GBP/USD Breakout Confirmation – Next Move to 1.3068?Eye-Catching Heading:
Description:
GBP/USD has broken out of a falling wedge pattern, signaling a potential bullish continuation. The breakout aligns with strong momentum, and we are now observing a retracement before the next leg higher.
Key levels to watch:
Support Zone: 1.2880 - 1.2854 (marked in red)
Target Zone: 1.3068 (highlighted in green)
The price is currently in a pullback phase, which could offer a great buying opportunity before the next bullish wave towards the 1.3068 level. Confirmation of a higher low in the gray zone could validate further upside movement.
What are your thoughts on this setup
Trading Psychology
123 Quick Learn Trading Tips #5: To HODL, or not to HODL?123 Quick Learn Trading Tips #5:
To HODL, or not to HODL: That is the question
Alright, crypto adventurers, let's talk about HODLing! 🎢
Ever seen this meme?
It perfectly captures the reality of holding onto your Bitcoin! 😂
What newbies think HODLing is: A smooth bike ride to the finish line! 🚴♂️💨
Easy peasy, right? Just buy and wait for the moon! 🚀🌕
What HODLing actually is: A wild rollercoaster through mountains, valleys, stormy seas, and even a cloud with a face! 😱🌊🏔
It's a journey filled with dips, peaks, unexpected turns, and maybe even a few moments where you question your life choices! 😅
But here's the secret sauce: The good news is that the more you learn about Bitcoin, the easier it becomes to HODL. 🧠📈
Why? Because understanding the technology, the fundamentals, and the long-term vision of Bitcoin gives you the conviction to weather the storms. ⛈
You start to see the dips as buying opportunities, not as reasons to panic-sell! 📉➡️📈
So, dive into the world of Bitcoin! Learn about its history, its technology, and its potential! 📚💡
The more you know, the stronger your hands will be, and the smoother that HODL journey will feel! 💪💎
Remember, it's not just about getting to the finish line, it's about enjoying the crazy ride! 🎉
Dangers of Giving Up Too Soon on a Trading Strategy GOLD, FOREX
There are hundreds of different strategies to trade. Some of them are losing ones, some provide modest results and some strategies are very profitable.
Novice traders often struggle to find the right strategy that suits their personality, financial goals and risk appetite. Unfortunately, they also tend to make some common mistakes that can undermine their performance and confidence.
❌ One of the biggest mistakes that they make in their search is that they give a strategy a very short trial period. It simply means that they are trying to assess the validity of the strategy, trading that for a very short time span (usually a day to a week).
Please, realize the fact that the performance of the strategy can be measured only with extended backtesting - meaning that the strategy should be tested on multiple financial instruments and for a long period of time and applying multiple evaluation metrics.
Moreover, if the strategy proves its efficiency on backtesting, it should be traded on a demo account at least 2 months before the valid performance can be calculated.
❌ Another common mistake is that many traders drop the strategy once it starts losing. And by losing, I mean just 2–3 trades in a row.
Newbies are searching for the approach that never loses.
They may even abandon a trading strategy once they catch JUST ONE bad trade.
✅ In contrast, a smart trader realizes that one bad trade does not define the performance of the strategy. Moreover, such a trader calmly faces the losing streaks and sticks to the strategy.
Take a look at that picture.
On the top, we have the traits of a newbie trader and his equity curve.
He abandons the strategy after he faces the loss, not giving the strategy a chance to recover.
When he changes the strategy, he starts recovering a little bit and a losing period follows.
He drops a strategy again, and he keeps following this vicious cycle till his entire account is blown.
On the bottom of the picture, we see the equity curve of a smart trader.
Even though he faces losses occasionally, his strategy always gives him a chance to recover and with time his trading account steadily grows.
Please, realize the fact that a perfect strategy does not exist. You will lose the money occasionally anyway. What distinguishes a smart trader from a dumb one is his discipline and trust to his trading system and willingness to face losses.
❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analysis.
HIGH Volatility Alert! Everything You Need to Know
Have you ever wondered why the certain trading instruments are very rapid while some our extremely slow and boring?
In this educational article, we will discuss the market volatility , how is it measured and how can it be applied for making smart trading and investing decisions.
📚 First, let's start with the definition. Market volatility is a degree of a fluctuation of the price of a financial instrument over a certain period of time.
High volatility reflects quick and significant rises and falls on the market, while low volatility implies that the price moves slowly and steadily.
High volatility makes it harder for the traders and investors to predict the future direction of the market, but also may bring substantial gains.
On the other hand, a low volatility market is much easier to predict, but the potential returns are more modest.
The chart on the left is the perfect example of a volatile market.
While the chart on the right is a low volatility market.
📰 The main causes of volatility are economic and geopolitical events.
Political and economic instability, wars and natural disasters can affect the behavior of the market participants, causing the chaotic, irrational market movements.
On the other hand, the absence of the news and the relative stability are the main sources of a low volatility.
Here is the example, how the Covid pandemic affected GBPUSD pair.
The market was falling in a very rapid face in untypical manner, being driven by the panic and fear.
But how the newbie trader can measure the volatility of the market?
The main stream way is to apply ATR indicator , but, working with hundreds of struggling traders from different parts of the globe, I realized that for them such a method is complicated.
📏 The simplest way to assess the volatility of the market is to analyze the price action and candlesticks.
The main element of the volatile market is occasional appearance of large candlestick bars - the ones that have at least 4 times bigger range than the average candles.
Sudden price moves up and down are one more indicator of high volatility. They signify important shifts in the supply and demand of a particular asset.
Take a look at a price action and candlesticks on Bitcoin.
The market moves in zigzags, forming high momentum bullish and bearish candles. These are the indicators of high volatility.
🛑 For traders who just started their trading journey, high volatility is the red flag.
Acting rapidly, such instruments require constant monitoring and attention. Moreover, such markets require a high level of experience in stop loss placement because one single high momentum candle can easily hit the stop loss and then return to entry level.
Alternatively, trading a low volatility market can be extremely boring because most of the time it barely moves.
The best solution is to look for the market where the volatility is average , where the market moves but on a reasonable scale.
Volatility assessment plays a critical role in your success in trading. Know in advance, the degree of a volatility that you can tolerate and the one that you should avoid.
❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analysis.
Embracing Losses: The Silent MindThe Silent Mind: Embracing Losses with Emotional Equanimity in Day Trading
In the fast-paced world of day trading, where market movements are swift and often unpredictable, the greatest challenge doesn't come from the external environment but from within. The markets are a mirror reflecting every trader's deepest fears, anxieties, and insecurities. Among these, the ability to remain emotionless during losses stands as a cornerstone for consistent success.
Understanding the Nature of the Market
At its core, the market is a realm of probabilities, not certainties. Each trade presents a unique combination of variables, making the outcome uncertain despite the most rigorous analysis. Accepting this fundamental truth is the first step toward emotional mastery. When traders internalize that losses are an inherent part of the game, they shift from a mindset of avoidance to one of acceptance.
Imagine standing at the edge of a vast ocean, tossing a pebble into the waves. The ocean's response is indifferent; it absorbs the pebble without disruption. Similarly, the market reacts to your trades without malice or favoritism. It doesn't know you exist. Personalizing losses—believing that the market is out to get you—only fuels emotional turmoil.
The Psychological Trap of Losses
Losses trigger a primal response rooted in our instinct for survival. The discomfort associated with losing money can evoke fear, leading to impulsive decisions aimed at immediate relief. This reactionary cycle often manifests as revenge trading, overtrading, or abandoning one’s trading plan altogether.
Consider a trader who, after a series of losses, decides to double their position size to "win back" what was lost. This act isn't grounded in a sound strategy but in an emotional need to heal a psychological wound. Such decisions escalate risk and often compound the initial loss, reinforcing a negative feedback loop.
Cultivating an Emotionless State
Being emotionless doesn't mean being indifferent or suppressing feelings. It's about achieving a state of mental equilibrium where emotions exist but don't dictate actions. This balance allows for objective decision-making based on predefined strategies rather than momentary feelings.
Here are key practices to cultivate this state:
Embrace Losses as Information
View each loss not as a failure but as valuable feedback. Losses provide insights into market conditions, the effectiveness of your strategy, and your execution. By analyzing losses objectively, you turn them into stepping stones for growth.
