Ever feel you’re not quite in control of your trading actions? Do greed and fear drive your decisions rather than a proven trading plan? Let me tell you exactly what signs to look for. And then I’ll tell you what to do about it. 5 ways reckless ways to ruin your...
You know, there’s a lot you can achieve by observing the natural world. And I’m not sure if I’ve been overdoing the BBC4 documentaries recently but it’s really been on my mind. I watched an engineering firm in Africa put a super-efficient...
A question arrives from Jin: “I have no problem identifying high probability trades and opening them. My problem is FOMO* on a big runner. So I end up getting stopped out at evens or a small loss after giving 20,30,40 points or so back. Even when I recognise I...
There are LOTS of new traders in the markets at the moment. It’s a knock-on effect of people working from home or being furloughed from their jobs. So I’ve been nosing around some online trading communities. I’ve been trying to get a feel for what...
Her vicious eye stared me down. Ill-intent chilled my bones. She looked behind to check her friend was there to back her up and released her fury: “Cruuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaak!” Then, with a theatrical ruffle of her feathers, she went back to pecking the soil....
In an ideal world the market moves nice and smooth. It sets off strong in one direction (up or down, we’re not fussy) and we wait for a pause. We look for a little pullback. And then we enter the trade. This is the Continuation signal we’ve been examining...
Welcome to the Traders Nest book club! If you missed last week’s email we’re working through a batch of trading books I’ve been asked to review. We put the titles out to vote and Swing Trading by Marc Rivalland won by a nose. So this is the first one...
An email arrives from a worried reader… He’d been watching an online trading video where it told him – shock! – that financial markets were being manipulated. That sometimes, when the price went up, it shouldn’t really be going up. And...
Here’s what to do when coming back to trading after a break… The same principles apply whether it’s an extended weekend, or an enforced ‘trading vacation,’ like you may have had if you’ve been avoiding recent market volatility. The thing...
I have never seen anything like it in my life… In fact, I don’t think anyone else can claim to have seen it either! Last night, as the May 2020 Crude Oil Futures contract approached expiry, the price went NEGATIVE for the first time ever. At tea time here in the UK...
It’s everywhere at the moment. Some traders play it safe and wait on the sidelines. Others are convinced choppy markets are where their treasure lies. So let’s play devil’s advocate… let’s say you’re about step out and seek your fortune...
A while ago I watched a film about a crazy horse race in Italy… It was recorded in Italian with English subtitles but it had me hooked from start to finish (and since I speak barely a word of Italian beyond ciao this was quite something!). Twice a year, in...
I’m not going to turn this week’s email into yet another “what to do in the face of Covid-19” missive. I’m sure your inbox is crammed full of that kind of stuff already. Mine certainly is! What I’m going to suggest instead is that...
I’m sure I don’t need to ask, but… Holy smokes! Did you see the market carnage on Monday? Crude Oil down 30% at one point… S&P Futures hitting the ‘circuit breaker’ and trading halted… interesting times indeed. Now when we...
As traders we’re taught to perform in an almost robotic way. We each have our system for approaching the markets and here are many different systems. But is such a ‘mechanical’ way of doing things really best? In 99% of cases I think it is. But I...
I’m taking us right back to basics this week. If you’ve been bitten by the trading bug and are getting ready to move things up a gear, let me give you some words of experience that’ll help. These are five of my top tips that will help you to trade...
Do things like interest rate policy and employment statistics bore you to tears? You’re not alone. High-level economic data is often headline news, but goodness me it can be pretty dry and boring stuff to read! I’ve received a few emails from traders who...
Let me tell you about ‘scaled exits’. There is nothing new about scaled exits. You’ll read about the old masters of trading scaling out of their trades, they were doing it a hundred years ago or more. And scaling has always been a permanent fixture...
Calling day traders: I have something very interesting for you today. It’s a very interesting tool developed by one of my favourite traders: Jason Alexander. You probably already know Jason as the creator of Money Line, Renko Trader, Forex Fightback and AutoFX amongst...
You’ve probably heard the old saying “What gets measured gets improved,” and it is true, you know. When you keep accurate records of your activities in the markets it can really help you spot patterns in your performance. Your records will show you...
Let me remind you of the 7 Habits of Underperforming Traders: They don’t respect the market They trade for accuracy instead of consistency They have unrealistic expectations They give up too soon They overtrade They don’t manage risk properly They are not...
Happy New Year! The markets are back in action and the brokers returned to full and normal hours this week, so it’s back to business. Now the big thing at this time of year (of course!) is the dreaded New Year’s Resolution. The trouble is, whether...
An email arrives from one my 4DFX members… When looking over the figures he has achieved from his trades over the last month he comments “such a profit situation does not seem to make sense to me.” So I thought I’d use the stats he sent in to...
Sometimes you’re simply out of step with the market. It could be your strategy just isn’t suited to current conditions (even though you are executing with iron-willed discipline). Or it could be caused by something more personal: you might be a bit...
