Showing posts sorted by relevance for query trade-rules. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query trade-rules. Sort by date Show all posts

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Info!! Developing Trading Rules Too Edifice Trading Discipline

In yesteryear posts, I own got made the instance for rule-governed trading (see hither for a generic example) every bit a cornerstone to disciplined trading.

Many violations of dependent guide house only because rules are non formalized together with made explicit. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 neat illustration is the dieter who doesn't genuinely mensurate portions of nutrient together with count calories. It's hard to overeat together with gain expect if yous stick to constituent control. But if yous never own got rules for constituent sizing, it's slow to lose count of calories.

Some of the nearly effective trading rules come upwards from tracking our successful together with unsuccessful trades. Many times nosotros volition come across mutual threads alongside the expert together with non together with hence expert trading outcomes. These commonalities tin class the Earth for trading rules.

For example, yous may uncovering that trading sure as shooting patterns at sure as shooting times of twenty-four hours does non examine profitable. That could Pb to a dominion to avoid trading that pattern--or avoid trading altogether--at those times of day.

Similarly, yous may uncovering that, if yous accomplish a net target yesteryear a sure as shooting fourth dimension of day, it is profitable to concur a constituent of your seat to accomplish the adjacent target. That tin larn a coin management rule.

Conversely, yous powerfulness uncovering that yous should own got amount profits upon hitting your rootage net target if indicators are suggesting a attain market. That, too, becomes a dominion for managing your capital.

Some must rules?

* Rules for seat sizing to restrain risk;

* Rules for ensuring that each merchandise has a favorable reward-to-risk basis;

* Rules that enjoin yous when to non trade;

* Rules that enjoin yous when to add together to trades together with when to ride them;

* Rules that destination yous out of losing trades;

* Rules that enjoin yous when to own got a interruption together with bring down peril (trade size) inwards a slump;

* Rules that enjoin yous when to own got profits inwards a trade;

* Rules for preparing yourself for the trading twenty-four hours together with week.

The catch behind rules is to plough your best trading into near-mechanical habit patterns. Over time, yous refine your rules together with steadily evolve toward becoming the best trader yous tin be. For to a greater extent than on the topic of disciplined trading, come across these posts from the archive.
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Sunday, March 29, 2020

Info!! How Create One Avoid Overtrading?

A trader of late posed this enquiry inward a comment to a spider web log post: How tin I avoid overtrading?

First, let's instruct definitions straight:

Overtrading typically has ii connotations: trading size that is every bit good large for one's portfolio (i.e., taking every bit good much chance per trade) as well as trading every bit good oft (i.e., when an objective border for the merchandise is non present).

Keeping metrics on your trading volition nation you lot if your size is every bit good large (you volition conduct maintain large P/L swings as well as drawdowns as well as large outlier gains as well as losses) and/or if you're trading every bit good much (you volition conduct maintain to a greater extent than losing trades than winners as well as volition tend to lose to a greater extent than on days inward which you're trading more).

The antidote to overtrading--in both its forms--is rule-governance. Trading rules are what guide our seat sizing as well as risk-taking, as well as they are what seat us into markets as well as perish along us out.

Many times, traders create non formulate their rules explicitly: they create non conduct maintain clear as well as concrete formulas for seat sizing, as well as they create non conduct maintain hard-and-fast rules for when to motility into as well as exit. It is a curious, but surprisingly mutual mistake to assume that discretionary trading agency trading without rules. Discretion agency that nosotros utilize real-time judgment inward entering, exiting, as well as managing positions. Rules tin guide that discretion, but every bit rules as well as plans may guide a quarterback who calls plays inward a huddle as well as changes those calls at the trouble of scrimmage.

We avoid overtrading inward position-sizing past times limiting the losses on whatever unmarried merchandise to a small, fixed fraction of portfolio value. We avoid overtrading inward the seat out of positions nosotros motility into past times limiting trades to those setups (entry criteria) that conduct maintain demonstrated their profitability. For example, I volition non accept a brusk seat inward a marketplace seat inward which the cumulative NYSE TICK is making novel highs; I won't merchandise at all if majority falls below threshold levels. These rules as well as guidelines perish along us out of unprofitable situations, as well as they attention us concentrate our uppercase inward areas of greatest opportunity.

It is through repetition that rules plough into habits. This is a theme I'll hold upward taking upward in the novel book. To avoid overtrading, you lot lay out your trading rules as well as thence you lot rehearse as well as follow those rules thence consistently that they perish automatic. You can't hold off to follow a dependent that you lot haven't clearly defined inward the outset place.

RELATED POSTS:

Understanding Lapses inward Trader Discipline

Why Traders Lose Discipline
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Sunday, March 29, 2015

Info!! Discovery Your Trading Rules

One worthwhile exercise is to review your proficient trades too seat what made them good. What you'll detect are or too thence of the "rules" that contain your best trading: the best practices that contribute to your success. By contrary engineering your proficient trading, yous brand rules your rules explicit. Once they are explicit, yous tin mentally rehearse them, laissez passer on off them equally daily trading goals, too consciously apply them inward the future.

Let's accept a await at the recent merchandise that I posted too abstract a few of my trading rules:

1) Trade inward the management of intraday sentiment, equally captured past times NYSE TICK too Market Delta;

2) Start amongst net turn a profit targets: attain extremes, pin prices, too R1/R2/R3 too S1/S2/S3 targets. First figure out where yous scream upwards the marketplace is probable to move.

3) Execute the merchandise on a pullback inward intraday sentiment: a drib inward TICK during an uptrend; a bounce inward TICK during a downtrend. Don't chase cost highs or lows. Make the marketplace present yous that it is making a higher depression (uptrend), a lower high (downtrend), or belongings support/resistance (range).

4) Put your halt loss degree far plenty away that it won't live on striking past times random noise; that, if it's hit, it volition order yous clearly that you're wrong. Size the seat modest plenty too thence that yous tin readily weather condition getting stopped out.

5) Don't acquire into a merchandise unless yous stimulate got at to the lowest degree 1:1 risk/reward to the get-go net turn a profit target too meaningfully higher to subsequent targets.

6) Enter your seat amongst plenty size too thence that yous tin accept a slice off at your get-go net turn a profit target too even too thence meaningfully participate inward a farther motion inward your direction. Enter your seat amongst modest plenty size too thence that yous tin add together to the merchandise if it proves peculiarly strong. If things await dicey at your get-go net turn a profit target, don't hesitate to accept quick profits.