Develop a Robust Trading Plan
A well-defined trading plan acts as a compass amid market chaos. It outlines entry and exit criteria, risk management protocols, and position sizing rules. Relying on this plan reduces the reliance on gut feelings and minimizes emotional interference.
Implement Strict Risk Management
Accept that any trade can result in a loss. Determine the maximum amount you're willing to lose on a trade—typically a small percentage of your trading capital. This approach ensures that no single loss can significantly impact your overall portfolio.
Practice Mindfulness and Self-Awareness
Regular mindfulness exercises enhance your ability to recognize emotional triggers. By acknowledging emotions without reacting impulsively, you maintain control over your trading decisions.
Set Realistic Expectations
Unrealistic expectations, such as winning on every trade or making a fortune overnight, set the stage for disappointment and emotional distress. Aligning expectations with the realities of the market fosters patience and discipline.
The Power of Detachment
Detachment is the art of being fully engaged in the trading process without being tethered to the outcome of individual trades. It's about finding satisfaction in executing your plan flawlessly, regardless of whether a trade results in a profit or a loss.
Think of a seasoned athlete who performs with consistency. They focus on perfecting their technique, understanding that while they cannot control the outcome of the game, they can control their preparation and effort. Similarly, traders who master detachment find freedom in the process rather than the result.
Transforming Losses into Opportunities
Every loss carries the seed of an equal or greater benefit if perceived correctly. Losses can highlight flaws in your strategy, reveal biases, or signal changing market dynamics. Embracing this perspective turns setbacks into catalysts for improvement.
Ask yourself after a loss:
Did I adhere to my trading plan?
Was the loss due to market unpredictability or a lapse in discipline?
What can I adjust to enhance future performance?
By systematically evaluating these questions, you foster a growth mindset conducive to long-term success.
Conclusion
The journey to becoming an emotionless trader during losses is not about stripping away your humanity but about elevating your consciousness. It's a disciplined path requiring self-reflection, practice, and unwavering commitment to personal development.
Remember that the market is an ever-changing landscape. Your ability to navigate it with emotional clarity and steadfastness sets you apart. Losses are not adversaries but teachers guiding you toward mastery.
In the silence of an emotionless mind, you find the clarity to see the market as it is, not as you fear it to be. It's in this state that the true potential of a trader is realized.
Embracing Uncertainty: Mastering the Trader's Mindset on US30Navigating the US30 index as a day trader isn't just about reading charts or following market news—it's a deep dive into understanding probabilities and mastering your own psychology. Markets are inherently unpredictable, and every price movement is a unique event with its own set of variables. The key isn't to predict with certainty where the US30 is headed next, but to develop a mindset that embraces the uncertainty and leverages it to your advantage.
Imagine the market as a vast ocean. You can't control the tides or the currents, but you can adjust your sails. Each trade is like setting off on a new voyage. Some days, the waters will be calm, and your journey smooth. Other days, storms will emerge without warning. As a trader, your success hinges on your ability to remain composed, make decisions based on your pre-defined strategy, and not on the emotional highs and lows that come with market swings.
Recent fluctuations in the US30 have illustrated just how quickly sentiment can shift. Economic indicators, political developments, and global events can send ripples—or waves—through the index. But rather than trying to catch every wave, focus on the patterns that align with your trading plan. Consistency is your anchor. By sticking to your rules for entries, exits, and risk management, you create a framework that helps you navigate the unpredictability.
Embracing the probabilistic nature of trading is crucial. No single trade defines your success. It's the cumulative result of many trades executed with discipline that matters. Accept that losses are a natural part of trading. Each loss is an opportunity to learn, not a personal failure. This shift in perspective reduces the emotional weight of trading decisions and helps prevent impulsive actions driven by fear or greed.
Consider the psychological barriers that often hinder traders:
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Chasing trades because you're afraid of being left behind can lead to poor entry points.
Overconfidence after Wins: A series of successful trades can lead to complacency or taking on excessive risk.
Dwelling on Losses: Obsessing over losses can paralyze you, making you hesitant to take the next opportunity.
Developing self-awareness around these tendencies allows you to address them proactively. Techniques such as mindfulness and regular self-reflection can enhance your mental resilience. Keeping a trading journal not only tracks your performance but also your emotional state during each trade, revealing patterns that you can work on.
Moreover, it's beneficial to approach the market with a flexible mindset. Rigid expectations can be shattered when the market doesn't behave as anticipated. Adaptability is a strength. When the US30 behaves unpredictably, having the agility to adjust your strategy while remaining within your risk parameters is vital.
On a practical level, ensure you're well-informed but avoid information overload. Select key indicators and news sources that are relevant to your trading style. Too much conflicting information can lead to analysis paralysis.
Beyond trading strategies, reflect on how your life outside of trading impacts your performance. Adequate rest, a healthy lifestyle, and a supportive environment contribute to clearer thinking and better decision-making on the trading floor.
Have you explored integrating psychological disciplines into your trading routine? Techniques like visualization, meditation, or even consulting with a trading coach might offer new insights into enhancing your performance. The journey of trading is as much about personal growth as it is about profit and loss.
How to Stop Fear and Greed from Controlling Your TradesMany traders think they need to "fight emotions" to improve their results. In reality, emotions are a symptom of poor risk management. Fear and greed take over when risk exposure is too high or when there is no structured plan.
The Solution: Use Risk Management to Train Emotional Discipline
Lower risk per trade until losses feel manageable. If a trade makes you nervous, you are risking too much.
Use a strict entry and exit system. When stop-loss and take-profit are pre-planned, emotional exits are eliminated.
Detach from individual trade results. A single trade doesn’t matter—the process does. If you follow your plan, outcomes take care of themselves.
Test discipline on a demo account first. If you cannot follow risk management rules in a risk-free environment, you won’t follow them in live trading.
Risk management isn’t just about protecting capital. It’s about removing the conditions that allow emotions to take control. On each of the topics I have written detailed articles about my experience and the solutions that I came up with for my own trading. If you are interested to know more you can check the link in my bio.
What’s the hardest part of sticking to your risk rules?
I am also a life coach, so if there is anything I can help with please comment below and hopefully we can do something to improve results.
7 Practical Exercises to Build Patience in TradingI often talk about patience, planning, strategy, and money management, yet many of you tell me that you lack patience, can’t resist impulses, and struggle to follow your plan when emotions take over.
So today, we’re skipping the theory and diving straight into practical exercises that will help you train your patience just like you would train a muscle. If you want bigger biceps, you do dumbbell curls. If you want more patience in trading, try these exercises.
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1. The “Observer” Exercise – Train Yourself to Resist Impulsive Trading
Goal: Improve discipline and reduce the urge to enter trades impulsively.
How to do it:
• Open your trading platform and set a timer for 2 hours.
• During this time, you are not allowed to take any trades, only observe price action.
• Write down in your journal: What do you feel? Where would you have entered? Would it have been a good decision?
Advanced level: Increase the observation time to a full session.
✅ Benefit: This exercise reduces impulsiveness and helps you better understand market movements before making decisions.
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2. The “One Trade Per Day” Rule – Eliminate Overtrading
Goal: Train yourself to select only the best setups.
How to do it:
• Set a rule: “I am allowed to take only one trade per day.”
• If you take a trade, you cannot enter another, no matter what happens in the market.
• At the end of the day, analyze: Did you choose the best opportunity? Were you tempted to overtrade?
✅ Benefit: Helps you filter out bad trades and eliminates overtrading, a common issue for impatient traders.
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3. The “Decision Timer” – Avoid Impulsive Entries
Goal: Help you make better-thought-out trading decisions.
How to do it:
• When you feel the urge to enter a trade, set a 30-minute timer and wait.
• During that time, review your strategy: Is this entry aligned with your trading plan? Or is it just an emotional impulse?
• If after 30 minutes you still think the trade is valid, go ahead.
✅ Benefit: This exercise slows down decision-making, helping you think rationally rather than emotionally.
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4. The “No-Trade Day” Challenge – Strengthen Your Self-Control
Goal: Prove to yourself that you can stay out of the market without feeling like you're missing out.
How to do it:
• Pick one day per week where you are not allowed to take any trades.
• Instead, use the time to study the market, analyze past trades, and refine your strategy.
• At the end of the day, reflect: Did you experience FOMO? Was it difficult to resist trading?
