“I got a mentor, did my homework, understand the fundamentals, and backtesting my technicals, but why am I still losing money? Is trading just a scam?”
I cried and burst out to my girlfriend years ago when I blew up my account, again. It was not only about the financial loss, but it was frustrated because nothing seems to work and the market certainly did not reward my handworks. I felt unfair, I felt being cheated, and I felt angry, very very angry.
Fast forward, I still lose money every day (like today) and every trade, as I always love to tell beginners, “learn to love your losses because it’s part of the game.” It’s true, no matter how good your winning rate is, you will always have losses. You might have 95% of winning percentage in your backtesting, but that still means you will have 5% of losing trades and you never know when that 5% of losses will appear. Most importantly, you never knew how much trades you will have in your lifetime. 5% of 100,000 trades is still 5000 losing trades. Some people just couldn’t take it.
Yes, that is it. Some people simply cannot deal with the losses or setbacks in life. Trading is all about the execution, and the execution is all about your emotions. Sure, you need to have a good analysis, a good strategy and an approach to your trade, but when you execute the trade and start managing them, that is an emotional game.
Trading psychology is perhaps the most ignored area in all trading courses because it’s tough to teach as trading psychology is just a self-discovering journey for every trader to experience. Everyone loves to talk about the strategies, the winning rates, the forecast, and predictions, but what separates traders from success to failures is the execution. No matter how good your plan is, someone has to pull the trigger.
The sooner you spend the time to work on your trading psychology, the better off you will be in this game. And no, EA will not help you because you will let it run when it makes money, but you will turn it off when it started losing - even though you shouldn’t. However, your emotions get in of your way, and you just couldn’t trust the EA anymore. I know because I’ve been there myself.
Finally, be completely honest about your losses as you would toward you wins. Have a trading journal, and enjoy this journey of becoming a great trader. Take a look at today’s video to learn more.
Enho Kuo is NOT a Broker Dealer and engages in trader education and training. All materials given by Enho Kuo are for educational purposes only. This information neither is, nor should be construed, as an offer, or a solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell securities. You shall be fully responsible for any investment decision you make, and such decisions will be based solely on your evaluation of your financial circumstances, investment objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs. This material is being provided to you for educational purposes only. No information presented constitutes a recommendation by Enho Kuo or its affiliates to buy, sell or hold any security, financial product or instrument discussed therein or to engage in any specific investment strategy. The content neither is, nor should be construed as, an offer, or a solicitation of an offer, to buy, sell, or hold any securities. You are fully responsible for any investment decisions you make. Such decisions should be based solely on your evaluation of your financial circumstances, investment objectives, risk tolerance and liquidity needs.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD struggles to find room to move
On Monday, EUR/USD dipped below the 1.0400 mark as the market navigates the year-end holiday period. Trading volumes are low, and investors are hesitant to make significant moves, leading to a decline in risk appetite, affecting most asset classes and pushing them to the lower end of their recent ranges.
GBP/USD stabilizes around 1.2550 in dull trading
GBP/USD turned south and dropped toward 1.2500 after reaching a 10-day-high above 1.2600 earlier in the day. The pair recovered as fears eased and stabilized around 1.2550 in holiday-thinned trading. Demand for safety skews the risk to the downside.
USD/JPY pulls back, knocks back below 157.00
USD/JPY corkscrewed on Monday, backsliding seven-tenths of one percent and getting knocked back below the 157.00 handle as markets push back into the midrange ahead of the midweek New Year’s holiday closures. The year-end holiday session is in full swing, and broad-market volumes remain low.
Editors’ Picks
AUD/USD moves little due to thin trading ahead of New Year holiday
The Australian Dollar remains tepid against the US Dollar following the release of mixed NBS Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index data from China on Tuesday. As close trade partners, any fluctuations in China's economy tend to impact Australian markets.
USD/JPY pulls back, knocks back below 157.00
USD/JPY corkscrewed on Monday, backsliding seven-tenths of one percent and getting knocked back below the 157.00 handle as markets push back into the midrange ahead of the midweek New Year’s holiday closures. The year-end holiday session is in full swing, and broad-market volumes remain low.
Gold price set to finish the year with gains, driven by bank purchases, geopolitical tensions
Gold price holds ground after two days of losses amid thin trading volume on Monday. Gold prices are set to finish the year with an impressive 27% gain, representing their strongest annual performance since 2010.
These three narratives could fuel crypto in 2025, experts say
Crypto market experienced higher adoption and inflow of institutional capital in 2024. Experts predict the trends to look forward to in 2025, as the market matures and the Bitcoin bull run continues.
Three Fundamentals: Year-end flows, Jobless Claims and ISM Manufacturing PMI stand out Premium
Money managers may adjust their portfolios ahead of the year-end. Weekly US Jobless Claims serve as the first meaningful release in 2025. The ISM Manufacturing PMI provides an initial indication ahead of Nonfarm Payrolls.
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