Tuesday 14 April 2015

Why Do 90% of Traders Lose Money?

You've probably heard this phrase and because of that, you felt that the stock market is against you. There are so many books out there about investing, why is it that so many people still make losses in the long run?

In my opinion, the books out there can only teach you the technical part of trading and investing. Just like the stuff I am studying in school. Everything I learn is considered knowledge and information. But what sets you apart is how you use this knowledge and apply it to the real world situation.

Secondly, people let their emotions get the better of them. Trading has a very psychological effect on humans. Greed and fear of losses affect how we trade, but in order to make money in the stock market. We have to ignore those human instincts and stick to our individual trading plan.

Now I am not saying that if you are a emotionless trader, that guarantees profit. The market will against you and it will do it often. What you have to do is to limit those losses and in the long run, you should make a profit. Even if you don't make money in the first month, you have to keep trading according to your plan!

I say this over and over again because I feel that it is the single most important advice I have ever received.


Some people get emotionally attached to their trades. They feel that they have a need to be right and they cannot accept the fact that the market has not moved in their favour. I am guilty of this at times. Sometimes the trade setup is perfect but yet, when I enter, the market decides to go in the opposite direction leaving me stranded in disbelief. (That's why stop losses are important!)

The last reason why traders lose money is due to the fact that they believe trading is simply gambling. Making money is as simple as pressing buy and sell and hopefully they are right. If this is the mindset you adopt, I suggest you stop trading and start gambling instead, you can save the brokerage fee. 

Do not let the title affect you when you trade. Ignore this statistic and just remember to.. you guessed it. STICK TO YOUR PLAN.

As always, happy trading.

Cheers.

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