All Entries in the "Trading Psychology" Category
Las Vegas Traders Expo
November 9, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Next Friday (Nov. 16) at the Las Vegas Traders Expo, I’ll be teaching live at 1:15pm PT. I hope you can make it to my session if you’re located near Vegas or the west coast.
Specifically, I’ll be discussing 8 Steps to Trade Your Way Better. I have a lot of good stuff planned, plus I’ll share the setups which have been working well for me recently as well as the best setups I see in the market right now. I’m excited about being there and giving you some insights for better trading.
Make plans to be there by pre-registering or just show up (it’s free)!
Trade Like a Bandit!
Jeff White
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5 Ways to Dodge Doubt in Your Trading
July 17, 2012 at 10:28 am
“Quite some time…I been sittin it out…didn’t take no chances…was a prisoner of doubt.” – Straight On (Heart)
In a previous post, I covered some of the steps necessary to recover from deep trading wounds and what it involves to start moving past the pain and toward progress again.
Taking a big hit in your trading often sidelines you, either literally or (even worse) mentally. I know from experience! And while there are times to take a break in order to avoid doing further damage, at some point, you still have to get back on the horse and overcome those doubts.
But how do you go about doing that?
When your account and confidence have taken a sizeable reduction, there’s a ton of doubt to get past, so let’s look at 5 ways to do that.
1.) Take it down a notch. And you know exactly what I mean. When you’re starting out or starting over, you have to start small. Small enough that it’s all about the process and not the result. By doing this, you’re setting the tone for growth again, you’re respecting the market, and each trade takes on minimal significance while you’re getting back into the right habits.
2.) Get specific. By narrowing your focus to that which you should be doing, by default you can eliminate much of the fear you may be facing, as well as a lot of the trouble which comes with a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants style of trading. Without a game plan, you’re playing the guessing game. Understand which conditions you’re facing, and go with the strategy best-suited for those conditions.
3.) Set realistic expectations. As much as you might like to, don’t expect to make it back right away. Big expectations may be what got you in trouble to begin with, so curb your enthusiasm a bit and aim to just get the bat on the ball first. The idea is to start a foundation which can support bigger and better results, but right now it’s first things first, so look to start small.
4.) Keep risk in check. As noted in the point above, you can’t just go swinging for the fences. To avoid that, have a risk per trade amount that’s appropriate for the fresh start you’re making. And be careful with how many positions you’ll carry at once, at least until you’re back in the flow.
5.) Hit singles. Early on, the aim is to get on base and establish a rhythm of success that can be built on. By selecting high-probability setups with defined risk, you’ll increase your odds of getting into that rhythm and start marking some results in the black – just what you need the most.
** What are some other ways to get beyond fear and doubts on the road to a trading recovery? What has worked for you recently or in the past?
Trade Like a Bandit!
Jeff White
Producer of The Bandit Broadcast
Bulls Still Getting Outsold
May 8, 2012 at 12:34 pm
The bulls haven’t found their footing yet as the market moves lower within its range. In some cases, we’re seeing some important recent levels get broken, namely S&P 1357. The DJIA has approached the lower portion of the 600-point range, and we’re getting a bit stretched in the near term.
Nonetheless, the bears are winning at the moment. All news is bad news at the moment, and I’m mindful of the Seinfeld episode The Serenity Now where George Costanza gets outsold by his childhood rival Lloyd Braun. No matter what George tries, he gets outsold. The bulls can certainly relate. (Hit the video link below for an entertaining 1-min clip.)
Lloyd Braun outsells George Costanza
While it’s important to be careful pressing shorts at this stage of the pullback, it’s equally important to respect the fact that each bounce has been sold of late. Trying to get long before we see some stabilization could result in being ‘early’ (read: wrong), thus trapping you. It’s never good to need bailing out by the market.
Best suggestion? Stay patient here. Lighten up on shorts if you’ve caught some good moves. Keep a shopping list handy if you’re eager to get long, but protect capital here and wait for better setups to arrive. Most bearish charts need some rest, and bullish charts are hard to come by at the moment.
For those curious about our trading style in the member area, we’d love to show you what we’re all about. We’ve been short since the end of last month and it’s been a nice little ride lower. Check out the free trial to our stock pick service if you’re interested in adding our ideas to your own.
Trade Like a Bandit!
Jeff White
Producer of The Bandit Broadcast
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Play Like A Pro – WTBR Episode 5
May 3, 2012 at 8:32 am
Today, I bring you Episode 5 of When The Bell Rings.
