Avoiding Mental Sabotage

By Larry Levin

I have heard that 95% or more of all traders ultimately fail.

Have you ever wondered why?

Most traders will tell you it was the system or method they were using. They'll also tell you they had a few bad trades they couldn't recover from. Or their dog chewed through the telephone cord just as their computer crashed, and they couldn't get out of a losing trade.

Everyone has a different reason, but when you hear enough of them, a pattern begins to develop. I believe most traders fail because they sabotage themselves.

The markets work differently from other investing opportunities. There is probably more freedom in the trading business than any other industry in the world.

You can do what you want, whenever you want to do it. You can trade 1 contract or 100. Buy the market or sell it; it's up to you. The only thing that holds you back is running out of capital.

Most people are not accustomed to that much freedom.

If you can’t control the market, the only thing you can control is yourself.

Trading is also very different than the things we do on a daily basis. In everyday life we exercise some control over our environment. If a room is too dark we turn the light on. If we want to go somewhere, we jump in the car and turn the key.

In trading you can't control what the market does.

No matter how much you want the market to go in a certain direction, there is nothing you can do to force that to happen. You can't turn a key or flip a switch. Hoping, pleading, screaming… nothing will make the market do what you want it to.

Embrace the uncertainty – plan for the best and worst cases

One of the most important things you can do to avoid the mental sabotage is to understand the lack of control you have over the market, and plan for every trade. Now I don’t mean a trading plan like buy a contract and then close the position when the market trades higher. I mean a real plan. That includes specific entry points based on certain market movements or conditions. It means exit strategies for when things go right and for things go really wrong. It means placing limits and stops and keeping your emotions in check. If you have a roadmap for your day, you are less likely to fall into that trap of mental sabotage.

Remember: if you can't control the market, the only thing you can control is yourself.

Successful traders all understand and embrace this concept. Unsuccessful traders continue to try to make the market conform to their wishes.
http://club.ino.com

Quote for the day

"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality in the mind next to honour " - Aristotle

CSE - Percentage wise Top 25 Gainers and Losers in April 2016 & YTD

Top 25 Gainers in April 2016

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 29-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“Conventional wisdom interprets the stock market as reacting to new era theories. In fact, it appears that the stock market often creates new era theories, as reporters scramble to justify stock market price moves.” -  Robert J. Shiller

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 28-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” - Dale Carnegie

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 27-Apr-2016

Sri Lanka's Top 100 Valuable Brands - 2016

Source: www.lmd.lk

Quote for the day

“Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 26-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“Should you find yourself in a chronically-leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.” - Warren Buffett

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 25-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“The Heisenberg principle in physics provides an analogy for the markets. If something is closely observed, the odds are it is going to be altered in the process.” - Bruce Kovner

7 Toxic Beliefs to Let Go Of Right Now

By Kye

Our beliefs are among the most powerful forces in our lives.

They shade our perception and colour how we see the world. They motivate us to act a certain way.

Sometimes they hold us back from taking action when we should.

While many beliefs have the power to change our lives for the better, many of us have toxic beliefs we cling tightly to—beliefs we may even have been taught are positive and healthy.

Sometimes we are not even aware of these pernicious assumptions and values—yet they are shaping our lives day by day in unhealthy ways. They hold us back from reaching our potential, and prevent us from finding our happiness.

Here are seven toxic beliefs to let go of right now to be a happier person…

Quote for the day

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joshua J. Marine

10 Things I Learned from Steve Jobs about Trading and Life

By Ivanhoff

Less is more, simple is good.

That’s been one of my mantras—focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex; you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.

Your first loss is your best loss

Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.

When studying the market and speculating about the future, the past is all we have.

Quote for the day

“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C s. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” - Walt Disney

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 22-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

”In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” – Tony Robbins

30 Thoughts to Keep You Positive

By Lidiya.K

We all get upset every now and then and lose hope, think that things will never get better and we probably won't have the life we've always been dreaming about.

But that's not true. Let's not live in the prison of being sad and depressed because of momentous stuff, other people, daily problems or outer factors.

Positivity can be kept throughout the whole year and once you get used to this attitude towards life, you'll become much more contented with who you are and the way things turn out. You'll be smiling more, will focus on the good stuff in your life and that will make you considerably more satisfied and peaceful.

