manifests itself as fear of missing out. This condition is typical for a portfolio with a high proportion of Free Cash and negative Alpha. As the benchmark's return outpaces your portfolio's return, you will be in a nervous state. The main worry will be that you didn't buy the stocks that are currently the growth leaders. You will be tempted to deviate from your chosen strategy and take a chance on buying something on the off chance. To get rid of this condition, you need to understand that the stock market has existed for hundreds of years, and thousands of companies trade on it. Every year, new companies emerge, as well as new investment opportunities. Remind yourself that you are not here for one million dollar deal, but for systematic work with opportunities that will always be there.
Zen
The most desirable state of an investor is when he understands all the details of the chosen strategy and has effective experience in its application. This is expressed in positive Alpha and excellent mood. Taking the time to manage your portfolio, developing habits and a disciplined approach will bring satisfaction and the feeling that you are on the right track. At this stage, it is important to maintain this state, and not to chase after thrills.
Disappointment
This stage is a mirror of the Zen state. It can develop from the FOMO stage, especially if you break your own rules and invest on luck. It can also be caused by a sharp deterioration in the condition of a portfolio, which was doing well in the Zen state. If everything is clear in the first case, and you just need to stop acting weird , then in the second situation you should remember why you ended up in a state of Zen. Investments are always a series of profitable and unprofitable trades. However, losing trades cannot be considered a failure if they were made in accordance with the principles of the chosen strategy. Just keep following the accepted rules to win in the long run. Also remember that Mr. Market is crazy enough to offer prices that seem absurd to you. Yes, this can negatively affect your Alpha, but at the same time provide opportunities to open new positions according to the chosen strategy.
Euphoria
Another way out of the Zen state is called Euphoria. This is typical dizziness from success. At this stage you have little Free Cash, a large share of stocks in your portfolio and phenomenally positive Alpha. You feel like a king and lose your composure. That is why this stage is marked in red. In a state of euphoria, you may feel like everything you touch turns to gold. You feel the desire to take a risk and play for luck. You don't want to close positions with good profits. Furthermore, you think you can close at the highs and make even more money. You are deviating from the chosen strategy, which is fraught with major negative consequences. It only takes a few non-systemic decisions to push your Alpha into the negative zone and find yourself in a state of disappointment. If your ego doesn't stop there, the decline may continue.
Tilt
A prolonged state of disappointment or a rapid fall of Alpha from the Euphoria stage can lead to the most negative psycho-emotional state called Tilt. This term is widely used in the game of poker, but can also be used in investments. While in this state, the investor does everything out of strategy, his actions are chaotic and in many ways aggressive. He thinks the stock market owes him something. The investor cannot stop his irrational actions, trying to regain his former success or get out of a series of failures in the shortest possible time. This usually ends in big losses. It is better to inform your loved ones in advance that such a condition exists. Don't be embarrassed by this, even if you think you are immune to such situations. A person in a state of tilt withdraws into himself and acts in a state of affect. Therefore, it is significant to bring him out of this state and show that the outside world exists and has its own unique value.
Now let's talk about your expectations, as they largely determine your attitude towards investing. Never turn your positive expectations into a benchmark. The stock market is an element that is absolutely indifferent to our forecasts. Even strong companies can fall in price if there is a shortage of liquidity in the market. In times of crisis, everyone suffers, but the most prepared suffer the least. Therefore, the main task of a smart investor is to work on himself until the moment he presses the coveted button. There will always be a chance to do this. As I said, the market will not disappear tomorrow. But to use this chance wisely, you need to be prepared. This means that you should have an answer to all three questions above. Then you will definitely catch your Zen.
10 tricks for developing discipline or here was WarrenIf you asked me, what is the most valuable trait an investor should have, I would call it the ability to follow your own rules. In other words, it is discipline. A novice investor can learn quickly, know all the features of the chosen strategy from A to Z, but it is unlikely that he will succeed without this trait. So, Warren Buffett called persistence your engine, and discipline the guarantee of a successful future.
Imagine that you have sailed to an unusually beautiful island with the goal of finding a treasure chest. To achieve this, you have a map with a description of all the paths and turns that you need to take to reach your goal. However, after the first 100 meters of the path you understand that this island has a huge number of amazing plants, ripe fruits, and curious animals. All this is very interesting and attractive for you: firstly, you want to take a photo of a beautiful flower, secondly, try a tropical fruit, thirdly, play with a funny monkey. “Why not? This is a great chance!” you think. After a while, having enjoyed the life of the island, you realize that it is already evening, and it is easier to spend the night somewhere under a palm tree and continue the search for treasure tomorrow, during daylight hours. “That’s a smart idea!” you note and begin to prepare a place to sleep.
In the morning, you wake up in a good mood, you are greeted by familiar flowers, fruits and a cheerful parrot. Since you already know all this, you decide to continue following the map to find the treasure today and sail on. The path is easy for you: the entire route is marked in advance, you just follow these instructions. So, here you are. At the roots of the largest palm tree, under many branches, there should be a treasure chest hidden. You clear away the branches, and here your expectation collides with a shocking reality. Instead of a chest, you see a hole, where at the bottom, with a wooden stick, is written: “Warren was here”.
