The Inner Game of Trading

The first thing you have to do it to change your mental attitude first from a normal person to that of a speculator. Almost all traders I have met, except a few successful ones who really made millions and billions trading in the market, simply waste all their time trying to learn the easiest part in perfection, like about how to read data and charts, and trying to perfect entry and exit skills, etc. Trading is a mind game and without having a right frame of mind, it is a losing game even before it starts. Training a trader’s mind is the first step for any successful trader but almost all new traders neglect that part and that explains why more than 95% of traders are a failure in the long run.
Seeking and finally acquiring the knowledge of the market is not difficult for anyone with average intelligence after a few years of hard study in the market. But it is neither the level of intelligence nor the knowledge that decides the outcome of the market operations of a trader. It is the decision making process that is so hard for most traders to overcome and that is the main reason for a success or a failure for all the traders. Some find it easy to make decisions and stick to it and most find it so hard to make decisions and stick to it. Unfortunately, any decision making process in trading is a pain-taking process and humans tend to avoid pains and go for pleasures even if for temporary ones. Assuming one has acquired enough market knowledge and acquired one’s proven trading system (this is the second most important element of success in trading, in fact. An edge in any system is based on the quality of info one has, charts being only an info of secondary quality not the best one)
A trader faces the task of making decisions to put this knowledge and system into practice. Then, how many traders can honestly say they can commit their ranch when the trade is suggested by their own system (given that trading is just a chance game) and let the profit run for weeks and months when their system tells them, and how many can manage to cut the loss as a routine process when the situation arise. It all sounds so easy when saying it but so difficult when doing it affecting real money in the market. I still do not sleep well when I am running position because even if the profits are running into a few hundred dollars and the system is telling you to carry on, there is no guarantee that the profit will turn into a yard or two in a month time, and it may even turn into a loss in a day or two when something unexpected happens. A painstaking process in real sense. The pain is not knowing what will happen in the future and in fear of losing. So at the end of the day, assuming one has decent trading system and market knowledge and decent info, it is ultimately how disciplined and how well that trader can take the pain of making right decisions at the right time that decides the outcome of the trades. Hence I call trading a mind game. When I interview prospective young traders, I always look for disciplined and strong-willed person as my first priority as long as one has decent education, but strangely in many cases, it is some kind of genius or half-genius with lots of brains with no disciplines who turn up for an interview thinking only bright people can make good traders.
I always try to pyramid while position trading medium-term once I am convinced of a new medium-term trend emerging. Like in USD/JPY position trading 135-132 as an initial position, adding in 132 and 129 areas. Same for AUD/USD and EUR/USD with similar strategies. But sitting on positions and watching the counter-rallies costing truck load of money is not easy job to do and causes lots of pain all the time. Most traders even among experienced ones cannot bear that pain and give up too early. But there is no other way to make a big money and we have to bite the bullet and "sit and accumulate" as long as the medium-term trend is intact. That is why I always believe psychological aspects of trading is far more important than anything else in successful trading. A mind game like those bluffing game of poker.
Entries and exits can never be "irrelevant" for any trader for any purpose. It is just that psychological aspects of trading are much more important than entries and exits, and decisive for the success or failure of a trader in the long run. Perhaps exits are more important than entries because any perfect or near-perfect entries are possible only in hindsight.

Important thinks to consider
All the markets, either it is real estate market nor forex market, is all about transferring money from the masses to a few lucky ones in the long run. In most real property speculation cases, the masses make money ,a lot of money, but the money stays as paper profit and evaporate before they realize their paper profit into real hard cash. In most forex speculation cases, the masses barely survive a few years thanks to lack of knowledge of the market and the deadly leverage. But both types of speculators all serve their useful purposes in investment food chain contributing their hard earned money to the market in exchange for a dream.
The fact is that for any prospective traders, hope this is not in anyway a discouragement. Trading is a hard mind game and not everyone is suitable to be engaged in such a hard game. Most have neither frame of mind nor mental fortitude to survive in this hard game. Mastering TAs or numbers or options business are at best a first tentative step into the right direction with no guarantee to any success. Training a right frame of mind is the most difficult but absolutely necessary part for success and most are simply not ready to go through that hard stage of the learning process because it is a very painful process. Trading is essentially about pain-taking-process in the end although most do not realize it. The process of overcoming fear, greed and mastering tranquility of mind in this hard school of speculation. Fwiw.
All traders should find his/her method/system which suits his/her own situation and personality. And that system/method must be the one that has proven to be able to make some money through trials. So, if Tom, the medium-term trader, revealed his money making method of last three decades, it may not have the same effect for Dick and Harry, the day traders, and vice versa. Agree that most fail for lack of system/method and/or lack of discipline to follow through.
To succeed in trading is all about making as much as one can when one is right and losing as little as possible when one is wrong. That is the essence of this business. So, any theory or system which looks after the above is a good one.
The system is a weapon of a soldier in this market. You must have one as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be like fighting well-armed Forex robbers with a handbag. Best one is a self-made one because you can never feel comfy in borrowed shoes although borrowing good ideas from others is a good idea. Good luck.
A trader cannot make a dime unless follow the herd or trend most of the time. It is just that one has to be cautious when overbought/oversold region is approaching and know how to turn at inflection point for the opposite trend. Following herd needs average intelligence and courage but identifying inflection points and taking a necessary action needs not only intelligence but also a lot of courage. Again, fortune favors the brave.
In money management is where most traders go wrong in almost all cases leaving only a few as the winner at the end of the day. Money management and discipline of mind is what makes or brakes a trader at the end of the day, not the elementary entry and exit method.

