Sticky I'm New To TRADING - Where Do I Start?

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SHORT ANSWER

If you’ve just joined T2W – welcome!
First things first, if you haven’t done so already, check out this Sticky: [FAQ] I’m New to T2W – Where do I Start? That’s the starting point for ALL new members, regardless of your trading experience. It contains a list of 12 mini-FAQs which cover the basics about T2W - who’s who and what’s what etc. Once you’ve read it, you’ll have a good understanding of what a fantastic resource the site is, how to get the most from it and, hopefully, how best to contribute to it.

New to trading?
Okay, if you’re not only new to T2W, but also new to trading, then this is the FAQ for you. (If you happen to be a multi-millionaire fund manager, please read it anyway and tell us how we can improve it!) Trading is a very large subject and T2W is a very large website. You’re welcome to just follow your nose and see where it leads, or you may prefer to take a more structured route to accelerate your learning curve. If so, we have . . .

A simple 4 step plan
The Long Answer below provides a simple 4 step plan designed to give you a good insight into the world of the self taught and self funded trader working from home (known as a ‘retail’ trader). For new traders who don’t know where to start, this is the perfect introduction to the subject. Completing steps 1 to 3 will take around ten to twenty hours. At that point you will have enough information to be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not trading is for you.

100% guarantee
Yup, the 4 step plan comes with a rock solid guarantee. Once you’ve completed steps 1-3, one of two things will happen. Either you’ll be bored to tears by the whole subject or you’ll be unable to sleep at night because you’re just soooooo excited! If your rubbish bin is rapidly filling up with spent packets of Mogadon, then you’ll probably be ready to move on to step 4.
 
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I'm New To TRADING - Where Do I Start?

LONG ANSWER

Trading is a big, big, big subject. The initial excitement and enthusiasm that many newbies feel is soon replaced by a dizzy head and complete inertia caused by information overload. This simple 4 step plan will cut a path through the trading jungle and accelerate your learning curve in a way that no other site can. Probably! Completing steps 1-3 will give you a good idea of what’s involved and the amount of time and hard work that’s required to succeed. For those that decide to go for it, the plan also equips you with a basic route map to follow.

Step 1
Read the Essentials Of New to Trading Sticky. This is written specifically with the virgin trader in mind, using simple – jargon free – language that is easy to understand. Here are some of the things it covers:

• Trading Foundations
Discover whether or not trading is something you really want to devote (a lot of) your time to – which you’ll need to do – at least in the beginning while you’re learning. Uncover how and why trading differs from just about every other type of human endeavour, as well as some basic precepts that underpin what trading is and, just as importantly, what it isn’t.

• Trading Attributes
Learn about five core trading attributes that are common to all successful traders. A few massively successful traders may be born with innate talent which helps to propel them to stardom. The rest of us just have to work at it!

• Dispelling Myths
Two commonly held misconceptions are dispelled: that successful traders must have more winning trades than losing ones and that they must have an ability to predict the future. It’s simply not necessary to be able to do either of these things in order to be a successful trader.

• Trading Jargon
Learn the basic jargon that you’ll come across repeatedly on all the T2W forums and elsewhere. Some of it is explained in the body of the text, other key terms are covered in the Sticky’s Glossary of Terms.

• Basic Mistakes
Learn about the common dangers and pitfalls associated with trading – and how to avoid them. Find out what makes a good trader and why the not so good ones fail.

• It’s a Business, Not a Lottery
Trading is business and requires the same professional approach required of any other business venture. If you want to ‘get rich quick’ – play the lottery instead – the odds are better!

• Getting Tooled Up and Honing Your Edge
The tools required to trade, e.g. hardware and software etc. and how they can help you to develop a trading ‘edge’, Fear not, this is discussed as well, along with how you can set about getting one.

• Rights ‘n Wrongs
Why there is no right or wrong way to trade and why a methodology that works for one trader might not work for you – and vice versa.

• Why a Double First in Maths & Economics May Not Help!
It’s a common mistake for people who have enjoyed considerable success in other professions such as law and medicine to assume that hard work and intelligence will lead them to success in trading. The blueprint to becoming a successful trader is not one you’ll find in any other walk of life.

