Trading Educators Blog

Let’s get one thing straight. Fear, for the majority of traders is a very real thing. You have it, I have it. Others have it as well. In order to become a professional trader, you must learn to deal with fear. The first step is to acknowledge that you have fear. Once you admit to fear, you can begin to deal with it. When you notice the impulse to trade based on strong fear, it is usually best to l...

"I review my checklist. It’s a handwritten sheet laminated in plastic and taped to the right-hand corner of my desk where I can’t overlook it. If you have a game plan prepared ahead of time, it can help you find courage in the heat of the battle.” - Marty Schwartz Yes, I also have a checklist and I look at it every day. On my checklist you can find reminders like “trade onl...

“Michael Marcus taught me one other thing that is absolutely critical: You have to be willing to make mistakes regularly; there is nothing wrong with it. Michael taught me about making your best judgment, being wrong, making your next best judgment, being wrong, making your third best judgment, and then doubling your money.” – Bruce Kovner This is an immense important quote from Bruce Kovner. This...

I have received the following question: I assume the Ross Hook (RH) and Traders Trick Entry (TTE) are applicable in whatever time frame the trader uses. However, there are some time frames that are simply too erratic or wild to trade. And pertaining to stop running, there must be some that are favorites of those attempting to do so. So is there a recommended time interval from which to trade, or i...

Richard Wyckoff wrote: “My stop was moved down so there couldn't be a loss, and soon a slight rally and another break gave me a new stop, which insured a profit, come what might… I strongly advocate this method of profit insuring. The scientific elimination of loss is one of the most important factors in the art, and the operator who fails to properly protect his paper profits will find that many ...

Richard Wyckoff wrote in his book "Studies in tape reading": Successful tape reading requires ability to judge which side has the greatest pulling power and one must have the courage to go with that side. There are critical points which occur in each swing, just as in life of a business or of an individual. At these junctures it seems as though a feather's weight on either side would determine the...

I wrote an article with the headline "Sometimes others get to play and you don't" some time ago and today (Friday 04/01) was such a day. And I tell you, it is difficult to watch markets are going my way knowing I could have made my shares for April but I missed the trade. Well, I haven't missed the trade actually because it wasn't my train. Here comes what happened. At 7:30 AM CT this morning we h...

As a professional trader, I try to enhance my trading on a daily basis. Learning how to trade is an ongoing process - a process that never stops. Those who know me or who have traded with me know that I am always looking for a simple and straightforward approach to trading. Yes, of course I am testing indicators, new chart patterns, new charting techniques, and anything else that is showing up on ...

People have the tendency to believe that the accuracy of forecasting the markets increases with more information. This is the illusion of knowledge – that more information increases your knowledge about something and improves your decisions. However, this is not always the case – increased levels of information do not necessarily lead to greater knowledge. There are three reasons for t...

Because of the short week ahead of us, I've decided to head for the beach for a few days (until Sunday). Of course, I will take my "trading stuff" with me (Laptop, Smartphone) to watch and manage my open trading positions. When I travel, I usually don't put on any new trades (and I definitely don't day trade or swing trade) but with today's technic it is an easy task to keep an eye...

One mark of a flexible trader is he/she has a carefree attitude when it comes to executing a trade. They don’t allow themselves to get bent out of shape over a trade. They don't sit and think over and over about their strategy. They have done their homework. They’ve developed a sensible trading plan, and when the opportunities present themselves, they pull the trigger on the trade....

Of course, I have watched the ECB Press Conference today at 7:30 AM CT (Thursday 03/10) together with the markets. I did not intend to enter any trades before Draghi had his moment and I was surprised by the strong down move at 6:45 AM CT. In just a couple of minutes the Euro FX went down about $1,600. Stop running or was it because of the ECB announcement of lower interest rates (actually everyon...

Sometimes in softball games, as a kid, they handed out the bats and balls and gloves, and there weren’t enough to go around - so you had to sit it out. You had to sit on the bench and watch. The same thing happens in trading. Sometimes you don’t get to participate. You must get used to the idea that sometimes you will sit in front of your charts for days or weeks, and nothing at a...