7) Don't await dorsum land you're trading too minute gauge yourself; reviewing comes afterward the closing bell. Identify whatever lessons you've learned from your trade, simply give-up the ghost along focused on fresh chance 1 time you've unopen a position.

I stimulate got other rules, of course, simply these are or too thence of the of import ones illustrated past times the merchandise I posted. Over time, I'll post service other trades--including losers--to illustrate other rules.

The thought is non for your rules to check mine, simply rather for yous to acquire to a greater extent than aware of the rules that contribute to your success, too thence that yous tin acquire to a greater extent than consistent inward next them.

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Friday, December 7, 2018

Info!! Rigorously Reviewing Your Trading

One affair I'll move talking most inward Saturday afternoon's NYC meetup for My Investing Club volition move an enhanced review procedure I've initiated for my ain trading.  My full general observation is that the frequency as well as intensity of review processes is associated alongside learning as well as functioning improvement.  What I'm testing alongside the enhanced procedure is whether making the review structured as well as concrete too contributes to the learning as well as evolution curve.

So what I did was write out all my trading rules inward a two-page Word document.  The rules are broken downwardly to explicate inward detail:

a) What I bespeak to reckon to come inward a seat (This includes criteria on multiple fourth dimension frames);
b) What I bespeak to reckon to state me the seat is incorrect;
c)  How I bespeak to size the position;
d) What I bespeak to reckon to produce got initial profits as well as the constituent of the seat to produce got off;
e)  What I reckon equally a subsequent target as well as where to produce got the remainder of the seat off;
f)  When to non trade; when to merchandise to a greater extent than actively; when to merchandise to a greater extent than selectively.

This trading document/plan serves 2 of import purposes:

1)  Review earlier trading starts to ensure that the rules are beingness followed inward generating ideas, alongside special emphasis on the rules relevant to the prior day's trading;

2)  Review at the destination of trading to assess whether rules were followed as well as specially to aspect at how a next of the rules could produce got improved the day's trading;

3)  Targeting 1 or to a greater extent than rules to focus on for the coming session to improve trading.

The thought is that every twenty-four hr menstruum is a practise province of affairs inward implementing the trading framework.  Over time, nosotros popular off to a greater extent than grounded inward our best practices, as well as nosotros too amend equally rule-governed traders.  This is the value of having a truthful playbook for each marketplace as well as strategy that nosotros trade, as Mike Bellafiore has illustrated.

What I tin state yous from my sense is that only the human activeness of putting your trading into a real tight, clearly defined rules framework highlights the factors of what nosotros most bespeak to focus upon to improve our performance.  If nosotros cannot select our best practices on newspaper inward a agency that others tin understand, how tin nosotros hold off to move grounded inward them inward existent time?

Further Reading:


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Monday, February 17, 2020

Info!! Turning Trading Rules As Well As Plans Into Commitments

Saturday's post on next trading plans emphasized that our actions are intimately related to our states of mind. When nosotros undergo the world shifts, our perspectives change, in addition to those tin alter our priorities. What seemed urgent inwards i frame of heed becomes lost inwards another. This most ofttimes occurs during trading when profit/loss (P/L) concerns accept front end in addition to middle stage, obscuring our best lay plans for our positions.

The links from the before post comprehend a multifariousness of reasons why traders lose their discipline. There is, however, about other argue why traders detect it hard to follow the plans they set: their plans aren't really plans.

To sympathise this, consider the deviation betwixt plans in addition to intentions. If I enjoin myself that I postulate to popular off to the gym in addition to travel into shape, that's an intention. It is non a plan. If I really bring together a gym, sign upward for classes, lay upward a schedule for exercise, in addition to do weekly goals for how ofttimes I'll exercise in addition to how much weight I'll lose, that is a plan.

Similarly, I powerfulness intend to accept my married adult woman on a trip that volition assist her acquire away from function stress. That is really dissimilar from really planning the trip past times discussing it, creating an itinerary, shopping for best airfares, etc.

Intentions are thoughts of hereafter actions, ofttimes accompanied past times "should". Plans require action--taking steps inwards the acquaint to accomplish the desired end--and they ofttimes receive got a social in addition to motivational component. H5N1 occupation concern plan, for instance, is much to a greater extent than than intended success; it tin last vital inwards attracting investors in addition to cardinal employees. Because intentions lack committed action, they are to a greater extent than ofttimes than non weaker than plans. We're probable to interruption a New Year's intention, exactly less probable to interruption those opor-garai plans i time they've been formulated amongst a spouse.

Many traders formulate intentions for their trades in addition to and hence wonder why they receive got veered from their "plan". When I enquire to run across their plan, however, at that spot is cypher written down; nor is at that spot anything specific that has been planned. To last sure, high frequency traders are non going to formulate detailed plans for each trade. In their case, trading rules close such matters every bit execution, sizing, in addition to opportunity command would accept the house of unique plans for each position. Often, however, I'll listen from "scalpers" that they've violated their discipline. When I enquire which rules they've violated, they cannot plough over a gear upward answer.

My response is that you lot can't violate a dependent that isn't at that spot to start out with. The work is non that an excess of emotion interfered amongst their plans in addition to rules. Rather, they were never sufficiently planful in addition to rule-governed to start out with.

The unmarried greatest way to construct dependent is to plough rules in addition to plans into commitments. That way that you lot receive got to plough over those rules in addition to plans distinct life of their own. The to a greater extent than you lot shout out upward of them, expect forrad to them, utter them to others, write them down, flat yourself on them, vantage yourself for them--the to a greater extent than existent they become. You are most probable to abandon rules in addition to plans that haven't been internalized every bit commitments.

Please cheque out the comment of reader Adam next the post on learning to shout out upward similar the herd, exactly non follow the herd. You'll attain a valuable lesson inwards turning rules in addition to plans into routines in addition to commitments. Adam's observation regarding the value of checklists inwards high opportunity professions is excellent. He explains, "Trading is a affair of repeating over in addition to over i time again behaviors that trap errors before they are released into the market".

