9 Tricks of the Successful Forex Trader.
For all of its numbers, charts and ratios, trading is more art than science. Just as in artistic endeavors, there is talent involved, but talent will only take you so far. The best traders hone their skills through practice and discipline. They perform self analysis to see what drives their trades and learn how to keep fear and greed out of the equation. In this article we'll look at nine steps a novice trader can use to perfect his or her craft; for the experts out there, you might just find some tips that will help you make smarter, more profitable trades too.
1. Define your goals and choose a compatible trading style.
Before you set out on any journey, it is imperative that you have some idea of where your destination is and how you will get there. Consequently, it is imperative that you have clear goals in mind as to what you would like to achieve; you then have to be sure that your trading method is capable of achieving these goals. Each type of trading style requires a different approach and each style has a different risk profile, which requires a different attitude and approach to trade successfully. For example, if you cannot stomach going to sleep with an open position in the market then you might consider day trading. On the other hand, if you have funds that you think will benefit from the appreciation of a trade over a period of some months, then a position trader is what you want to consider becoming. Just be sure that your personality fits the style of trading you undertake. A personality mismatch will lead to stress and certain losses.
2. Choose a broker who offers an appropriate trading platform.
It is important to choose a broker who offers a trading platform that will allow you to do the analysis you require. Choosing a reputable broker is of paramount importance and spending time researching the differences between brokers will be very helpful. You must know each broker's policies and how he or she goes about making a market. For example, trading in the over-the-counter market or spot market is different from trading the exchange-driven markets. In choosing a broker, it is important to know your broker's policies. Also make sure that your broker's trading platform is suitable for the analysis you want to do. For example, if you like to trade off of Fibonacci numbers, be sure the broker's platform can draw Fibonacci lines. A good broker with a poor platform, or a good platform with a poor broker, can be a problem. Make sure you get the best of both.
3. Choose a methodology and be consistent in its application.
Before you enter any market as a trader, you need to have some idea of how you will make decisions to execute your trades. You must know what information you will need in order to make the appropriate decision about whether to enter or exit a trade. Some people choose to look at the underlying fundamentals of the company or economy, and then use a chart to determine the best time to execute the trade. Others use technical analysis; as a result they will only use charts to time a trade. Remember that fundamentals drive the trend in the long term, whereas chart patterns may offer trading opportunities in the short term. Whichever methodology you choose, remember to be consistent. And be sure your methodology is adaptive. Your system should keep up with the changing dynamics of a market.
4. Choose your entry and exit time frame carefully.
Many traders get confused because of conflicting information that occurs when looking at charts in different time frames. What shows up as a buying opportunity on a weekly chart could, in fact, show up as a sell signal on an intraday chart. Therefore, if you are taking your basic trading direction from a weekly chart and using a daily chart to time entry, be sure to synchronize the two. In other words, if the weekly chart is giving you a buy signal, wait until the daily chart also confirms a buy signal. Keep your timing in sync.
5. Calculate your expectancy.
Expectancy is the formula you use to determine how reliable your system is. You should go back in time and measure all your trades that were winners versus losers. Then determine how profitable your winning trades were versus how much your losing trades lost.
Take a look at your last 10 trades. If you haven't made actual trades yet, go back on your chart to where your system would have indicated that you should enter and exit a trade. Determine if you would have made a profit or a loss. Write these results down. Total all your winning trades and divide the answer by the number of winning trades you made. Here is the formula:
If you made 10 trades and six of them were winning trades and four were losing trades, your percentage win ratio would be 6/10 or 60%. If your six trades made $2,400, then your average win would be $2,400/6 = $400. If your losses were $1,200, then your average loss would be $1,200/4 = $300. Apply these results to the formula and you get; E= [1+ (400/300)] x 0.6 - 1 = 0.40 or 40%. A positive 40% expectancy means that your system will return you 40 cents per dollar over the long term.