Here are some things to keep in mind that will remind you of how good life actually is:

1. Everything you don't like about yourself and your life can be changed.

Quote for the day

"The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities." - Sophocles

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 20-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money, power and influence” - Henry Chester

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 19-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” - William James

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 18-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“Success, real success, in any endeavour demands more from an individual than most people are willing to offer-not more than they are capable of offering.” - James Roche

How stressed are you?

Stress, as difficult as it might be to accept, is an important part of our lives. It can bring out the best in us, motivating us towards ever greater heights of personal achievement.

But too much stress, or feeling unable to cope with it, can take a serious toll on our wellbeing. Follow the flowchart below to find out if you might be suffering from serious stress.

Source: http://www.visualistan.com/

Quote for the day

“To establish the right price for a stock the market must have adequate information, but it by no means follows that if the market has this information, it will thereupon establish the right price. The market's evaluation of the same data can vary over a wide range, dependent on bullish enthusiasm, concentrated speculative interest and similar influences, or bearish disillusionment. Knowledge is only seen as one ingredient in arriving at a stock's proper price. The other ingredient, fully as important as information, is sound judgement.” - Benjamin Graham

Winning Trader & Whining Trader

There are two very different types of traders, one that wins and one that whines. Whiners hardly ever win and winners rarely whine. Trading is a tough business and you have to be able to keep the right mind set to get you through the rough spots. When the markets start trying to knock you off your trading plan and system. Mental strength more than any other one thing will determine your success. You can come back from losing your whole account but you can’t come back from completely losing your faith and confidence in yourself. Your mind must be one of a winning trader . We should not entertain internal or external whining. Keep the faith, stay focused on your long term destination and what it will take to get there.

Winning traders take responsibility. Whining traders play the victim.

Winning traders take the right entries. Whining traders get in too early or too late and miss the opportunity.

Winning traders find a way to make money. Whining traders find an excuse why they did not.

Winning traders add value by entering a trading discussion. Whining traders add value by leaving a trading discussion.

Winning traders study ten times as much as they trade. Whining traders trade ten times more than they study.

Winning traders enjoy the game and the profits. Whining traders enjoy their delusions of the big score.

Winning traders build a mentor relationship. Whining traders think they are too smart for a mentor.

Winning traders are realistic about their possible returns. Whining traders are delusional about what returns are probable for them.

Winning traders are focused on their trading expertise. Whining traders are scatter brained and their style drifts to what they think will work.

Winning traders approach their trading as a business. Whining traders approach their trading as a hobby or gambling.

Winning is a state of mind as much as a winning process. Whining is trading with the wrong set of mind and feeling like a victim when the error was trading without a good long term process.

Source: www.newtraderu.com

Quote for the day

“Initiative is the hardest and most important lesson of all.” - Serge Kahili King

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 15-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

"Low self-confidence isn't a life sentence. Self-confidence can be learned, practiced, and mastered--just like any other skill. Once you master it, everything in your life will change for the better." - Barrie Davenport

Quote for the day

"We avoid the things that we're afraid of because we think there will be dire consequences if we confront them. But the truly dire consequences in our lives come from avoiding things that we need to learn about or discover." - ShaktiGawain

The SriLankan Share Market Wishes its readers a Happy Sinhala and Hindu New Year

25 Excellent Pieces of Advice That Most People Ignore

When you hear good advice, you should always do two things: Take it in and pass it on.

By Lolly Daskal

It's easy to find someone to tell you what you want to hear, but your true ally is one who tells you what you need to learn.

Give yourself an edge with these 25 gems of sage advice that most people ignore.

1. Take time to know yourself. "Know thyself" said Aristotle. When you know who you are, you can be wise about your goals, your dreams, your standards, your convictions. Knowing who you are allows you to live your life with purpose and meaning.

2. A narrow focus brings big results. The number one reason people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go instead of how far they have come. But it's a series of small wins that can give us the most significant success.

Quote for a day

"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less-than-perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful." - Mark Victor Hansen

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 12-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“The essential element is having a core philosophy. Without a core philosophy you're not going to be able to hold on to your positions or stick with your trading plan during really difficult times. You must fully understand, strongly believe in, and be totally committed to your trading philosophy.” -  Richard Driehaus

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 11-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them.” - Phyllis Bottome

10 Simple Truths Smart People Forget

By Mark Chernoff

Some of the smartest people I know continuously struggle to get ahead because they forget to address a few simple truths that collectively govern our potential to make progress. So here's a quick reminder:

#1 – Education and intelligence accomplish nothing without action.