✅ Benefit: Increases discipline and teaches you that you don’t have to be in the market all the time to succeed.
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5. The “Walk Away” Method – Stop Micromanaging Trades
Goal: Reduce stress and prevent over-monitoring after placing a trade.
How to do it:
• After placing a trade, walk away from your screen for 1 to 2 hours.
• Set alerts or use stop-loss/take-profit orders so you’re not tempted to constantly check the price.
✅ Benefit: Reduces emotional reactions and prevents overmanagement of trades.
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6. The “Frustration Tolerance” Drill – Train Yourself to Accept Losses and Missed Opportunities
Goal: Build resilience to emotional discomfort in trading.
How to do it:
• Watch the market and deliberately let a good opportunity pass without taking it.
• Observe your frustration, but do not act. Instead, write in your journal: How does missing this opportunity make me feel?
• Remind yourself that there will always be another opportunity and that chasing trades leads to bad decisions.
✅ Benefit: Helps reduce FOMO and makes you a calmer, more disciplined trader.
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7. The “Trading Plan Repetition” Exercise – Build a Strong Habit
Goal: Reinforce discipline and reduce deviations from your plan.
How to do it:
• Every morning, before opening your trading platform, write down your trading rules by hand.
• Example:
o “I will not enter a trade unless all my conditions are met.”
o “I will not move my stop-loss further away.”
o “I will close my platform after placing a trade.”
• Handwriting strengthens mental reinforcement, and daily repetition turns it into a habit.
✅ Benefit: Increases self-discipline and keeps you committed to your strategy.
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Final Thoughts
If you’ve read this far, you now have a concrete plan to build patience in trading. Remember, trading success isn’t just about technical analysis and strategies—it’s about discipline and emotional control.
Just like a bodybuilder follows a structured routine to develop muscles, you must practice patience and discipline daily to master trading psychology.
Impulsive Trading:Understanding the Risks and Regaining ControlHave you found yourself hastily clicking the “Buy” or “Sell” button only to be engulfed by regret almost immediately afterward? If so, you're in good company 😃.
Impulsive trading is a widespread issue that affects traders of all experience levels, often leading to significant financial losses. Studies reveal that a considerable portion of traders battle with impulsive decision-making, which can drastically influence their overall financial health.
Impulsive trading typically arises from emotions rather than careful market analysis or strategic planning. Factors such as the fear of missing out (FOMO), frustration after a loss, or the temptation of quick profits often cloud judgment, resulting in decisions that deviate from disciplined trading practices. This behavior is especially pronounced during volatile market conditions, where emotions can run high. Acknowledging the signs of impulsive trading is essential for fostering discipline and achieving sustained trading success.
Understanding the Risks of Impulsive Trading
The implications of impulsive trading reach far beyond individual poor trades. Each impulsive action can generate a cascade of errors, diverting traders from their predefined strategies. Engaging in impulsive trading often leads to overtrading, where traders make numerous trades in quick succession while hoping for fast returns, ultimately resulting in mounting losses. This not only increases exposure to market volatility but also raises transaction costs, systematically eroding any potential gains.
Another major risk associated with impulsive trading is flawed decision-making. Actions born out of emotional responses lack the rational foundation necessary for sound trading, pushing traders towards choices that diverge from their overall objectives. For instance, abandoning a Stop Loss order or ramping up position sizes following a loss can lead to dramatic financial damage. Moreover, the psychological impact of impulsive trading can result in burnout, heightened stress, and diminished confidence, all of which threaten a trader's long-term viability. Recognizing and understanding these risks highlights the need for self-regulation and a disciplined approach—critical elements for successful trading.
Psychological Triggers Behind Impulsive Trading
The tendency to trade impulsively often stems from various psychological factors that can be difficult to manage. One of the main culprits is the fear of missing out (FOMO); in fast-paced markets, traders may feel an urgent need to enter positions quickly to seize potential profits. This urgency can lead to ill-timed trades, making them more vulnerable to reversals.
Greed is another significant factor that plays a role in impulsive trading. The relentless pursuit of maximizing profits can quickly overshadow a trader’s original plan. As a result, they may prolong a successful trade or increase leverage in hopes of capturing even greater returns, leading to heightened risks. Loss aversion, the instinct to avoid losing money, also contributes to impulsivity. When faced with setbacks, traders might engage in “revenge trading,” making rash decisions in an attempt to recover losses—often dismissing their foundational analytical methods.
External factors like social media and market news also amplify these emotional triggers. The overload of information—from Twitter updates to various trading forums—can create a sense of urgency and spur impulsive behavior, even among experienced traders. By acknowledging these psychological influences, traders can cultivate a more deliberate and strategic approach to their decision-making processes.
Read also:
Identifying Impulsive Trading Behavior
Recognizing the signs of impulsive trading is crucial for anyone looking to regain control and establish a more strategic trading method. Indicators of such behavior include:
- Ignoring Your Trading Plan: Frequently deviating from established entry and exit criteria in favor of fleeting emotions can indicate a pattern of impulsivity.
- Constantly Monitoring Trades: Habitually checking price movements or refreshing trading platforms often suggests an emotional attachment to positions, prompting unnecessary reactions to minor fluctuations.
- Execution of Unplanned Trades: Making trades without forethought, especially after emotional highs from winning trades or lows from losses, disrupts a carefully crafted trading plan and exposes one to greater risks.
- Neglecting Risk Management Practices: Exceeding leverage limits or disabling Stop Loss orders indicates a tendency to focus on immediate gains rather than sustainable trading strategies.
By becoming aware of these behaviors and taking deliberate steps to reflect on each trade's alignment with the overarching strategy, traders can minimize impulsivity and foster a disciplined mindset grounded in rationality.
Read Also:
Strategies for Overcoming Impulsive Trading
Successfully overcoming impulsive trading requires a blend of discipline, self-awareness, and effective strategies. Here are some actionable steps:
1. Set Clear Entry and Exit Criteria: Define explicit guidelines for entering and exiting trades, based on predetermined market conditions or technical indicators. Adhering to these rules minimizes the likelihood of impulsive actions.
2. Employ Stop Loss Orders: Utilize Stop Loss orders to automatically close trades when certain price levels are met. This helps protect against significant losses and allows traders to step back from their positions.
3. Maintain a Trading Journal: Keeping a detailed record of every trade—including motivations, emotions experienced, and outcomes—encourages self-reflection and helps to identify recurring patterns in behavior.
4. Practice Self-Discipline: Establish realistic trading goals and commit to your trading plan. Taking a pause before executing trades can help you refocus on your long-term objectives, minimizing the urge to act impulsively.
5. Restrict Trading Frequency: Set limits on the number of trades you make each day or week to ensure that you only engage in high-quality opportunities, rather than reacting to every market fluctuation.
By adopting these strategies, traders can cultivate the discipline necessary to move away from impulsive decision-making, emphasizing logical and goal-oriented actions instead.
Cultivating a Rational Trading Mindset
Developing a rational mindset is essential for long-term trading success and evading the pitfalls of emotional decision-making. Consider implementing the following techniques:
- Mindfulness and Relaxation Practices: Engage in mindfulness exercises to enhance awareness of your thoughts and feelings. Awareness allows you to recognize when emotions may be influencing trading decisions. Even short moments of focused breathing can provide clarity.
- Take Breaks Regularly: Long trading sessions can lead to fatigue and impaired judgment. By stepping away from your work periodically, you can recharge and return to your trading activities with fresh insight.
- Avoid Trading During Emotionally Charged Situations: If you find yourself facing personal stress or strong emotions, it may be wise to refrain from trading until you regain an even temperament.
- Focus on Long-Term Objectives: Prioritize sustained success over immediate rewards. Remind yourself that while impulsive decisions might provide short-term satisfaction, they often result in long-term setbacks.
Building a rational trading mindset requires patience and dedicated effort, but it is instrumental in improving trading performance. By incorporating these habits into your routine, you can enhance emotional control and make decisions that reflect logic rather than impulse.
I suggest to read also..:
The Critical Role of a Trading Plan
An effective trading plan is a cornerstone for preventing impulsive decisions that can undermine a trader's performance. The emotional responses associated with impulsive trading—such as fear and greed—can derail even the best-laid strategies. A comprehensive trading plan serves as a guiding framework, providing clarity and structured guidelines to help traders manage emotional impulses.
