“I got a mentor, did my homework, understand the fundamentals, and backtesting my technicals, but why am I still losing money? Is trading just a scam?”
I cried and burst out to my girlfriend years ago when I blew up my account, again. It was not only about the financial loss, but it was frustrated because nothing seems to work and the market certainly did not reward my handworks. I felt unfair, I felt being cheated, and I felt angry, very very angry.
Fast forward, I still lose money every day (like today) and every trade, as I always love to tell beginners, “learn to love your losses because it’s part of the game.” It’s true, no matter how good your winning rate is, you will always have losses. You might have 95% of winning percentage in your backtesting, but that still means you will have 5% of losing trades and you never know when that 5% of losses will appear. Most importantly, you never knew how much trades you will have in your lifetime. 5% of 100,000 trades is still 5000 losing trades. Some people just couldn’t take it.
Yes, that is it. Some people simply cannot deal with the losses or setbacks in life. Trading is all about the execution, and the execution is all about your emotions. Sure, you need to have a good analysis, a good strategy and an approach to your trade, but when you execute the trade and start managing them, that is an emotional game.
Trading psychology is perhaps the most ignored area in all trading courses because it’s tough to teach as trading psychology is just a self-discovering journey for every trader to experience. Everyone loves to talk about the strategies, the winning rates, the forecast, and predictions, but what separates traders from success to failures is the execution. No matter how good your plan is, someone has to pull the trigger.
The sooner you spend the time to work on your trading psychology, the better off you will be in this game. And no, EA will not help you because you will let it run when it makes money, but you will turn it off when it started losing - even though you shouldn’t. However, your emotions get in of your way, and you just couldn’t trust the EA anymore. I know because I’ve been there myself.
Finally, be completely honest about your losses as you would toward you wins. Have a trading journal, and enjoy this journey of becoming a great trader. Take a look at today’s video to learn more.
Enho Kuo is NOT a Broker Dealer and engages in trader education and training. All materials given by Enho Kuo are for educational purposes only. This information neither is, nor should be construed, as an offer, or a solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell securities. You shall be fully responsible for any investment decision you make, and such decisions will be based solely on your evaluation of your financial circumstances, investment objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs. This material is being provided to you for educational purposes only. No information presented constitutes a recommendation by Enho Kuo or its affiliates to buy, sell or hold any security, financial product or instrument discussed therein or to engage in any specific investment strategy. The content neither is, nor should be construed as, an offer, or a solicitation of an offer, to buy, sell, or hold any securities. You are fully responsible for any investment decisions you make. Such decisions should be based solely on your evaluation of your financial circumstances, investment objectives, risk tolerance and liquidity needs.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630
EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.
GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320
GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.
Japanese Yen refreshes three-week high vs USD; seems poised to appreciate further
The Japanese Yen retains bullish bias as BoJ rate hike bets offset dismal Household Spending data. Dovish Fed expectations fail to assist the USD in attracting buyers and keep a lid on the USD/JPY pair. Traders keenly await the US PCE Price Index for Fed rate-cut cues and a fresh directional impetus.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630
EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.
GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320
GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.
Gold makes a U-turn, back to $4,200
Gold is now losing the grip and receding to the key $4,200 region per troy ounce following some signs of life in the Greenback and a marked bounce in US Treasury yields across the board. The positive outlook for the precious metal, however, remains underpinned by steady bets for extra easing by the Fed.
Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP pare gains despite increasing hopes of upcoming Fed rate cut
Bitcoin is steadying above $91,000 at the time of writing on Friday. Ethereum remains above $3,100, reflecting positive sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy meeting on December 10.
Week ahead – Rate cut or market shock? The Fed decides
Fed rate cut widely expected; dot plot and overall meeting rhetoric also matter. Risk appetite is supported by Fed rate cut expectations; cryptos show signs of life. RBA, BoC and SNB also meet; chances of surprises are relatively low.
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