Tag: Trading stocks

All trading stocks related articles are found here. Educative, informative and written clearly.

  • Is trading stocks better than forex?

    Is trading stocks better than forex?

    Trading stocks is better than forex
    Trading stocks has more options, while forex trading will never confuse you with the number of options

    By Guy Avtalyon

    Trading stocks have become easy. Some would say that we never had a better time for trade stocks. But how is it possible that almost everyone who wants to start trading, first enters the Forex market? 

    Yes, I know it is the most traded market. But I think it is interesting due to aggressive propaganda also. We’re in a permanent barrage by forex ads. People, I don’t have anything against forex trading, it’s my favorite too but can we stop for a while and consider the other opportunities?

    The main question is should we actually trade forex instead of trading stocks? This dilemma comes naturally after I saw how much my readers are interested in forex. Much more than in trading stocks. It’s unnecessary to say how surprised I was. People just jump into the forex market without actually knowing what it is. 

    And I was trying to find why that is. I’ll share with you what I find:

    Firstly, you don’t need a lot of money to enter the forex market. You can trade even if you have just a little money as, for example, $10. 

    If you want to trade stock, you’ll need a bit more. Actually, you’ll need much more.

    Is trading stocks is better than forex?

    Before I answer this question, let me point out some similarities and differences between these two.

    Similarities between trading stocks and trading forex

    There are some basic similarities. For example, brokers. It’s never been easier to create an online brokerage account. You’ll need just a few steps, several minutes, and voila! You have the trading account. The next step is to fund it, of course.

    There is one thing you must keep in mind before choosing a brokerage if you want to trade both stocks and forex. Not all brokerages will allow you access to both markets. Some brokerages don’t service forex trading. Keep that in mind when choosing your broker.

    No matter if someone is a stock or forex trader, such heavily rely on short-term strategies. For example, a stock trader will almost never hold stock for several years or so. Trading stocks means to have short-term goals. Otherwise, it’s investing. The similarity comes to trading forex. Trading forex means to hold currency until its changes show you can profit from your base currency. So, you’ll trade it in such a case.

    Technical analysis is almost the same

    Also, in technical analysis, you’ll use patterns and indicators in both markets traded. If you use technical analysis for your trading strategy (it’s smart to use it, believe me) you will not have a lot of time to analyze news, or to research the company’s outlook. Instead, you’ll look at charts trying to notice indicators that will tell you if your stock is going to rise or drop.

    You’ll need to know if the price change will happen soon. The same is when trading currencies. Technical analysis is important for both types of trading since you need to know should you buy or sell.

    Differences between trading stocks and trading forex

    Let’s take a look at some of them.

    For example, leverage. While leverage is somewhat rare in trading stocks it is broadly used in forex trading. Actually, it is crucial for forex trading. Let’s say you have $10 on your account but your broker can offer you the 100:1 leverage. Instead of having the struggle to trade with such a small amount you can suddenly place a trade with $1.000. That’s the power of leverage.

    But I have to warn you. Leverage is risky. On the other hand, it can provide you to profit a lot and without really having thousands of dollars to enter the trade. 

    So where is the risk?

    If you miss making a smart trade, leverage can destroy your deposit, your funds, everything you have.

    In trading stocks, the best you can have regarding the leverage is 2:1. Don’t be disappointed. Stocks’ prices are changing dramatically. To be honest, you’ll need to put less money to gain more profit in trading stocks.

    Trading Hours are not the same

    The forex is around-the-clock. How is this possible? Well, the forex market isn’t focused on a single time zone. Each of them has set their own working hours but when one is closed, the other starts to work. 

    For example, New York starts at 8 AM and closes at 5 PM EST. Oh, it’s time for Sidney to open! Sidney starts at 5 PM EST and closes at 2 AM. Pretty nice, isn’t it?

    Stocks markets operate slightly differently. For example, the largest exchange is NYSE, and it starts at 9:30 AM EST to 4 PM Monday through Friday and doesn’t work during the weekend.

    Also, the market size is different. The stock market is smaller than the forex market. Every single day, the forex market has above $5 trillion worth trade, while the stock market can count on around $170 million per day trades.

    Advantages of trading stocks

    It’s easier to get started because almost all brokerages provide this opportunity. So, you have more choices. Also, there is plenty of stocks to trade, more than 2.000 stocks you can trade only on the NYSE, plus over 3.000 on the NASDAQ, not to mention the other exchanges all over the world. The point is that you have more options in trading stocks.

    Also, stocks have higher volatility. Higher than currencies. That gives you a chance to earn more.

    On the other hand, currency can rise or drop in the fractions.

    Advantages of trading forex

    First of all, you’ll never be confused with the number of trading options. The number of currency pairs is limited. Further, there is no minimum amount needed to start. You can enter the trade with $10. And, at last but not least, the forex market has more liquidity.
    So, you can see that for trading stocks or forex trading you’ll need a strong TA background. Both rely on short-term price changes. Thus, maybe the most important in trading is to get some free up-to-the-minute charting software. It is an absolute MUST.

  • How To Trade On A Laptop?

    How To Trade On A Laptop?

    How To Trade On A Laptop?
    A trading laptop has to be able to process a large amount of data quickly. You’ll need multiple windows open or you’ll need a few monitors. Here is how to set up your laptop for day trading.

    By Guy Avtalyon

    Can I trade on my laptop, asked me dozens of readers and I said yes, but you must know how to trade on a laptop. Well, I saw here some misunderstandings about what is the best computer configuration you need for a day trading. Technology is continually advancing, so you’ll need a computer with adequate memory. Also, the processor must be really fast. 

    Guys, you wouldn’t like your computer lagging all the time. Or even worse, stalling when you need to act quickly. Markets will not stay the same while your computer is trying to load or crashing every several minutes. The trading software will need a great memory and processor. For charting, you’ll need the same. Especially your processor must be fast and up to date.

    The simple answer to the question How to trade on a laptop would be: by something really good. Yes, I know. It might cost you a lot but think. If you have a fair enough good machine you’ll be able to trade in a proper time and, this is very important, you’ll be able to use all the necessary tools. For example, day trading is something most traders want. The point is that it demands that you have a whole tools kit. Otherwise, you’ll never do this job well. 

    How to trade on a laptop easily?

    These days’ trading is based on electronics. You enter the markets over the internet, right? So, you need a computer or laptop to make a trade and have direct access to your brokerage. The other tools you’ll need are market data in real-time, and great trading platform. But keep in mind, these are basic tools. You’ll also need a charting platform and many other trading tools. The common thing for each of them is that all of them require great computer performances. 

    So, how to trade on a laptop?

    Isn’t it easier to have two or more monitors since you’ll maybe need to look at charting software monitors, broker’s website, market data? Well, having a few monitors isn’t a necessity but is an advantage.

    Well, I have to be honest. Trading with a desktop PC is easier and cheaper than with a laptop. Do you remember what I’ve said about requirements toward memory and speed? Well, a PC is more favorable since it can be configured for more speed and processing ability than a laptop. 

    What are the main problems with laptops? First of all, they have limited space, the components are smaller but more expensive. So you’ll need more money to spend if you want to have a high-end laptop. It could be cheaper to buy a PC with similar performances.

    The other problem could be to connect several monitors. Let’s say your laptop’s screen is smaller than the monitors you can connect via DVI port, for example. So, it could be exhausting trading while looking at a small laptop screen and large monitor next to it. 

    Well, not all is better if you use a standalone PC. Let’s say they are robust, in the first place. And you don’t like to sit in front of it the whole day or even longer while monitoring your trade. You really don’t need it if you trade on a laptop. It gives you mobility. Especially if you prefer automated trading that is known as robo or algorithmic trading, also.

    So, how to trade on a laptop? Yes, I see you’re impatient. You have to install your system on a virtual private server (VPS). What is this? It is a remote server that is located near or close enough to the broker’s server. You’ll have a minimum of latency, minimum delay in placing your trade orders. In essence, your trades will come from the remote server connected to your laptop.

