The second and final part of this report clearly and simply
details
more essential tips on how to avoid the pitfalls and start making more
money in your forex trading.
- Take it like a man -
If you decide to ride a loss, you are simply displaying stupidity and
cowardice. It takes guts to accept your loss and wait for tomorrow to
try again. Sticking to a bad position ruins lots of traders -
permanently. Try to remember that the market often behaves illogically,
so don't get commit to any one trade; it's just a trade. One good trade
will not make you a trading success; it's ongoing regular performance
over months and years that makes a good trader.
- Focus - Fantasising
about possible profits and then "spending" them before you have
realised them is no good. Focus on your current position(s) and place
reasonable stop losses at the time you do the trade. Then sit back and
enjoy the ride - you have no real control from now on, the market will
do what it wants to do.
- Don't trust demos - Demo
trading often causes new traders to learn bad habits. These bad habits,
which can be very dangerous in the long run, come about because you are
playing with virtual money. Once you know how your broker's system
works, start trading small amounts and only take the risk you can
afford to win or lose.
- Stick to the strategy - When
you make money on a well thought-out strategic trade, don't go and lose
half of it next time on a fancy; stick to your strategy and invest
profits on the next trade that matches your long-term goals.
- Trade today - Most
successful day traders are highly focused on what's happening in the
short-term, not what may happen over the next month. If you're trading
with 40 to 60-point stops focus on what's happening today as the market
will probably move too quickly to consider the long-term future.
However, the long-term trends are not unimportant; they will not always
help you though if you're trading intraday.
- The clues are in the details - The bottom
line on your account
balance doesn't tell the whole story. Consider individual trade
details; analyse your losses and the telling losing streaks. Generally,
traders that make money without suffering significant daily losses have
the best chance of sustaining positive performance in the long term.
- Simulated Results -
Be very careful and wary about infamous "black box" systems. These
so-called trading signal systems do not often explain exactly how the
trade signals they generate are produced. Typically, these systems only
show their track record of extraordinary results - historical results.
Successfully predicting future trade scenarios is altogether more
complex. The high-speed algorithmic capabilities of these systems
provide significant retrospective trading systems, not ones which will
help you trade effectively in the future.
- Get to know one cross at a time -
Each currency pair is unique, and has a unique way of moving in the
marketplace. The forces which cause the pair to move up and down are
individual to each cross, so study them and learn from your experience
and apply your learning to one cross at a time.
- Risk Reward - If you put a
20 point stop and a 50 point profit your chances of winning are
probably about 1-3 against you. In fact, given the spread you're
trading on, it's more likely to be 1-4. Play the odds the market gives
you.
- Trading for Wrong Reasons -
Don't trade if you are bored, unsure or reacting on a whim. The reason
that you are bored in the first place is probably because there is no
trade to make in the first place. If you are unsure, it's probably
because you can't see the trade to make, so don't make one.
- Zen Trading-
Even when you have taken a position in the markets, you should try and
think as you would if you hadn't taken one. This level of detachment is
essential if you want to retain your clarity of mind and avoid
succumbing to emotional impulses and therefore increasing the
likelihood of incurring losses. To achieve this, you need to cultivate
a calm and relaxed outlook. Trade in brief periods of no more than a
few hours at a time and accept that once the trade has been made, it's
out of your hands.
- Determination -
Once you have decided to place a trade, stick to it and let it run its
course. This means that if your stop loss is close to being triggered,
let it trigger. If you move your stop midway through a trade's life,
you are more than likely to suffer worse moves against you. Your
determination must be show itself when you acknowledge that you got it
wrong, so get out.
- Short-term Moving Average Crossovers -
This is one of the most dangerous trade scenarios for non professional
traders. When the short-term moving average crosses the longer-term
moving average it only means that the average price in the short run is
equal to the average price in the longer run. This is neither a bullish
nor bearish indication, so don't fall into the trap of believing it is
one.
- Stochastic -
Another dangerous scenario. When it first signals an exhausted
condition that's when the big spike in the "exhausted" currency cross
tends to occur. My advice is to buy on the first sign of an overbought
cross and then sell on the first sign of an oversold one. This approach
means that you'll be with the trend and have successfully identified a
positive move that still has some way to go. So if percentage K and
percentage D are both crossing 80, then buy! (This is the same on sell
side, where you sell at 20).
- One cross is all that counts -
EURUSD seems to be trading higher, so you buy GBPUSD because it appears
not to have moved yet. This is dangerous. Focus on one cross at a time
- if EURUSD looks good to you, then just buy EURUSD.
- Wrong Broker -
A lot of FOREX brokers are in business only to make money from yours.
Read forums, blogs and chats around the net to get an unbiased opinion
before you choose your broker.
- Too bullish - Trading
statistics show that 90% of most traders will fail at some point. Being
too bullish about your trading aptitude can be fatal to your long-term
success. You can always learn more about trading the markets, even if
you are currently successful in your trades. Stay modest, and keep your
eyes open for new ideas and bad habits you might be falling in to.
- Interpret forex news yourself - Learn to
read the source documents of forex news and events - don't rely on the
interpretations of news media or others.
1 2
|
|