Thoughts of Prof Traders
Thoughts of Prof Traders
• Novice traders believe large positions = larger profits. A hard truth - trading undersized
positions produces greater profits over long pull
• When I put on a risk position I could care less what the market is, what the fundamentals
are (thought to be) or what the Twitter narrative is. The only thing that matters is the
chart set up.
• Trading a market with expanded volatility but reduced liquidity is a demonstration of
arrogant insanity.
• If you think you know what a given market is going to do, you are only fooling yourself.
• Keeping your pile of chips intact is the only thing that really matters at the end of the day.
• Money management is job #1 for a trader
• A trader is gambling when he/she has no ability to predetermine and contain risk.
• I cannot even count the number of aspiring traders who blew out their capital trying to get
pre-positioned for a move because they did not want to wait for the actual breakout.
• It is not uncommon for a trader to get so chopped up trying to preposition a trade before
a range area is resolved that he/she ends up missing the exact move he/she had wanted
to catch. Can you relate?
• Know that your ability (or inability) to remove yourself from emotional decisions will likely
make (or break) you.
• Consistent with my weekly routine I know the markets I am willing to trade this week,
under what exact conditions and how much I will risk in each.
• Excellent traders not only recognize their weaknesses and strengths but they are willing
to openly discuss these things among their peers
• Gamblers obsess with big potential upside windfall profits. Intelligent speculators obsess
with managing downside risk.
• I have no right to ever impose my opinions upon the markets.
• I am interested in precise chart construction with measured risk -- and could care less
about the market.
• Make a mistake, analyze the mistake, understand the mistake, then get over it and focus
on the next trade in the ongoing series of trades.
• I never regret taking profits at target prices
• Of all the destructive self-sabotaging human emotions, FOMO wipes out the most trading
accounts. If you cannot get FOMO bridled, then count your money as already lost.
• There is much more to life than market speculation. Faith, family, freedom, health,
kindness, integrity, honesty, principle, generosity.
• A trader must wait for a proper trade. Waiting can be challenging. Not having a position
IS a position.
• Without a recognizable chart pattern there is no way for me to justify a long position.
• A trader can have all the opinions he or she wants but what matters are the order that
are entered.
• I have no appreciation for poor execution and sloppy trading. In trading, exercise
diligence.
• Ultimately what your or I think about a market and its prospects means nothing. Markets
do what they do with us or without us. Also, think about this - if you are done buying you
become a bearish influence because you then become a seller
• Personally, I can emotionally let go of a missed trade quite quickly. A poorly executed
trade, however, stays with me longer.
• I go by the philosophy, When in doubt, stay out. Missing a trade might hurt my pride, but
it does not cost me any money.
• There is a temptation after a good run for traders to begin accepting lesser quality
trading signals -- in short, sloppy in their trading.
• Missing trades is a reality of the discretionary trader. Missing trades comes with the
territory.
• An opinion is not a position and a position is not an opinion.
• The fear of missing a move is NEVER a valid reason for carrying a trade.
• All a trader can expect is an edge. Edges are exploited over numerous trades.
• Exciting bull markets provide the thrills ... discipline and patience pay the bills. Trills are
not what I seek as a trader.
• Missing trades is commonplace. If this experience impacts your mental or emotional
ability to trade, then you should not be trading.
• Charts suggest "possibilities," not "probabilities" and certainly not "certainties"
• I do NOT believe that charts accurately predict the future. Charts are useful for:
• 1. Showing where prices have been
• 2. Indicating the path of least resistance
• 3. Alerting traders to asymmetrical reward-to-risk set ups
• Let the market inform one's opinion and avoid imposing one's opinion upon the market.
Being open minded is a "MUST" quality for a trader.
• A trader must always ask - If the trade ends up a loss, will I still be able to support the
reasons for the trade based on my trading plan?
• Novice traders (and experienced traders as well) need to move immediately on after the
reason for a trade is nullified.
• My experience is that excellent traders are extremely self aware. They are acutely aware
of their strengths and their weaknesses.
• If you are an aspiring trader you will need to learn how to lose before you can eventually
learn how to win.
Trade Well!