By defining specific goals, a trading plan equips traders with a clear sense of direction, reducing the temptation to chase fleeting opportunities or react to market noise. Furthermore, by integrating principles of risk management into your trading strategy, you ensure that engagement with risks aligns with your personal threshold, thereby minimizing unnecessary exposure. Establishing entry and exit guidelines allows traders to base their decisions on objective criteria, independent of emotion-driven impulses.
Read also:
Enhancing Trading Discipline with Tools and Techniques
Employing specific tools and strategies can support a disciplined trading approach and reduce impulsive behavior. Trading software with alert functions can help by notifying traders when predefined conditions for trades are met, ensuring decisions are based on strategic analysis rather than reactive impulses.
Regularly reviewing trading performance is equally vital. This practice allows traders to analyze trades, recognize behavior patterns, fine-tune their strategies, and verify their alignment with their trading plan. Drawing insights from these reviews fosters adherence to disciplined trading and helps traders remain focused and make informed decisions.
Read also:
In conclusion..
Achieving lasting success in trading depends on rational thought processes and emotional management. A well-developed trading plan, complemented by the right tools and techniques, empowers traders to avoid impulsivity and concentrate on their goals. Although the temptation for quick gains can be powerful, maintaining a disciplined approach is essential for sustainable success. Remember, trading is a journey rather than a sprint. By remaining consistent and methodical, traders can navigate risks effectively, ultimately crafting a strategy that yields long-term results.
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123 Quick Learn Trading Tips #4: Spot or Futures? Real or Fake?123 Quick Learn Trading Tips #4: Spot or Futures? Real or Fake? 🧐
News : $1.3 Billion has been liquidated 💥 from the FUTURES market within the past 24 hours, as Bitcoin plummeted to $86,000. 📉
Futures leveraged traders were forced to close their positions, realizing a collective loss of $1.3 Billion.
This shows how risky trading with leverage (borrowed money) can be. 💸 ⚠️
Traders who use leverage enter into a gambling game with exchanges, which always win the game. In other words, in the last 24 hours, several crypto exchanges made $1.3 billion in profits.
On the other hand, people who bought Bitcoin directly (spot market) only lost a small amount of profit. This shows that owning the actual asset is more stable. 💎
Traders using leverage lose their money. But for spot investors, this is a good chance to buy more Bitcoin at a low price and make their long-term position stronger. 💰
Like I always tell my students and friends:
Let's go up the spot market stairs, step by step. 🪜 Don't think about the futures elevator. 🏢 It has crashed many times, 📉 and it will crash again. ⚠️
Instead of gambling in the "fake" futures game,
invest your money in the "real" spot market. 💎
Build your investments by owning assets, not by risky leverage. 🚫
Have a nice trading journey!
The Pygmalion Effect in Trading: Expectations Shape Your Resuls!The Pygmalion Effect is a psychological phenomenon where higher expectations lead to improved performance, while low expectations result in poor outcomes.
This concept, often explored in education and leadership, also plays a crucial role in trading psychology.
Your beliefs about your trading abilities, strategies, and the market can directly influence your results.
But how can you use this to your advantage, and when does it work against you? Let’s explore.
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How the Pygmalion Effect Applies to Trading
At its core, the Pygmalion Effect suggests that what you expect tends to become reality—not through magic, but through subconscious behavioral shifts. In trading, this can manifest in several ways:
🔹 Confidence in Your Strategy – If you genuinely believe in your trading system, you're more likely to follow it with discipline, leading to consistent results over time.
🔹 Fear and Self-Doubt – If you constantly doubt your trades, hesitate to enter, or close positions too early out of fear, you reinforce negative expectations, leading to underperformance.
🔹 Risk-Taking Behavior – Overconfidence, another side of the Pygmalion Effect, can lead to excessive risk-taking, believing that every trade will be a winner—just as dangerous as self-doubt.
How to Use the Pygmalion Effect to Your Advantage:
✅ Develop a Strong Trading Plan – Confidence comes from preparation. A well-tested strategy gives you a clear roadmap to follow.
✅ Control Your Self-Talk – The way you talk to yourself matters. Replace " I always lose trades" with "I am improving my risk management and discipline."
✅ Focus on Process Over Outcomes – Instead of worrying about individual wins or losses, focus on executing your plan consistently.
✅ Surround Yourself with Positive Influences – Follow traders and mentors who reinforce disciplined trading habits rather than hype and emotional decision-making.
✅ Use Visualization Techniques – Imagine yourself trading successfully, making rational decisions, and following your plan—this can train your mind to align with positive expectations.
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Applying the Pygmalion Effect – A Real Market Example:
Let’s take a real-world example to illustrate this concept:
For several days, I have been warning about a potential major correction in Gold. The reason? Looking at the daily chart, even though Gold has made all-time highs in the last 10 days, these highs are very close together, and each time the price hit a new top, it reversed sharply.
This pattern is a classic sign of a reversal.
Yesterday, Gold closed with a strong bearish engulfing candle, another indication that a correction is underway.
Now, if we look at the hourly chart (left side), we can see an aggressive drop followed by a retest of the 2930 level—a typical move before further decline.
Here’s where the Pygmalion Effect comes into play:
✅ We see the setup clearly.
✅ We trust our analysis.
✅ We execute with confidence.
Following this logic, Gold could continue its correction, breaking below 2900, possibly testing 2880 support or even lower. We put the strategy into action with conviction.
Final Thoughts:
The Pygmalion Effect in trading is powerful—your expectations can make or break your performance. By setting high but realistic expectations, reinforcing confidence, and focusing on disciplined execution, you can shape yourself into a profitable, consistent trader.
Trust what you see, believe in your strategy, and trade with conviction.
👉 What are your expectations for your trading? Let’s discuss! 🚀📊
Disclosure: I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analyses and educational articles.
Crypto influencers: The Good, The Bad and The UglyThe crypto space is evolving fast, and with it, the influence of social media figures has grown exponentially.
Crypto influencers have become a major source of information, ideas, and trends for traders and investors alike. But are they really helping, or are they just creating noise?
Let's break it down into three categories: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
________________________________________
The Good: Learning and Discovery
One undeniable benefit of crypto influencers is access to information. With thousands of projects emerging every months, it's impossible to keep track of everything on your own. Influencers often highlight new projects, provide market insights, and share educational content, making it easier for retail investors to stay informed.
Their content can serve as a starting point for research, helping you discover opportunities you might have missed otherwise. Instead of spending hours searching for new projects, you can get a curated list of potential investments, saving time and effort.
However, the key here is not to blindly follow , but to use their insights as a research tool to dig deeper and verify information before making investment decisions.
________________________________________
The Bad: Copy-Paste Content & One-Sided Narratives
While some influencers provide value, many simply recycle the same information. If you follow multiple influencers, you might notice that most of them talk about the exact same projects, using almost identical arguments.
Why? Because they often copy each other or are paid to promote specific coins. Instead of offering genuine analysis, they just ride the hype wave.
Another major issue is the lack of balance in their narratives. The majority of influencers focus only on bullish scenarios, constantly pushing the idea that prices will rise. Very few discuss the risks, potential corrections, or exit strategies.
This creates a dangerous mindset among beginner investors, making them believe that crypto only goes up, leading to FOMO-driven decisions instead of well-thought-out investments.
________________________________________
The Ugly: Hype-Driven, Clickbait Influencers
And now, we get to the worst of the bunch—the aggressive, loud, and sensationalist influencers who have taken over social media. These are the ones who:
🚨 Shout in every video, promising to make you a millionaire overnight
🚨 Hype up "the next 1000x coin" without any real analysis
🚨 Push FOMO-driven narratives to drive engagement, not to educate
Their goal? Clicks, views, and affiliate commissions.
Many of these influencers don’t even trade or invest themselves—they simply capitalize on the excitement of others. They prey on new and inexperienced investors, convincing them to buy into the hype without considering the risks.
But let’s be honest… How many people have actually gotten rich following their advice?
Most of these so-called “expert picks” end up crashing once the hype fades, leaving followers with losses while the influencers move on to the next pump-and-dump scheme.
________________________________________
Final Thoughts: How to Navigate the Crypto Influencer Space
Not all influencers are bad, but you need to approach them with a critical mindset. Here are a few tips to stay safe:
✅ Use influencers as a research tool, not financial advisors – Always do your own due diligence.