Intentions aren't rigid plenty to trap errors. To grab the mistakes before they're released, you lot postulate the emotional forcefulness of commitments in addition to the reliability of routines. Turning intentions into checklists in addition to checklists into commitments is a groovy way to the world yourself inwards best trading practices.
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Saturday, January 30, 2021

Info!! Using Trading Journals To Rank In Addition To Alter Your Patterns

In my concluding post, nosotros took a await at trading journals in addition to how those tin endure used to amend performance. The study carte du jour format for journaling is peculiarly helpful for goal-setting, tracking progress, in addition to recognizing patterns inward our ain trading. In this post, I'll review simply about of the patterns that most often seem across magazine entries--and that are of import to travel on.

1) Patterns of Negative Self-Talk: These occur during frustrated moments inward markets. We missy a trade, a merchandise blows through our stop, nosotros hand dorsum our coin on the day: all of these exercise frustration. This frustration in addition to hence triggers an anger reply that nosotros instantly toward ourselves. For example, nosotros mightiness discovery ourself saying, "Here it goes again! Other people are killing these markets, in addition to I can't larn it going." At that point, your frustration is no longer nearly the specific merchandise or marketplace event, but is directed to *you equally a person*. Trading should endure nearly trading; non nearly you. After all, yous wouldn't endure boasting in addition to crowing inward the magazine if the merchandise went your way. If yous wouldn't similar to postulate heed your message coming from someone else (imagine your buddy at the workstation side yesteryear side to yours saying, "Whoa, dude, other people are killing these markets, in addition to yous can't larn it going!") in addition to if yous wouldn't endure speaking that agency to your trading buddy, in addition to hence yous shouldn't endure speaking that agency to yourself. Interrupting that negative self-talk in addition to turning your frustration toward a constructive kicking inward the pants ("C'mon, Brett, yous know yous shouldn't endure trading hence large inward the chopfest. Let's stick amongst the rules!") tin endure rattling helpful inward preventing frustration from snowballing.

2) Patterns of Impulsivity - Out of excitement, boredom, wish to find profits, or overconfidence, yous discovery yourself trading equally good often or amongst equally good much size. This, inward turn, leads to uneven functioning in addition to outsized trading losses, which in addition to hence create discouragement. Many traders proceed their goals--and their trading rules--taped to their screens; this helps proceed them inward the forebrain equally a cheque on impulsivity. One trader I worked amongst truly had a brief checklist that he had to cheque off earlier placing whatever trade. This prevented him from acting hastily. If yous tin figure out the triggers that brand yous impulsive (sometimes these are winning trades, where yous begin playing amongst "house money"), yous get got a expert postulate a chance to position on the brakes earlier yous deed on impulse.

3) Patterns of Fear - Particularly afterwards losses, but sometimes afterwards making coin in addition to beingness afraid of losing it, traders neglect to deed on expert signals or exercise non size their trades adequately. The final result is missed opportunity. Often this occurs if the trader is engaging inward "catastrophizing": making a normal potential loss into something much larger. Worry, physical tension, in addition to feelings of nervousness are corking clues to rails inward a journal. Once yous recognize your fright patterns, yous tin get got simply about deep breaths, calm yourself, in addition to focus on assessing chance (and focus on those trading rules). One agency of breaking overwhelming fright afterwards large losses is simply to position on simply about pocket-size trades when your signals are expert in addition to larn your beat in addition to confidence back. Then yous ramp dorsum upwards to normal size inward a gradual, but steady manner. Playing defence forcefulness is non giving into fear: having rules nearly jeopardy command in addition to hanging onto a day's profits tin assist yous distinguish the two.

Once yous notice your patterns, it's easier to build specific goals for the side yesteryear side day's in addition to week's trade. The overarching destination is changing your patterns: controlling how yous intend in addition to experience rather than having them command you. It's hard to imagine changing your patterns if you're non aware of them inward the commencement place!

RELEVANT POSTS:

Using Emotion to Change Emotion

Some 2007 Posts on Trading in addition to Emotions
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Friday, January 29, 2021

Info!! Formatting Your Trading Mag For Success

My recent posts cause got focused on using journals to amend trading. Everyone has a periodical format that (one hopes) plant best for them. Here I'll propose a format that I honour peculiarly useful.

The argue I'm offering the proposition is that I boot the bucket along to honour that traders role journals inward ways that are less than constructive. The greatest mistakes inward journaling, I find, are:

1) Lack of Specifics - The periodical contains vague, full general intentions such as, "I demand to merchandise less aggressively", without whatever indication of how the trader volition attain this. If the intent is to merchandise less aggressively, thence the periodical should create a specific goal. An event from my ain trading would be: "I'll move inward positions alongside 1 unit of measurement in addition to scale inward alongside a minute unit of measurement on the starting fourth dimension pullback inward NYSE TICK when my seat is profitable." Notice how this makes the full general intention thence much to a greater extent than concrete. Now I cause got something constructive to implement in addition to tin flame degree myself on the implementation. If I only say, "I demand to merchandise less aggressively", that's non goal-setting. That's Monday-morning quarterbacking, or me exactly wagging my finger at myself. Self-criticism past times itself never improved anyone: it's self-criticism followed past times constructive work solving that does the trick.

2) Focus on Negatives - The worst journals are the ones that but vent fearfulness or frustration. They recite every bad or missed trade, everything that went incorrect during the day. Not only is at that spot an absence of constructive suggestions for improvement, but at that spot is also an absence of ideas re: what the trader has done right. The persuasion is to larn from what you lot exercise right, non exactly what you lot exercise wrong. Indeed, focusing on strengths volition heighten motivation in addition to the sense of competence in addition to efficacy. By staying only problem-focused, it's all every bit good slow to drain motivation in addition to optimism.

So, how tin flame nosotros amend the inward a higher house inward a format for a trading journal?

My proposition is starting the periodical alongside a listing of your specific goal(s) for that trading day.
Those goals should be: a) chosen from your previous day's or week's trading; in addition to b) taken from your trading rules. The destination should live on either to amend a fault you lot made, or to build upon something you lot did right. The destination should state specifically what you lot human face yourself to exercise during the coming day, thence that you lot tin flame rehearse the destination inward your heed earlier the marketplace seat opens in addition to thence that you lot tin flame evaluate how you lot performed on the destination at the terminate of the day.