• Supply & Demand
Get an introduction to what drives the markets. All successful traders understand how the markets work and the technical and fundamental factors that drive them. Once you start to understand this, you’ll no longer be surprised when you here on the news that the markets rose on bad news or waterfalled on good news.

• Sorting the Wheat from the Chaff
T2W is a site that’s free to join and all members are at liberty to voice their ideas and opinions. Inevitably, not all of them are good! Some of them are more likely to lead to financial ruin than to financial success! As a ‘newbie’, spotting who’s who can be difficult, so having some idea of how to sort the wheat from the chaff is essential.

• Vendors
Many people are overwhelmed by the scale of the task that lies before them and decide the best solution is to throw money at the problem. The subject of trading vendors is a complex one and finding a good vendor who has the right product or service for your needs is harder still. Understand some of the issues involved so that, in the event that you decide to go down this road, you don’t get your fingers burnt.

• . . . If I were a Rich Man . . .
How much money do you need to start and how much you can expect to make? We don’t want to suppress a new member’s enthusiasm but, equally, it’s as well to temper one’s ambitions with a dose of realism. Potentially, untold wealth is available, but a full time income (i.e. £25k+ p/a) is an unrealistic expectation if all you have is £100 starting capital!

• There’s No Holy Grail!
New traders often spend many months – and sometimes years – looking for the Holy Grail. The alert service or indicator that generates profitable signals time after time. The bad news is that it doesn’t exist. The good news is that you don’t need it in order to thrive in the markets and prosper as a consistently successful retail trader.

• Before you Move on to Step 2 . . .
Lastly, once you’ve fully immersed yourself in the content of the Essentials Of New to Trading Sticky, there is one topic in particular which you must understand. Failure to take on board the concepts outlined in the next link could be ruinous. It is Essentials Of 'Risk & Money Management' and it holds the key to success or failure of every trader. The reason that it’s so important is because trading leveraged products such as spread betting carries the risk of a margin call (i.e. funds on deposit with your broker are not enough to cover a loss). In this event, you could end up owing your broker more than your initial deposit. In extreme cases, this could result in bankruptcy and loss of your house or other assets.

If you’re trading without a thoroughly tested methodology in place (see the Trading Plan Template), then, even without a margin call, your capital is quite likely to drain away - albeit more slowly. Please note that while a trading plan is no guarantee of success, trading without one will impact the probability of success massively. Needless to say - not in a good way! If you aren't clear about anything or require help with this topic, post your questions or concerns to the thread itself. When - and only when - you've read, marked, learnt and inwardly digested the concepts of risk and money management, will you be ready to progress to Step 2 . . .

Step 2
Step 2 involves checking out the 20 most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about trading. Each FAQ has the same format . . .

Post #1 - Short Answer
Post #2 - Long Answer
Post #3 - Useful Links
Post #4 onwards - Your Answers!

Posts #1-3 are written by T2W staff. Post #4 onwards are your contributions. Whilst you're welcome to post to any of the FAQ threads, please ensure your comments refer specifically to the question being discussed. Every so often, we will housekeep these threads so that each FAQ remains concise and on topic. Just click on the appropriate link and get those questions answered. Enjoy!

Realistically, How much Money can I Expect to Make?
Which Books should a Beginner Read?
How Long Does it Take to Make a Stable Income from Trading?
Is There a Strategy or System that I should Use and where Can I Find it?
What Triggers do you use to Enter a Trade?
Can You Recommend a Data Feed, Charting Software & Broker?
Can You Recommend a (Forex) Alert Service?
How Difficult is it to Trade?
How Do I get a Job Trading?
How Much Money Does a Trader Need To Start Trading?
Which Should I trade - Stocks, Futures or Forex etc.?
Can You Recommend a Mentor, Coach or Trading Course?
How Can I Distinguish Between Scams and Reputable Vendors?
What is Technical and Fundamental Analysis?
Do I Have to Accept some Big Losses in the Beginning?
Is Trading the Same as Gambling?
What's the Difference Between Stop Loss and Limit Orders?
What’s the Difference Between a Discretionary Strategy & a Mechanical System?
What are the Pros and Cons of Spread Betting Vs CFDs?
Nature Vs Nurture – are Good Traders Born or Made?

