Friday 25 December 2020

82 Tips For Successful Trading

 By Todd Mitchell

Every serious trader should not only understand each of these trading principles/statements, but abide by them as if your life depended on it, that is, if you truly want to be a Successful Trader!

(1) Always Listen to what the market is telling you.

(2) Do NOT try to outguess the market; but rather let it serve as the guide on how to trade the set-up.

(3) Waiting for the Trigger before taking a trade helps you trade consistently and avoid speculation.

(4) Many professional traders & institutional buyers buy breakouts. When money starts flowing you can ride the coattails of the large money on the way up.

(5) Buying bottoms and shorting tops is largely a failing method, despite the predisposition of most new traders to attempt these types of trades.

(6) All breakout traders have to deal with the reality of false moves and whipsaws, so I suggest NOT entering the market on breakouts, but rather buy and sell on pullbacks (i.e. retracements).

(7) Successful trading is much more difficult than it first appears. It requires a long process of market watching and practicing chart pattern recognition.

(8) There are NO Guarantees in trading, No absolutes. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something.

(9) People often underestimate the effectiveness of simple trading methods, focusing more on advanced techniques, in essence, equating complexity with profitability. Technology has fooled many traders into believing the more complicated a trading strategy is, the better the chances of success. However, simple trading rules CAN produce profitable systematic trading approaches that are easy to understand and execute.

(10) All traders are opportunists and will/should take advantage of any benefit offered to them.

(11) If a trader can't make money with what's available now, they won't make money by inventing a new indicator.

(12) We think even day traders need to do some macro work.

(13) Take what the market will give you, don't become greedy or you'll suffer.

(14) Personal issues that are not properly handled can sabotage the best trading methodology and most committed efforts.

(15) Streaming quotes and fast executions won't make you a penny if you don't have a sound trading methodology.

(16) Making money trading is never easy. But without a sound trading methodology, it can be virtually impossible.

(17) Always look to reduce your risk first and then look to increase your profitability second.

(18) To keep winning in the markets you have to continue and try to improve your skills as a trader.

(19) If you're truly serious about trading for a living, one of the first things you should set out to do is find a winner to emulate. Find a mentor who's been there.

(20) One of the most common reasons that traders put their trading on hold is fear; fear of making a serious mistake, of not being perfect, of failing, of losing face, of losing all their capital, and of feeling pain. In each case, the fear is of some kind of loss, and loss always results in pain.

(21) Profitable day trading often results from capturing market swings without regard to the overall market trend.

(22) Volatility is the essence of trading, creating the reward and risk that makes a market.

(23) Complacency with a trading approach is real danger in trading.

(24) Bulls make money and Bears make money, But PIGS get slaughtered.

(25) Oscillators can be used to help give trade signals, confirm trades, offer timing clues and help identify general market trends, but a successful trader still needs to understand price action analysis.

(26) Most traders real problems are in their failure to cut losses short, an inability to be disciplined, letting their egos get personally involved in the market, fear and greed, and a lack of risk management.

(27) I recommend analyzing every trade you make, it WILL be the best learning tool you'll ever have.

(28) Never think of trading in terms of the greed factor; always think of the loss potential first.

(29) What separates the pros from the amateurs is when a trade doesn't reach its potential profit level and you're still able to exit the market with a profit.

(30) If new traders can last six months to a year, they definitely have hope of succeeding.

(31) It's very important to do something to occupy your mind away from the market take breaks.

(32) Know your trading personality. That's what separates winning traders from losing traders.

(33) Trading losses need to be monitored, but profits take care of themselves.

(34) If you focus on the money, you tend to make more trading mistakes because you get too emotional. You must focus on your trading you will then make better trading decisions. Sometimes this is easier said than done but it is very important!

(35) A traders success or failure ALWAYS comes down to their mental state of mind very important!

(36) Emotions can never be completely eliminated from trading, but by cultivating an awareness of patterns that impact your trading, the better you will manage that emotional edge.

(37) An ongoing look at a trading journal and the analysis of individual trades WILL definitely help in your success as a trader!

(38) Understanding the risk and reward characteristics of your trading methodology/system is vital to consistent success with that trading approach.

(39) Discipline, patience, persistence & a well thought-out trading plan will definitely help with the emotions & psychology of trading.

(40) Most successful people have lost more than they made.

(41) You must believe in yourself & have confidence in yourself, without it you will never become a successful trader NO questions about it!

(42) You MUST have realistic (trading) goals when trading the markets.

(43) Let me ask you a simple question: What's the most you've ever lost in a trade & how long did it take you to lose that money? Were you able to recoup that money? And how long did it take to let go of your loss & move on?