Notice that, earlier creating the journal, it's of import to write out your trading rules inward advance: everything that you lot desire to follow to merchandise well. You can't concur yourself accountable for a dominion that you lot don't create; that's perfectionism, in addition to it's non helpful either. Rules should clearly state how you lot desire to size positions, move inward them, leave of absence them, fix stops, fix exits, scale inward in addition to out of trades, etc. Your periodical volition rails how good you lot follow these rules, non exactly whether you lot brand coin or not.

So you lot laid out alongside rules, notice when you lot exercise a peculiarly expert or pitiful project next the rules, in addition to thence fix goals for the adjacent twenty-four hours based on the expert or pitiful performance. The periodical entry thence gives yourself a degree at the terminate of the twenty-four hours for how good you lot performed on your goals in addition to why you lot earned that grade. Include your daily P/L alongside your grade, thence that you lot tin flame speedily encounter how your functioning rises in addition to falls alongside your grades.

The periodical keeps you lot constructive, keeps you lot learning, in addition to keeps you lot working on the things that are close important. It is non a tool for but rehashing the twenty-four hours or voicing your feelings; it is your tool for self-development: your way for coaching yourself.

RELEVANT POST:

When Coaching Works in addition to Doesn't Work
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Monday, January 28, 2019

Info!! Best Practices Inwards Trading: Breaking Your Cycles

The rootage pace inwards changing whatsoever damaging behaviour designing is interrupting it.  When nosotros interrupt a pattern, nosotros necessarily stand upwards apart from that pattern.  We command it together with turn down to allow it command us.  When our patterns present upwards during trading--patterns of negative thinking or patterns of hapless trading--a surprisingly powerful response is to only respite what you're doing, position the negative pattern, together with turn down to allow it command you.

One implementation of this thought comes from reader Eldad Nahmnay, a daytrader who shares his 5 infinitesimal rule:

"After reviewing my trading, I saw that I had a lot of repetitive trades.  By this I hateful that less than 5 minutes after I had closed a trade, I was dorsum inwards a novel one.  Usually this occurred after a losing trade.  This made me realize that I hadn't accepted the loss completely together with was looking for a variety of revenge.  After agreement this, I added the 5 infinitesimal rule:  after a trade, I closed the organisation for 5 minutes when I inquire myself the next questions:  What direct maintain I done good for this trade?  What tin I bring away to assistance amongst afterward trades?  Do I direct maintain whatsoever opened upwards emotions that tin deport on me later?  Did I produce anything that violated my trading rules?  

After answering these questions, I bring a infinitesimal or 2 away from the enshroud to come upwards dorsum fresh.  The unwrap of hapless trades that I took was reduced past times to a greater extent than than 70% after I implemented this rule."

Notice this Eldad's dominion is actually a routine to prepare mindfulness inwards the middle of the trading day.  By taking a respite after closing each trade, he is able to stand upwards apart from markets (and his reactions to markets) together with inquire himself fundamental procedure questions.  The 5 infinitesimal respite interrupts whatsoever negative patterns that may direct maintain leaked into his trading together with helps ensure that a unmarried bad merchandise doesn't buy the farm a serial of bad trades.  By instituting the respite after every trade, the trader turns mindfulness--and the breaking of negative cycles--into a positive habit designing that gives both perspective together with control.

Further Reading:  Brief Therapy together with Becoming Your Own Trading Coach
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Saturday, December 8, 2018

Info!! From Dependent To Professionalism Inwards Trading

In sports, every bit inward trading, functioning oftentimes begins every bit an ego-driven activity.  The boxer is all nearly knockouts; the basketball game operate instrumentalist focuses on scoring; the golfer looks to ace each hole.  The novice trader wants to brand money, in addition to and hence trades, trades, in addition to overtrades.  This ego focus is non only negative; it's a large operate of the initial attraction to the functioning arena.  But it is non enough.  When nosotros perform out of ego motivations our personal needs overwhelm the requirements of each functioning situation.

Many thank you lot to Mark Meadows in addition to the Top Step Trader squad for posting my recent webinar on trading performance.  One of the cardinal points that I brand inward that session is that a passion for trading is genuinely a predictor of failure.  That is because the demand to merchandise comes from that ego house where nosotros demand to test ourselves correct in addition to demand to brand money.

More predictive of success is a passion for markets themselves--and particularly the passion to sympathise what is going on inward markets.  When nosotros prioritize understanding, the focus shifts from ourselves to what is happening inward forepart of us.  Sometimes non much is happening.  Good trading inward those situations tin hateful non trading.  Mike Bellafiore latterly made this point when describing the evolution of a trader who developed rules for when to non trade.  Discipline--rule following--takes the house of ego:  it's non nearly trading, but nearly trading successfully.

Across functioning activities nosotros tin run across that disciplined functioning is a necessary stage of development.  The basketball game or football game operate instrumentalist learns to follow a game plan, non only create what they experience similar doing.  The poker operate instrumentalist learns to crease when the cards aren't right.  It's mutual for developing psychologists to larn their arts and crafts from manuals that are research-validated in addition to that give them a game excogitation for helping people alongside diverse problems.  Discipline is all nearly sublimating the ego to audio rules in addition to principles.

Later phases of evolution honor that disciplined rule-following turns into positive habit patterns.  Calling the correct plays, making the correct moves, becomes minute nature.  Through repetition, the rules are internalized.  Discipline is no longer needed to create the correct thing.  In this afterward stage of expertise, nosotros run across professionals able to read unique situations in addition to brand witting decisions to veer from rules or alter them to the situation.  Instead of next the therapy manual, a sensitive therapist may accomplish out to a distraught customer in addition to offering support.  Instead of backing off trading inward the afternoon hours, the index trader recognizes that relative book has picked upward in addition to finds a groovy house to expire brusk when buyers can't retrace much of the morning's losses.  H5N1 football game quarterback learns when to telephone vociferation upward an audible; a poker operate instrumentalist learns when to bluff.

That is what professionalism is all about:  Having in addition to hence much experience that you lot non only follow goodness rules in addition to processes, but you lot know how to conform to unique situations every bit they acquaint themselves.  It takes champaign of report to expire a goodness trader; it takes expertise to know when to veer from that discipline.  It's all nearly putting our ain needs on a dorsum burner in addition to becoming always to a greater extent than sensitive to what nosotros are trading.

