Most traders aim to ‘hold winners’– But the skilled don’t start there
|"Hey, hold your winners".
Except at first, that's terrible advice.
You're at your best in the earliest stages of the trade.
You'll be a lesser trader later on.
So as an intraday trader, you take the bulk of the money at the earliest, easiest, highest-odds price.
The longer a trade runs, the more decisions you must make—but you're fighting focus and decision-making fading.
Taking the bulk of profit quickly, you have the highest odds of succeeding before running out of mental RAM.
Right now, you're still building screen fitness. But as your screen fitness and ability to remain highly focused extend, so can your trade duration.
Short-term execution doesn't mean small-picture thinking
Take the first trade shown below:
It's a specific trade defined by a unique combination of characteristics you know by heart—not just from the execution chart—but from several market data sources.
You're not taking this trade in a vacuum, and you're not waiting for a 'pattern' to emerge.
Relying on 'patterns' is elementary. AI has been doing it for years, and still—no one can make consistent profits doing it. Instead, trading requires you to understand the underlying narrative.
Imagine sitting around the dinner table with esteemed traders like Stanley Druckenmiller or Paul Tudor Jones, listening to them compare trades.
Is each trade merely an isolated event, or do they see how every trade aligns with the grand picture of the investment landscape?
But because you never know how far the market will eventually go when you enter a trade, knowing a playbook of signature trades by heart is crucial.
Signature trades guide you through the different machinations of a market's move and align with a broader narrative.
However, decoding the narrative and executing playbook trades takes skill—but that doesn't mean you can't profit along the way.
Early on, getting that first signature trade right and decoding the initial chapter of the market's narrative is already a significant achievement.
How do I know? Are you doing it now?
It's an accomplishment because repeating them is how you transform your trading to regularly taking money out of the market.
But you can build on those steps.
Adding more signature trades and decoding more of the market's narrative is how you take even more from the market.
In the chart below, you see three distinct signature trades—each aligned with the market’s machinations and the unfolding narrative.
It's true: how much you take from the market isn't linear. How much you take out of the market increases at an exponential rate.
First: reach consistency taking profits at the earliest, easiest, highest-odds price.
Second: Keep going to:
- Expand your playbook.
- Decode the market at a deeper level.
- Increase screen fitness and how long you can focus.
Do everything trading-related with intention, and you'll see your progress and what you take out of the market grow exponentially.
It's not about catching every move—it's about consistently getting paid for the ones you understand deeply.
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers.