BabyPips.com FX-Men Team
BabyPips.com
For forex traders, nothing embodies freedom more than those who trade full-time. After all, full-time traders enjoy freedom from their box-type offices, freedom of time, and freedom to choose which trading opportunities to take.
Unfortunately, this brand of independence isn’t for everyone. Just like too much freedom can do more harm than good for some economies, not all traders are ready to trade full-time.
So how do you know when you’re ready for full-time trading? From what we’ve seen from online forex communities, we can narrow it down to four signs:
1. You have enough capital
Trading full time means that you’ll be quitting your job, your primary source of income. And, because you’re realistic, you know that you probably won’t be making any serious trading money in your first few months.
Now imagine months of not getting salary and not making profits while STILL having to pay for your food, rent, utilities, and Netflix and Hulu subscriptions. Can’t live without your salary yet? Can’t afford to take big drawdowns for weeks and still maintain your lifestyle? Don’t trade full-time.
2. You have tried and tested other methods and strategies
Traders say that full-time trading just means that you’re a part-time trader and a full-time backtester. In a way, this is true.
Full-time traders know that you can’t make your living off of one good strategy alone. Not only do you need to have a strategy that has proven to be profitable for you, but you also have to have other equally qualified methods that would work for other trading conditions. After all, you never know when and for how long the market trends will shift!
3. You have spent a considerable amount of time trading LIVE.
Just like how doctors, lawyers, and pilots have simulations and internship programs before they do their jobs round the clock, traders should also spend a considerable amount of time trading live before trading full-time.
Trading a live account brings forth trading psychology hurdles that you wouldn’t get from trading demo accounts. In addition, you have to have a fairly good grasp of your trading strengths and weaknesses, and, more importantly, you should know how to stick to a trading plan before you make trading your full-time job. Make sure you’re mentally prepared to risk real money and maintain your trading strengths before you trade full-time!
4. Forex trading is your passion
Trading currencies is what motivates you to get up and get busy every morning. If you’d rather trade the RBA statement than watch the NBA finals or visit the PBoC’s economic calendar than the Great Wall of China, then do yourself a favor and trade full time. No sense in not doing what you love, right?
Remember that while full-time trading would provide you more opportunities to catch market movements, you don’t need to be a full-time trader to be consistently profitable. In fact, I know of part-time traders in the BabyPips.com community that are better than some full-time traders! In the end though, it just boils down to how much money, time, and effort you’re willing invest in your forex trading education and career.
BabyPips.com does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, timeliness or completeness to its service or information it provides. BabyPips.com does not give, whatsoever, warranties, expressed or implied, to the results to be obtained by using its services or information it provided. Users are trading at their own risk and BabyPips.com shall not be responsible under any circumstances for the consequences of such activities. Babypips.com and its affiliates will not, in any event, be liable to users or any third parties for any consequential damages, however arising, including but not limited to damages caused by negligence whether such damages were foreseen or unforeseen.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD stays calm near 1.1650 to begin Fed week
EUR/USD struggles to find direction and trades in a narrow channel near 1.1650 on Monday. Investors refrain from taking large positions ahead of this week's critical Fed policy meeting, allowing the pair to stay in a consolidation phase following two consecutive weeks of bullish action.
GBP/USD edges lower toward 1.3300 as markets turn cautious
GBP/USD corrects lower toward 1.3300 on Monday after posting gains in the previous week. The markets adopt a cautious stance ahead of the highly-anticipated Fed meeting, making it difficult for the pair to gather bullish momentum.
Japanese Yen flat lines against weaker USD; bullish bias remains amid hawkish BoJ bets
The Japanese Yen struggles to build on its modest Asian session uptick that followed the release of Japan's wage growth data, which reaffirmed bets for an imminent rate hike by the Bank of Japan in December. Apart from this, the cautious market mood lends support to the safe-haven JPY.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD stays calm near 1.1650 to begin Fed week
EUR/USD struggles to find direction and trades in a narrow channel near 1.1650 on Monday. Investors refrain from taking large positions ahead of this week's critical Fed policy meeting, allowing the pair to stay in a consolidation phase following two consecutive weeks of bullish action.
GBP/USD edges lower toward 1.3300 as markets turn cautious
GBP/USD corrects lower toward 1.3300 on Monday after posting gains in the previous week. The markets adopt a cautious stance ahead of the highly-anticipated Fed meeting, making it difficult for the pair to gather bullish momentum.
Gold remains stuck near $4,200 as markets gear up for Fed
Gold extends its sideways grind at around $4,200 after posting marginal losses last week. The trading action turns subdued on Monday as market participants prepare for the upcoming Fed meeting, which will provide key insights into the short-term policy outlook.
Bitcoin and Ethereum aim for breakouts as Ripple holds at $2
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple record a minor recovery on Monday, starting the week on a positive note. The retail demand for major cryptocurrencies remains strong despite outflows from Bitcoin and Ethereum Exchange Traded Funds.
The Silver disconnection is real
Silver just hit a new all-time high. Neither did gold, nor mining stocks. They all reversed on an intraday basis, but silver’s move to new highs makes it still bullish overall, while the almost complete reversals in gold and miners make the latter technically bearish.
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