It is wildly quoted that 95% of the new traders eventually fail. I don't disagree with that number, but is there actually hard data on it, or is this just a guesstimate?
But I started to think about it. What if trading itself is not so unique with its very high failure rate? I read somewhere that 9 out of 10 start up businesses go out of business quite soon, and we can look at trading as a business. (it is) So trading itself has pretty much the same failure rate as new start ups. Then why are we harder on newbie traders then on private entrepreneurs?
We never discourage a new business idea with "oh, you have a 9 in 10 chance of not making it."
Thinking about it more (a dangerous exercise) I was trying to find other professions with very high failure rates. I am no expert, but for example being an actor (meaning making it and having an income that is able to support one) is one such a profession. Still, we don't discourage youngsters from becoming actors...
Furthermore, if we look at professions' failure rates as from going to school for it and let's say 10 years later still being in that profession, the failure rate can be quite high for any profession.
(let's say out of 100 students starting dental school 70 finishes the school, 65 actually start as a dentist, but 5 years later for all kind of reasons, there might be only 30 of them practicing, thus making it a 70% failure rate)
Still, we don't discourage students to go to school and try...
So why do we treat trading seemingly differently and with a more negative view than other professions???
But I started to think about it. What if trading itself is not so unique with its very high failure rate? I read somewhere that 9 out of 10 start up businesses go out of business quite soon, and we can look at trading as a business. (it is) So trading itself has pretty much the same failure rate as new start ups. Then why are we harder on newbie traders then on private entrepreneurs?
We never discourage a new business idea with "oh, you have a 9 in 10 chance of not making it."
Thinking about it more (a dangerous exercise) I was trying to find other professions with very high failure rates. I am no expert, but for example being an actor (meaning making it and having an income that is able to support one) is one such a profession. Still, we don't discourage youngsters from becoming actors...
Furthermore, if we look at professions' failure rates as from going to school for it and let's say 10 years later still being in that profession, the failure rate can be quite high for any profession.
(let's say out of 100 students starting dental school 70 finishes the school, 65 actually start as a dentist, but 5 years later for all kind of reasons, there might be only 30 of them practicing, thus making it a 70% failure rate)
Still, we don't discourage students to go to school and try...
So why do we treat trading seemingly differently and with a more negative view than other professions???