6. Focus on your trades and learn to love small losses.
Once you have funded your account, the most important thing to remember is that your money is at risk. Therefore, your money should not be needed for living or to pay bills etc. Consider your trading money as if it were vacation money. Once the vacation is over your money is spent. Have the same attitude toward trading. This will psychologically prepare you to accept small losses, which is key to managing your risk. By focusing on your trades and accepting small losses rather than constantly counting your equity, you will be much more successful.
Secondly, only leverage your trades to a maximum risk of 2% of your total funds. In other words, if you have $10,000 in your trading account, never let any trade lose more than 2% of the account value, or $200. If your stops are farther away than 2% of your account, trade shorter time frames or decrease the leverage.
7. Build positive feedback loops.
A positive feedback loop is created as a result of a well-executed trade in accordance with your plan. When you plan a trade and then execute it well, you form a positive feedback pattern. Success breeds success, which in turn breeds confidence – especially if the trade is profitable. Even if you take a small loss but do so in accordance with a planned trade, then you will be building a positive feedback loop.
8. Perform weekend analysis.
On the weekend, when the markets are closed, study weekly charts to look for patterns or news that could affect your trade. Perhaps a pattern is making a double top and the pundits and the news are suggesting a market reversal. This is a kind of reflexivity where the pattern could be prompting the pundits while the pundits are reinforcing the pattern. Or the pundits may be telling you that the market is about to explode. Perhaps these are pundits hoping to lure you into the market so that they can sell their positions on increased liquidity. These are the kinds of actions to look for to help you formulate your upcoming trading week. In the cool light of objectivity, you will make your best plans. Wait for your setups and learn to be patient.
9. Keep a printed record.
Keeping a printed record is a great learning tool. Print out a chart and list all the reasons for the trade, including the fundamentals that sway your decisions. Mark the chart with your entry and your exit points. Make any relevant comments on the chart. File this record so you can refer to it over and over again. Note the emotional reasons for taking action. Did you panic? Were you too greedy? Were you full of anxiety? Note all these feelings on your record. It is only when you can objectify your trades that you will develop the mental control and discipline to execute according to your system instead of your habits.
The Bottom Line.
The steps above will lead you to a structured approach to trading and in return should help you become a more refined trader. Trading is an art and the only way to become increasingly proficient is through consistent and disciplined practice. Remember the expression: the harder you practice the luckier you'll get.
Top 4 Things Successful Forex Traders Do.
Trading in the financial markets is surrounded by a certain amount of mystique, because there is no single formula for trading successfully. Think of the markets as being like the ocean and the trader as a surfer. Surfing requires talent, balance, patience, proper equipment and being mindful of your surroundings. Would you go into water that had dangerous rip tides or was shark infested? Hopefully not.
The attitude to trading in the markets is no different than the attitude required for surfing. By blending good analysis with effective implementation, your success rate will improve dramatically and, like many skill sets, good trading comes from a combination of talent and hard work. Here are the four legs of the stool that you can build into a strategy to serve you well in all markets.
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Before you start to trade, recognize the value of proper preparation. The first step is to align your personal goals and temperament with the instruments and markets that you can comfortably relate to. For example, if you know something about retailing, then look to trade retail stocks rather than oil futures, about which you may know nothing. Begin by assessing the following three components.
The time frame indicates the type of trading that is appropriate for your temperament. Trading off a five-minute chart suggests that you are more comfortable being in a position without the exposure to overnight risk. On the other hand, choosing weekly charts indicates a comfort with overnight risk and a willingness to see some days go contrary to your position.
In addition, decide if you have the time and willingness to sit in front of a screen all day or if you would prefer to do your research quietly over the weekend and then make a trading decision for the coming week based on your analysis. Remember that the opportunity to make substantial money in the markets requires time. Short-term scalping, by definition, means small profits or losses. In this case, you will have to trade more frequently.
Once you choose a time frame, find a consistent methodology. For example, some traders like to buy support and sell resistance. Others prefer buying or selling breakouts. Yet others like to trade using indicators such as MACD and crossovers.