    What do I have to do to trade on a laptop?

    If you have a high-end laptop the only thing you’ll need extra is a separate monitor connected to the right port. The other solution, if you want to connect more monitors, is to buy one USB video adapter for each monitor you want to connect. 

    Yes, you might say your laptop doesn’t have several ports. Well, there is a solution also for that issue. Just get a USB hub and voila, your two or more extra monitors are connected.

    Hey guys, one thing more! Don’t try this if your laptop doesn’t have enough RAM, for example, 8 GB at least. 

    What tools will you need for trading on a laptop?

    As I said before, you’ll need a powerful laptop. The other important tool is a trustworthy platform to trade. Numerous brokers will give you access, you have to be smart and choose one with good charting software. Why is this important? Because if you want to be a profitable day trader you’ll need to act quickly and how to do that if you don’t have an option to see the tick charts and timed charts. For day trading it is imperative to have 1-minute, 5-minute, hourly charts.

    As a day trader, you’ll need software that allows you to place trades quickly. Your trading success heavily depends on your strategy but if you don’t have advanced software you won’t be able to execute your strategy properly. 

    The main goal here is to find the best software to meet your needs and to connect it with your trading service. That is how you can trade on a laptop.

    The problem may arise if you don’t have fast internet. With a slow internet connection, it is impossible to trade. In day trading, hundreds and hundreds of data will stream directly to your laptop every second. What do you think, is it possible to follow the price moving in real-time with slow internet? Of course not! So a fast internet is an important tool for your trading success. Otherwise, you’ll receive out of date data and your trading will fail. You’ll lose your money.

    Also, you’ll need to backup your internet access in case of service’s outages. Yes, shit happens! Use your smartphone as a backup. You can create a hotspot and continue to use your laptop or you may have direct access from your smartphone to your trading platform. Never use the same internet provider for your laptop and for your smartphone for this reason.

    Appropriate market data is a necessary tool

    Day trading demands a perpetual stream of market data, info about the price movement. Your broker will give you market data, but it’s up to you to demand the kind of data you need. For example, if you trade forex, you’ll need forex market data. Forex brokers give data for free for all forex pairs which is convenient because all you need to do is to open a chart and you’ll see the price data. 

    For the stock market, you’ll have to subscribe to the data you need. Don’t add too many.

    It is possible to trade on laptop 

    When you ask me how to trade on a laptop I have only one answer. I’m trading on a laptop. I’ve never used a PC. Is it a harder or simpler solution I don’t know since I never made a comparison. And know what, I’m satisfied. This doesn’t mean you’ll be also. But this post is written because you asked me. So, this was how to trade on a laptop.

    Happy trading, guys!

  • How to Get Rich Trading Stocks?

    How to Get Rich Trading Stocks?

    How to Get Rich Trading Stocks?
    Many people get rich through the stock market. You too can get rich trading stocks if you do what is necessary.

    By Guy Avtalyon

    How to get rich trading stocks? Trading is very hard and stressful for some traders. But, on the other hand, if it isn’t it couldn’t be so possibly beneficial. Let’s see how to get rich trading stocks.

    Can trading stocks make you rich?

    In the long run, it is possible if you start to invest while you’re young, have long-term goals. But for that to achieve you’ll need a decent capital and have to add more money continuously. The good news is, you don’t need to be an expert before you start investing. But investing is much more, not just simply buying a stock. You want to know how to become rich by trading stocks. And the short answer is – yes. Here are several tricks about how to get rich trading stocks.

    Why it’s possible to get rich trading stocks

    First of all, it isn’t easy so you’ll need to recognize the difficulties. When you accept this fact you are ready to develop the skills necessary to overcome them. Keep in mind, trading isn’t a lottery game. Yes, you can find a lot of stories telling how some traders become rich overnight. They did it, that’s true but very rare. The real successes come from trading day after day. The possibility of losing is big but if you’re disciplined the reward will come. So, persistence is extremely important. That will be the first hint on how to get rich trading stocks.

    Forget luck. Trading should be constant and systematic with strong risk management. Your utmost goal is to protect your trading capital and reduce the risk of trading in each trade.

    What to do to get rich trading stocks?

    You must have a focus on hot stocks. Pay attention to those that are hitting new highs. You must be ready for that. Follow and examine their patterns. Don’t waste your time to find some exotic one, just focus on those that are already raising. I suppose you have a trading plan, it is necessary. Stick with it and stay in the stock until it reaches a new high. Don’t pay attention to stocks that are dropping at this moment. When he stock hit the new high, sell it.

    Short selling to get rich in trading stocks 

    You don’t need a bull market to get rich. This is a misconception. Try to recognize the opportunity for short selling. Trading isn’t investing, so you don’t need to hold a stock for years no matter how much you love it. You’re trading because you want to profit in a short time. Follow the example of day traders. Their earnings come from short selling.

    What to do if you have a losing trade?

    Cut your losses promptly and put your ego aside. Yes, you will have losing trades. But never try to sit at the corner and let your feelings overflow you. Losing trades are just the steps to success. Instead, when you face a setback, cut your losses quickly, and go back to the track. Do it immediately. Never sit on your failures. Look to the future straight. You have to put into the calculation losing trades. Just plan them. But plan to move on when it happens. Exit the losing trades on time and quickly enter the position on the new one. Keep your trading journal.

    Take partial profits 

    Listen, there is no possibility to earn if you don’t take the profit. Take even partial profit. Also, take your profit quickly at the moment you’re sure there is a profit. This is very important. You have to know that the stock market is changing very fast. If you miss a chance to take the profit you’ll end up in losses. Take the profit any time you can. No matter how small it is. The point is to avoid losses. You’ll feel better even with small gains, much better than with losses. Your confidence will grow. That’s how to get rich trading stocks. 

    Use trading stocks app

    This world is changing so fast and we all have to know how to benefit from that change. So, we all have to change our habits and old fashioned approaches. Individual traders have zero chances in the stock market if they never adopt some of the new technologies. Don’t let you be afraid of them. Trading apps are your friends. They can provide you to trade easier and smoothly. You can enter and exit the position on your phone. But before you use any of the present apps examine them, read reviews, go to forums, ask people, talk. Start to use the new app with a small amount to test it first.

    Avoid illiquid stocks 

    Yes, I know, illiquid stocks make big promises but how much they can grow. Is there any uptrend? How to earn if the changes are modest? You need high traded stocks, not some lazy sleeper. If you want to earn a serious amount you’ll need to trade high liquid stocks. So, the point is not to believe in the stock’s fairy tales. Sometimes there will be a lot of hype and big promises around some stock. Try not to listen to them. Avoid that noise. Stay focused on the stock’s action. Examine the stock historical performance, how it actually was acting in a particular situation, what causes it to rise or drop. By examining this you’ll know what to expect in the future.

    Well, not exactly, because the past performances will never guarantee future actions, but you’ll have an insight into stock nature. So, you’ll be able to make decisions with more accuracy.

    Diversification and trading with leverage 

    Let me explain something. If you’re an investor, reasonable diversification is good. But if you want to get rich trading stocks and earn a lot, you should avoid diversification. Trade only one or two stocks and use not more than 30% of your investment at a time. That’s the way to earn millions by trading stocks. This is confirmed for so many times. You may think it is easy to stay away and not invest more money when the stock price is following an uptrend. No, it isn’t. But you must be disciplined. You have to stick to your trading plan and never go across it.

    As I said, diversification is good for investors but for traders can be dangerous because you’ll have to be focused on price action. How can you do that if you have many stocks? You’ll simply fail.

    Buy bottom, sell top isn’t always a right fit 

    This old mantra among beginner traders is canceled. I know you might believe I’m crazy but think. It is hard to take the maximum profits. Instead, choose to match the movement of the stock price. That doesn’t have to be the top and bottom. You can enter the trade in the middle and exit a bit below the top and take the main profits. In this approach, you’ll have reduced risk because you enter the trade in an uptrend and also exit while an uptrend is present. No, you’ll not miss the big profit. You’ll miss losses if you do so.

