Share:

So let’s talk about “What Type of trader are you?”

This is a follow up to my previous article, “The Traders Journey.”

So here’s what I’m seeing. There are 2 extreme types of traders.

 

The Type of Trader Who Wants to Know Everything

1.) This type of trader can’t get enough information. They’re like a ‘knowledge vacuum’:

This type of trader thinks that by knowing EVERYTHING they can, this will inevitably lead to them making money in the markets.

So he keeps reading books, watching YouTube videos, attends webinars…knowledge, knowledge, knowledge.

… and he hasn’t placed a single trade yet.

So think about it this way:

Let’s say there’s somebody who wants to run a marathon. So he starts reading books about it and watches videos.

He knows all about pacing, how he should train and what he needs to eat. He know the best shoes for running a marathon, and the best clothing…

…. but he hasn’t run a single mile yet.

Now onto…

The Type of Trader Who Doesn’t Know Anything

Now here’s the other extreme.

The other extreme is the “trader” who doesn’t know anything, but they got a “hot stock tip from somebody.”

This trader buys a stock and doesn’t know anything.

Here’s an example:

fxsoriginal

Edith has heard about SNOW, the biggest IPO of the year. It’s also the most hyped up IPO in a LONG time.

I wrote another article on this: “Should I Invest In Snowflake?”

It was originally priced at $85, then they raised the price to $110, and when it started trading, it jumped to $320!

So Edith bought some shares for $243.

And I asked her about the her profit target, and here’s her answer:

“I don’t know what to expect. I hope that one of my stocks really takes off and I could buy a new home.”

Wait…. What??? You bought 10 shares for $243, so that $2,430.

I don’t know what houses cost in your area, but let’s make it easy and say it’s $250,000.

So your shares would have to rise from $243 to $25,000 to make that happen!

And in the markets, obviously anything can happen…but do I see that happening. Well, not in my lifetime ;-)

Which type of trader is right?

Of these two different types of extreme traders, the question still remains:

What’s right? Which of these 2 approaches should you use?

The “I want to know it all” approach or the “Let’s buy some stocks and see what happens” approach?

I hope you’ve by now realized that it’s neither.

That’s why I released “The Traders Journey.” You should really check it out.

Here’s the right approach in a nutshell:

  • Find a strategy that makes sense to you (risk, time required, win %,). Examples: The PowerX Strategy, The Wheel. I made a video in which I compare these 2 strategies according to 5 criteria. It’s called “The Best Trading Strategy 2020“

  • Learn the rules of the strategy

  • Place at least 40 trades on a simulator.

  • What are the results?

  • If it’s good, start trading it. If it’s bad, what can you do to improve?

Now one more thing:

When it comes to trading, YOU WILL HAVE LOSSES. No matter what they say, you will have winning trades, and you will have losing trades.

There are no guarantees that you will make money as a trader.

They key is to keep your losses small.

Summary

Now again, there’s 2 types of traders here:

1.) That’s the trader with a $10,000 account who sees a loss of $100. That’s 1% of his account. But he’s freaking out:

2.) Then there’s the other type of trader who buys a stock, and it moves against him. But he doesn’t take action. He doesn’t control his loss.

Here’s an example:

fxsoriginal

This trader invested $4,400 and is now down $900. That’s 20% of the account!

THIS is what kills traders. THIS is what destroys accounts, NOT controlling your losses.

It’s like “hoping for the best” and believing that “everything will be fine” like this guy:

Do yourself a favor right now:

Read my last article, “The Traders Journey” and follow the steps that I’m outlining in that article.

Then do the 5 steps I mentioned above:

  1. Find a strategy that makes sense to you. Examples: The PowerX Strategy, The Wheel

  2. Learn the rules of the strategy

  3. Place at least 40 trades on a simulator.

  4. What are the results?

  5. If it’s good, start trading it. If it’s bad, what can you do to improve?

Trading Futures, options on futures and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. The lower the day trade margin, the higher the leverage and riskier the trade. Leverage can work for you as well as against you; it magnifies gains as well as losses. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

Editors’ Picks

EUR/USD now refocuses on the 200-day SMA

EUR/USD now refocuses on the 200-day SMA

EUR/USD extended its positive momentum and rose above the 1.0700 yardstick, driven by the intense PMI-led retracement in the US Dollar as well as a prevailing risk-friendly environment in the FX universe.

EUR/USD News

GBP/USD extends recovery beyond 1.2400 on broad USD weakness

GBP/USD extends recovery beyond 1.2400 on broad USD weakness

GBP/USD gathered bullish momentum and extended its daily rebound toward 1.2450 in the second half of the day. The US Dollar came under heavy selling pressure after weaker-than-forecast PMI data and fueled the pair's rally. 

GBP/USD News

USD/JPY marks up a 34-year high as USD returns to favor

USD/JPY marks up a 34-year high as USD returns to favor

USD/JPY rises to another multi-decade high amidst enthusiasm for the US Dollar. US economic exceptionalism and a massive US Treasury bond sale are fueling USD buying. Japanese Finmin verbal intervention warning is ignored by USD/JPY. 

USD/JPY News

Editors’ Picks

AUD/USD rises to two-day high ahead of Aussie CPI

AUD/USD rises to two-day high ahead of Aussie CPI

The Aussie Dollar recorded back-to-back positive days against the US Dollar and climbed more than 0.59% on Tuesday, as the US April S&P PMIs were weaker than expected. That spurred speculations that the Federal Reserve could put rate cuts back on the table. The AUD/USD trades at 0.6488 as Wednesday’s Asian session begins.

AUD/USD News

EUR/USD now refocuses on the 200-day SMA

EUR/USD now refocuses on the 200-day SMA

EUR/USD extended its positive momentum and rose above the 1.0700 yardstick, driven by the intense PMI-led retracement in the US Dollar as well as a prevailing risk-friendly environment in the FX universe.

EUR/USD News

Gold struggles around $2,325 despite broad US Dollar’s weakness

Gold struggles around $2,325 despite broad US Dollar’s weakness

Gold reversed its direction and rose to the $2,320 area, erasing a large portion of its daily losses in the process. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield stays in the red below 4.6% following the weak US PMI data and supports XAU/USD.

Gold News

Bitcoin price makes run for previous cycle highs as Morgan Stanley pushes BTC ETF exposure

Bitcoin price makes run for previous cycle highs as Morgan Stanley pushes BTC ETF exposure

Bitcoin (BTC) price strength continues to grow, three days after the fourth halving. Optimism continues to abound in the market as Bitcoiners envision a reclamation of previous cycle highs.

Read more

Australia CPI Preview: Inflation set to remain above target as hopes of early interest-rate cuts fade

Australia CPI Preview: Inflation set to remain above target as hopes of early interest-rate cuts fade

An Australian inflation update takes the spotlight this week ahead of critical United States macroeconomic data. The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release two different inflation gauges on Wednesday. 

Read more

RECOMMENDED LESSONS

7 Ways to Avoid Forex Scams

The forex industry is recently seeing more and more scams. Here are 7 ways to avoid losing your money in such scams: Forex scams are becoming frequent. Michael Greenberg reports on luxurious expenses, including a submarine bought from the money taken from forex traders. Here’s another report of a forex fraud. So, how can we avoid falling in such forex scams?

What Are the 10 Fatal Mistakes Traders Make

Trading is exciting. Trading is hard. Trading is extremely hard. Some say that it takes more than 10,000 hours to master. Others believe that trading is the way to quick riches. They might be both wrong. What is important to know that no matter how experienced you are, mistakes will be part of the trading process.

Strategy

Money Management

Psychology