Further Reading:


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Sunday, December 9, 2018

Info!! Resources For Developing Your Trading Playbook

Mike Bellafiore makes frequent reference to traders' "playbooks".  For a basketball game or football game team, a playbook is a laid of plays that the squad runs inwards diverse situations.  The playbook guides practices, too thence that each squad fellow member knows their role inwards each play too executes it perfectly.  The playbook also provides ways for the squad to exploit vulnerabilities inwards the other team's defense.  Every squad has multiple plays inwards their playbook to honour ways of scoring.  Much of the science of a motorcoach is knowing which plays to telephone phone when.

Having worked with developing traders for many years, I've come upwardly to appreciate the paths that atomic number 82 to success too those that autumn short.  Successful traders, I find, offset with small, focused playbooks too piece of work at becoming proficient inwards just a few types of trades.  They document their plays inwards journals, merchandise them inwards existent time, too review activity at the halt of the hateful solar daytime to meet what they powerfulness bring missed.  Only when they decease proficient at a few basic plays do they motility on to exploit other ways of making money.

I consistently honour that the intensity of the learning process--the cycles of viewing, doing, too reviewing--is associated with greater trader success.  We develop expertise past times internalizing what nosotros learn.  In every functioning endeavor, the greats pass to a greater extent than fourth dimension practicing skills too rehearsing functioning than inwards truly performing.

It's mutual with active traders to retrieve of playbook trades equally "setups", equally inwards nautical chart patterns, but this is shortsighted.  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 playbook merchandise consists of several components:

*  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 designing of marketplace demeanour that has led to favorable marketplace returns over a defined fourth dimension horizon;

*  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 laid of rules for identifying this designing inwards existent fourth dimension too entering the merchandise at a betoken that provides favorable vantage relative to risk;

*  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 laid of rules for sizing the trade, too thence that the trader tin laissez passer on meaningful returns without running the jeopardy of ruin when, past times chance, a serial of losing trades occurs;

*  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 laid of rules for establishing target prices too adding to positions/scaling out of positions/exiting positions;

*  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 laid of rules for establishing the stocks or instruments best able to exploit the patterns beingness traded.

When the trader but views the playbook merchandise equally a laid of entry criteria, they leave of absence themselves no guidance for sizing the merchandise too managing the risk/reward of the position.  How trades are sized too managed is every combat equally of import equally the merchandise ideas themselves.  When nosotros rehearse playbook trades, nosotros piece of work on all the components of the trade.  That includes what we're trading.  So often, I honour that the most successful traders are those that honour the best vehicles for trading their playbooks.  At the halt of 2017, I saw traders succeed phenomenally trading the crypto-related stocks.  Had they traded just the same patterns inwards the large cap universe, they would bring made far less money.

So how does a trader know what should decease into his or her playbook?  In every functioning domain, from athletics to chess to medicine, nosotros meet mentoring equally a telephone commutation resources for development.  We larn what to do too how to do it from people who are already successfully involved equally performers.  This is why too thence many merchandise occupations are structured equally apprenticeships.  Learning past times lawsuit too mistake lone is also inefficient--and costly.

Fortunately, in that location are many vehicles for apprenticeship, from the preparation programs at investment banks to junior analyst positions on hedge fund trading desks to the preparation offered at proprietary trading firms.  Thanks to the online medium, we're seeing quite a few chat rooms serve the developmental function.  Several of these seem below:

The Art of Trading - Education too alive trading with Stewie, including a blog site;

Asenna Capital - Training too trading, including chat room, with perspectives from Assad Tannous.

Dan Zanger - Chat room too existent fourth dimension educational activity based upon nautical chart patterns of promising stocks, with tweets past times Dan on opportunities they're tracking.

EminiPlayer - Large archive of videos too alive chat room with focus on the e-minis too merchandise planning around Market Profile, hosted past times Awais Bokhari.

Investors Underground - Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 squad of traders offering real-time preparation too back upwardly inwards a chat room format coordinated past times Nate Michaud. They sponsor the fantabulous Traders4ACause events.

SMB Capital - Merritt Black runs a futures based chat room; Seth Freudberg runs a preparation computer program for options traders; too SMB holds preparation classes too events based upon the patterns traded at their prop firm, including a large archive of videos.

There are many other dandy services out there; banking concern represent out post on resources for traders; too this post on technical analysis resources.

Note that each of these services comes at a cost, both of coin too time/effort.  Considerable due diligence is needed to ensure that what they are teaching is what yous desire to learn.  The correct sites volition role model playbooks too how to merchandise those.  What yous add together is the review too exercise that helps brand those patterns too rules your own.  The best services accelerate your learning curve; none of them tin substitute for that learning curve.

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Monday, August 7, 2006

Info!! Trading Similar A Sniper: Blending Aggression In Addition To Self-Control

In my recent post, I outlined how a trader's really achievement motivation tin atomic number 82 to "pressing": trying hence hard to brand trades spill out that trading plans together with rules are abandoned. This ofttimes happens when traders drib dead frustrated amongst losses or irksome markets together with endeavor to brand upward for the lack of results yesteryear sizing positions besides aggressively or yesteryear taking besides many positions. Traders press when they experience pressure, whether for profits, for action, or to make competitive payoff over other traders.

The consequence is a loss of self-control, equally aggressiveness takes over together with judgment takes a dorsum seat. Successful trading may live discretionary or system-based, but it should ever live rule-governed: controlled yesteryear basic considerations of chance administration together with opportunity. Indeed, this mightiness live an apt Definition of misfortunate trading: when the ask to merchandise overwhelms the ask to save together with add together to capital.

One of my favorite posters inwards my purpose is of a armed forces sniper inwards the field, peering out from soil cover. The caption beneath the motion-picture demo reads, "The sniper's greatest weapon is a sharply honed intellect. He combines a mastery of stealth, situational awareness, ballistics together with precision shooting skills into i of the close lethal weapon systems to ever blast fearfulness into the enemy."

If the sniper became besides aggressive together with excessively bored amongst sitting inwards the plain waiting for the correct shot, he mightiness trammel from his comprehend together with start out spraying the enemy amongst fire. Most of the shots would in all probability drib dead wild, together with the out-of-control sniper would chop-chop live located together with mowed down.

No, the sniper waits for the ideal shot: "stealth" together with "situational awareness" are essential tools of the trade. Being a sniper agency combining aggression amongst exquisite self-control together with judgment. It is controlled aggression.

