“Good trading is 10% technology and 90% psychology. People defeat themselves. It doesn’t matter how often you repeat basic trading principles when almost no one will practice them.” (Maoxian)
People lose money at the stock market for very simple reasons:
- They don’t have a method at all. They rely on other people opinions.
- People don’t have a winning method. The method they are trading has a negative expectancy. Being disciplined about stop losses and position sizing won’t help, if you are trading a losing method. Expectancy changes with volatility. When your method stops providing satisfying results, you either find another that is working in the current market conditions or stay on the side until things change.
- Those who have a winning strategy often don’t use it. They get emotional and forget about their strategy.
Trading in the markets is a process, and there is always room for self improvement. Below 11 Rules are must for a successful trader
Rule #1 Be data centric in your approach : Take the time and make the effort to understand what works and what doesn’t. Trading decisions should be objective and based upon the data.
Rule #2 Be disciplined : The data should guide you in your decisions. This is the only way to navigate a potentially hostile and fearful environment.
Rule #3 Be flexible : At first glance this would seem to contradict Rule #2; however, I recognize that markets change and that trading strategies cannot account for every conceivable factor. Giving yourself some wiggle room or discretion is ok, but I would not stray too far from the data or your strategies.
Rule #4 Always question the prevailing dogma : The markets love dogma. “Prices are above the 50 day moving average”, “prices are breaking out”, and “don’t fight the Fed” are some of the most often heard sayings. But what do they really mean for prices? Make your own observations and define your own rules. See Rule #1.
Rule #5 Understand your market edge : My edge is my ability to use my computer to define the price action. I level the playing field by trading markets and not companies.
Rule #6 Money management : Money management. Money management. It is so important that it is worth saying three times. There are so few factors you can control in the markets, but this is one of them. Learn to exploit it.
Rule #7 Time frame : Know the time frame you are operating on. Don’t let a trade turn into an investment and don’t trade yourself out of an investment.
Rule #8 Confidence and conviction : Believe in your strategies and bet wisely but with conviction. There is nothing more frustrating than having a good strategy work as you expect, yet at the end of the day, you have very little winnings to show for your efforts.
Rule #9 Persistence : It takes persistence to operate in the markets. Success doesn’t come easy, and if it does, then I would be careful. Even the best strategies come with losses, and they always seem to come when you get the nerve to make the big bet. Stay with your plan. If you have done your home work, the winning trades will follow.
Rule #10 Passion : In the end, trading has to be about your bottom line, but you have to love what you do and no amount of money is worth it if you aren’t passionate about the process. No matter how much success you enjoy, in the markets you can never stop learning.
Rule #11 Take care of yourself : No amount of money is worth it if your health is failing or you have managed to alienate yourself from family and friends in the process.