Back test whatever strategy you're using but reverse the signals. If you always lose either your strategy is bad or your trade management is poor. If all the signals that got you into a trade turn out to be profitable when reversed, try to figure out why reversing works. You're probably late to the party with every trade - that's why is reverses on you.
Tired of losing money every trading day
- Thread starter Lord Darkseid
- Start date
For retail traders, small stops is very commonly a reason for failure, as it also adds frequent transaction cost overhead. Unfortunately, reversing is not going to work if that's the case.
Best case, he has negative alpha and can discover it, but it's unlikely. A suggestion is to take the old trades, plug them into a backtesting engine, and see what would have happened with different hold periods and stops.
You should press Max and Market on your tax efficient retirement account, year after year, decade after decade... assuming you have a long enough runway.
If your account is self-directed, load it up with Berkshire Hathaway or SPY.
Trade "on paper" until you start to learn better strategies to make money, pick stocks, time entrance and exit, etc.
Right away make smaller trades if any.
Trading is hard. Trading without a mentor is very hard. Finding something that suits you is hard. Finding things that don't suit you, very easy. You need to eliminate all the stuff you don't want. I have traded UK options for decades with the chart and 2 MAs,the options chain and the CME calculator. I trade max 4 times a month. I have no interest in multiple screens, endless bloody charts etc. I'm eternally grateful to the market participants who do all that stuff. It suits them, but not me. What suits you? That is the only question.