In this example, Warren had the same map as you. Moreover, he arrived on the island much later. The only difference is his model of achieving the goal. He understood that exploring the island was not a priority for him right now. Warren would be happy to return there, but this time with the goal of relaxing, perhaps on his brand-new ship. And while he came to the island to look for treasure, he is looking for it. Everything else, despite all its attractiveness, is for him a risk of not achieving the goal.
I also think of my stock investing strategy as a map that helps me understand where I should turn in any given situation. The only thing that makes me follow the route is discipline. Unfortunately, I can't put the stock market on pause or ignore corporate news - they all require my attention. If I choose this path, I follow it. In other words, if I am not going to follow the recommendations of my map, then why did I choose this path?
However, how difficult it is to look calmly at temptations. A man is not a robot. So we need some tricks that can help us with discipline. I think that in this regard, the most brilliant invention of mankind was and remains the alarm clock. No matter how much we sleep, when the alarm rings, we wake up. The most disciplined people even set several alarms to make sure they wake up! On the one hand, it irritates us like crazy, on the other hand, have you ever thought about how well it helps us relax? After all, there is no longer a need to wake up and determine the time by the brightness of the sun from the window - now we have an alarm clock! It turns out that discipline can be associated with pleasant things.
By the way, on TradingView, such a brilliant invention is “Alerts”. I wrote about this function in the article: “A pill for missed opportunities” . I will only add that the alert system can be applied not only to the stock price, but also to the indicators that you use on the chart, as well as to a whole watch list. So, make a list of companies you want to keep an eye on. Then set alerts when a certain condition related to price or indicator value is reached. And finally, wait calmly. Yes, this is what will take up all your time - waiting. And believe me, it takes a lot of discipline to just wait.
To develop this trait, I recommend creating habits that are organically linked to your strategy. For example, to decide about a deal, I constantly refer to news about the selected companies. It is significant for me to understand whether critical events have arisen that could influence my decision to open or close a position. However, regularly reading corporate news can hardly be called a fascinating activity for everyone. This is not looking at memes at all. Therefore, below I will give a few tricks that will help make this (and not only this) activity systemic:
1. Set your alarm for 1 hour before the stock market opens. Let this signal remind you that it is time to study the news on companies that have already been bought or are very close to being bought.
2. Make access to news as convenient as possible. Install the TradingView app on your phone, tablet, home computer or laptop. Don't have problems accessing information in any situation: if you are lying on the couch, sitting at the table or walking in the park.
3. Start with small steps. For example, start by reading only the headlines of news stories, rather than the entire story at once. Gradually increase the amount of incoming information. In one full hour, you can easily gather all the information you need to get a complete picture before the market opens.
4. Use modern technologies. For example, reading news from your voice assistant. This is convenient if you are on the move.
5. Combine your habit with another direction you are developing. For example, if you are learning a foreign language, practice reading the news in that language.
6. Organize public attention to your habit. For example, agree with your wife that for every time you skip a habit, you take her to a new restaurant (I think the most effective method for married men). Chat with like-minded people and/or post your thoughts on the news on social networks. The extra attention will motivate you to keep doing it.
7. Add a little joy to your news reading habit. If you like freshly squeezed juice, place a glass of it next to you. After the work you've done, be sure to thank yourself. For example, a delicious dessert or watching one episode of your favorite TV series.
8. Formulate your goal as follows: not to be someone who understands everything, but to be someone who never misses a single event.
9. Separately, I would like to draw attention to keeping a diary of your operations. This is an essential document that will help you track your progress - your Track Record. At the same time, it is one of the systemic habits. I recommend adding to Track Record information about cash transactions, trades, taxes, dividends, conditions that prompted you to open or close a position in shares. You can organize such a diary in any spreadsheet to calculate some of the metrics using formulas.
Below, I will present the metrics that I use in my Track Record. All data in it will be provided as an example only.
10. And finally, I think it is significant to visualize your achievements not only in electronic form, but also to have a physical embodiment of your results. For example, these can be empty glass flasks where you can put coins or balls corresponding to certain actions: opening a position, closing a position with a profit, closing a position with a loss, paying dividends. One flask - one year. Such an installation will look beautiful in your room or office and will remind you of what you have finally achieved. You might even have some interesting stories to tell to curious guests who notice this piece of furniture.
123 Quick Learn Trading Tips #2: Stay Cool, Trade Smart🎯 123 Quick Learn Trading Tips #2: Stay Cool, Trade Smart
"Don't let anger empty your pockets. Trade with a cool head."
Navid Jafarian
❓ Ever get mad when you lose a game?
❓ Want to try again and win RIGHT AWAY?
Trading can feel like that, but with real money. It's easy to blame losses on things you can't control, like the news or bad luck.
✅ Truth is, everyone loses sometimes in trading. The best traders don't get angry. They learn from their mistakes and move on.💪
‼️ Don't try to "get even" with the market after a loss. That's how you lose even more!
🗝 Take charge, learn, and make the next trade better.
❗️Remember:
The best traders stay calm and focused. Just like a pro!
NZDUSD GARTLEYHarmonic Pattern Trading Strategy:
1. Combine patterns with 2-3 confirmations (e.g., MA, BB, RSI, Stoch) for increased accuracy.
2. Implement proper risk management.
3. Limit exposure to 3% of capital per trade.
4. Exercise caution: Not every Harmonic Pattern presents a good trading opportunity.
5. Conduct thorough diligence and analysis before trading.
Disciplined approach = Enhanced edge.