Once you choose a system or methodology, test it to see if it works on a consistent basis and provides you with an edge. If your system is reliable more than 50% of the time, you will have an edge, even if it's a small one. If you backtest your system and discover that had you traded every time you were given a signal and your profits were more than your losses, chances are very good that you have a winning strategy. Test a few strategies and when you find one that delivers a consistently positive outcome, stay with it and test it with a variety of instruments and various time frames.
You will find that certain instruments trade much more orderly than others. Erratic trading instruments make it difficult to produce a winning system. Therefore, it is necessary to test your system on multiple instruments to determine that your system's "personality" matches with the instrument being traded. For example, if you were trading the USD/JPY currency pair in the forex market, you may find that Fibonacci support and resistance levels are more reliable in this instrument than in some others. You should also test multiple time frames to find those that match your trading system best.
Attitude in trading means ensuring that you develop your mindset to reflect the following four attributes:
Once you know what to expect from your system, have the patience to wait for the price to reach the levels that your system indicates for either the point of entry or exit. If your system indicates an entry at a certain level but the market never reaches it, then move on to the next opportunity. There will always be another trade. In other words, don't chase the bus after it has left the terminal; wait for the next bus.
Discipline is the ability to be patient - to sit on your hands until your system triggers an action point. Sometimes, the price action won't reach your anticipated price point. At this time, you must have the discipline to believe in your system and not to second-guess it. Discipline is also the ability to pull the trigger when your system indicates to do so. This is especially true for stop losses.
Objectivity or "emotional detachment" also depends on the reliability of your system or methodology. If you have a system that provides entry and exit levels that you know have a high reliability factor, then you don't need to become emotional or allow yourself to be influenced by the opinion of pundits who are watching their levels and not yours. Your system should be reliable enough so that you can be confident in acting on its signals.
Even though the market can sometimes make a much bigger move than you anticipate, being realistic means that you cannot expect to invest $250 in your trading account and expect to make $1,000 each trade. Although neither a short-term nor longer term time frame is necessarily safer than the other, the short-term time frame may involve smaller risks if the trader exercises discipline in picking trades. It's a question of risk versus reward.
Different instruments trade differently depending on who the major players are and why they are trading that particular instrument. Hedge funds are motivated differently than mutual funds. Large banks that are trading the spot currency market in specific currencies usually have a different objective than currency traders buying or selling futures contracts. If you can determine what motivates the large players then you can often piggyback them and profit accordingly.
Pick a few currencies, stocks or commodities and chart them all in a variety of time frames. Then apply your particular methodology to all of them and see which time frame and which instrument is most responsive to your system. This is how you discover a "personality" match for your system. Repeat this exercise regularly to adapt to changing market conditions.
Leg No. 4 - Management (Implementation)
Since there is no such thing as only profitable trades, no system will trigger a 100% sure thing. Even a profitable system, say with a 65% profit to loss ratio, still has 35% losing trades. Therefore, the art of profitability is in the management and execution of the trade.
In the end, successful trading is all about risk control. Take losses quickly and often, if necessary. Try to get your trade in the correct direction right out of the gate. If it backs off, cut out and try again. Often, it is on the second or third attempt that your trade will move immediately in the right direction. This practice requires patience and discipline, but when you get the direction right, you can trail your stops and usually be profitable at best, or break even at worst.
There are as many nuanced methods of trading as there are traders. There is no right or wrong way to trade. There is only a profit-making trade or a loss-making trade. Warren Buffet says there are two rules in trading: Rule 1: Never lose money. Rule 2: Remember Rule 1. Stick a note on your computer that will remind you to take small losses often and quickly - don't wait for the big losses.
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Forex Trading Tips - 20 things you need to know to be a successful trader.
Forex has caused large losses to many inexperienced and undisciplined traders over the years. You need not be one of the losers. Here are twenty forex trading tips that you can use to avoid disasters and maximize your potential in the currency exchange market.
1. Know yourself. Define your risk tolerance carefully. Understand your needs.
To profit in trading, you must make recognize the markets. To recognize the markets, you must first know and recognize yourself. The first step of gaining self-awareness is ensuring that your risk tolerance and capital allocation to forex and trading are not excessive or lacking. This means that you must carefully study and analyze your own financial goals in engaging forex trading.