✅ Look for balanced perspectives – Avoid those who only push bullish narratives.
✅ Be skeptical of hype-driven content – If someone is shouting about a guaranteed 100x coin or even 1000x, it's most probably a scam.
✅ Follow influencers who discuss risk management – Real traders know that both gains and losses are part of the game.
At the end of the day, your success in crypto depends on your own research and strategy, not on blindly following influencers. Stay informed, stay cautious, and don’t fall for the hype! 🚀📉
What do you think about crypto influencers? Have you ever made (or lost) money following their advice? Share your thoughts in the comments! 🔥👇
The Two Minds of a Trader: Analysis vs. ExecutionTrading is a game of probabilities, discipline, and emotional control. Yet, most traders unknowingly sabotage themselves by letting their analytical mind interfere with their execution. Understanding the distinction between the Analytical Mind (The Analyst) and the Execution Mind (The Trader) can significantly improve your trading performance. I’m Skeptic , and today, I’ll break down how to master these two mental states.
The Analytical Mind vs. The Execution Mind
The Analyst: The Market Forecaster 🔍📊
This is the part of your mind that loves to analyze, predict, and overthink.
It constantly searches for confirmation and the perfect setup.
It’s responsible for drawing support/resistance levels, using indicators, and finding confluence zones.
Often, it falls into the trap of “analysis paralysis,” hesitating to take trades due to over-analysis.
🛑 Biggest Mistake: Letting the Analytical Mind interfere with execution.
The Trader: The Decision Maker 🎯💰
This is the part of your mind that follows a structured, predefined trading plan.
It focuses on executing rather than predicting.
It respects stop-losses, sticks to the plan, and doesn’t chase the market.
It manages risk effectively and understands that losses are part of the game.
✅ Key to Success: Training the Execution Mind to act without emotional interference from the Analytical Mind.
How to Stop Overthinking and Trade with Confidence
1. Create a Clear Trading Plan 📝
A structured plan removes uncertainty. Before you enter a trade, you should already know:
Your entry triggers (specific price action setups, indicators, or fundamental conditions).
Your risk-to-reward ratio (R/R) and stop-loss placement.
Your profit-taking strategy (scaling out, trailing stops, etc.).
💡 Example:
I personally use setups based on support/resistance, RSI divergences, and volume confirmation.
I’ve backtested these setups with 30+ trades per condition, ensuring their viability.
This confidence in my system allows me to execute trades without second-guessing.
2. Separate Learning from Execution 🚧
One of the biggest mistakes traders make is learning while trading.
Before the trade: This is the time for analysis and preparation.
During the trade: This is execution mode—stick to your plan, no second-guessing.
After the trade: Review and learn. This is when you refine your strategy, not during a live trade.
3. Reduce Information Overload 📉
Too much knowledge can be detrimental in trading.
Many traders believe that knowing more = better trading. This is a myth.
The best traders master one or two strategies and refine them instead of constantly searching for new indicators.
Focus on backtesting and forward-testing instead of endlessly consuming content.
🚨 Reality Check: Traders 100 years ago made consistent profits without advanced indicators, algorithms, or AI models. Why? Because they focused on mastering risk management and execution instead of drowning in endless analysis.
Final Thoughts: Train Your Execution Mind
Trust your plan: If you’ve done your homework, your only job is to execute without hesitation.
Less is more: Reduce unnecessary analysis and stick to core principles.
Be patient: The best traders don’t chase trades—they wait for their setup.
📌 Key Takeaways: ✅ Stop over-analyzing and start executing.✅ Confidence comes from backtesting and having a structured plan.✅ The market rewards discipline, not predictions.
Which mindset dominates your trading—Analyst or Trader? Drop a comment below and let’s discuss!
🔹 I’m Skeptic, and my goal is to help traders gain clarity and consistency in their journey. Let’s grow together!
AUDUSD: How to Draw Quarter's Theory LevelsThe Quarter’s Theory , popularized by Ilian Yotov, is based on the idea that the market moves in predictable 25, 50, and 100-pip increments. When applied to AUD/USD, these psychological price levels become crucial for identifying potential reversals and breakouts.
Current Market Outlook
AUD/USD is currently trading near a key quarter level, indicating a potential reaction zone. The pair is hovering around 0.6500, a psychological price barrier that often serves as support or resistance. If buyers step in, the next upside target is 0.6750, while a break lower could send prices to 0.6250.
How to Trade It
Aggressive traders can look for confirmations near quarter levels and enter trades with tight stops.
Conservative traders might wait for a breakout and retest before committing.
Combining Quarter’s Theory with Renko charts can help filter out noise and confirm strong trends.
Will AUD/USD Hold or Break?
Quarter’s Theory gives traders a structured way to navigate price movements. Whether AUD/USD holds or breaks through the current quarter level will determine the next significant move. Are you watching these levels? Drop your thoughts below!
Learning Risk Management in Forex – A Step-by-Step ApproachAlthough I traded since 2004, but I actually started my trading learning journey in 2022. All what I did before was a waste of time.
I did another mistake in 2022. I wanted to teach myself technical analysis, and come up with a trading methodology that was suitable for me. That in itself is not a mistake, but starting with that aspect of trading was my mistake.
I realized that the first step should have been how to learn risk management in Forex trading.
As I continue my forex trading journey, I’ve realized that risk management is not just an add-on to a strategy—it’s the foundation of long-term survival. I’m sharing what I’m learning in the hopes that it helps others who are also figuring things out.
Here are a few key lessons I’ve come across:
Set a Fixed Risk Per Trade – Many experienced traders risk no more than 1 to 2 percent of their capital per trade. I’ve started applying this to keep losses manageable.
Define a Clear Stop-Loss Level – I used to place stops based on random numbers, but now I focus on market structure instead. This has made a difference in protecting my trades.
Use a Favorable Reward-to-Risk Ratio – I’ve been experimenting with a 1:2 ratio, meaning I aim for at least twice the reward compared to the risk. It helps keep my winners bigger than my losses.
Adjust Lot Size Based on Risk – This is something I’m paying more attention to. Calculating lot size based on risk per trade and stop-loss distance keeps things consistent.
Avoid Emotional Decision-Making – Sticking to a plan is harder than it sounds, but I’m learning that discipline is just as important as technical analysis.
I will write more about this and go deeper in each part of Forex trading risk management until I reach a level where I find myself set on my risk management plan.
I'm documenting more of my trading journey on my profile—feel free to check it out if you're interested.
How do you approach risk management in your trading? Let’s discuss in the comments.
Knowledge is not enough to be a successful traderWhile having strong knowledge and an effective strategy is essential for success, they alone are not enough to become a profitable trader. It is important to integrate other key aspects, such as:
Risk Management
Capital Protection: Adopt strict risk management by using stop-loss orders and limiting your capital exposure on each trade.
Diversification: Spread your investments across multiple assets to reduce the impact of potential losses on any single position.
Emotional Mastery and Managing Greed
Stress Control: Remain calm in the face of market fluctuations to avoid impulsive decisions
Discipline: Stick to your trading plan even during periods of high volatility.
Managing Greed: Greed can lead to taking undue risks. It is crucial to remain objective and not be swayed by the lure of profit, which could compromise rigorous risk management.
Patience and Perseverance
Patience: Waiting for the right opportunities is essential. Rushing into trades can lead you to enter the market under unfavorable conditions.
Perseverance: Trading is a continuous learning process. Learn from your mistakes and persevere, even after losses, to adjust and improve your strategy.
Adaptability and Continuous Learning
Market Evolution: Market conditions are constantly changing. A profitable trader knows how to adjust their strategy based on new trends and information.
Feedback: Keeping a trading journal to analyze your performance, identify your mistakes, and progress over the long term is fundamental.
By combining these skills – strict risk management, emotional control (including managing greed), as well as patience and perseverance – you give yourself the best chance to achieve sustainable success in the financial markets.
MINDSET: Trading is The Only True Path to Financial FreedomFinancial freedom—it’s the goal everyone chases but few ever reach. The world sells you a million ways to get rich: grinding a 9-to-5, climbing the corporate ladder, starting a business, investing in real estate. But the truth? Trading is the only path that offers complete financial autonomy. No bosses, no employees, no overhead—just you, the markets, and the ability to scale your wealth indefinitely.