It doesn't matter if you have a genius IQ and a PhD in Quantum Physics, you can't change anything or make any sort of real-world progress without taking action. There's a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it. Knowledge and intelligence are both useless without action. It's as simple as that. For some practical guidance on taking action, I highly recommend The Now Habit.

Quote for the day

“The individual activity of one man with backbone will do more than a thousand men with a mere wishbone.” - William Boetcker

7 Powerful Beliefs That Will Lead You to Success

By Lolly Daskal

Whatever you're setting out to do, these 7 essentials beliefs can help steer you toward your goals.

We all have that inner voice--the that tells you you're not going to make it.

That you're not good enough. You're undeserving. It's too late. You can't win. You fail at everything.

If you listen to it, that voice will dictate the beliefs you hold about yourself.

With these seven powerful beliefs, you can change that voice, change your thoughts,change your life.

Record them in your mind and heart so there's no room for negativity and doubt, and then aim for the stars.

Quote for the day

“There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: Those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.” - Ray Goforth

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 08-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“There are times when money can be made investing and speculating in stocks, but money cannot consistently be made trading every day or every week during the year. Only the foolhardy will try it. It is just not in the cards and cannot be done.” - Jesse Livermore

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 07-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“Since investors are human and make mistakes, they're never 100% sure of their vision and whether or not their view is correct. So price adjustments take time as they fluctuate and a new consensus is formed in the face of changing market conditions and new facts. For some changes this consensus is easy to reach, but there are other events that take time to formulate a market view. It's those events that take time that form the basis of our profits.” - John W. Henry

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 06-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

“There is intelligent speculation as there is intelligent investing. But there are many ways in which speculation may be unintelligent. Of these the foremost are: (1) speculating when you think you are investing; (2) speculating seriously instead of as a pastime, when you lack proper knowledge and skill for it; and (3) risking more money in speculation than you can afford to lose.” - Ben Graham

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 05-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

"If you don't educate yourself, you'll never get out of the starting block because you'll spend all your money making foolish decisions." - Daymond John

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 04-Apr-2016

Quote for the day

"A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer." - Bruce Lee

10 Attributes of a Great Trader

By John Netto

Over the course of my 20 years in the trading arena, poker business, and sports odds making, certain inalienable qualities seem to resonate in those exhibiting consistent success. The process to acquire this skill set is by no means assured and represents a constant work in progress. A process invariably leading us through multiple peaks and valleys, calling into question what compels us to compete in a trading arena that oscillates so easily from unimaginably predicable to perversely difficult.

These attributes are applicable on a much grander scale, as they transcend the world of trading and investing. If you’re reading this article, odds are you possess a certain entrepreneurial zeal and penchant for taking on risk. Great leaders, doctors, lawyers, and other prominent people in society will usually possess many, if not all, of these qualities.

These 10 attributes are so important that they make up the core training I conduct for those that attend my mentorship program, any in person multi-day workshop, or those who decide to invest in my fund. They are not listed in any particular order of preference, as all have great significance and overlap with each other. I implore you to use them as a template to decide what is important and how to incorporate them to make substantive improvements to your trading and personal life.

Quote for the day

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

15 ways to guarantee you won't become a millionaire

By Kathleen Elkins

We've cued you in on steps to take to get rich — but which choices will stunt your path to wealth?

Here, we rounded up habits, beliefs, and traits that self-made millionaires and authors have identified as inhibiting if you want to build wealth.

As always, no promises of future riches or predictions of the future, but steering clear of these 15 things can't hurt:

01. Buying things you can't afford

Living above your means is a sure fire road to financial stress — and even if you start earning more or get a hefty raise, don't use that as justification to give yourself a lifestyle raise.

"I didn't buy my first luxury watch or car until my businesses and investments were producing multiple secure flows of income,"writes self-made millionaire Grant Cardone at Entrepreneur. "I was still driving a Toyota Camry when I had become a millionaire. Be known for your work ethic, not the trinkets that you buy."

Quote for the day

“My approach works not by making valid predictions, but by allowing me to correct false ones.” - George Soros

Colombo Stock Exchange Trade Summary 01-Apr-2016

CSE - Percentage wise Top 25 Gainers and Losers in March 2016 & YTD

Top 25 Gainers in March 2016

Quote for the day

“There are a lot of elements to risk control: Always know exactly where you stand. Don't concentrate too much of your money on one big trade or group of highly correlated trades. Always understand the risk-reward of the trade as it now stands, not as it existed when you put the position on.” - Bill Lipschutz