2. Plan your goals. Stick to your plan.
Once you know what you want from trading, you must systematically define a timeframe and a working plan for your trading career. What constitutes failure, what would be defined as success? What is the timeframe for the trial and error process that will inevitably be an important part of your learning? How much time can you devote to trading? Do you aim at financial independence, or merely aim to generate extra income? These and similar questions must be answered before you can gain the clear vision necessary for a persistent and patient approach to trading. Also, having clear goals will make it easier to abandon the endeavor entirely in case that the risks/return analysis precludes a profitable outcome.
3. Choose your broker carefully.
While this point is often neglected by beginners, it is impossible to overemphasize the importance of the choice of broker. That a fake or unreliable broker invalidates all the gains acquired through hard work and study is obvious. But it is equally important that your expertise level, and trading goals match the details of the offer made by the broker. What kind of client profile does the forex broker aim at reaching? Does the trading software suit your expectations? How efficient is customer service? All these must be carefully scrutinized before even beginning to consider the intricacies of trading itself. Please refer to our forex broker reviews to find a reliable broker that suites your trading style.
4. Pick your account type, and leverage ratio in accordance with your needs and expectations.
In continuation of the above item, it is necessary that we choose the account package that is most suited to our expectations and knowledge level. The various types of accounts offered by brokers can be confusing at first, but the general rule is that lower leverage is better. If you have a good understanding of leverage and trading in general, you can be satisfied with a standard account. If you’re a complete beginner, it is a must that you undergo a period of study and practice by the use of a mini account. In general, the lower your risk, the higher your chances, so make your choices in the most conservative way possible, especially at the beginning of your career.
5. Begin with small sums, increase the size of your account through organic gains, not by greater deposits.
One of the best tips for trading forex is to begin with small sums, and low leverage, while adding up to your account as it generates profits. There is no justification to the idea that a larger account will allow greater profits. If you can increase the size of your account through your trading choices, perfect. If not, there’s no point in keeping pumping money to an account that is burning cash like an furnace burns paper.
6. Focus on a single currency pair, expand as you better your skills.
The world of currency trading is deep and complicated, due to the chaotic nature of the markets, and the diverse characters and purposes of market participants. It is hard to master all the different kinds of financial activity that goes on in this world, so it is a great idea to restrict our trading activity to a currency pair which we understand, and with which we are familiar. Beginning with the trading of the currency of your nation can be a great idea. If that’s not your choice, sticking to the most liquid, and widely traded pairs can also be an excellent practice for both the beginner and the advanced traders.
7. Do what you understand.
Simple as it is, failure to abide by this principle has been the doom of countless traders. In general, if you’re unsure that you know what you’re doing, and that you can defend your opinion with strength and vigor against critics that you value and trust, do not trade. Do not trade on the basis of hearsay or rumors. And do not act unless you’re confident that you understand both the positive consequences, and the adverse results that may result from opening a position.
8. Do not add to a losing position.
While this is just common sense, ignorance of the principle, or carelessness in its employment has caused disasters to many traders in the course of history. Nobody knows where a currency pair will be heading during the next few hours, days, or even weeks. There are lots of educated guesses, but no knowledge of where the price will be a short while later. Thus, the only certain value about trading is now. Nothing much can be said about the future. Consequently, there can be no point in adding to a losing position, unless you love gambling. A position in the red can be allowed to survive on its own in accordance with the initial plan, but adding to it can never be an advisable practice.
9. Restrain your emotions.
Greed, excitement, euphoria, panic or fear should have no place in traders’ calculations. Yet traders are human beings, so it is obvious that we have to find a way of living with these emotions, while at the same time controlling them and minimizing their effect on our lives. That is why traders are always advised to begin with small amounts. By reducing our risk, we can be calm enough to realize our long term goals, reducing the impact of emotions on our trading choices. A logical approach, and less emotional intensity are the best forex trading tips necessary to a successful career.