Once you’ve digested fully the Trading FAQs and followed up on the links provided, go on to . . .

Step 3
By the time you get to step three you will – hopefully – be fully acquainted with the contents of the Essentials Of New to Trading Sticky and a good many of the Trading FAQs. Beyond these, there are two other features of the site that are especially useful for newbies. They are:

• Other ‘Essentials’ Stickies and ‘Best Threads’ Stickies
‘Essentials’ Stickies - such as the ‘Essentials Of New to Trading' Sticky which you’ve read - are threads that are ‘stuck’ to the top of a forum index. This means they will always be there for you to view them at any time. They contain information about the forum you’re in that is of critical or ongoing value - hence the ‘Essentials’ name. They all follow the same layout although, thankfully, the others are much shorter! Whichever forum you’re in, always make a point of reading its ‘Essentials’ Sticky.

Besides the ‘Essentials’ Stickies, many forums contain another Sticky entitled ‘Best Threads’. These too are pinned permanently at the top of every forum index and contain links to some of the best threads in that forum. Because of the sheer size of T2W, threads that haven’t been active for a while tend to get lost under a sea of newer threads. The links in the ‘Best Threads’ Stickies will save you many hours wading through the forum yourself, hoping to find a thread that leads to a eureka moment!

If there’s anything missing from any of the ‘Essentials’ Stickies that you hoped or expected to find, or if you want to recommend a thread for inclusion in a ‘Best Thread’ Sticky, please contact timsk, T2W Content Manager and, if at all possible, new content will be added.

• Articles
The Articles section of T2W is a comprehensive library of articles written by – and interviews with – some of the best know people in the industry including: Steve Nison, Dr Alexander Elder , Linda Bradford Raschke, Larry Williams, Martin Pring, John Bollinger and William O’Neil – to name but a few. These names may be new to you now, but they are to trading what David Beckham is to football. Every aspect of trading is covered and includes an entire section devoted to new traders that’s entitled ‘First Steps’. For an overview of how to find what you want and to get the most out of the Articles section, check out this guide: All you ever wanted to know about Articles!

Selected below are a handful of articles to help you get started. The first four are ones listed in the Essentials Of New to Trading Sticky and are repeated here just in case you missed them first time around.

How to Win at the Futures Trading Game
The market is a numbers game. Just as a sales person makes a call and doesn’t know whether it will end in a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, over time, they hear ‘yes’ often enough to make it worth their while. That’s because they have a ‘positive expectancy’. In this article, David James Bennett explains what this means and why it’s critical to successful trading.

Seven Deadly Trading Mistakes
There are lots of mistakes that traders make that cause them to fail. However, there are a handful that repeat themselves over and over again. This article explains what they are and the steps you can take to avoid making them.

The "Not So Simple" Rules of Trading
In the same vein as the Seven Deadly Trading Mistakes article, the author of this piece offers the rules that he trades by and believes that if they had been adopted by LTCM and Barings Bank, then both institutions would still be around today and extremely profitable.

Trading Plan Template
As the title suggests, this is a template that covers the basics necessary to ensure that you have a comprehensive and workable trading plan in place which dictates what you do and when. A trading plan is to traders what the Highway Code is to drivers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

What Style of Trader Am I?
In this article, Don Dawson outlines the basic styles of trading and the various pros and cons of each. Finding the right style that matches your personality and temperament is absolutely vital to success.

Objective Rule Based Trading
This article touches on the importance of supply and demand. When the former outweighs the later, prices fall and vice versa. The art of trading is largely about understanding this dynamic relationship and spotting low risk opportunities that allow the trader to enter long when demand outstrips supply and to enter short (or close the long trade) when supply outstrips demand.

