Intuition or Into Wishing?
The Market Wizards books by Jack Schwager are must-read books for traders of all kinds. These books are loaded with interviews with top traders, and it’s interesting to learn how the featured traders made it to the top of their profession.
One of the featured traders is Ed Seykota, who reportedly was up 250,000 percent between 1972 and 1988 – very much a wizard! Ed’s interview is filled with great insights as to what drives traders, and his play on words in many cases proves to be accurate. One quote that Ed makes is:
“Be sensitive to the subtle differences between ‘intuition’ and ‘into wishing.’”
What great advice! As traders, we all fight the internal battle between what our “gut” is telling us and what we want to happen based on the positions we are holding at any given time. An experienced trader should allow intuition to play a part in the decision-making process when trading, but it certainly is a fine line between what our gut tells us and what our opinions leave us hoping for!
Keep Ed’s quote on your mind and always be aware of what it is that’s driving your next trading decision. Remember, HOPE is not a trading strategy!
Jeff White
President, The Stock Bandit, Inc.
www.TheStockBandit.com
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