Statistics show that only 15% of forex traders make money, which seems to contradict the vast numbers of people actually trading in forex. What follows is five mistakes new traders and experienced make that often causes them to lose money.
1. No Forex Trading Plan - Trading in forex without a forex trading plan is akin to going to war without a battle plan. You have very little chance making money without a well-conceived plan and strategy and how to execute it. The forex trading plan needs to be extremely specific, understandable and easy enough to execute for even a small child. Without an entry strategy, exit strategy, trade continuation strategy and money management strategy the chances of success are at best very slim.
2. Switching Strategy - A well drawn up strategy takes time to develop and is an iterative process, which should reflect the traders' own personal style. Development of aggressive or passive strategies should be refined on a demo account and helps develop a single strategy that the trader is going to stick to. Upon learning the strategy the trader should stick to it in the main but learn to merely adapt it to changing market conditions - having this versatility within the traders existing plan is vital. New traders should not switch from one strategy to another, they need chance to develop and mature.
3. Trading Emotionally - The most successful traders can turn off their emotions, which is a critical characteristic to have when trading in forex successfully. This includes both positive and negative emotions. Getting in and out of trades as necessary and making sure the head rules the heart is crucial in forex trading but often a mistake made by traders. Many a trader has made the mistakes of trading when they feel they can ride the wave of current good luck and also kept trading when they are down but are motivated out of desperation.
4. Failure to utilize a Stop Loss - Partly a problem of emotions, a clear exit strategy should be employed when entering a trade so parameters are clear. Not getting out at the right time is a key trader mistake. A good trader will know out the outset how many pips they are looking for and what their loss limit will be. Not having an automatic trigger has been many a trader's downfall. Ill-disciplined and not setting stop loss targets is a bad mistake to make, a trader has to acknowledge there will always be new trades happening.
5. Unclear Rationale for Trading - A trader trading for the wrong reason will fail. It has to be taken seriously and trading should not be undertaken merely for the excitement of trading. The undeniably high of making a huge profit should be tempered with the seriousness of making a loss. Trading is a serious business and should be treated as such. Many a trader has made the mistake of not giving trades the time to develop as they have 'better things to be doing'.
No comments:
Post a Comment