Over the years, I've learned to merchandise similar a sniper yesteryear non placing i merchandise afterwards only about other inwards rapid succession. When a merchandise is concluded, I drib dead apartment together with human face for a fresh setup. During the waiting time, I refresh my "situational awareness" (assessment of marketplace conditions, my ain condition), together with render to my basic trading rules.

The thought is to merchandise exclusively when I get got an unobstructed thought of the target. Everything else is waiting together with preparing, staying depression inwards a defensive posture. It's the fourth dimension betwixt those shots at the target that furnish the self-control. It is hard to press if you lot get got the fourth dimension to reassess, reload, together with render to comprehend afterwards an errant shot. With repetition, that reassessment together with reloading drib dead automatic: your default trend becomes i of self-control.

Plan. Trade. Reassess plan. Trade: It's a musical rhythm that combines the best of achievement motivation together with aggression amongst the best of judgment together with forethought. It's a beautiful feeling to excogitation i skilful trade, execute it to perfection, together with hence sit down dorsum together with human face for the side yesteryear side opportunity. Any functioning skill, honed together with executed amongst precision, is a variety of run of art. I recall the best snipers empathize that.

RELATED POSTS:

Bridging Hot together with Cold Emotional U.S.A. inwards Trading

Three Steps for Breaking Out of Frustration
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Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Info!! Why Trading Fiscal Markets Is Together With Hence Difficult

Yesterday was i of my ameliorate days of the twelvemonth trading ES, as well as a large business office of the success consisted of *not* next my process.  Therein lies a tale as well as why therefore much mutual wisdom inward trading psychology is horseshit.

First off, at that spot is an underlying message you'll remove heed from every furu:  trading markets is actually easier than yous think.  Why is this the meta-message?  Because the furu needs to appeal to the quick coin crowd.  There's no sexy message if yous say people that trading is difficult; that fifty-fifty the Blue Planet shape traders guide maintain losing periods; that it takes years to principal whatsoever craft.  So the furu goes afterward the people who *don't* desire to run for a living.  After all, what to a greater extent than alluring message to post than, "it's actually easy...all yous demand to focus on is X."

Well, it's non tardily as well as there's i major argue for why markets are therefore hard to trade:  they are e'er changing.  The marketplace position yous traded 2 weeks agone is non the marketplace position that traded for the by 2 days.

Above is a nautical chart where each information indicate represents 50,000 ES contracts.  It covers the menstruation from 7/1/15 to the present.  Note how the rules that would guide maintain made yous coin really early on inward the menstruation are dissimilar from the ones that succeeded inward the middle of the menstruation as well as extremely dissimilar from what has succeeded almost recently.

I laid upwards quantitative models of the ES market.  The backtests for those short-term models guide maintain gone dorsum to 2014, every bit this has been a relatively stable (stationary) authorities (i.e., a stable laid of rules has been predictive of frontwards cost movement).  As nosotros went from trading Th to Friday, it became clear that the models (which to a greater extent than frequently than non set yous long inward oversold, higher volatility environments as well as curt inward overbought, lower volatility periods) were non working.  They were non working because the cost activeness inward the marketplace position was non typical of the cost activeness from which the models had been derived.  Only the Oct 2014 menstruation was similar, simply fifty-fifty at that spot of import differences were present.

(Parenthetically, nosotros unopen Fri amongst fewer than 5% of SPX shares trading inward a higher house their three- as well as five-day moving averages as well as fewer than 10% trading inward a higher house their 10-day moving average, amongst VIX having soared to 28.  That cost activeness is much to a greater extent than similar to 2010 as well as 2011 atmospheric condition than 2014-2015 ones).

So I disregarded the model output as well as instead turned to my inquiry that identifies when nosotros guide maintain a probable tendency day.  The persistent hitting of bids on expanded book was indeed introduce as well as led to a proficient afternoon curt trade.  If anything, the models would guide maintain had me hunting for bottoms.  

I did non follow my procedure because I guide maintain a meta-process for adapting my process.  In other words, I am constantly scanning to come across if this fourth dimension actually is dissimilar therefore that I tin suit to changing atmospheric condition every bit chop-chop every bit possible.  I don't desire to hold upwards trading mean-reversion (which worked good through much of the menstruation of the nautical chart above) when we're straightaway inward a trend/momentum environment.

This is why trading is therefore difficult.  In almost functioning fields, nosotros tin count on stability:  the pitching mound does non become from xc feet from the plate to lx as well as therefore 120.  The basketball game hoop does non become from 10 feet high to 12 as well as therefore 8-1/2.  The rules of chess are constant throughout tournaments; the rules of markets tin alter over the course of written report of a week.  

Success tin come upwards from faithfully next your trading process.  Ongoing success comes from chop-chop recognizing when that procedure needs to adapt.

Further Reading:  Trading Coaches every bit Whores
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Monday, January 21, 2019

Trick The Hungry Games : Zodiac Edition







The Game where y'all don't desire to lose. 
May the odds live on ever inward your flavor. 
Good luck Zodiacs. :3


Game Rules together with Updates volition live on finalized together with shall 
be posted here earlier the calendar week ends.


The Hungry Games

The objective of this game is to test the conviction of zodiac players in picking stocks and also to make stock trading more fun!

Main Rules


· Every calendar week y'all cause got 1 Million HGM (Hungry Games Money) together with y'all need to alternative entirely ONE

(1) stock to merchandise per week.

· Gains or losses realized afterwards 1 calendar week volition non live on credited to your starting coin for the next week. You ever start alongside a fresh 1 Million HGM every week.

· You tin pick out to avail 1 of your iii trading immunities if y'all practise non desire to merchandise together with would simply similar to cause got a cash seat for 1 week. You tin give your trading immunity to

your teammate if y'all desire to together with if y'all mean value it volition assist your squad win.

Buying Rules

· Your buying cost tin entirely live on Friday’s closing cost of your chosen stock. You cannot purchase at intraday prices.

· You tin function inward your purchase venture every Sat to Mon morn 8:00 AM.

· Orders entered on Mon at 8:01 AM onwards volition non live on accepted together with instead 1 of your iii trading immunity volition live on automatically used together with thence y'all tin simply remain at a cash seat
for that week.

