Some forex traders never reach their potential, sometimes because they start off badly and never recover. Others start off too well, they make money right off the bat and are completely unprepared and over leveraged when the bad times hit.
To be successful takes many years of discipline and practice. Many of the most successful traders lost money at the beginning and many went broke more than once. But those who came through have a few things in common:
To be successful takes many years of discipline and practice. Many of the most successful traders lost money at the beginning and many went broke more than once. But those who came through have a few things in common:
Stop and reverse
One thing that separates the really successful traders from the amateurs is that while an amateur may be able to cut a losing trade a successful trader has the ability to not only cut the trade but to reverse and go the other way. When momentum changes quickly, sometimes the best move is to quickly change direction so you don’t miss out on any more profit.Getting aggressive
Amateur traders sometimes get nervous when holding a winning position and already start to think about banking gains. However, the really successful forex traders have the opposite approach. They become way more aggressive when they’re winning and only scale back their risk when they’re losing. Successful traders know that wins tend to come in streaks.Admitting they’re wrong
It takes a new trader a long time to understand one of the basic principles of trading – that the market has no ulterior motive and cannot be controlled. Successful traders have learnt over many years to treat the market with respect. They cannot control it, they can only control themselves, so they stop trying to predict the market and learn to go with the flow. This means successful traders have no problem admitting when they’re wrong and this is crucial in order to get out of losing positions.Enjoying the job
A big part of what makes a trader successful is that they really do love what they do. Some traders think they enjoy trading but the truth is they only enjoy the rewards. They don’t actually enjoy the process of watching charts and making trades. The best traders find trading an immensely satisfying thing to do and this is why they are able to spend long hours at the desk putting in the hard yards.Taking it seriously
Finally, another thing successful forex traders have in common is that they treat it seriously, like a business. They never trade when they’re tired or when they’re drunk. They never come to the markets late and they always make risk management their number one priority.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD slumps below 1.1750 as USD benefits from risk-aversion
EUR/USD comes under renewed bearish pressure in the European session and trades below 1.1750 following a recovery attempt earlier in the day. The US Dollar gathers strength and weighs on the pair as investors seek refuge in the wake of Israel and the United States' joint attack on Iran.
GBP/USD targets 1.3500 barrier near moving averages
GBP/USD rebounds from the daily losses, trading around 1.3450 during the Asian hours on Monday. The technical analysis of the daily chart indicates an ongoing bearish bias, as the pair trades within a descending channel pattern.
USD/JPY: Japanese Yen remains depressed vs. USD amid Middle East tensions; lacks follow-through
The USD/JPY pair catches fresh bids at the start of a new week and climbs back closer to last week's swing high, though it lacks follow-through and remains below the 157.00 mark through the Asian session. A coordinated US-Israel military strike on Iran marks a dramatic escalation of geopolitical tensions and unsettles global markets.
Editors’ Picks
Gold surges on safe-haven demand, rises above $5,400
Gold benefits from intense risk-aversion on Monday and climbs above $5,400, setting a fresh monthly-high in the process. Tensions in the Middle East remain high as Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange strikes following the US-Israel joint attack on Iran over the weekend.
Oil retreats from seven-month high, WTI holds above $71.00
Cure oil prices started the week with a huge bullish gap and the barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) touched its highest level since June above $75 as markets reacted to the closure of Strait of Hormuz following the US and Israel attacks on Iran. Although WTI retreats in the Euroepan morning, it holds comfortably above $71.
EUR/USD slumps below 1.1750 as USD benefits from risk-aversion
EUR/USD comes under renewed bearish pressure in the European session and trades below 1.1750 following a recovery attempt earlier in the day. The US Dollar gathers strength and weighs on the pair as investors seek refuge in the wake of Israel and the United States' joint attack on Iran.
Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple under pressure as key supports face breakdown risk
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple prices trade on the back foot at the start of this week on Monday, after extending losses in the previous week. BTC is on the brink of a breakdown, ETH is capped below key resistance, and XRP risks a crack of the trendline.
The market is paying for insurance, not apocalypse
As expected, this morning felt less like a Monday market open and more like a fire drill. Futures screens flickered red. S&P contracts down almost 1%. Nasdaq off 1.2%. Brent leaped 13% through $80. Gold rose 1.6% toward $5350 before paring some gains. The dollar is strutting mildly. The Swiss franc is quietly doing what it always does in a storm, catching some safe-haven flows.
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