Trading on Borrowed Time – Part 1
Trading on Borrowed Time – Part 2
Many new traders enjoy beginners luck and are duped into thinking that trading is either easier than they expected it to be or that they are better at it than they really are. In this two part article, the author starts by analysing the actions typically taken by traders that will, eventually, lead to disaster. In the second part, he focuses on the actions necessary to remedy these faults and bad habits, enabling traders to survive and prosper.

Top Ten Tips for Traders
If you like reading pithy articles written in a concise bullet point style without any padding, then Malcolm Pryor’s Top Ten Tips for Traders is the one for you. All new traders would do well to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the pearls of wisdom presented here!

Steps 1 to 3 have all been about theory. If you complete them, you’re likely to come to one of two conclusions. Either the whole subject of trading repels you and you’ll want nothing more to do with it, or you’ll be like Keith Richards after he stumbled on the wonderous world of booze and narcotics. Trading can be addictive and, like drink and drugs, there are real risks involved. However, once you understand what they are and how to handle them, you’ll probably want to move on to . . .

Step 4
Trading has a lot in common with driving. Learner drivers can study the Highway Code until they’re blue in the face but, sooner or later, they have to get behind the wheel of a car. And so it is with trading. Unless you’re a VERY exceptional individual, it’s unlikely that you’re going to open an account and be consistently profitable right from the ‘get go’. Just as many drivers have their first lessons on industrial estates at the weekend; new traders are advised to exercise extreme caution in the early days of trading when real money is at stake. Many experienced traders recommend trading via a simulated trading platform (which your broker will provide) using ‘paper’ money, before putting your hard earned savings at risk. Equally, newbies are often advised to open an account that enables them to trade very small amounts of money, so that if disaster strikes then, hopefully, it’s only a minor one!

Whatever you decide to do, nothing beats having feedback from like minded people, many of whom will be very knowledgeable and experienced, and will freely offer their help based on what you’re actually doing and experiencing. The best way to do this is to start your own T2W journal where you can post your thoughts, ideas and trades. The Essentials Of Trading Journals Sticky outlines how this forum works and how the best journals can help to accelerate the learning curve of the members who open them. Starting a journal is probably the best and most helpful resource on T2W to facilitate the transition from learning the theory to trading in practice.

Enjoy your journey. Oh, one other thing – good luck!
 
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I'm New To TRADING - Where Do I Start?

USEFUL LINKS

If you find other threads, Articles or sites on your travels around the net that are relevant to this FAQ, please add a link to them in this thread, outlining what it is that you like about them. Thanks!

T2W THREADS
I'm New To T2W - Where Do I Start?
If you're new to T2W and you've not read this Sticky - please head over there now - even if you're a seasoned trader!
Essentials Of New to Trading Sticky
Just in case the message hasn't sunk in yet, this is essential reading for anyone wanting to get a foot on the first rung of the trading ladder. Go read!

T2W ARTICLES
A New Trader's Journey to Success by James Okada Lee
There are stages in learning to trade, just as there are in everything. This short article looks at them in turn and offers a tiny glimpse of what lies ahead if you decide to stick with it!

EXTERNAL LINKS
None here? If you find a good one, let us know and we’ll add it!
 
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Before you start out, you need to:
1) determine what you want out of trading: trade for hobby, a living,...
2) determine a suitable timeframe for your style (can you sit on your hands for 4 hours doing nothing but watching the tape?)
3) determine your long and short time goals (small consistent profits are large gains accompanied with equally large drawdowns?)
4) analyze yourself (SWOT analysis)

Next you need to know what kind of trading suits you best
5) mechanical or discretionary appraoch?
6) price/volume / price patterns / indicators / pivot points / bollinger bands / candlestick analysis / a combination of any of the previous concepts...

After you determined that, you need to formulate a hypothesis and build something around that:
7) formulate a hypothesis
8) backtest and papertrade the hypothesis
9) refine the rules of your hypothesis into a conceptual idea
10) define the idea and the specifics surround it
11) define the tactics you are going to employ (enter with market order? stop placement? target strategy?)
12) go back to 8 and go through the process again to see what the performance of your system is, what is your win ratio, profit factor, maximum consecutive losses, maximum drawdown, average % gain per month,...

