It’s not strange for find day traders who are adept in the technical skills of trading . But there is another element to trading that is seldom discussed and granted little considertion . Yet, in my opinion, it is the only skill of day trading that separates successful traders and unsuccessful traders. Let’s face it, learning a trading methodology not a hard goal to achieve. Most trading methods are similar in nature, as each system is looking for possible break outs and break downs for the trader to profit on in his or her trading.
Of course, the important point is to is identifying a successful break out or break down is a challenging , and discerning which trades are just temporary retracements in one direction and bound to revisit their movement in a adverse direction than the trader plans is frustrating. Oddly enough, I have penned several articles about the emotional aspects of trading, and they are the least read articles I write. While some articles get an abundance of views, articles on psychologica l aspects of trading are glossed over .
And that is not as it should be.
Learning a trading methodology is relatively simple , as it is simply memorization and rote learning. On the other hand, learning to successfully utilize a day trading system is a difficult and arduous skill . In other words, learning to check your emotions while trading is no simple matter. To take it step further, it is my opinion that controlling your emotions while trading is the single most challenging skill to master when trading.
Oddly enough, when I communicate with traders and bring up the topic of psychological aspects of trading the reaction is almost universal, traders commonly comment “oh, I don’t have any problem with that stuff.” The statistics, on the other hand, bring to light a much different story. More than 70% of traders fail within the first three months of trading. Something is clearly wrong.
I am going to break down two very significant mistakes novice traders commit , and consequently sabotage their success. The first is over trading, and the second is trading with no stops, or adjusting their stops to accommodate a trade gone sour .
Lets lead off with over trading, as this habit seems to be the most common malady I see in new traders . To be accurate , there are not enough legitimate set-ups during the a typical trading session to support the notion that you can initiate 10+ trades a day and be profitable . There are numerous set-ups that “at face value” appear to be good trades, but meticulous evaluation of the trade may expose the trade is internally flawed, and should be avoided . Yet I observe trader after trader enter into these flawed trade in hopes of devising that one great trade. To be sure, that one great trade does not come along very often, maybe once a week, so it is fruitless to conceentrate on capturing only whopper trades. I am a singles hitter, and if I can garner 3 points on a given trade, I am satisfied . But in order to garner three points, I require all of my i oscilators to point in the same direction. If I observe any of my indicators diverging from the direction of the trade I am considering , I categorically exclude that trade from consideration. Further, I am diametrically averse to taking counter trend trades. Which is not to say I never execute a counter trend trade, but I must be absolutely confident that the trade is a high probability trade. In summary, over trading in the achilles heel of many traders, and most traders would be smart to concentrate on trading only high quality trades, those with a high chance of success. Specifically, high quality trades generally occur when a trader trades with the trend.
There is absolutely no excuse for a trader to enter a trade without having preset stops in place. No stop trading is fiscal suicide . If you initiate a trade and it heads in the opposite direction it is imperative to exit the position and wait for a more favorable trade in which to participate. Often times I notice novice and experienced traders alike end up on the south side of a trade and then move their stops lower, hoping their trade will make a heaven-sent comeback . While trades can reverse , it is not likely . The reason we set stops is to mitigate losses, and by lengthening your stops you are, in essence, increasing your losses and your risk exposure. In short, there is little reason to adjust your stop-loss limits. If you have made a bad trade, take your losses and move on to a better trade set-up.
Of course, as traders our mind set is to trade. After all, you can’t make money if you don’t trade. However, the goal is to be in the right day trade at the right time. Your emotions will frequently disunite your intellect from the realities of the market and you will find yourself in positions that can be ruinous . Check your emotions and ego at the door and simply trade the chart in front on you, free from emotion, and deal with the reality of the chart in front of you. Hoping for a trade to work out is a poor investment strategy; pick the trades with the highest probability of success and profit.