How to Choose the Best Forex Software

When we are talking about forex trading the forex software you choose is very important. There are so many forex trading software companies all trying to do business with you, they tell you that choosing the right forex software can be quite a difficult task so they promote theirs. Some of the forex software products available offers live online forex trading platforms but what other components are vital when it comes to your forex software.
Key Elements For Your Forex Software:
- It must be used by professionals & be easy to use for beginners alike with no experience whatsoever.

- You must be able to start with any real forex account or learn the ropes on a demo account without risking any real money at all.

- It must works with all trading platforms because it is should be an independent program. You just have to feed it with market data and follow it's trading advice.

- It should work in any country and with any broker.

- It must be a highly profitable system that lets you earn thousands of dollars each day.

- It must applies to each and every currency pair and any financial market.

- Reliable and consistent. Stand-alone software!

- It can be tested without having to risk any trading capital!

- Can be used anywhere at any time because the market is always open!

- Breathtakingly simple. It must easily and quickly be understood by the average independent trader as well as newbies!

- The company should give you Free Updates for life. They must constantly tweak the software for maximum efficiency
Before purchasing any forex software there are a few essential items that should be included. The most important is the percentage of success this program has and how this software is designed in order to make the right trading signals. This is a task that so should test over and over again!
Providing the best software solution for your forex trading will include a company that provides 24 hour technical support for your forex software, 24 hour maintenance should anything go wrong, daily backups of all information, and yearly new versions of the software for free.
Another important factor when it comes to choosing your forex software is to check what the company’s downtime is like. When it comes to trading forex and particularly your online forex trading you need to ensure that the forex software you choose is reliable and can work with any trading platform. The forex software you choose for your forex trading should also have technical support available at all times should your session be cut short.
Ensuring that all the above features are listed in the forex software you choose will help to ensure your forex trading success.

The first meeting with Forex trading

People have started getting into Forex trading. The foreign exchange market is considered to be one of, if not the, most liquid market today and one of the largest.

What exactly is Forex? What is known as Forex or simply FX, is a term used to refer to the trading of the different currencies of the world. This term caters to the Forex market - which is the biggest market in the world, trading more than 1.7 trillion dollars every single day.

Usually most of trading is speculative, with just a percentage of activity corresponding to governments and companies conversion needs.

Forex trading, unlike trading in the stock market, is not carried out through a central exchange, but instead conducted through an interbank market. This interbank market is mostly described as an over the counter market wherein trading of currencies takes place between two correspondents making a trade directly, either over the phone or through electronic networks worldwide.

Trading for the foreign exchange market has its main centers of activity in Sydney, Tokyo, Frankfurt, New York, and London. This distribution of trading centers world wide indicates that forex trading caters to a 24 hour market.

In forex trading, some of the most frequently traded currencies are the major currencies such as the EURUSD, USDJPY, USDCHF, and GBPUSD. The spot market is the most vital market since it contains the largest volume. This market is called as such since trades done in this market are settled immediately - which means settlement within two banking days.

With other ways to earn money and trade, why consider forex trading? Forex trading has certain advantages over other forms of market trading. One of its major advantages is the 24-hour trading window, giving traders an opportunity to instantly react to news that affects the market as it happens. Market liquidity is also a factor. There will always be sellers and buyers to conduct transactions with. This liquidity, which comes from banks that provide liquidity from investors, institutions and other market players, also helps in ensuring the stability of prices. The absence of commissions makes forex trading a very attractive opportunity for investors who want to make deals frequently.

The abundance of opportunities for trading is also another advantage of forex trading. Due to the constant movement of the market, trading is always an option - whether a currency is weakening or gaining strength against other currencies. Trading in this manner ensure that the different currencies work against each other, thereby ensuring the presence of more opportunities to make deals.

There are a lot of gains from forex trading, however, it is important to know as much about the market and the practices before embarking on your first deal.