    But you have to plan this. For long-term success in trading stocks, the trading plan is alpha and omega. Never enter the trade without a specific trading plan. Before you enter the position you must know what is a  risk/reward ratio you expect from each trade. Stick to that no matter what others think or do. Never change your trading plan in the middle of the game. That’s how to get rich trading stocks.

    Have a plan, plan your failures

    Getting rich in the stock market can look like a discouraging task for some of you. But it hasn’t to be. Honestly, it is so easy to achieve if you follow these rules. If you have some doubts, if you don’t believe you can make money In the stock market, well, it’s more likely you’ll never do. But if you create a plan, plan and understand the setbacks, and have proper risk management you have great chances to get rich trading stocks. Moreover, you can become a millionaire.

    To get rich trading stocks you must understand and adopt the idea that you will lose money on a regular basis. When you adopt that thought, you’ll be in positions to become successful at it. Never take the stock market for granted, always be on guard. Keep in mind that the stock market will steal your capital if you give it a chance. The odds of getting rich can be against you only if you fail to recognize the possibilities.

  • Morning Star Pattern How To Trade It?

    Morning Star Pattern How To Trade It?

    Morning Star Pattern How To Trade It?
    How to identify the Morning Star pattern, how to trade it? Is it bullish or bearish? Is the Morning Star pattern good or bad when seen in the chart?

    To know how to trade this pattern we have to know what the Morning Star pattern is. First of all, you have to look at three candles and are near the support level. If yes, to have the Morning Star pattern, the first candle has to be bearish, the second has to be doji, and, finally, the third has to be a bullish candlestick. This third candlestick is important because it creates a bullish reversal pattern. So, logically, the Morning Star pattern is a bullish reversal pattern. At first glance, it may not look as bullish but we’ll explain to you how to recognize this pattern when it appears. Also, Traders-Paradise will introduce you to some trading techniques related to the Morning Star pattern. 

    This pattern will always tell you that something good is on its way. Bullish traders will always look for this pattern because a great reversal may occur. 

    The advantage of Japanese candlestick patterns is that even one candle has the whole story but when they are arranged together, you’ll have the novel. In terms of trading stocks, you’ll have the pattern that will tell you when your stock is going to breakout or breakdown. What is more important, when using the Morning Star pattern, you’ll know everything about the emotions of traders. For example, if you see long-legged candlestick, you’ll know that there was a hard battle among bulls and bears but without progress or change. At the end of the trading day, they are both pushed to the starting levels. 

    Therefore, understanding of candlesticks and their purposes is essential.

    What is a Morning Star pattern?

    We’ll need three trading days to be sure the Morning Star pattern appears. As we said earlier, this pattern is bullish but the first candlestick is large and bearish. That is due to the current trend and the first candle is in harmony with the trend. The second candle you’ll recognize when you see a small real body. It is a doji. This doji reveals hesitation and it’s followed by the third candlestick which is bullish. This third candle should be a large bullish one (the charts aren’t perfect, so how big is this third one, doesn’t really matter at this moment), so it tells us the bulls are coming back. They want to take over.

    So, the first day the bears have absolute control. The candlestick from the next day will tell us that there was a battle between bears and bulls and one of them is in control but yet it isn’t known which one. That’s something that doji tells. Still, we don’t know who is the winner so we have to look on the second day as on the day of indecision. We’ll understand who has a control on the third day when the bulls actually are knocking down the bears and winning the battle. So, the new direction on the stock price is starting. The price reversal is here.

    How strong is the reversal? 

    Well, we have to consider several signs to be able to conclude that.

    The longer the candles, the higher reversal. Further, the reversal will be higher if there is any gap on both sides of the middle candlestick of the Morning Star pattern. 

    To make this clearer, the second candle is the star. It has a short real body, separated from the real body of the first candlestick. The gap between the real bodies of the two candles separates a star from a doji or a spinning top. The star may appear in the shadow of the first candle, it isn’t necessary to form below the low of the first candle.

    The appearance of the start is the first sign of bears’ weakness. They are not strong enough to push the price lower than the closing price on the prior day. The third candle will confirm their weakness. This third candle has to be lighter in color. Actually, the middle candle can be red or green or black or white because the bulls and bears are going to balance out across the session.) in the charts and pierces into the body of the candle from the first day. 

    Also, if there is a gap between the first and second days. Here we came to the size of the third candle. If this candle is higher than the candle from the first day, that means the greater the bullish takeover. 

    How to trade Morning Star Pattern?

    We already said the Morning star pattern is a sign for the start of a trend reversal. From bearish to bullish. Well, you have technical indicators on disposal that may help you to unveil the Morning Star is going to form. For example, when the price is nearing a support zone. The other indicator could be when RSI confirms that the stock is oversold.

    Also, pay attention to the volume. It can be a great contributor to the forming of this pattern. When the volume increases during the three trading days and on the third day it’s the highest that’s the confirmation of the Morning Star pattern followed by the reversal.

    You should take up a bullish position in the stock when the Morning Star forms. Then, ride the uptrend until there is an indication of an added reversal. So, it’s important to notice when the first falling bearish candlestick is going to form. Further, monitor for the second smaller candlestick which is spinning top or doji, as we explained above. Plan your stop now. When the third candlestick is formed it is a bullish one, wait until it breaks above the third and take a long position. If you go long, set your stop below the bottom of the last candlestick. Some traders would wait until the price drops below the third candlestick and then enter a short position and set a stop above that candle. 

    Bottom line

    This pattern is a bullish reversal pattern. That means that buyers (bulls) take control of the sellers (bears) and push the price in the opposite direction.
    Trading completely on visual patterns can be a risky plan. The Morning Star pattern is best when it is supported by volume and a support level, as the back indicators. It isn’t hard to notice this pattern. It will appear whenever a small candle occurs in a downtrend.
    Whatever the candlestick pattern you use, you have to understand that there are many variations of it and on it. But one thing is sure, the Morning Star is a bullish reversal pattern that tells us that some good things are going to come.

  • Stop-loss First, Then Consider The Entry

    Stop-loss First, Then Consider The Entry

    Stop-loss First, Then Consider The Entry
    In stock trading, the essential part is to move quickly in and out of the position to profit more.

    Guy Avtalyon

    Everyone who even thinks about trading must understand the importance of stop-loss and why the Traders-Paradise team likes to say stop-loss first. 

    The stop-loss is one of the simplest tools from any trader’s toolkit. This order is connected to the stock’s movement, no matter if the fundamentals for the company have changed. The stop-loss first,  because if you use it you’ll have a greater chance to outperform the market. Let’s explain this. When the price of the stock goes down, the stock becomes more volatile, which means more risk. 

    Correlations between stocks and the market increase more when markets are dropping than when they are growing. So, the portfolio risk rises, and therefore diversification impact reduces. Increased volatility and higher risk, can expose stop-loss order as extremely important in risk exposure control. The gain could be potentially made by reducing the risk and getting a higher risk-adjusted return.
    Using stop-loss strategies you can reduce your emotional reactions while trading, and overcome the volatile market. So, the saying “stop-loss first” covers many situations when it is beneficial and we’ll show you some of them.

    Why stop-loss is the first consideration

    Stop-loss is the primary guarantee for profiting in the stock market. When you set your stop-loss order you’ll avoid risk, protect your principal, and survive the market volatility. It’s like the insurance premium.
    Risk control is the most important. For example, you just learned to ride a motorbike. What you have to know as a must?  You’ll have to know how to control the speed of falling. You’ll be safer.
    But when it comes to stop-loss orders, not every trader is confident where to set this order. Some even avoid thinking about it. Let us explain something. The stock market is a risky one, while you have one winning trade you might have up to ten losing trades. Don’t worry, that’s normal. But you cannot depend on good luck or count on it. What do you need? Skills and capacity to profit consistently. Otherwise, the stock market will dump you out. 

