If you are like most forex traders, you probably bang your head on the desk several times a week because you missed a winning trade that you knew you should take. You almost squeezed the trigger, but you backed out at the last minute. The next thing you know, the market has moved 150 pips in the right direction, and you have missed an opportunity for thousands in profits. If only you had done what you knew was right ...
If it’s any comfort, you’re not alone – and the good news is that you can do something about it. The first thing to ask yourself is why you are gun shy. In some cases, this can simply come down to fear – particularly if you are on a long losing streak. In other cases, there may be a fundamental confidence problem – you just don’t believe that you can be a successful trader.
At other times, the problem can be traced back to an unclear trading strategy or one that is too complicated. It’s also a mistake to place too much emphasis on individual trades – this creates too much pressure, making you hesitant. Remember that forex trading is about making long-term profits, and that you will have both wins and losses along the way.
Let’s look at the issue of trading strategy first. You need to have enough confidence in the signals that you are seeing to know when to pull the trigger – and when not to. If you are uncertain about signals, spend time practicing with a demo account until you really believe what you see. If you still find that you are having difficulties, this is probably because you don’t understand your trading strategy well enough. This is the case, take a course or study by yourself until the strategy is crystal clear in your mind.
Of course, trading with a demo account will give you confidence in signals, but it won’t deal with the psychological aspects of trading with real money. It’s easy to be confident and pull the trigger when there is nothing at stake, but fear and uncertainty kick in when your hard-earned cash is on the line. All that practice will have shown you that you can be a successful trader, so you now need to avoid anything that introduces doubts into your mind.
One of the things that destroys confidence is going over ‘mistakes’ that you think you have made. Hindsight is always 20/20 – if we could go back in time and redo our trades based on what happened subsequently, we would all be billionaires. Focus on future trading opportunities, not past failures. Also, don’t get rattled by individual losses – these are normal and nothing to be ashamed of, provided that you stuck to your trading plan. If you learn to accept losses and emotionally, you will be able to pull the trigger every time you should.
If it’s any comfort, you’re not alone – and the good news is that you can do something about it. The first thing to ask yourself is why you are gun shy. In some cases, this can simply come down to fear – particularly if you are on a long losing streak. In other cases, there may be a fundamental confidence problem – you just don’t believe that you can be a successful trader.
At other times, the problem can be traced back to an unclear trading strategy or one that is too complicated. It’s also a mistake to place too much emphasis on individual trades – this creates too much pressure, making you hesitant. Remember that forex trading is about making long-term profits, and that you will have both wins and losses along the way.
Let’s look at the issue of trading strategy first. You need to have enough confidence in the signals that you are seeing to know when to pull the trigger – and when not to. If you are uncertain about signals, spend time practicing with a demo account until you really believe what you see. If you still find that you are having difficulties, this is probably because you don’t understand your trading strategy well enough. This is the case, take a course or study by yourself until the strategy is crystal clear in your mind.
Of course, trading with a demo account will give you confidence in signals, but it won’t deal with the psychological aspects of trading with real money. It’s easy to be confident and pull the trigger when there is nothing at stake, but fear and uncertainty kick in when your hard-earned cash is on the line. All that practice will have shown you that you can be a successful trader, so you now need to avoid anything that introduces doubts into your mind.
One of the things that destroys confidence is going over ‘mistakes’ that you think you have made. Hindsight is always 20/20 – if we could go back in time and redo our trades based on what happened subsequently, we would all be billionaires. Focus on future trading opportunities, not past failures. Also, don’t get rattled by individual losses – these are normal and nothing to be ashamed of, provided that you stuck to your trading plan. If you learn to accept losses and emotionally, you will be able to pull the trigger every time you should.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD clings to small gains near 1.1750
Following a short-lasting correction in the early European session, EUR/USD regains its traction and clings to moderate gains at around 1.1750 on Monday. Nevertheless, the pair's volatility remains low, with investors awaiting this weeks key data releases from the US and the ECB policy announcements.
GBP/USD edges higher toward 1.3400 ahead of US data and BoE
GBP/USD reverses its direction and advances toward 1.3400 following a drop to the 1.3350 area earlier in the day. The US Dollar struggles to gather recovery momentum as markets await Tuesday's Nonfarm Payrolls data, while the Pound Sterling holds steady ahead of the BoE policy announcements later in the week.
Japanese Yen adds to strong gains and drags USD/JPY to 155.00 amid hawkish BoJ bets
The Japanese Yen extends its steady intraday ascent through the Asian session on Monday, dragging the USD/JPY pair to the 155.00 psychological mark in the last hour. Against the backdrop of the recent shift in rhetoric from Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, an improvement in business confidence reaffirms market bets for an imminent rate hike this week.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD clings to small gains near 1.1750
Following a short-lasting correction in the early European session, EUR/USD regains its traction and clings to moderate gains at around 1.1750 on Monday. Nevertheless, the pair's volatility remains low, with investors awaiting this weeks key data releases from the US and the ECB policy announcements.
GBP/USD edges higher toward 1.3400 ahead of US data and BoE
GBP/USD reverses its direction and advances toward 1.3400 following a drop to the 1.3350 area earlier in the day. The US Dollar struggles to gather recovery momentum as markets await Tuesday's Nonfarm Payrolls data, while the Pound Sterling holds steady ahead of the BoE policy announcements later in the week.
Gold pulls away from session high, holds above $4,300
Gold loses its bullish momentum and retreats below $4,350 after testing this level earlier on Monday. XAU/USD, however, stays in positive territory as the US Dollar remains on the back foot on growing expectations for a dovish Fed policy outlook next year.
Solana consolidates as spot ETF inflows near $1 billion signal institutional dip-buying
Solana price hovers above $131 at the time of writing on Monday, nearing the upper boundary of a falling wedge pattern, awaiting a decisive breakout. On the institutional side, demand for spot Solana Exchange-Traded Funds remained firm, pushing total assets under management to nearly $1 billion since launch.
Big week ends with big doubts
The S&P 500 continued to push higher yesterday as the US 2-year yield wavered around the 3.50% mark following a Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cut earlier this week that was ultimately perceived as not that hawkish after all. The cut is especially boosting the non-tech pockets of the market.
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