The Illusion of Traditional Wealth-Building
People spend decades in careers that leave them dependent on someone else’s paycheck. Even business owners and investors face external risks—regulations, economic downturns, and unpredictable market shifts that limit their control.
Trading, however, is a pure meritocracy. The market doesn’t care about your background, degrees, or connections. It rewards skill, discipline, and adaptability.
Why Trading Stands Alone
Unlimited Earning Potential – Unlike a job, where your salary is capped, trading offers the ability to scale indefinitely.
Complete Time Freedom – Once profitable, you decide when and how much you work. A few well-placed trades can replace weeks of grinding at a traditional job.
No Middlemen – You don’t need clients, customers, or employees. Your success is fully in your hands.
Geographical Independence – As long as you have an internet connection, you can trade from anywhere in the world.
The Harsh Reality: Trading Isn’t Easy
Now, let’s be real—most traders fail because they treat it like a lottery ticket instead of a skill.
They chase signals, blow accounts, and then blame the markets. But those who master the psychological and technical aspects of trading gain something no job or business can provide: total financial sovereignty.
Are You Ready to Take Control?
Trading is the only financial vehicle where you set the rules and have the power to create generational wealth—without relying on an employer, a system, or a customer base.
The real question is: Are you willing to put in the work to claim that freedom?
Let’s talk in the comments.
#TradingFreedom #NoMore9to5 #FinancialIndependence
Harsh Truth About Forex & Gold Trading: In Books VS In Reality
Most traders start their trading journey by studying theory first, reading books or taking video courses before putting these newfound skills into practice. But once they start trading on a real market, they quickly realize that things are not as straightforward as the books make them out to be.
In this educational article, we will take a critical look at the difference between theoretical knowledge and practical experience.
📍And first of all, do not get me wrong. I am not trying to imply that trading books or courses are bad.
Theoretical knowledge is essential for successful trading, and of course the books are the best source of that.
The problem is, however, that books can be misleading . The examples in books are always tailored. When the authors are looking for the examples of the patterns, of key levels, they are looking for the ideal cases.
📍The problem becomes even worse, when one start studying the trade examples in books. And of course, the authors choose the brilliant winning trades with huge take profits and tiny stop losses.
I guess you saw these pictures of "sniper" entry trades with 5/1 R/R.
The inexperienced trader may start thinking that the markets are perfect and act in total accordance with the books.
That all the trades that he will take will bring tremendous profits.
That the identified patterns will work exactly as it was described.
📍The harsh truth is that books and courses are simply the compositions of different examples, cases and market situations.
In reality, each and every trading setup is unique .
The reaction of the price to the same pattern will be always different .
Please, realize the fact that books are only good for acquiring the knowledge. But in order to survive on financial markets, you need the experience . And the experience will be gained only after studying thousands of real market examples in real time.
📍Here is the example of a double top pattern that we were trading with my students on AUDJPY.
In books, double tops are always perfect . Once the market breaks the neckline, the price retests that and then quickly drops.
So the one can set a tiny stop loss and a big take profit.
However, after a retest of a broken neckline, AUDJPY bounced and the market maker was stop hunting the newbies. Our stop loss was way above the head, and we managed to survive.
Even though the pattern triggered a bearish movement, the reaction of the market was far from perfect.
Be prepared, that the market will much different from what you see in the books.
Good luck to you!
❤️Please, support my work with like, thank you!❤️
TradeCityPro Academy | Risk to Reward👋 Welcome to TradeCityPro Channel!
Let’s dive into another educational segment. After discussing capital management and risk management, we now turn to one of the most crucial concepts before entering technical analysis: Risk to Reward!
📌 Understanding Risk-to-Reward in Real Life
Before we start, let me give you an example of risk to reward from the real world, outside of financial markets. Imagine you are considering investing in a startup technology company that has launched a new product.
Risk: You estimate that you might lose $500 of your investment due to uncertainty about the product's success and intense market competition.
Reward: However, if the product succeeds and the company grows, you could make a profit of up to $2000.
In this example, the risk-to-reward ratio is 1:4, meaning for every $1 at risk, you could earn $4 in reward. This ratio can help you decide if this investment is appealing. If you believe the risk is acceptable and the potential reward is valuable, you might choose to invest.
⚠️ The Reality of Risk-to-Reward in Trading
In the real world, if you are a logical person, we all adhere to risk to reward principles. However, it’s puzzling how, in financial markets, you often close your profitable trades as quickly as possible while staying in losing trades for months. This indicates a failure to adhere to risk to reward principles.
Before I explain risk management and related concepts, make sure you've viewed the previous sections on risk management and capital management. Remember, if you're not setting stop-loss orders, this lesson might not be very useful for you.
🔍 What is Risk-to-Reward in Trading?
In financial markets, risk to reward refers to the ratio between the level of risk an investor takes with a specific investment and the potential reward from that investment. This concept helps investors evaluate whether a particular investment is worth the risk.
When trading, if you are about to open a position, set a stop-loss. If your stop-loss is triggered, resulting in a $10 loss, your target profit should be at least $20, creating a risk to reward ratio of 2. I won’t open a position with less than this!
It's important to note that risk to reward alone doesn't hold much meaning. It gains significance when considered alongside win rate. The chart I will share clarifies the relationship between win rate and risk to reward.
Look at the chart below. If your risk to reward is 1 and your win rate is 50%, you are breaking even—neither gaining nor losing. For risk to reward ratios below 1, you need a win rate of 100% to break even. Our logical risk to reward ratio is 2, where a 40% win rate keeps you profitable. We should allow our minds room for error rather than always striving for accuracy.
🛠️ Understanding Trading Tools
Let’s take a simple look at our tools. The chart showcases two types of tools: short position and long position, applicable for both falling and rising markets. The tool displays your risk to reward ratio in the middle, with the stop-loss percentage below and the profit percentage above for long positions, and vice versa for short positions.
📈 Why Should You Use a Risk-to-Reward of 2?
Why do you implement a risk to reward of 2? Consider this: if I opened 10 positions this week, with 6 hitting stop-loss and 4 reaching targets, my total loss would be $60. However, due to adhering to a risk to reward ratio of 2, my total profit would be $80, resulting in a net gain of $20!
This illustrates the importance of adhering to risk to reward principles. Even if we lose more trades than we win, we can still be profitable in the end. The key is to focus on the overall outcome rather than individual battles.
❌ What Happens If You Don’t Maintain a Standard Risk-to-Reward?
Now, consider what happens if I don’t maintain a standard risk to reward. For instance, if I open a position with a risk to reward ratio of 0.5, even if I make a profit, a subsequent loss could negate that gain.
If you are involved in financial spaces, you may have encountered signal channels that share their positions, encouraging you to follow for profitable outcomes. For example, if they claim to profit from 95 out of 100 positions, you might feel that winning sensation. But what is their risk to reward ratio? A ratio of 0.1 means that if they hit just a few stop-losses, you could end up in a loss.
Be cautious of misleading advertisements and high-return claims. If you manage to achieve a 5% to 10% profit monthly and sustain it for a year, even starting with $100, your trading record will be respected, leading to more funding opportunities. Avoid falling into traps set by opportunistic individuals.
🚀 Practical Trading Considerations
Consider this: if you want to open a position but your target is above a major resistance level, and the likelihood of reaching it seems slim, I personally prefer not to open that position. It indicates that my entry point may not be optimal.
❤️ Friendly Note
In closing, I encourage you to keep your positions until you reach your risk to reward target. Avoid checking the chart until you hit that point. Set alerts and make decisions only then. Always adhere to these rules for all your positions, not just one. Don’t worry about losing out on profits; instead, approach trading with calmness.
Finally, remember that a profit in a position is not truly realized until it is closed and transformed into something tangible—food, clothing, a house, or a car.
Profit and Learn: Is the U.S. Dollar Still Money?In this episode of Profit and Learn, we dive into the future of the U.S. dollar. Is it still the undisputed king of global finance, or is its dominance fading? With rising competition from alternative assets, central bank policies, and global de-dollarization efforts, we explore whether the dollar remains the ultimate store of value, medium of exchange, and unit of account.
Join us as we break down market sentiment, policy threats, and the role of crypto and commodities in shaping the dollar’s future. Is the dollar “too strong” for its own good, or are we seeing the early signs of its decline?