    Why is stop-loss important?

    One of the reasons to use stop-loss is because you trade with limited capital. That’s the rule, no matter if you are the richest trader in the world. Limited capital is required due to the necessity to protect your whole capital from losses. It is possible only if you use a stop-loss order. In other words, you must know what the maximum losses you can take per trade, per day, week, or month. That is trading discipline. You can maintain it only if you set a stop-loss order for each of your trades.

    Moreover, if you consider a stop-loss first, before your entry point, you’ll be able to profit faster and reach your financial goals. In stock trading, you don’t want to hold stock for a long time, and you’ll want to sell them. But if the desired price isn’t reached,  you’ll need to close the losing position as fast as possible and move onto another trade. Of course, you’ll have to compensate for your losing trade elsewhere. That to be said, in stock trading the essential part is to move quickly in and out of the position to profit more. Move your money quickly and with profit, that’s the point. But if you do it randomly you’ll be faced with losses. You have to ensure your trades. How to do that? By using stop-loss first, then you can think about new entries. Also, the bounce backs will be easier in case you have losses. The math can confirm that.

    For example, it is easier for $1000 to fall to $800, but a lot more difficult for $800 to bounce back to $1000. This is a loss of 20%. To compensate for this loss you’ll need about 25% appreciation and come back to the initial capital. But even after a 100% bounce, the stock will be back to its buying price. That’s why you need to use stop-loss orders. If you wait there is a chance for momentum to go more against you.

    What does stop-loss determine 

    In trading, using a stop-loss order is important to overcome the imperfection of indicators. You have to exit a trade if it goes against you. If you’re a buyer, your stop-loss order will be a sell order. Consequently, if you’re a seller your stop-loss order will be a buy order.
    If you’re a buyer, the stop-loss order is a sell order. And vice versa, if you’re a seller, it’s a buy order. For example, if you set your stop-loss order at 3%, you’re actually setting the amount of money you’re prepared to lose per trade.
    Stop-loss relates to indicators, money, or time.  It’s up to you to choose what type of stops you want to use. For instance, you’re buying a stock at $50 because the indicators you use are showing that for this particular stock potential gain could be $100. This means the stock price could reach $150. Your initial stop could be at $25 which is 50% of your initial capital and to get a chance to make $100. Here we come to the risk-reward ratio. In this case, it would be 100:25 which is 4:1. 

    In short, it determines how big a position to take.

    Why to use stop-loss first?

    To avoid the concentration of positions

    As a trader, you’ll run the risk if you extend your exposure excessively. For example, if you keep holding onto positions or average them, then the concentration can occur in your picked stocks.
    For example, you bought a stock at $50 and if it goes down to $45, you might want to average your position. You’ll want that to reduce the cost of holding, for instance. But if the stock price continues to drop, you might be motivated to average your position again. So what could happen? You’ll fall into the loop. You’ll repeat this mistake, and repeat again and again in an attempt to reduce the cost of holding. The better choice would be to use a stop-loss order at the level of the first decline and cut your position. Why would you like to keep a few positions and end up overexposed to their cumulative risks?

    Getting higher leverage  

    In stock, trading leverage is important because it provides you to trade with margin. For example, you put in a margin of $100.000 into your trading account. But you want to trade a stock whose current price is $1.800. So, you could buy about 55 shares. But your broker allows you 4 times more leverage because the company is highly liquid and you now can open positions up to $400.000. Instead of 55 shares, you can buy 220 because it’s the cover order. Let’s assume that the support level for this stock is at $1.750 and you set your stop-loss at $1.700. Let’s calculate your trading risk.

    220 x (1.750 – 1.700) = $11.000

    Since you have a margin of $100.000 in your account, the cover order reduces the risk. Yes, but only if you plan a stop-loss first.

    Advantages of this order

    If you count a stop-loss first, you’ll be able to cut your losses and you’ll be able to protect your trades against bigger losses when the stock price drops sharply. Further, the stop-loss will be automatically triggered if the stock price moves to a certain price. Moreover, you can maintain the risk-reward ratio. For example, you are willing to take a 3% or 5% or 10% risk to get a particular profit. A stop-loss order will help you to achieve that. One of the advantages is that you’ll be able to make trading decisions without emotions and despite the market noise. Also, the stop-loss will help you to execute your trades based on your trading strategy and to stick with it. 

    Disadvantages of using a stop-loss 

    Nothing is 100% sure in the stock trading so even the stop-loss has some drawbacks. For example, you set a limit order and also, you set a stop-loss order, to buy a stock on a particular date. What if your stock opens at a lower price (gap-down) during the pre-opening session? Well, your stop loss will never be triggered. You will end up with losses. Here is a possible scenario. You set a stop-loss at $25, but the stock opens on a gap-down at $23. The stock price didn’t reach your stop-loss so your sell order will not be achieved. 

    Also, a stop-loss can be triggered by short-term fluctuations. For example, the stock price first fell to $24 but then bounced and Increased to $35. But you set the stop-loss at $25 and your holdings will be traded automatically as that price is reached.
    When you calculate where to place a stop-loss order examine what was the range of the historical fluctuation for that stock. For example, you will not place a stop-loss at 3% for the stock with a daily fluctuation of 6%.

    If you want to be a profitable trader, you’ll need to plan every single action. Just like you know the buying price, you must know where to set a stop-loss first and take a profit level. If you don’t do this well, the whole process might end up in big losses. Also, poor stop-loss orders can cause them. The stock trading history is full of both great and ugly stories, so many ups and downs, winning trades and failures.
    Learn stop-loss first, then consider your entry! That’s the whole wisdom.

  • The Settlement Period For Stocks – What is T+1, T+2, and T+3 Timeline?

    The Settlement Period For Stocks – What is T+1, T+2, and T+3 Timeline?

    The Settlement Period For Stocks - What is T+1, T+2, and T+3 Timeline?
    When trading stocks, the settlement refers to the approved, an official shift from the buyers’ account to the sellers’ accounts. This never happens quickly, it will take a few days.

    By Guy Avtalyon

    The settlement period for stocks means that the trade became official at the end of one, two, or three days. For example, you aren’t an official owner of the stock on the day you bought it, you have to wait for 3 business days while your purchase becomes official, meaning to settle. The settlement period for the stocks refers to a period after the trade date. Terms T+1, T+2, T+3, are broadly used to indicate the settlement period is one, two, or three days after the trade of any type of security is executed.

    Today, when almost all trades are done electronically, these terms are used to show that the stock you bought doesn’t yours officially until the third-day from the purchasing day. So, technology does not influence this, it is an exchange rule. To be honest, this is an important rule because it could happen that you bought or sold by mistake or you made some errors, so you’ll need some time to fix that. 

    Without a doubt, some people buy stocks accidentally, random. Later they would like to cancel their purchases when they notice a mistake or change their mind. In case the trade is a real mistake, both participants are agreed to correct the problem. And they would like to do that at the less cost possible.

    Also, there is another group of people in the stock market that don’t want to pay stocks with some weird idea that their buying will be characterized as a mistake if they prolong the time to settle them. In short, they are expecting to obtain these stocks for free. Hence, the settlement period for the stocks is an important period for the sellers or exchanges to clear up such a trade.

    The basics of the trade

    There are three phases of any trade. First is the execution which is an agreement between buyers and sellers to buy or sell a stock for a specified price. When the buyers and sellers are agreed, the exchange registers the trade on its ticker tape. 

    The next step or phase is clearing. It is an accounting process. When you bought your stock, meaning the trade is executed, the exchange should send the detailed report to the National Securities Clearing Corporation to verify the accuracy.

    The last step is the settlement. On the settlement date, the buyers execute payment for the stock and the sellers deliver it to the buyer. Typically, the settlement period for the stocks happens three days after execution.