After you have written down the trading plan on paper, you can start to:
13) papertrade your system once all the pieces are in place
14) switch to real trading trading small size
15) analyze yourself and your ability to follow the trading plan
...

Finally, after a while you will (hopefully) have gained the confidence to stick to the plan and execute only those trades that fit the plan.

The process can take up several months, but most will admit that becoming a consistently profitable trader took them 2 to 3 years.
 
A Thread Stopper by FW

Before you start out, you need to:
1) determine what you want out of trading: trade for hobby, a living,...
2) determine a suitable timeframe for your style (can you sit on your hands for 4 hours doing nothing but watching the tape?)
3) determine your long and short time goals (small consistent profits are large gains accompanied with equally large drawdowns?)
4) analyze yourself (SWOT analysis)

Next you need to know what kind of trading suits you best
5) mechanical or discretionary appraoch?
6) price/volume / price patterns / indicators / pivot points / bollinger bands / candlestick analysis / a combination of any of the previous concepts...

After you determined that, you need to formulate a hypothesis and build something around that:
7) formulate a hypothesis
8) backtest and papertrade the hypothesis
9) refine the rules of your hypothesis into a conceptual idea
10) define the idea and the specifics surround it
11) define the tactics you are going to employ (enter with market order? stop placement? target strategy?)
12) go back to 8 and go through the process again to see what the performance of your system is, what is your win ratio, profit factor, maximum consecutive losses, maximum drawdown, average % gain per month,...

After you have written down the trading plan on paper, you can start to:
13) papertrade your system once all the pieces are in place
14) switch to real trading trading small size
15) analyze yourself and your ability to follow the trading plan
...

Finally, after a while you will (hopefully) have gained the confidence to stick to the plan and execute only those trades that fit the plan.

The process can take up several months, but most will admit that becoming a consistently profitable trader took them 2 to 3 years.

Fw,

You ever sleep :p

Good thread stopper imho, best post I have seen on T2W for some time (y)(y)

You gave me these within minutes FW when I asked you what they were some time back when they came up on some other thread = very appreciated


The Five Fundamental Truths

1. Anything can happen.
2. You don’t need to know what is going to happen next in order to make money.
3. There is a random distribution between wins and losses for any given set of variables that define an edge.
4. An edge is nothing more than an indication of a higher probability of one thing happening over another.
5. Every moment in [a game] is unique.

The Seven Principles of Consistency

1. I objectively identify my edges.
2. I predefine the risk of every [betting decision].
3. I completely accept the risk or I am willing to let go of the [hand].
4. I act on my edges without reservation or hesitation.
5. I pay myself as the [game] makes money available to me.
6. I continually monitor my susceptibility for making errors.
7. I understand the absolute necessity of these principles of consistent success and, therefore, I never violate them.


The book is well worth the read, think it will do you more good if you get on with the FW outlined route first, encounter whatever problem your personality is programed to encounter :LOL: then.............

Month off, read the book and ..............ok ok I had 2 minutes off but I am very impatient to make up for lost time :)

Start again, but this time with a bit more in place

All best :clover:

Latter
 
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Fw posts spotted on the wrong threads

Before you start out, you need to:
1) determine what you want out of trading: trade for hobby, a living,...
2) determine a suitable timeframe for your style (can you sit on your hands for 4 hours doing nothing but watching the tape?)
3) determine your long and short time goals (small consistent profits are large gains accompanied with equally large drawdowns?)
4) analyze yourself (SWOT analysis)

Next you need to know what kind of trading suits you best
5) mechanical or discretionary appraoch?
6) price/volume / price patterns / indicators / pivot points / bollinger bands / candlestick analysis / a combination of any of the previous concepts...

After you determined that, you need to formulate a hypothesis and build something around that:
7) formulate a hypothesis
8) backtest and papertrade the hypothesis
9) refine the rules of your hypothesis into a conceptual idea
10) define the idea and the specifics surround it
11) define the tactics you are going to employ (enter with market order? stop placement? target strategy?)
12) go back to 8 and go through the process again to see what the performance of your system is, what is your win ratio, profit factor, maximum consecutive losses, maximum drawdown, average % gain per month,...

