A Daytrader's Story

My favorite use of candlesticks is when I'm planning a romantic and intimate evening. If I'm lucky I may even get a little T&A. The music I select to set the mood is not usually from the current charts, though.
I go against the trend, in that way.
 
Quote from freealways:

So, if this isn't Nkhoi's story then we don't have to pussyfoot and we can say exactly what we think bout the story.

Yes, the guy was an idiot for having let things go that far.
But ..............., hey I too have to admit that I dived into the water
without really knowing how to swim.

The point is that in real life no-one in his right mind would set up as a surgeon, an electrician or whatever without sufficient training.A friend of mine couldn't find employment and approached me for help as he wanted to take up share trading.


Yet, that point seems to be conveniently overlooked by so many people where trading shares is concerned.

The question as to how we can bring home the message to someone else to be careful (as otherwise they will be eaten alive) I just haven't got any idea how to go about that.

For example, the following story illustrades the point.


I provided my system as well as ample examples and a list of essential books to read. I certainly made it clear that he knew to use weekly charts to get a signal and to use the daily chart to finetune his entree point.

I also made it very clear that the next 6 to 12 months wasn't a time to make money so much as a time to learn.

I therefore suggested to him to split up his money into ten lots and to commit only a small amount of money to anyone position (say US$ 250 to $ 500) and I emphasized again that, even though, because of brokerage it would be hard to make money, that that was the best way to go about learning this business.

My last suggestion was to initially to trade no more than one or two positions at a time.

Within three days he had ten positions, all much larger (ten times the suggested size) than I had suggested and eight of them were not even selections. (The price for those was trending down instead of up).

Now, after all that advice he still managed to stuff things up for himself.

His total loss wasn't unsubstantial for his financial position.

Now you tell me, how can one get a message across to an idiot ?

freealways

Some good points in your post that for sme odd reason people just don't/won't get!

How long does it take to become a surgeon for example... before making a nickle?! And all the while they are getting into debt, and spending long stressful hours learning a craft, with no remuneration. Tough! Trading is also surgical is nature. You can't be big time wrong too many times, and stay employed. So you must learn the skills, do an internship, be trained well before being considered a real "trader"; and before making decent dough. Anyone thinks this is not so, will likely have the market alert you to that fact. So I would like someone, someday to please tell me where the notion ever was conjured up that trading successfully over the long run, as a profession/business... should be any easier or quicker?! Is it because you can do it in jeans or shorts and a t-shirt? Can't figure out where this get-rich fast thinking came from ?!
 
I get ok results with TA. Used to trade individual stocks when I started.
I have changed from QQQ to ES in the last year to get more out of each move.
I learned to keep it very simple, too many indicators spoils it.

It is interesting how it is human nature to over complicate things and then realize how simple the answer actually is.

:)
 
Quote from marketsurfer:





to use your definition, trading is the one "gamble" in life that i have total control over. therefore it is not gambling to me.

best,

surfer

Surf,

What exactly is it that YOU have total control over?
 
The average American dream is
To win the lottery of life,
Get something for nothing.

That is why they sell all those "get rich quick" on late night TV.
 
Quote from bobcathy1:

I get ok results with TA.
I have changed from QQQ to ES to get more out of each move.
I learned to keep it very simple, too many indicators spoils it.

It is interesting how it is human nature to over complicate things and then realize how simple the answer actually is.

:)

please ... shhhhh, don't give away the secret for free. Let's keep all the other (80%) of would-be traders from figuring that out and allow them to look for the grail in more monitors, more computers, more speed, more systems, more indicators...... more complexity. Yep, let's keep it just that way.

regards,
 
Hi all
I just signed up after following a reference by nokoi. I've read all the posts in this thread to get a feeling for the group.

Nice conversations, so to speak.

I'll try to get over my current shyness...lol...
 
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