Don’t Be a Hero

Every time the market gets volatile for a few weeks, the stories start to come out of the woodwork of traders who made it or lost it big….

“So-and-so made $150k in that last selloff.”

“What’s-his-name lost 80 grand on that reversal.”

They’re impressive stories and often eye-opening when the numbers are considered in terms of real dollars, but to some traders these kinds of rumors might do more harm than good. Occasionally, a guy might hear a story like that and decide it’s time to start swinging for the fences and step up his size.

And of course we all know how that story ends!

Wanna know the secret to good trading? It isn’t found in some flamboyant trading style, and it most likely doesn’t require a major change in your method or taking massive swings in your account equity. The secret to good trading is to trade like you know how. Trade the way you know you should. Don’t trade like someone else, and don’t go overnight from trading for a steady paycheck to trading for riches. Take the setups you do well with, and pass on anything that doesn’t fit that mold.

When the market gets volatile, suddenly the urge to go big and catch a major turning point hits traders of all kinds. Those who want to catch the falling knife or short the top will usually pay for it several times before they finally catch a meaningful turn. The funny thing is that by then they’ve either shrunk their account or they’ve damaged their confidence enough that they might only recoup what they gave back in their first few failed attempts.

Don’t be a hero in the market. Leave that to someone else.

The best trades tend to be planned in advance and then simply executed well when the right factors fall into place. Take what the market provides, but don’t force big trades out of your desire to get noticed by your trading peers. Remember, the good thing about trading from the charts is that we don’t have to know where stocks are going (what a relief!)! Just keep working the charts and take the setups as they come, and know that bullish and bearish plays will present themselves at the proper times. That’s all we have to do, and there’s no need to be a hero!

Jeff White
President, The Stock Bandit, Inc.
Swing Trading & Day Trading Service
www.TheStockBandit.com

[tags]Stock Market, Day Trading, Stock Trading, Investing, Swing Trading[/tags]