💰 Is the dollar still money? Tune in to find out!
Is It Possible to Predict Market Direction with Certainty?Someone asked me about predicting market movements with certainty. In response to a question about detecting large orders and forecasting market direction, let’s explore how markets truly operate and how to grow as a trader.
The Nature of Market Movement
Markets move through collective behavior, not individual orders. Even when sentiment indicators show a near 50:50 split between short/long positions, markets can still trend strongly in one direction. Why? Because market movement depends on:
The aggressiveness of orders (market orders vs. limit orders)
Timing of trade execution
Position sizes and their distribution
Psychological factors affecting mass behavior
Example:
Imagine BITSTAMP:BTCUSD with apparently balanced sentiment. Yet, if long positions are primarily passive limit orders while shorts are aggressive market orders with tight stops, the price could trend down sharply despite the "balanced" ratio.
The Illusion of Certainty
There is no way to predict market direction with certainty. The market comprises millions of participants with:
Different analysis methods
Various timeframes (scalpers to long-term investors)
Diverse motivations (hedging, speculation, investment)
Unique reactions to the same news
Real-world Example:
During major news events like FOMC meetings, you'll often see prices swing violently in both directions. Why? Because even with the same information, traders interpret and react differently based on their:
Portfolio needs
Risk tolerance
Trading timeframe
Overall market view
Building Better Trading Habits
Instead of seeking certainty, focus on developing good trading habits:
1. Risk Management First
Use proper position sizing (never risk more than 1-2% per trade)
Set stops based on technical levels, not arbitrary numbers
Example: If trading support/resistance, place stops beyond the next significant level, not just at round numbers
2. Asymmetric Returns
Aim for trades where potential profit exceeds potential loss
Target 1:2 risk-reward at minimum
Example: If risking $100, your minimum target should be $200 profit
3. Consistency in Strategy
- Stick to your trading plan even when other strategies look attractive
- Document all trades and review regularly
- Example: Keep a trading journal with setup, entry, exit, and lessons learned
4. Building Good Habits
Start each day with market analysis
Review major news and potential impact
Set clear entry/exit rules before trading
Regular review of trading performance
Example Schedule:
- 8:00 AM: Market overview
- 8:30 AM: Review potential setups
- 9:00 AM: Check for news events
- 4:00 PM: End-of-day review
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
1. Strategy Hopping
Switching strategies frequently based on recent performance
Following multiple traders with different approaches
Solution: Commit to one approach for at least 3 months
2. Overtrading
Taking trades out of boredom or FOMO
Solution: Set daily/weekly trade limits
3. Revenge Trading
Trying to recover losses quickly
Solution: Take a break after losses, review what went wrong
Remember: The market doesn't care about what you want. It moves based on collective action, not individual desires. Focus on adapting to market conditions rather than trying to predict them.
Your success in trading isn't determined by how much you know, but by how well you apply what you know through consistent, disciplined habits.
How I am approching scaling my account to the next level💰 Introduction
I have been actively investing for over seven years. When I started in 2017, I had no idea what I was doing. My first trade was a short/mid-term win on an altcoin skyrocketing in a straight line—it felt unbelievable. But the truth was, I was completely clueless.
Still, I was hooked. I started reading everything I could and expanded my focus to stocks and Forex. Six months later, I had developed some ideas about Forex, though I was still lost when it came to stocks. I funded a Forex account with €8,000 to test my skills, using a simple 1:1 risk-to-reward 0.5% per trade system. A few months later, I was up about 15% - a solid start.
From there, my goal was clear: design a great strategy first, then scale it. But things didn’t go as planned.
I suffered a serious injury, which got progressively worse, making it impossible to hold a regular job. I spent everything I had on rent and medical bills. To make matters worse, I stubbornly clung to a terrible strategy for years - even after developing better ones. I ignored huge unrealized gains, constantly chasing the “holy grail” of investing. Ironically, today, I trade every single strategy (or a modified version to add to winners) I’ve ever designed since 2019 - except the one I stubbornly stuck with for years.
Through all this, I learned a crucial lesson:
💡 A strategy should work from day one. You backtest it to verify, then refine it, but you don’t trade it live until it’s ready.
Now, after years of experience, mistakes, and lessons learned, I have several proven strategies and a fresh perspective. The next step? Scaling up aggressively.
Of course, I can’t cover everything in one article, a full book wouldn’t even be enough. Some aspects of growing an account, like tax implications, aren’t discussed here.
But my goal is simple: to inspire investors to think creatively about scalability and strategy development. The process of building an investment strategy - including a scaling plan - is all about creativity.
💰 The Challenge of Scaling: Why Gains Lag Behind Losses
Your gains will always lag behind your losses - this is a fundamental reality in investing. If you scale too fast, your winners from months ago may not be enough to cover your new losses, even if you're performing well overall.
I am not talking about drawdowns, those makes things even worse. I am talking about how looking for asymmetric returns means the time it takes will be asymmetrical too. For mid-term strategies, traders typically risk 1 unit to gain 5, 10, or even 15. However, the time required for returns grows exponentially as reward targets increase. If you're aiming for 10x or more, your losing trades might last only 2–3 days, but your winners could take six months or longer to materialize.
I experienced this firsthand in 2024. I started the year strong, accelerating my risk after solid returns from trading the Yen. Then I hit the gas again, but things turned bad - primarily because I was experimenting with a new strategy alongside my proven ones. In November, I realized a 15x profit on gold, which could have significantly changed my situation. However, I had entered the position back in February, before I began scaling, so the gains didn’t have the impact I needed at the time.
💰 Scaling Only Works for the Few Who Are Ready
Most traders either stagnate or lose, and even the best often learn the hard way early on. You’ve probably heard the common statistic: only 10% of FX investors win, and only 10% of stock investors beat the market. But even within that elite group, only a third outperform significantly enough to consider trading as a full-time career rather than just a supplement for retirement.
From the data I've seen, only about 3% of investors should even consider aggressive scaling. Attempting to scale without a proven track record is a recipe for disaster. Even the most famous market wizards often had to learn the hard way early on.
A good analogy is chess - not everyone is a young prodigy, and even for those who are, it often takes 7–8 years to reach master level. The same applies to investing: skill and experience take time to develop, and rushing the process can lead to avoidable mistakes.
💰 No shortcut but there are ways to increase scalability
A path one might follow is the investment fund. However these are very restrictive, George Soros once said to make money you had to take risk. No matter how good you are you are still subject to the same laws and I know no one that has 100% win rate. If your max drawdown is 5% how much can you realistically risk per operation? Perhaps 0.25% So your 10X winner will be 2.5%. We know the returns, drawdowns and Sharpe ratios of the biggest (and supposedly best) funds, I never heard of a fund with a tiny max drawdown and huge returns except Medallion fund you got me.
The problem I personally have, or shall I say had, is that I can sometimes go 6-12 months without a winner, or with just 1-2. It is spread very non-homogeneously. In the last 3 months I have (finally!) designed a short term strategy that will smooth the curve, I risk 1 to make 5 and have opportunities in all market conditions. I was not even trying to, I just randomly felt creative and went "Eureka".
I am currently running my proven strategies on my main accounts, and the new one on a smaller account - of course I keep winning on these small amounts. This short term strategy might not be my best one, although it might be the second best, however it was exactly what I needed to help smooth the drawdowns and more boring market conditions.
💰 Balancing Creativity and Risk in Scaling Strategies
I believe designing a successful scaling strategy requires a combination of creativity and pessimism. From my experience, it's essential to explore different ways to scale while always keeping the worst-case scenario in mind.
To illustrate this, let’s consider an example - not necessarily the exact approach I will take, but a concept that reflects my thinking. Suppose I allocate €25,000 to a brokerage account and divide it into 25 "tokens" of €1,000 each. Every time the account grows, I would redistribute the balance into 25 equal parts, each representing 4% of the total.
This setup ensures that I always have capital available for new opportunities. Even if I lose 10 times in a row and have 5 tokens tied up in winning trades (or disappointing breakevens), I would still have 10 tokens left to reinvest. Based on my calculations, 25 is the minimum number required for this method to work efficiently. That said, 4% risk per trade is significantly higher than what I have ever risked, and I may adjust it downward.