In this episode, we’ll talk about some distinct differences among traders regarding their approaches to trading. It should either give you some added motivation, or a boost in confidence.
I hope you get a lot out of this installment. Keep coming back for more in the days ahead, and of course if you find these helpful, then let me know!
Run time is 3:08.
(Direct video link is here for those interested in embedding it elsewhere to share).
Trade Like a Bandit!
Jeff White
Producer of The Bandit Broadcast
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What Do You Do When You Hit Your Loss Limit?
April 26, 2012 at 8:15 am
Over the past 10 days, there have been two occasions where I hit my daily loss limit. Sounds like a tough stretch, but on a net basis it’s actually been positive thanks to some other good days.
Mind you, I’m generally a disciplined trader, and in a dozen years of full-time trading I have broken my discipline countless times but have never truly gone on tilt where it’s account life or death.
That said, I do not have a broker-set cutoff. That’s where you specify a dollar amount, which when hit will lock you out of making more trades. It’s still your account and you could call in and override that I suppose, but it’s at the very least a break in the action for you, and a very good thing for some people – namely, developing traders.
Back to my point and the title of this post, what happens when you hit your daily loss limit?
For me, it’s a general dollar amount where I start to understand that barring some really great trades, and with the amount of risk I am willing to take, I’m unlikely to recover. It’s a matter of recognizing that I’m likely to do more harm than good – either to my account or my confidence.
At times, I’ll hit that level and I just need to admit defeat, shut it down, and come back another day. I might leave my platform open and monitor the market or open positions, but I know I don’t need to press any more buttons. Adhering to that has on many occasions prevented deeper wounds to my account.
Knowing when to walk is found in two things: one internal, one external. Internally, you must understand yourself and your tendencies. Externally, you must be able to recognize current conditions and determine if there’s good reason to continue or not.
Over the past week, however, I had two different outcomes when I chose to trade beyond that mental cutoff.
Exhibit ‘A’
The first was a day where my limit had been reached, but I allowed my emotions to interfere. This was the internal element, and I was in no shape to continue. (That, by the way, also prompted this week’s video.)
I didn’t go on tilt, but I lowered my standards in what was ultimately a mild version of revenge trading. That never pays off, and in this case it cost me a little more. As it should have. I hit my loss limit plus another 1/4, which isn’t a ton but it is too much.
The mistake was that I continued to trade because of my P&L. Catch that? Because of it, not in spite of it.
Exhibit ‘B’
The second occasion was similar in that I reached my mental cutoff, but it was different because it was a day where my emotions were settled.
I continued to trade not out of anger or frustration or ego to prove I was right, but because there were multiple stocks in play which warranted my participation. Conditions were very favorable for making good trades, so I continued.
I was accepting risk beyond a normal cutoff amount, but it was with a level head and with some real potential to turn the day around. And I did. It was rewarding, not in the sense of “I told you so” but simply because I kept taking good trades when they surfaced, added it up in the end, and came out slightly ahead.
It’s nice to dig out a bad day, even if it means you barely do better than break even.
On some days, those are wins.
Trade Like a Bandit!
Jeff White
Producer of The Bandit Broadcast
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Ron Artest, Scrabble & Trading – WTBR Episode 4
April 24, 2012 at 8:40 am
Today, I bring you Episode 4 of When The Bell Rings.
In this episode, we’re talking about something that’s paramount to your success as a trader. It’s a mindset, but it’s something that requires intentional planning and not a fly by the seat of your pants mentality.
A weekend sporting event was too pressing to delay this message any further, so here it is.
I hope you get a lot out of this installment. Keep coming back for more in the days ahead, and of course if you find these helpful, then let me know!
Run time is 4:26.
(Direct video link is here for those interested in embedding it elsewhere to share).
Trade Like a Bandit!
Jeff White
Producer of The Bandit Broadcast
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Be Present – When The Bell Rings 3
April 18, 2012 at 8:48 am
Today, I bring you Episode 3 of When The Bell Rings.
In this episode, we’re talking about a common mistake among traders which seems so obvious – yet so few make it a point to avoid.
I hope you get a lot out of this installment. Keep coming back for more in the days ahead, and of course if you find these helpful, then let me know!
Run time is 4:07.
(Direct video link is here for those interested in embedding it elsewhere to share).
By the way, here are links to Episode 1 and Episode 2 in case you missed them.
Trade Like a Bandit!
Jeff White
Producer of The Bandit Broadcast
Get our free newsletter to keep up!
Follow @TheStockBandit