    Purpose of settlement period for the stocks

    The settlement period for the stocks provides both sides of the trade to fulfill their side of the settlement. For example, the buyer will get more time for payment to do, also the seller might need time to fix something, like to deliver the stock certificate. Even today when the whole trading process is done digitally, the trade is official only after the number of days assigned by trade settlement rules. When the last day of the settlement period comes, the buyer becomes the true owner of the stock and registered as that.

    What are T+1, T+2, and T+3?

    Every time you buy or sell a stock, or some other asset, you’ll have two dates to keep in mind: the date of the transaction and the settlement date. This T refers to the date of the transaction. The figures T+1, T+2, and T+3 point the settlement dates of stock transactions that happen on a day of the transaction plus one, two, or three days

    The day of the transaction or the transaction date is the day when you traded a particular stock, no matter if you bought or sold it. For example, you sold your stock on May, 29. That date is the transaction date. and nothing will change it.

    The settlement period for the stocks is important for investors interested in companies that are paying dividends. The settlement date can decide which party will receive the dividends. If you are a buyer of the stock, keep in mind to settle the trade before the date of the dividend payment to get the right to receive the dividend.

    The end in the settlement period for the stocks, the last day, is the day when the new owner is assigned and the ownership is transferred. The transaction date and settlement date will not occur on the same day. It depends on the type of security.

    Consequences during the settlement period for stocks

    You have to understand what the two-day settlement period for stocks means. Let’s say you are selling the stock and expect money immediately. That is not going to happen. Yes, you’ll see that money in your brokerage account but it will not be available until the trade settles. Only after the T+3 period, you can withdraw your money.

    What could happen if you are the buyer and the stock price dropped during the settlement period? Or you don’t pay in the three days? That will not get you out of the trade and the consequences are serious. 

    If you do not pay for the stock during the three days, the broker will sell it at any price. So you’ll have to pay for losses and penalties.

    Also, selling stock through the 3 days to profit and not paying for the stock is outlawed. It’s a so-called freeriding and refers to cash accounts. It’s better to use a margin account if you trade frequently.

    Stockholder of record and dividends

    When you buy stocks, you are not the stockholder of record until settlement completes. The investor who purchases stock, for example, two days before a dividend record date will not get the dividend. So you have to buy a stock at least three business days before the record date. In investors’ lingo, such a stock goes “ex-dividend”. 

    To decide which investor is qualified to get a dividend, the record date is part of a dividend announcement. The amount of the dividend and the payment date are included also. You must own the stock on the record date. Meaning the settlement date must be before or on the record date. The dividend payment date will occur a few days (sometimes a few weeks) after the previous date, the record date.

    For example, a company declared a $0.50 dividend payable to stockholders of record as of Jun 4, 2020. To have the right to the dividend, you should buy stock on or before Jun 1, 2020. That is three business days earlier. The following day, Jun 2, is recognized as the ex-dividend date. It will be the first day when the stock will trade without that dividend attributed.

    Why the settlement period for stocks is important?

    There are several reasons. This rule is important to limit the probability of errors, even today in this digital world. Also, it keeps the markets in order. For example, if the market is in a downturn too long settlement times might cause your failure to pay for your trade. When we have a limited time for the settlement period for stocks, the risk of financial difficulties and losing money is reduced.

  • How To Make Money By Trading Stocks?

    How To Make Money By Trading Stocks?

    How To Make Money By Trading Stocks?
    There are many ways of making money by trading stocks and numerous methods to find potential investments that match your trading strategy.

    It is almost normal wishing to make a lot of money in several months but do you know how to make money by trading stocks? Yes, it is possible. Everything you have to do is to make several high-risk trades buying stocks that are paying dividends. Simple as that. But it isn’t going to happen to all of us. 

    Someone can make fortune trading stocks in a short time. Some people can do that. But it is too risky. Honestly, when we talk about them we are actually talking about people who know how to make money by trading stocks. Others prefer other approaches. Many of them are less risky and safer ways to participate in the stock market. But still, it is possible to make a lot of money. That’s true. 

    Also, the truth is that some traders and investors got lucky but it isn’t a common story. Actually, it is the opposite. Most traders fail to make money on the market. So if you want to know how to make money by trading stocks you have to understand the nature of the stock market. We are not going to tell you the sad stories but what you have to know is that the stock market is a zero-sum game. Meaning, if someone doesn’t lose, you’ll never earn. Is that all? Of course not. There are more so, let’s see how to make money by trading stocks. 

    Can you make money by trading stocks?

    Why not? Thousands of people already did it and still do. Some are trading stocks every day or month but the others are more buy-and-hold types. They are sitting in the stocks for decades and today they are counting their millions. For example, risk-averse types will do that. They will choose some reputable company or the company with a promising outlook, good business plan, and stick it out for the long run.

    Also, there are some other approaches. You’ll find plenty of outstanding traders capable of making money through several quick but risky trades. Frankly, they are a minority. Great success in trading will come if you pick a day trading or short selling the stocks but it is connected to the extremely high risks. You’ll have to trade in the high-risk and volatile market. But it is one of the most important and usual features of the stock markets: they are volatile, they are risky no matter how strong or experienced you are. Let’s call statistics as help, only 20%, or even less, of traders, are successful when trading the stock market. The others constantly fail to make money.

    But this article is about how to make money by trading stocks. So, let’s go!

    As we mentioned above, one way is to adopt a strategy to hold stocks for a long time. At least five years, for example. If the stock pays dividends, it’s better.

    Quick ways to make money by trading stocks

    Making money by trading stocks, especially with a small amount, is challenging, and honestly, riskier. Of course, if you don’t know what you’re doing. But let’s try to be more creative.

    Certainly, it is ideal if you have more money to trade. But it’s not mandatory. The mandatory is to have the right strategy that works for you, to have a trading plan and trading journal. If you are a beginner in trading stocks, start modestly. Try with small amounts, test different approaches, and methods. After you did it, monitor, and examine the result you got. Don’t think about obtaining the fortune overnight. That’s not going to happen. 

    The smartest thing you can do is follow some of the rules and methods on how to make money by trading stocks and place a small amount, and over time raise it until you become ready to trade with larger sums.

    Let’s go! Play the market and earn money!

    Day trading is for traders with courage and heart. It demands to understand various forces at play in the stock market. For day trading you’ll need more experience. Well, if you are a good student and learn a lot, day trading will give you a chance to make a lot of money in several hours. The point is that you don’t need to invest a large sum, you can do it with a relatively small amount.
    But be careful, you’ll need to hedge your bet. What does it mean? You have to set stop-loss limits to cut potential losses. The advanced traders know that market makers push stocks to provoke our fear of failures or our greed. They want the stock to run for their profit, not ours.

    So you have to be very careful, to understand what you are doing, and to examine the market trends to be able to make important gains. For example, moving averages. Pay attention to them. If some stock breaks through the 200-day moving average that is the sign that potential upside or downside change in price is coming.

    Can you make money quickly by trading stocks?

    Yes, it’s quite possible. Just find companies in very volatile sectors. The other possibility is to find high-value or low-value stock with high risk but with the potential for an enormous reward. Also, you’ll have to be a short-term trader for that. That is the only way to make money quickly by trading stocks.
    For example, you’ll have to look for a high-value company that stock recently fell but you must have some clue that the stock price will rebound soon. When it happens, you’ll sell them for a higher price.

    Also, one of the possibilities is to buy a stock of some startup with the potential to produce tremendous returns. This is risky, also but can generate a great reward. The point is to hold it shortly, wait for a significant increase in price, and sell quickly. The risk here is that startups, in general, could be risky investments. A very small number of them succeed to survive a few years. They are like comets, light the sky for a while, and boom – disappear. But while they are here, in the markets, they are a great opportunity for traders to make money by trading their stocks.

    Trading stocks for a living

    People are trading stocks for a living which means they are making enough money for everyday life and over. Trading stocks can be a full-time job but also, a part-time job. What you choose depends on you. You have to find out how to make money by trading stocks from your home. Also, you may try day trading as a regular job.