· If y'all practise non cause got trading immunity anymore together with y'all were non able to execute a purchase transaction, y'all volition live on fined PHP500.00 for that week. All proceeds collected hither volition live on donated to the schoolhouse supported yesteryear boss ZF together with invicta.


Selling Rules

· You tin sell your positions betwixt Mon to Fri but entirely on the closing price. You cannot sell at intraday prices.

· If y'all are non able to sell, your seat volition automatically live on sold on Friday’s closing price.

Sample Trade:

Stock Pick: UNI
Buy: Feb. 13, 2015 (Friday) at 0.355
Sell: Feb. 18, 2015 (Thursday) at 0.55
%Gain/Loss: +54.93%

Please live on accurate inward inputting your stock’s closing prices. You volition live on fined PHP200.00 for each wrong entry of a stock’s closing price. All proceeds collected hither volition live on donated to the schoolhouse supported yesteryear boss ZF together with invicta.

All orders entered volition live on kept confidential yesteryear the Game Master.

Scoring

Each squad member’s ending calendar week merchandise value volition live on combined to larn the team’s full merchandise value. The squad alongside the highest full HGM on-hand wins! Teams at minute together with 3rd house are losers.

Results volition live on posted inward the Zodiac Facebook site together with released on weekends.

Rewards together with Penalties

The winning squad gets PHP 1,200 every calendar week for every win or PHP 300 per member.

Winnings tin live on accumulated together with thence that the winning squad tin asking for bigger valued items at Zalora/Lazada or simply a costless dinner at your favorite restaurant.

Second-place finishers need to pay PHP400 every calendar week to the winning squad or PHP100 per member. Third-place finishers need to pay PHP800 every calendar week to the winning squad or PHP200 per member.

There volition too live on a “Top Hunter of the Week”, wherein the thespian alongside the virtually HGM-on- paw volition larn PHP l from each thespian or a full of PHP 550 every week.

Negotiations on how together with when the payment is to live on made volition live on left to the parties involved on the provision that all debts must live on paid inside iii months. At the start of the fourth month, each fellow member should cause got aught debt inward his or her name.

Grand Prize

At the halt of 1 year, the squad alongside the virtually wins volition have a full of PHP 10,000 or PHP 2,500 per thespian together with volition live on named “Hungry Games World Cup Champion of 2015.” Prize

money volition over again come upward from the losing teams.

Grand Penalty

PHP 900 from each fellow member of the squad at 2d house for a full of PHP 3,600 PHP 1,600 from each fellow member of the squad at 3rd house for a full of PHP 6,400

The Top Hunter of the twelvemonth or the thespian alongside the virtually HGM on paw afterwards 1 twelvemonth volition have a full prize of PHP 2,200 or PHP 200 from each thespian together with volition live on named the “Hungry Games Top Hunter of 2015”. The side yesteryear side iv transcend hunters volition too have PHP 700 each or a full of PHP 2,800 from the bottom vii players. The transcend v hunters volition live on called the “Hungry Games Mythical Five of 2015”.

There is no halt to the Hungry Games, entirely expiry from starvation volition railroad train y'all free. May the odds live on ever inward your flavor!


- Zodiac Game Masters.



Saturday, March 6, 2021

Info!! Mastering Trading Anxiety Amongst Conduct Chances Management

In my recent post, I took a await at the nature as well as origin of anxiety experienced past times traders. There are many cognitive as well as behavioral methods that are quite effective inward dampening anxiety, only this postal service volition focus on a unlike strategy: preventing anxiety from occurring inward the commencement place.

You mightiness last thinking, "How is it possible to forestall anxiety when trading? After all, nosotros can't command what the markets are going to do!"

While it's truthful that nosotros can't command markets, it's as the illustration that nosotros tin *always* boundary the losses nosotros accept inward whatever given merchandise (or whatever given calendar week or month). We command the maximum amound we're willing to lose past times iii means:

1) Defining the maximum size seat we're willing to take;

2) Defining the goal betoken at which nosotros teach out the trade;

3) Defining the total of coin we're willing to lose inward a item stream of fourth dimension earlier nosotros trim down our risk.

The commencement 2 rules define our seat risk: how much we're willing to lose inward the pursuit of a item gain. The 3rd dominion is purpose of defining our portfolio risk: how much we're willing to describe downward inward our accounts earlier nosotros delineate back, reassess, as well as boundary farther exposure.

Psychologically, the telephone commutation is to formulate these rules inward such a vogue that they boot inward *before* anxiety overtakes us. Recall that anxiety is a reply to perceived threat. Emotionally, nosotros desire losses as well as drawdowns to last normal, non-threatening occurrences. They may last disappointing, only they postulate non pose threats to our emotional as well as fiscal well-being. Properly defined seat as well as portfolio rules for direct chances management are preventive tools amongst honour to anxiety as well as trauma.

Look at it this way: every trader has goal limits for positions as well as portfolios. You volition teach out the marketplace seat either because of the limits imposed past times your rules or because of the limits of your pain. Risk management is the best preventive therapy of all.

RELATED POST:

Overcoming Performance Anxiety
.

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Info!! Cross Talk: Trading The Vogue You Lot Desire To Trade

One of the virtually mutual concerns I listen from traders at the destination of a hard twenty-four hours is that they didn't merchandise the agency they had wanted to trade. This is specially the illustration for active traders who larn too thus caught upward inward cost activity too volatility that they lose sight of their larger marketplace ideas--and sometimes larn turned roughly too merchandise counter to those ideas. In my recent post, I mentioned seat sizing equally i of import chemical component inward mindful trading. Risk acts equally a form of magnifying drinking glass on emotions during trading; it is slowly for the swings inward P/L to larn emotional swings. By controlling conduct chances too keeping losses to manageable levels, nosotros also deal our responses to loss.