(44) Let me tell you what one of the best kept secrets in the trading world is, Almost Nothing Turns Out As Expected.

(45) The best trading plans usually go wrong. Not occasionally, Not sometimes but Usually.

(46) Most traders want certainty & reliability  they want a system, or an advisor, or a market indicator they can count on to tell them what to do.And the more they don't get it, the more they want it.

(47) Trading systems NEVER produce the results advertised for them, forecasts rarely come true, trading advisors with records of phenomenal success almost always fail to deliver when you put your money with them, and the best trading analysis is contradicted by reality.

(48) Most traders lives are filled with a continuing series of examples that didn't turn out as planned. And a majority of traders continue to hope that success and certainty are just around the corner.

(49) Most people are first attracted to the markets by the thought of making a lot of money fast without having to really work for it, THINK AGAIN!  This is definitely the wrong thought process for success especially in this business.

(50) No one will look after and trade your money the way you will NO ONE Period! Do NOT let any supposedly competent advisor trade or manage your money.

(51) Most traders keep searching for the Holy Grail, but they never find it. A Holy Grail does NOT exist in this business.

(52) If you want Predictions, Read the Enquirer.

(53) When you give up the hope that some advisor, some system, some source of inside tips is going to give you a shortcut to wealth, you'll finally begin to gain control over your trading/investing future.

(54) When you finally give up the search for certainty, an enormous burden will be lifted from your shoulders — and then you can finally begin to learn to trade/invest realistically and successfully.

(55) Realize that trading is a psychological game rather than an economic, fundamental or technical game.

(56) Realize that understanding yourself is the KEY to profit making decisions and strategy.

(57) Don't Struggle. Remember, the market is always right. Always Try To Follow The Path Of Least Resistance.

(58) We as traders Don't Deal The Deck. We Just Play The Percentages.

(60) There are only three (3) areas to master in trading:

(1) Knowing Ourselves (psychological)

(2) Knowing What To Do, and

(3) Doing What You Know.

(61) Moving average crossover systems generally lead to Whipsaws most of the time.

(62) Realize that once you make up your mind that you are willing to work on issues that are blocking your success, there is no stopping you when you apply the right trading method(s).

(63) Always start off by paper trading to see if you truly understand what you're doing. Remember, there is NO rush the markets will still be around tomorrow.

(64) Setting logical Profit Objectives is one great way to take the guesswork out of exiting the market.

(65) Always Use Stop Losses! There are no exceptions.

(66) What you lose in money in the markets, gain in Skill and Knowledge — Learn From Your Mistakes!

(67) Always Protect Yourself with a stop loss technique, If you don't employ stops when you trade, You WILL Not Become Successful!

(68) There is truth in the old adage "A fool and his money soon part."

(69) Taking Profits is a balancing act: Hold on too long and you risk giving back your profits. Get out too soon and your gains might not be worth holding on to. But by using an approach to solve this puzzle you can establish intelligent profit targets that only help enhance your performance.

(70) Trading, like any other profession, is an acquired set of skills that you must take time to Learn in order to be successful.

(71) For most people, there's a learning curve  a step-by-step process of obtaining skills in areas such as trade entry, trade exits (profit targets, protective stops, etc.), trade management, money management, not to mention learning to manage yourself psychologically.

(72) Hindsight is one thing, but in real-time trading you don't know an exact outcome especially in the business of trading/investing.

(73) Major obstacles in successful trading are;
 
(1) Lack of Confidence, and 

(2) a High Anxiety Level.

(74) The more time frames you watch simultaneously, the more confused you will get.

(75) Some of the most profitable traders use a strategy of selling rallies in a downtrend and buying dips in an uptrend.

(76) Sell-offs accompanied by high volume often indicate downside exhaustion and are generally followed by quick bounces.

(77) Traders who act quickly and use strict risk control can do very well in the markets.

(78) What separates a successful trader from an unsuccessful trader is composure and discipline in the market.

(79) Look for trades with the market (TREND), not against the market.

(80) No matter what trading strategy successful traders use, they always know how to identify good trade set-ups and do NOT push trades when they are not there.

(81) While the key to real estate may be location, location, location — the key to successful trading/investing is discipline, discipline, discipline.

(82) It's not you against the market, but rather it's YOU AGAINST YOURSELF.

We hope you've been able to get something out of The 82 Statements of Successful Trading. We also hope you see / learn something you didn't already see / learn before.
Source: www.tradingconceptsinc.com/

Quote for the day

"Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment." - Dale Carnegie