    How much money you’ll make depends on your trading strategy, your skills, knowledge, etc. But not all is in your hands. You’ll have to know how the markets are doing and be familiar with many other things. Professional traders can make above $5,000 per month but that varies depending on the amount of money you put in play.
    For example, beginner traders can make several hundred or a few thousand monthly. Once, when you become more experienced with developed skills, your gain will be much higher.

    Buy low, sell high to profit from your trades 

    This approach is easy to master. It is a tested and proven formula for making a profit as a trader. But you don’t want to jump in the trade always when a stock price rises or falls. Sometimes you’ll need to stay aside and wait for your moment. It’s incredibly important not to panic when a stock falls below the price you paid. That’s the point with stock prices, they may rebound and if you exit the position too early you might miss the greater profit.
    When deciding whether the stock price is high or low enough to guarantee a trade, you should examine just a few things: the company’s earnings per share, do employees buy its stock, take a look at the company’s profit history, strength in different circumstances.

    The point is to buy low, that’s true. However, it is important to recognize the company that is able to recover and its stock will rise in price. That is exactly what would you like and as fast as possible, best right after you bought the stock. 

    The same is with the second part of the saying – sell high.

    When selling stock to reinvest the profit, you would like to ride the trend of the stock price rising as long as possible. The keywords “as long as possible.” That’s why you’ll have to learn how to recognize when the price stagnates and in which direction will go after that. In other words, you’ll have to know how to track the trends.

    In day trading or short selling, buying low, and selling high is essential to your profits. In these kinds of trading, you are dealing with highly volatile markets. The stock prices will fluctuate frequently and literally any change in stock price could end in a profitable trade. Yes, there are lots of risks but rewards might be magnificent.

    Diversification is important

    You must have a good trading plan and a diversified portfolio but not over diversified. 

    Diversifying will protect you against unpredictable changes. For example, all your stocks were in biotech, but new products have a bad influence on your stock’s prices. So, your whole portfolio could be crashed. If you have a well-diversified portfolio the influence will be protected against such trends. Also, this strategy is proper for balancing high-risk and conventional investments.  

    We have one suggestion if you really want to know how to make money by trading stocks – never walk away from trading after you made a profit. If your goal is to trade in a long time, it is smart to reinvest part of your profits or all of them.

    Bottom line

    Trading isn’t easy but practicing will help you a lot. At first glance, it may look so easy and simple. What you have to do? Just to pick a good stock and trade it. We all would like it to be that simple. The truth is that traders are carrying their knowledge to the market every single day. They can make a difference between good trades from bad trades, they are able to catch the trends, they know when to enter the position and, which is more important when to exit. Moreover, they know how long they should stick to their rules but also when it is time to break them and profit.

    Some do get lucky in the stock trading, that’s true. But it is very rare. Behind any successful trade lies great knowledge. Armed with that, you’ll make money in the stock market.

  • How to Cut Losses in Trading Stocks?

    How to Cut Losses in Trading Stocks?

    How to Cut Losses in Trading Stocks?
    The first and most important lesson in trading stocks is damage control. One of the methods is by cutting losses.

    By Guy Avtalyon

    This is the essence of trading – how to cut losses immediately. You have to learn this because it is something commonly named as damage control. And if you are not ready for the worst-case scenario and you get panicked, your losses in trading stocks can be enormous. One single bad move can destroy your trading account. 

    Not all trades will be winning, so you have to know how to cut losses in trading stocks.
    First and principal, you’ll need a good trading plan. The best plan is to exit a losing position and cut losses when the trade doesn’t match your plan. So, the trading plan is mandatory.

    Every single trader in the world has had or still has losing trades. That isn’t a problem. The main problem is how to cut losses and have control of your trades. You are the one who makes decisions and we are pretty sure you wouldn’t like to have a great loss. There are some methods that will give you a chance to reduce the losses. And here is how to cut losses in trading stocks.

    How to cut losses in trading

    Learn from the kids. When they just start walking it is normal to fall but every single time they will get up and continue walking. The same is with trading stocks. Every trader at some point will experience losses but the true wisdom is how each of them controls the damage. Damage control means cutting losses quickly without hesitation and quickly. So how to cut losses in trading stocks quickly? 

    There is some unique rule: when your stock falls for 7% – 8% it’s time to exit the trade. If it is so simple why would we spend so many words to explain how to cut losses? 

    Well, it isn’t that simple. When you have a losing trade and exit after your stock drops for a significant amount, you’ll have to compensate for that somehow, you’ll have to reclaim your loss. There is some math behind losses. 

    For example, let’s say you bought a stock at $100 and after several days its price dropped 7% to $93. What you have to do? You’ll exit the position, of course, and enter the other trade to recover from the loss. But where is the math? Here. You lost $7 on a single trade, right? And now you’ll need to profit more than it is the case if you didn’t have that loss. Your available capital is $93 now and your gain has to be 8% on that capital invested to cover the previous loss. It isn’t so hard you might think. Yes, your profit is actually zero now.

    What will happen if you hold that stock?

    Let’s say you are pretty sure that your stock will bounce back and it will be worth $150. And you are brave enough to enter the next trade. But the stock market is cruel, it doesn’t take care of your wishes and says you have to think, to make calculations and not to make wishes. What if your stock drops at $50 which is possible. 

    The math behind says you’ll need a 100% gain to cover your loss. That is a bit harder than to reclaim 7%. And, be honest, how many stocks, that can double their price, you own? So it isn’t a smart decision to hold a stock further if it has a 7% or 8% decline. A smart decision is to close the trade with reduced loss and find the new winner.

    The logical move is to cut losses quickly

    The understanding of how to cut losses in trading stocks will help you to protect your overall portfolio. Put your emotions aside, you might love that stock, adore the company but you have to admit that holding a losing stock is dangerous. No, you didn’t buy that stock at the wrong time or you have bad luck, your losses come from your behavior. Your small mistakes turned into a big failure. 

    When trading stocks or any other asset, the main goal is to profit. So, why would you like to hold a loser? 

    If you avoid selling such a stock you are avoiding blame, right? You have to understand that every single human makes mistakes and bad choices. All the time. So, what? It isn’t a problem. The true problem is when you don’t want to admit yourselves you are making mistakes and they cost you a lot. 

    Why would you stay to hold such a losing position? 

    Maybe you hope your stock will bounce back to the buying price and sell it? That isn’t going to happen. Well, it will happen one day in the future but your losses will be bigger and bigger. Nothing will help you to “delete” this mistake. Why? What had a tendency to fall, will continue to fall. In most cases.

    That’s why it is very important to understand how to cut losses in trading stocks.

    If the pattern doesn’t work, exit your position

    It is possible for a pattern to turn against you. There is no other way than to take a loss. Don’t hesitate to exit the position. You don’t need to wait for your trade to become a loss. Even a small gain is better than a small loss. Frankly, small gains are what beat markets every day. Many experts will advise you to get out of the trade with a small gain in case your pattern is working against you. If your stock doesn’t do what you expected and planned, just cut it. In this way, you’ll stay in control of your trades. 

    For example, you bought some high-tech stock in a high spike of your interest. Let’s say it is a new company with a great prospect, with a new product, everything is excellent. In theory, such a stock should skyrocket immediately. Excellent pattern, you may think. But what if the stock misses rising? What if you expected the price could rise up 30% and it hit 25% and suddenly stopped rising? Will you wait for it to fulfill your expectations? If you’re smart enough you’ll get out.  

    Why are we so resolute about this? 

    We assume you have a trading plan before you enter the trade and you shouldn’t care if you could make $1 or $100 if your pattern is working against you. It has to work what you require. Otherwise, get out because you don’t have control of your trade. That is how to cut losses in trading stocks by following your trading plan. If you do that you’ll don’t need to wait for the trade to become a loss. You’ll be able to exit exactly on time and cut potential losses.