I heartily encourage readers to depository fiscal establishment jibe out the comments to that recent post. Readers convey done an splendid chore of laying out their ideas regarding sticking to one's desired approach to trading. Here are a few highlights from the comments:

* The value of having explicit trading rules too existence out of the marketplace for stretches of fourth dimension to assess markets too performance;

* The value of existence selective; picking spots to merchandise rather than trying to proceed upward amongst each volatile marketplace movement;

* The value of scaling into trades to bound initial exposure too limiting overnight exposure during volatile markets;

* The value of grading too reviewing your trading, setting goals for improvement;

* The value of limiting directional conduct chances inward volatile markets;

* The value of tracking results monthly, setting monthly goals, too existence willing to re-enter trades afterward commencement getting stopped out;

* The value of selectivity: focusing on highest probability trades;

* The value of knowing when you're non attuned to the marketplace too limiting conduct chances exposure at those times;

* The value of sticking to one's basic trading rules too mode rather than merely going amongst the gut too limiting conduct chances exposure land adapting to changing marketplace conditions;

* The value of focusing on trading well, sticking to high reward-to-risk trades, too standardizing the percent of one's portfolio that is at conduct chances per trade.

These nuggets hardly produce judge to the richness of the comments; many cheers to those who took the fourth dimension to portion their ideas. One commenter, Adam, used a phrase that I establish specially valuable: he advised losing "as intelligently equally possible". This is an of import distinction: betwixt intelligent losses--those that are the results of existence mindful, that are planned too controlled--and unintelligent losses: those that outcome from mindlessness inward the midst of volatility.

The bottom draw of piece of job is whether you lot are controlling your trading--from the generation of ideas to the timing of entries, the sizing of positions, too the setting of leave of absence criteria--or whether markets are controlling you lot past times turning cost volatility into cognitive too emotional volatility. The strategies advanced past times readers are tools for mindfulness: you lot merchandise the agency you lot wishing to merchandise past times staying self-aware fifty-fifty during your absorption inward marketplace action.
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Thursday, February 1, 2018

Info!! Managing Trading Risk: Learning How To Lose

The previous ship service dealt amongst managing opportunity inside the trading day. At a larger level, however, every trader must deal opportunity across a trading career.

A spell back, a trader told me he was doubling his coin each yr inwards the marketplace together with asked if I wanted to invest funds amongst him. He offered a verified rails tape of his results. I right away declined. My dominion is that, over time, a trader volition ever depict downwardly at to the lowest degree one-half of his or her targeted supply rate. Anyone who guns for 100% returns annually volition surely, at roughly point, sense a 50% drawdown. That's non for me.

Risk together with vantage are ever proportional. Those who understood that did non invest amongst Madoff.

A trader told me that he made a sizable half dozen figures inwards a twenty-four hours of trading. Later, he wrote to me inwards a tizzy because he had lost half dozen figures. Another i of my rules is that y'all should ever merchandise pocket-size plenty to comfortably weather condition v consecutive halt outs. If y'all merchandise enough, that serial of losers *will* occur. Risk 10% of your majuscule inwards your trades together with it's Russian roulette: eventually you'll come upwards to that sleeping accommodation that has the bullet of v consecutive losses.

If 20% of my majuscule is the maximum that I tin dismiss countenance losing over time, I am going to merchandise smaller when I depict downwardly 5%, smaller soundless when downwardly 10%, together with smaller yet when downwardly 15%. As I'm trading worse, I'm risking less. I movement into to a greater extent than hard to striking my 20% threshold because I'm putting less majuscule at opportunity during drawdown periods.

Conversely, yesteryear risking a fixed fraction of my majuscule when making money, I naturally make greater risk/reward equally I am trading well.

I know from sense that, at roughly indicate over time, I volition depict downwardly 10 times what I'm willing to opportunity on a unmarried trade. If I opportunity i per centum of my majuscule inwards a trade, I'd improve survive prepared to suffer a 10% drawdown inwards majuscule at roughly indicate inwards the future. If I opportunity 5% of my majuscule inwards each trade, I'll eventually lose at to the lowest degree one-half of my money. Probability together with psychology guarantee slumps; wise traders excogitation for them.

So much of trading success is knowing how to lose.
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Monday, January 21, 2019

Trick Trading 101 : Osmosis




On this post, I'd similar to emphasize on coin management and
 diversification when dealing amongst tertiary liners.

But earlier that....




This game is actually boot ass!
Extremely Fun when played using Pads.
Here's a link if you lot desire to induce it out


Quick definition of Osmosis.

Definition taken from : http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

Totally related to trading right?
Well.. non really.. But if you lot played the game, 
you'll larn what I mean. Hopefully. Hahahaha



Anyways, 

When buying tertiary liners, assuming the chart 
is good as well as all, make certain you lot report its liquidity.  
You don't desire to live on buying something you lot can't sell.

So Ask yourself this question:
"If i position inwards X amount of coin inwards stock Y, 
would I live on able to sell it amongst rest on the same day?"

If your answer is YES, thence you're 1 step 

ready to brand that trade.



Moving on...


I normally popular off on 1 to iv Trending Stocks - all amongst nigh the same merchandise value. 
And when a stock is create for net taking, I sell all, if non unopen to of it and 
transfer the funds to the remaining 3 stocks or add together to a novel stock position.

Sometimes I larn over iv stocks, but when I do, 
I switch as well as sell the weakest of my holdings as well as go 
back to the master iv or less.. 

Focus is extremely important. 

Just imagine if lets say, you lot possess got x basuras inwards your port,
all amongst equal value, thence all of a abrupt a wild send appears! 



"Imma swallow yea live on biotch!"

And the worst business office is, your broker... let's say.. only out of total "randomness"  
House 203 would possess got 1 of those "stroke moments" during marketplace seat panics.

What practice you lot do?


Imagine the pain...


So every bit much every bit possible, popular off on or purchase solely what you lot tin manage.


"Okay Zee Enough amongst the talk". 
I larn it. You desire results.

Here ya go...



This is the Unshaded Version of 


Port every bit of 1.20.2012


Port every bit of 1.24.2012


Port every bit of 1.25.2012



Port every bit of 1.26.2012

 Port every bit of 1.27.2012


 Port every bit of 1.30.2012


 Port every bit of 1.31.2012




Here are my other trading rules:

On Cutting Losses:
Don't permit a loss achieve -4%
Cut earlier it reaches that level.

On Taking Profits:
There are no Target Prices,
Only Trailing Stops.

On Trading H5N1 stock:
Trade amongst bias. If a stock does not 
move according to your bias, Sell.

I too larn this inquiry a lot, So i'll only Include it here:
"What is my average asset period?"
4 Trading days. Or until a stock's uptrend snaps.



And If I'm dead certain of a killer trade? 
I never hesitate to larn All-In!






Happy Valentines Everyone.