After you have written down the trading plan on paper, you can start to:
13) papertrade your system once all the pieces are in place
14) switch to real trading trading small size
15) analyze yourself and your ability to follow the trading plan
...

Finally, after a while you will (hopefully) have gained the confidence to stick to the plan and execute only those trades that fit the plan.

The process can take up several months, but most will admit that becoming a consistently profitable trader took them 2 to 3 years.

Fw,

You ever sleep :p

Good thread stopper imho, best post I have seen on T2W for some time (y)(y)

timsk starter plan that he posted some time ago attached to get someone off on the right foot

You gave me these within minutes FW when I asked you what they were some time back when they came up on some other thread = very appreciated


The Five Fundamental Truths

1. Anything can happen.
2. You don’t need to know what is going to happen next in order to make money.
3. There is a random distribution between wins and losses for any given set of variables that define an edge.
4. An edge is nothing more than an indication of a higher probability of one thing happening over another.
5. Every moment in [a game] is unique.

The Seven Principles of Consistency

1. I objectively identify my edges.
2. I predefine the risk of every [betting decision].
3. I completely accept the risk or I am willing to let go of the [hand].
4. I act on my edges without reservation or hesitation.
5. I pay myself as the [game] makes money available to me.
6. I continually monitor my susceptibility for making errors.
7. I understand the absolute necessity of these principles of consistent success and, therefore, I never violate them.


The Zone book is well worth the read, think it will do you more good if you get on with the FW outlined route first, encounter whatever problem your personality is programed to encounter :LOL: then.............

Month off, read the book and ..............ok ok I had 2 minutes off but I am very impatient to make up for lost time :)

Start again, but this time with a bit more in place

All best :clover:

Latter


Another good post FW

Guess your getting a little tired with all those late nights, multiple threads and your own live trading Club :sleep::sleep:

Transported this post for you to the correct thread, hope you do not mind :)

from ~ wit-wisdom-richard-wyckoff thread

"The Law of Supply and Demand operates in all markets in every part of the world. When demand exceeds supply, prices rise, and when supply is greater than demand, prices decline. This is true not only of stocks, it is constantly being demonstrated in markets for wheat, corn, cotton, sugar and every other commodity that is bought and sold"



Good Starting point for .................anyone, perhaps even those who got off on the wrong foot in the 1st place, might do a little better 2nd time around :)

There are a number of articles by the same Guy spread over a number of pages. He does obviously post charts showing the best Set ups etc. Those are the ones you should be waiting for anyway so not a bad thing imho ..........

The Best only & forget the rest.

T2W Day Trading & Forex Community

Fw Post on the Dow thread ~ post 2097 ~ with volume and thoughts etc, another real good post (y)

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/us-indices/27979-dow-2008-a-210.html#post427039


Latter
 
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Basically, theres nothing else to say after reading firewalker, i just differ in one thing.
How long it takes to become a consistently profitable trader?.
It doesnt have to be 2 to 3 years, it depends on you, how is skilled you are and can become, your background, your incstint. Im not talking about if you have a huntch, im talking about your incstint.
It depends on many things but to be honest, i´m guessing in these point, what firewalker mean when talks about 2 to 3 years he is foccusing on expertise. You can become highly skilled in a very short time but still having a lack of experience, many situations you can face wont be repetitive, in the short time, so if you havent faced it, you really dont know what will come.
After all, i insist, everuthing depends on you.
 
Basically yes.

The most important tip you could never get if really want to start trading is PATIENCE, go steady.
 
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For new traders with no trading system at i suggest u first construct a trading method and then test it in a demo account.

If you dont have a clue and a place to get ideas from and see how a trading works u can vistit the post here and here u will get a complete method that even the newers newbe should manage with stritch rules. ANd some words of advice.

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/day-trading-scalping/40616-here-way-i-daytrade-emini-ym-9.html


My last post is the one u should pay attention for, its simple and easy way of trading with no room for guessing.

