Many a struggling trader on ET and they must wonder why.
There are diverse reasons, numerous reasons, but I'll start the ball rolling first with one reason.
Here is a usual challenge which hits me time and again but am aware of to the extent although it continually surprises me it doesn't surprise me.
As a longer term trader, I trade stocks, I call myself an active investor, I hunt for quality stocks, not overbought and attempt to trade between the tops and bottoms of trends, that is I attempt to enter right on bottoms and exit near tops. (I find bottoms are more obvious than tops.)
This is my issue and I'm sure it affects many other traders.
I'll get a top or bottom signal which looks very obvious and hit selected stock(s) with an order.
However very often there is a delay by usually around 3 days.
If you look at many large cap stocks as an example, you will see large volume spikes often a few days prior to trend turns, this indicates to me even institutions experience similar issues.
Now, just clarifying a point, these volume spikes are not part of my trading signals, I'm looking at different signals, but just using this as an example of how many other traders are probably experiencing premature order placement.
How does this apply to my subject heading, 'reasons for trading difficulties?'
Well, many struggling traders I would imagine are getting signals but abandoning their trades prematurely, not allowing the trade to work out. In my younger years this happened frequently to me, but experience has taught me the delay between signal and market action is a frequent occurrence.
There are diverse reasons, numerous reasons, but I'll start the ball rolling first with one reason.
Here is a usual challenge which hits me time and again but am aware of to the extent although it continually surprises me it doesn't surprise me.
As a longer term trader, I trade stocks, I call myself an active investor, I hunt for quality stocks, not overbought and attempt to trade between the tops and bottoms of trends, that is I attempt to enter right on bottoms and exit near tops. (I find bottoms are more obvious than tops.)
This is my issue and I'm sure it affects many other traders.
I'll get a top or bottom signal which looks very obvious and hit selected stock(s) with an order.
However very often there is a delay by usually around 3 days.
If you look at many large cap stocks as an example, you will see large volume spikes often a few days prior to trend turns, this indicates to me even institutions experience similar issues.
Now, just clarifying a point, these volume spikes are not part of my trading signals, I'm looking at different signals, but just using this as an example of how many other traders are probably experiencing premature order placement.
How does this apply to my subject heading, 'reasons for trading difficulties?'
Well, many struggling traders I would imagine are getting signals but abandoning their trades prematurely, not allowing the trade to work out. In my younger years this happened frequently to me, but experience has taught me the delay between signal and market action is a frequent occurrence.