    A few ways of how to cut losses in trading stocks

    First of all, you must have a trading strategy. That means you must have all rules on-hand, no matter if you want to buy or sell the stock.
    Further, you must know why you are buying a particular stock, but also, it is mandatory to know why you are selling it. You have to have a criterion. So, set rules for each situation.
    The most important action in trading is to set stop-loss orders. And here is one suggestion, be smart and never adjust stop-loss order when the stock price is dropping, do it when it is growing.
    Analyze your portfolio on a daily basis. Consider why you are still holding some stocks. If you can’t find any reason, sell it, sell them more.

    Controllers when trading stocks 

    Even before entering the position, you’ll have to know how to control your emotions. This is extremely important when you are faced with losing trades and have to cover losses. Always keep in mind that losses are part of trading stocks and learn how to handle your emotions when the bad time comes. For that to achieve, you have to be prepared for every trade with understanding that you may have losses. You are expecting them. That will help you to defeat your emotions. During this long run, you’ll have failures, successes, difficulties, and you have to know how to handle them.

    Further, invest only the amount you can afford to lose. In short, always protect your capital. If the stock price runs against you, cut it. It is better to exit the position than to suffer a bigger loss. Limit the risks. For each trade, you must estimate the risk/reward ratio.

    If your trade goes exceeding the risk you planned, cut it, cut the potential losses. And do it quickly, especially if the stock price reaches your stops. Just don’t hold the position and follow your plan. Never think you can wait a bit more. In a few seconds, your small loss could easily turn into huge losses. Give yourself the space to come back to the game.

    Successful traders aren’t unreasonable and think ahead. By doing so they are prepared to adjust their position size if necessary.

    In trading, it isn’t always possible to avoid losses. Honestly, it is almost impossible. But you can reduce them only if you learn how to cut losses in trading stocks. There is nothing wrong with selling a stock at a loss but do it on time to minimize it. When you cut losses with a clear head you’ll be ready to return to the market. Yes, we know, it’s hard to have a sharp mind when you are faced with the potential loss of thousands of dollars. Just follow your trading plan, stay with it, and follow the basic rules of trading. Nothing more, nothing less. The market always recovers. You will too.

  • Trading Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

    Trading Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

    Trading Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
    If you have losing trades it is possible you have too many trading mistakes. Recognizing mistakes is half of the battle. The other half is how to avoid them. 

    Trading mistakes are common both for traders and investors, for the novice and experienced traders. Even though traders and investors practice different styles of trading, they often make the same trading mistakes. Some of the mistakes are more costly for investors, some for traders. For both kinds of market participants, it is essential to understand these common trading mistakes and avoid them. Think about bad trades as a process of learning and after you collect a significant number of them you’ll be more experienced and able to perform better trades. But this process can be shorter if you have an upfront understanding of where trading mistakes could arise. 

    That could give you a chance to react correctly and quickly enough to protect your investment portfolio. 

    Here are some trading mistakes that happen to both experienced and novice traders. These suggestions could help you to recognize them and give you a chance to avoid or correct them. So you should be able to gather the profits!

    Trading mistakes that traders shouldn’t do when trading

    Never risk a huge amount of your capital or going all-in. We all have a great expectation to earn a huge amount of money but one of the trading mistakes is putting all capital into a single trade and expect that could provide you great profits. How is that possible if every single trader, when asked, knows about the 1% rule. That means you should never put more than 1% of your capital into one trade. This is one of the common trading mistakes because traders constantly try to gain it all back. Mostly without a risk management trading plan. But even if you have a trading plan, sometimes you’ll be pushed to ignore it. You could be motivated to take a large trade which usually you wouldn’t. Don’t do that, try to resist. Stay stick to your risk management trading plan. The temptation can be a very bad companion in stock trading.

    Even if you think you are ready for a big portion in a single trade. Trust us, you don’t want to jump into the deep end. Especially if you are not skilled enough. Going all-in may cause unpredictable damages, financial and emotional, so great that you may decide to give up the stock trading forever. 

    The much better approach is to trade gradually at regular intervals and slowly increasing the amount per trade. In this kind of approach, you have two benefits: you won’t put all investment capital at risk and you’ll remove emotions when deciding when to buy a stock. 

    Not having a trading plan is a great mistake in trading stocks

    Among trading mistakes, this particular is maybe the most dangerous. If you don’t have a trading plan how will you know when to enter the trade or exit the trade. Skilled traders get into a trade with an outlined plan. They know their precise entry and exit points, how much capital to invest in the single trade, and what is the highest loss they want to take.

    Novice traders usually don’t have a trading plan before they start trading. Even if they have a trading plan, beginners could be more apt to turn out of the plan and take more risks and reverse the course totally.

    For example, they enter the trade with the belief that the stock price will rise shortly after they enter the position. That isn’t going to happen! But this fact is known to experienced traders, beginners don’t know that. And what happens the next is the trade is going against them. But most of them will not exit the position, they will hold in the hope that the price will go up. And the price continues to fall more and more but they don’t want to sell the stock, they don’t want to take the loss and end up losing everything. That is one of the most dangerous trading mistakes. 

    Further, even if they found a great entry point and the price starts to rise. Honestly, it could be a matter of luck, not knowledge. What do beginners do? They become greedy. Instead of selling stock and taking a profit, they hold the position. Very soon, the trade turns against them, and a winning trade shifts into a losing trade.

    Shorting stocks too early 

    If you short the stock too early it is more likely you’ll be destroyed on your shorts. Everything that flew always landed. This is especially true of stock trading and pumps and dumps. 

    For example, you notice a stock in the early stage of a pump. You are happy to buy and drive along as it increases. But at some point, it starts to drop, and you may profit by selling short. But when is that moment? When you have to go short? The timing is extremely important. What if you sell too soon? How to recognize that exact moment for short selling? First, you have to find the top on the stock. That means you have to recognize the resistance level. That is the point where buyers are leaving, but also the point where the sellers appear and begin to take over the stock.

    Short selling is dangerous anyway and only experienced trades should use it. If you practice this strategy or want to, be careful. Without proper knowledge and experience, you’ll jump into one of the biggest trading mistakes.

    Use stop-loss orders to avoid trading mistakes

    Cutting losses is a very serious issue. If you don’t cut your losses quickly you could lose everything. This mistake apparently takes most of the money. Avoiding to admit that we’re sometimes wrong, we are actually admitting we’re human beings. Nothing is wrong with that. People are doing that all the time. Sometimes it can be good. But not in trading stocks. 

    The main problem with trading and you cannot find many people that would like to admit that, is that there is no possibility to be correct on your trades 100%. The best traders are correct under 80%. How do they manage to not blow up their accounts? Simply, they know when they are wrong, they recognize that and admit that. When wrong trade occurs just get out fast. Why will you wait? To make more losses? No one would like that. Just admit you are wrong and exit the trade while you still have a chance to reduce losses. 

    But you must decide about your risk before you enter a trade. You have to know your risk to reward ratio and how much you are comfortable to risk.

    When you identify what you’re ready to risk, enter the trade. But that is not the end. 

    Set a stop-loss order 

    You have to set the stop loss. For some traders, it sounds unnatural to enter the winning trade and promptly set stop-loss order. We have one question for them. Is it natural to lose all capital invested? And, yes, there is a possibility to lose everything without setting a stop loss. In this way, you’ll avoid making huge losses to your account. 

    Never neglect stop-loss orders. That will prevent you from extreme losses and lock in profit when you have winners. You have to set a stop loss for every single trade.

    You might think you don’t need this order while you are sitting in front of your computer all the time. But you don’t have that single one trade to monitor, sooner or later you’ll have more of them. It’s almost impossible to monitor several trades at the same time. Changes are speedy and it could happen that you don’t notice the stock is losing support. In that situation, everyone would like to get out as fast as possible. The stock price could fall a lot faster than you are able to set your sell order in. And what did happen? All your profits are wiped in a second. By setting stop-loss orders at the moment when the trade is filled. 