With kind regards
Bashir Naimy
 
Useful Training Tutorials

Here's a series of three short videos which come from the official CME Group's website and produced by Jeff Quinto, a veteran futures trader. They provide a strong foundation for newbies to help them make the best start as well as provide a useful reminder of the basics for everyone else. The focus is on day trading futures, but the principles apply to all markets and timeframes . . .
Simulated Trading
1. Developing Your Trading Strategy
Jeff Quinto explains his theory of futures trading and provides a guide that will help you get started.
2. Building Your Trading Plan
Jeff Quinto provides insight into the way professional traders set realistic goals and track performance.
3. The Importance of Simulated Trading
Jeff Quinto explains why simulated trading can be the key to your trading success.
Enjoy,
Tim.
 
How to start trading

Guys,

Having been through this and eventually made it through to being profitable, I really would say that the best way to learn how to trade - is to find a successful mentor.

For me, this was finding a very good signals service - which gave profitable signals while I was learning the skills associated with trading .. from the providers.

Do not pay for trading courses, unfortunately they are only designed to make money for those selling them. If the author is that good, then they should be able to list their recent trades for you.

Vince Stanzione is a very good example, of someone who pretends to be a really good guy who actually trades. It's all crap - he trades a little bit, if you ask him for his precise entries and exits ... "I don't release such information". Vince though, does make alot of money from some very slick marketing. Don't be sucked into it like I was !!!

As above, I would really urge people not to pay $1k for any course - they are all recycled versions of the same thing.

Best of luck to you all.
 
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My vested interest is to help people to make money. Actually, no - my vested interest is to stop brokers stealing more and more of traders' money !!

I spent many years struggling to keep my head above water and it really didn't change until I came across two or three people that really changed everything for me.

Given that it is an unfortunate fact that, for a number of reasons, most people trading actually lose money and quite quickly - I have tried to steer people towards the route that brought me success.

More importantly, there are many scammers - selling "systems", "courses" which they suggest will have people make enormous returns.

I have no interest in a flame war, I will simply state my opinion and allow everyone to make their own mind up.

The question of why people want to teach the methodology - well, I would say two things here.

1) - I don't believe there is a "methodology" as such which can be taught, as much as a way of thinking which you glean when working with other people who have a long time track record.

2) - Why teach it ? - I asked the same question some time back and the traders said that someone was kind enough to show them some time ago and it's actually very nice to see others succeed.

Some of the guys I work with are trading their own accounts with 50 big sps on a position, they don't need to be passing on anything as they are making more than enough money from trading. I think it's cool that they helped me out and that's all I am trying to pass on to others.

I worked my way through many chatrooms, services looking for what I needed. It clicked for me and what's more I took a guy who had never traded before - and tested it on him.

No offence, nor spamming is intended here guys. Just that I think I have found a way to get myself and others profitable in trading and see so many questions that others ask that I used to ask .. answered.

In the end, everyone has to make their own decision - some systems work for John and just will not fit for James.. no matter what you say. As you said, people come in get a free trial - if it fits .. good, if not .. that's ok too.

Thanks guys.
 
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Hi Firewalker99,

Great tips. thanks for sharing. i will bookmark it.

Jones

I would really suggest taking a step back from some of the detail mentioned above. Not wishing to take anything away from the relevance or correctness of the advice - I would say that a beginner needs a guiding hand and mentor.

This may attract flaming, but I would suggest that you do not pay money for courses as pretty much everything is regenerated from a bunch of similar themes - all of these are available on the internet in various places for free.

Find someone who is demonstrably a good trader, that means find someone actually making money from trading - and not making money charging you for courses/"special consultation time".

How do you judge this :

1) - Look at their track record, have they been trading profitably for longer than 2 years. Even better - have then been trading profitably for longer than 5 years.

2) - What are their results. Check this, by looking for precise trades - entries and exits.

Anyone not able to show this - does not fit the bill

3) - Look for people managing significant account sizes, preferably > $10m - but this isn't always as important as the (1) and (2) - although after 5 years of trading well most are trading larger sized accounts.