10. Take notes. Study your success and failure.
An analytical approach to trading does not begin at the fundamental and technical analysis of price trends, or the formulation of trading strategies. It begins at the first step taken into the career, with the first dollar placed in an open position, and the first mistakes in calculation and trading methods. The successful trader will keep a diary, a journal of his trading activity where he carefully scrutinizes his mistakes and successes to find out what works and what does not. This is one of the most importance forex trading tips that you will get from a good mentor.
11. Automate your trading as much as possible.
We already noted the importance of emotional control in ensuring a successful and profitable career. In order to minimize the role of emotions, one of the best of courses of action would be the automatization of trading choices and trader behavior. This is not about using forex robots, or buying expensive technical strategies. All that you need to do is to make sure that your responses to similar situations and trading scenarios are themselves similar in nature. In other words, don’t improvise. Let your reactions to market events follow a studied and tested pattern.
12. Do not rely on forex robots, wonder methods, and other snake oil products.
Surprisingly, these unproven and untested products are extremely popular these days, generating great profits for their sellers, but little in the way of gains for their excited and hopeful buyers. The logical defense against such magical items is in fact easy. If the genius creators of these tools are so smart, let them become millionaires with the benefit of their inventions. If they have no interest in doing as much, you should have no interest in their creations either.
13. Keep it simple. Both your trade plans and analysis should be easily understood and explained.
Forex trading is not rocket science. There is no expectation that you be a mathematical genius, or an economics professor to acquire wealth in currency trading. Instead, clarity of vision, and well-defined, carefully observed goals and practices offer the surest path to a respectable career in forex. To achieve this, you must resist the temptation to overexplain, overanalyze, and most importantly, to rationalize your failures. A failure is a failure regardless of the conditions that led to it.
14. Don’t go against the markets, unless you have enough patience and financial resilience to stick to a long term plan.
In general, a beginner is never advised to trade against trends, or to pick tops and bottoms by betting against the main forces of market momentum. Join the trends so that your mind can relax. Fight the trends, and constant stress and fear will wreck your career.
15. Understand that forex is about probabilities.
Forex is all about risk analysis and probability. There is no single method or style that will generate profits all the time. The key to success is positioning ourselves in such a way that the losses are harmless, while the profits are multiplied. Such a positioning is only possible by managing our risk allocations in accordance with an understanding of probability and risk management.
16. Be humble and patient. Do not fight the markets.
Recognize your failures, and try to accommodate them if they can’t be eliminated completely. Above all, resist the illusion that you somehow possess the alchemist’s stone of trading. Such an attitude will surely be ruinous on your career eventually.
17. Share your experiences. Follow your own judgment.
While it is a great idea to discuss your opinion on the markets with others, you should be the one making the decisions. Consider the opinions of others, but make your own choices. It is your money after all.
18. Study money management.
Once we make profits, it is time to protect them. Money management is about the minimization of losses, and maximization of profits. To ensure that you don’t gamble away your hard-earned profits, to “cut your losses short, and let profits ride”, you should keep the bible of money management as the centerpiece of your trading library at all times.
19. Study the markets, fundamentals, and technical factors leading the price action.
That we have placed this so low in the list should not surprise the experienced trader. Faulty analysis is rarely the cause of a wiped-out account. A career that fails to begin is never killed by the consequences of erronerous application or understanding of fundamental or technical studies. Other issues that are related to money management, and emotional control are far more important than analysis for the beginner, but as those issues are overcome, and steady gains are realized, the edge gained by successful analysis of the markets will be invaluable. Analysis is important, but only after a proper attitude to trading and risk taking is attained.
20. Don’t give up.
Finally, provided that you risk only what you can afford to lose, persistence, and a determination to succeed are great advantages. It is highly unlikely that you will become a trading genius overnight, so it is only sensible to await the ripening of your skills, and the development of your talents before giving up. As long as the learning process is painless, as long as the amounts that you risk do not derail your plans about the future and your life in general, the pains of the learning process will be harmless.
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