Trading Style

An important skill to learn is how to execute a trade with confidence with a trading checklist. One of the most common exercises of a retail day trader is to “pull the trigger” or entering a trade. You look at the days news, fundamentals and technicals and when you decide to open a position you simply call your broker or execute the trade online using your software or browser. Simple isn’t it? But have you has times when you got stuck between the decision making stage and the actual exercising your decision? Have you ever missed a trade because you hesitated, got cold feet or were simply indecisive at the time you needed to execute your planned trade?

You must be dreaming! Trading is inherently full of risks. There is no such thing as risk free trading. Or is there? If you start paper trading, or using a trading simulator you are effectively trading without risk. If you decide to go down that route remember to keep a trading journal to record your feelings and decisions. Trading on paper is not the same as trading with money on the line - even if you risk relatively small amounts of money.

So, you've decided to part with some of your cash and invest it into trading stocks. Share trading is like a business. Your primary purpose is to make a profit. You're not a charity freely giving money back into the markets. Like any successful business formulating a business plan, successful traders also need to have a well thought out trading plan. Remember the traditional goal setting maxims: Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely.

No one can go on trading at top speed all the time! Sometimes, you need to change gear and slightly push on the brake. Similarly, you cannot stare at the quote screen and focusing heavily on your trading all day. Take a breather and learn to relax. Learn to take time to relax from trading. You can learn to practice some yoga exercises that would prove to be beneficial to you. These would also help you to focus on your trading practices throughout the day. One of the most efficient techniques is take a long, deep breathe and hold it for 10 seconds.

Good trading is not enough to succeed in the markets. The secret to successful trading is in great money management. The skill of money management is required because the real business of trading is making money with money through controlling risk. And an integral part of great money management is a great risk management strategy. The heart of that strategy is the magic 2 percent. So why two percent?

There is a book out there about "Random Walk Theory". I haven’t read anything about it but I would presume that the book would shoot down any prospect of a predictable market theorem.