If anyone is trying to help you, they need to know what they are talking about themselves first.

In my humble opinion : In trading, you can talk about whatever you want - but in the end it's cold hard cash that we are here to earn.

As will all of my posts, people can get in touch with me if they want to know how I do it.

Take care and good luck guys,
 
Re: How do I start trading?

I would really suggest taking a step back from some of the detail mentioned above. Not wishing to take anything away from the relevance or correctness of the advice - I would say that a beginner needs a guiding hand and mentor.

This may attract flaming, but I would suggest that you do not pay money for courses as pretty much everything is regenerated from a bunch of similar themes - all of these are available on the internet in various places for free.

Find someone who is demonstrably a good trader, that means find someone actually making money from trading - and not making money charging you for courses/"special consultation time".

How do you judge this :

1) - Look at their track record, have they been trading profitably for longer than 2 years. Even better - have then been trading profitably for longer than 5 years.

2) - What are their results. Check this, by looking for precise trades - entries and exits.

Anyone not able to show this - does not fit the bill

3) - Look for people managing significant account sizes, preferably > $10m - but this isn't always as important as the (1) and (2) - although after 5 years of trading well most are trading larger sized accounts.

If anyone is trying to help you, they need to know what they are talking about themselves first.

In my humble opinion : In trading, you can talk about whatever you want - but in the end it's cold hard cash that we are here to earn.

As will all of my posts, people can get in touch with me if they want to know how I do it.

Take care and good luck guys,

Sounds like good advice to me. Although finding someone to mentor you who trades with more than 10m is going to be a harsh deal to find.
 
It is crucial to start of with one market and study it intensely. Grab in-depth knowledge of the underlying instrument you are interested in. If its BRCM*, study it, understand the stocks behavior, the market makers behind it, the intraday patterns, etc.... This may take months of observation and study but if you are not willing to invest time into yourself, you will never make it as a trader.

Edit:
*BRCM is the stock ticker symbol for Broadcom Corporation - a U.S. company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
 
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I would like to suggest my playlist of youtube videos on trading. These videos are made by various professional traders and they were reviewed and organized into 4 chapters by me.

You can see the the first part of Chapter 1 called, "Why Do You Want To Trade?" at The Trading Video Guide

thanks and let me know what you guys think about the site! Also send me your video suggestions...
 
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Honestly, something I tell people starting out is to put your trade on and use whatever stop you use for your target and see which gets hit (this helps to determine whether your analysis is good). Work on finetuning analysis and then you can focus on order management. Too many new traders take profits very fast and let losers run which ends up being a bad thing for your account value over time. Also don't feel like you have to get started trading live too soon. Learn, practice and take time analyzing before just jumping into the market. Too many new traders start trading live, lose money on click errors or mental mistakes that they would never make after a few months experience so take it slow.
 
Start by reading the attachment. You don't have to agree, but I trust it will at least open your eyes :eek:! If it looks to good to be true, then it is!

I wish you heaps of mental strength(y)!

Shaka:cool:,


Frits
 

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  • What about Technical Analysis.pdf
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Hey am new here but was just wondering where I am wrong on this strategy. Find a big market/share moving event. Put £50 on short shares with a stop loss of -3% and put £50 on long shares with a stop loss of -3%. Then when the share moves 10% u make 10% on the long shares and -3% on the short shares = Profit of 7%
Thks guys!

There are MANY ways to make money in the stock market. Can you make money with a straddle like strategy? Sure. Could you just as easily lose money doing it? Sure. Give it a shot. The biggest problem is someone tries a strategy that's not for them and their psychological make up. That's where you have problems.

Like some traders like to jump around like a jackal. Some guy comes along and tells them they should swing trade and so they try it and blow up at it. There a jackal. Trying to be a swing trading monkey doesn't work for them. It's not that the strategy is bad, it's more that it doesn't match their temperament.

So know thyself as the old Buddhist cliche goes. Try different strategies until you find one that matches your temperament and lifestyle and then stick with it until you become a master of it. Absolutely you can make money with hedging like strategies.
 
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