    Bottom line

    Trading stocks is not an easy job. It takes discipline, time, and knowledge. Some traders can’t handle it and gave up. Also, there is one thing you must know before entering this marvelous world, the most important part of trading is preparation to execute it.

    You cannot find a lot of people out there to help you figure out what trading mistakes to avoid. We pointed several but there is much more. To be prepared to avoid them, you have to learn and not be greedy. 

    As we said, trading isn’t easy but can be very profitable if performed properly. It’s okay to be wrong from time to time, but if you are wrong all the time you’ll never become a successful trader. Just admit your trading mistakes, examine what went wrong, and continue with success. While trading, your emotions must be under control. Okay, some level of fear is favorable, it can protect you from meaningless and harmful moves. But you have to be honest with yourselves and admit when you made mistakes. To remember them better, write it down in the trading journal. That will make things easier in the future.

  • Most Traders Fail When Trading Stocks, Why?

    Most Traders Fail When Trading Stocks, Why?

    Most Traders Fail When Trading Stocks, Why?
    Lack of knowledge is the biggest reason behind unsuccessful trades. Searching the internet can give you some clues but also a poor education. The consequence is that you’ll be among 90% of losers. 

    By Guy Avtalyon

    Most traders fail when trading stocks, why is that? The stats are cruel. Only 10% of all traders make money permanently. That means the rest of the 90% of traders fail to make significant success. To break it down and be more precise, 80% suffer losses, 10% give up over time and only 10% are profiting permanently. 

    How is that possible, why do most traders fail when trading stocks? We have to find out the reasons behind because everyone wants to be in that 10% of successful traders. It doesn’t depend on gender, age, nationality, it simply depends on how much you are resolute to dedicate your time and effort to achieve success and make money on the stock market.

    Since the stats show that most traders fail when trading stocks, why do the majority simply copy losing traders? Why don’t they do just the opposite? The information is all around us thanks to the internet, but how can some inexperienced trader know what to use, what to do? 

    So, let’s start and explain why most traders fail to make money on the stock market. Also, we’ll give you some hints on how to avoid unsuccessful trades.

    Why most traders fail when trading stocks?

    Because they neglect the rules.

    If you want to become a successful trader you’ll need knowledge, experience, and hard work. Only when you gain all these three ingredients you may count on success eventually. You have to forget the luck factor. Trading the stock market isn’t a lottery game. You can’t just pick a ticket and pray. Trading stocks is a serious job so you’ll need to study a lot and acquire knowledge. When you acquire knowledge, you can start developing experience. You’ll walk a thorny path but if you put some effort you’ll reach your goals and finally enter in that 10% of successful traders. 

    But you’ll need time. Some surveys show that you’ll need form three to five years of learning to obtain experience. You have to go out the whole way, there are no shortcuts. The good news is that trading stocks aren’t rocket science so don’t be afraid of it, it isn’t complicated. Keep in mind that most successful traders like to look as they have the key to a great secret. They are acting like they revealed the Philosopher’s Stone. 

    Nothing is that complex and mysterious on the stock market but some traders are frightened by the attitude of successful traders. Remember, knowledge and experience are something that they obtained over time. They aren’t born with that.

    Of course, you’ll find numerous agencies offering instant solutions with no knowledge and experience required. Just don’t trust and avoid them. the only thing they want is your money.

    Most traders fail when trading stocks because of lack of knowledge

    This is the biggest reason behind the unsuccessful trades. Where do you try to learn more about trading stocks? You’ll need to learn from the respectable investors, they wrote so many books. Searching the internet can give you some clues but if you rely on that only it is more likely you’ll end up getting a poor education. The consequence is that you’ll still be among 90% of losers. 

    Are you impressed with graphs? How much do you really understand what you are looking at? Do you have a trading plan? What do you know about risk or money management? 

    Successful traders know how to develop an effective trading plan. The fact that you are buying a stock and selling it, doesn’t mean you are a trader. 

    Okay, to put more pain into your life we have to ask you. Let’s assume you have a trading strategy which means you are not that much inexperienced. Do you know why your trading strategy stopped working? How do you know it stops working? 

    What is an outstanding strategy for trading stocks?

    Most traders fail when trading stocks because of different reasons but the most common reason is that they are constantly seeking an outstanding strategy. So, what will happen when they find it? Will they use that one single strategy during the whole trading career? What a dangerous mistake! When trading strategy stops working you have to adjust it or replace it. There is no other way. But first, you have to understand why your strategy doesn’t work anymore. 

    As being a trader you know that the stock market is changing. One single strategy cannot be suitable for all market conditions. The trading strategy must be in sync with these market changes. It has to be adjusted for the new condition in the market. If your strategy stops working that means it is unable to meet the current market.

    The good news is that you could adjust your strategy and reduce failure.

    How to recognize that your strategy doesn’t work anymore?

    We are pretty sure you have a great strategy that passed all backtesting. Also, we believe you made money with it. But what if your strategy suddenly doesn’t work and you have a sizable drawdown? Will you get panicked? Well, don’t! That is part of trading. Sometimes you’ll even not be able to notice that but sometimes it will cause great losses. And you’ll start to examine your trading strategy. How will you know that your strategy doesn’t work anymore?

    The problem is that you can’t know if it is temporary or permanent. Some experts suggest setting stop-loss on the whole strategy level. So, when your strategy nails that level, you’ll stop trading it. If your strategy starts working again be patient and wait until you see that the continued strength isn’t temporary. Also, there are some tests to help you to assure that your strategy is still working. For example, in-sample and out-of-sample testing can be very useful to check the validity of your strategy. Check it by the training tools firstly, and then confirm on the validation set.

    The idea behind this is that real market performance will continue on both sets. Random market noise will not be registered. Use walk forward analysis to perform differently in and out of sample tests. Forward testing is also a good method to examine how your strategy will perform going forward.

    Most traders fail when trading stocks because they think their strategy isn’t working anymore and stop to use it.

    Poor risk management cause failure trades 

    You might have a winning trading strategy but if your risk management is poor your trade will fail. 

    Risk management assists to cut down losses. It will protect your account from losing the money. If you know how to manage the risks, you’ll make money. Most traders fail when trading stocks because of overlooked requirements for successful trading. One bad trade without risk management strategy can end up in great loss. 

    How to develop the best system to control the risks of stock trading?

    First of all, you have to plan your trading. Stop-loss and take-profit points are keys to planning. That means you’ll need to know what price you are prepared to pay and at what price you are ready to sell. If the return is fairly high, you can execute the trade. 

    Even with the best trading strategy in the world, without proper risk management, you’ll end up with poor trades

    Trading with poor risk management could reveal why most traders fail when trading the stock market. If you want to stay in this game, the best advice you can get is to learn everything possible on risk management.

    Most traders fail due to unrealistic expectations 

    Trading stocks naturally include some level of risk. But it is completely understandable why so many traders are taking high risks. A few books that you had read or one or two webinars are not guarantees for winning trades. There are no instant solutions in trading stocks. Also, if you think that using some complex strategy will bring you more profits we have to say you couldn’t be more wrong. 

    Unfortunately, traders are still losing their hard-earned money thanks to unrealistic expectations. 

    We already said that knowledge is extremely important in trading but proper implementation of it is more important. When you hear that someone had great trade during the bull market, for example, you have to know that it isn’t always thanks to great knowledge. It is easy to trade bull markets since they can cover the mistakes caused by a lack of knowledge. But what will you do when the bear market occurs?

    To define yourself as a trader you must have at least two or three years of continuous success. Don’t ask for easy and easy solutions. That is a blind way. You’ll be among 90% of unsuccessful traders.

    Trading is a professional career and as being that it takes years of dedication and work to be good at it. While learning you can do that from your mistakes but also, from other traders’ experience. That is the beauty of learning to trade. With the decreasing number of trading errors, you are closer and closer to become a successful trader. Most traders fail when trading because they avoid learning. And to be honest, that is the easiest part. The troublesome part is understanding your own psychology. That will determine how you will enter the stock market.