💰 Risk Management and Personal Goals
If someone were able to triple a €25,000 account each year, they could theoretically reach €2 million in just four years. However, such exponential growth is rare and unsustainable over the long term. Jesse Livermore achieved extraordinary gains - but ultimately lost everything and took his own life. This is a stark reminder that extreme financial risk can have devastating consequences.
I would never attempt this kind of aggressive scaling with essential funds - certainly not with rent money, without a financial cushion, with large amounts, or without a clear Plan B.
My personal objectives:
If investing my own money: My goal is to build a €2M–€3M account while continuing my regular job - possibly reducing to part-time work.
If managing investor funds: I would aim to start with €10M AUM, with at least €500K of my own capital in the fund. My ultimate target is to grow AUM to €100M.
💰 The Crypto Factor : A Different Beast
The extreme volatility combined with long term aspect of crypto makes for a very different experience. In the past it has shown incredible returns, I know this first hand my brother started mining Ethereum I think in 2019 when the price was below $150 I guess and then he has been buying cryptos on the way up, in euros I might add, with the crypto/euro charts looking much better than the USD ones.
But there is no reason why it cannot all go to zero, or crash 95% and remain here for years. And even if the whole crypto market does not crash, several of them die each year. I am not a perma bear I do not wish my younger brother to lose everything, this is all he has, he got no diploma not interesting career.
For crypto to fit in a structured investment strategy I personally would only put small amounts. So it sort of follows the idea of a separate account with huge risk. An amount that one can afford to lose.
💰 Final words
I believe I have the experience, the rigor and the strategies to increase my risk and invest more aggressively. In a near future - maybe starting 2026 - I want to really grow my account.
My scaling will be gradual, I won't jump from an amount to 3 times that in 3 months, I will manage my risk strategically; And before even starting the battle I will have clearly defined objectives.
How Your Brain Tricks You Into Making Bad Trading Decisions!!!Hello everyone! Hope you’re doing well. Today, we’re diving into a crucial topic—how your brain can work against you in trading if it’s not trained properly. Many traders think they’re making logical decisions, but subconscious biases and emotions often take control.
Our brain operates in two modes: intuitive thinking (fast, emotional, automatic) and deliberative thinking (slow, logical, analytical). In trading, intuition can lead to impulsive mistakes—chasing price moves, hesitating on good setups, or exiting too early out of fear.
To improve, traders must shift from intuition to deliberation by following structured plans, back testing strategies, and practicing emotional discipline. In this discussion, we’ll explore how to overcome these mental biases and make smarter trading decisions. Let’s get started!
Most traders face common mistakes—exiting winners too early, letting profits turn into losses, holding onto bad trades, or making impulsive decisions. Why? Because our brain isn’t wired for trading. In everyday life, instincts help us, but in trading, they often lead to fear, greed, and denial.
Your Brain Operates in Two Modes
Just like in daily life, where we sometimes act on reflex and other times think things through carefully, our trading mind also operates in two distinct modes: intuitive thinking and deliberative thinking. Intuitive thinking is fast, automatic, and effortless. It helps us make quick decisions, like braking suddenly when a car stops in front of us. However, in trading, this rapid decision-making often leads to impulsive actions driven by emotions like fear and greed. This is why many traders enter or exit trades without a solid plan, reacting to market movements instead of following a strategy.
On the other hand, deliberative thinking is slow, effortful, and analytical. This is the part of the brain that carefully weighs options, follows rules, and makes logical decisions—like when solving a complex math problem or planning a trading strategy.
Our intuitive brain is designed to make quick and automatic decisions with minimal effort. This is the part of the brain that helps us react instantly to situations—like catching a falling object or braking suddenly while driving. It relies on patterns, emotions, and past experiences to make snap judgments. In everyday life, this ability is incredibly useful, saving us time and energy. However, when it comes to trading, this fast-thinking system can often lead us into trouble.
For example, a trader might see the market rising rapidly and instinctively think, “This can’t go any higher! I should short it now.” This reaction feels obvious in the moment, but it lacks deeper analysis. The market could continue rising, trapping the trader in a losing position. Because intuitive thinking is based on gut feelings rather than structured reasoning, it often leads to impulsive and emotionally driven trading decisions. In the next slides, we’ll explore how to counterbalance this instinct with deliberative thinking—the slow, logical approach that leads to better trading decisions.
Unlike intuitive thinking, which reacts quickly and emotionally, deliberative thinking is slow, effortful, and analytical. It requires conscious thought, logical reasoning, and careful consideration before making a decision. This is the part of the brain that helps traders analyze probabilities, assess risks, and make well-informed choices rather than acting on impulse. While it takes more time and effort, it leads to better trading outcomes because decisions are based on data and strategy rather than emotions.
For example, instead of immediately reacting to a fast-moving market, a deliberative trader might pause and think, “Let me check the higher time frame before deciding.” This approach helps traders avoid unnecessary risks and false signals by ensuring that every trade is well-planned. The most successful traders operate primarily in this mode, following a structured process that includes technical analysis, risk management, and reviewing past trades. In the next slides, we’ll discuss how to train our brains to rely more on deliberative thinking and reduce emotional reactions in trading.
Take a moment to answer these two questions:
A bat and a ball cost ₹150 in total. The bat costs ₹120 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
If 5 machines take 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would 100 machines take to make 100 widgets?
At first glance, your brain might immediately jump to an answer. If you thought ₹30 for the first question or 100 minutes for the second, you’re relying on intuitive thinking. These answers feel right but are actually incorrect. The correct answers are ₹15 for the ball (since the bat costs ₹135) and 5 minutes for the second question (since each machine’s rate of production stays the same).
This exercise shows how intuitive thinking can mislead us when dealing with numbers and logic-based problems. The same happens in trading—snap decisions based on gut feelings often lead to costly mistakes. To improve as traders, we need to slow down, double-check our reasoning, and shift into deliberative thinking. In the next slides, we’ll explore how to strengthen this skill and apply it to trading decisions.
Did Your Intuition Trick You?
Let’s review the answers:
Answer 1: The ball costs ₹15, not ₹30! If the ball were ₹30, the bat would be ₹150 (₹120 more), making the total ₹180, which is incorrect. The correct way to solve it is by setting up an equation:
Let the ball cost x.
The bat costs x + 120.
So, x + (x + 120) = 150 → 2x + 120 = 150 → 2x = 30 → x = 15.
Answer 2: The correct answer is 5 minutes, not 100 minutes! Since 5 machines take 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, each machine produces 1 widget in 5 minutes. If we increase the number of machines to 100, each still takes 5 minutes to produce a widget, so 100 machines will still take 5 minutes to make 100 widgets.
Most people get these answers wrong because their intuitive brain jumps to conclusions without thinking through the logic. This is exactly how traders make impulsive mistakes—by relying on gut feelings instead of slowing down to analyze the situation properly. The key lesson here is that we must train ourselves to pause, question our first reaction, and shift into deliberative thinking when making trading decisions.
Why is Intuitive Thinking Dangerous in Trading?
Intuitive thinking is great for quick decisions in everyday life, like catching a falling object or reacting to danger. However, in trading, this fast-thinking system becomes a problem because it takes shortcuts, ignores probabilities, and acts on emotions rather than logic. When traders rely on intuition, they often react impulsively to price movements, overestimate their ability to predict the market, and make decisions based on fear or greed rather than strategy.
For example, a trader might see a market rapidly rising and instinctively think, “This can’t go any higher—I should short it!” without checking key levels or trends. Or, after a few losses, they may feel the urge to take revenge trades, hoping to recover quickly. These emotional reactions lead to poor risk management and inconsistent results. To succeed in trading, we must recognize these intuitive traps and learn to replace them with a structured, logical approach.
Let’s look at some common mistakes traders make due to intuitive thinking:
Shorting just because the market has risen too much: A trader might see a sharp price increase and feel like it’s too high to continue, instinctively thinking, “This can’t go any higher; it’s due for a drop.” However, the market doesn’t always follow logical patterns, and this emotional reaction can lead to premature trades that result in losses.
Buying just because the market is falling: Similarly, traders may feel compelled to buy when the market falls too much, thinking, “It’s too low to go any further.” This belief, without proper analysis, can lead to buying into a downtrend or even catching a falling knife, resulting in significant losses.
Taking tips from social media without analysis: Many traders fall into the trap of acting on market tips or rumors they see on social media or trading forums. These decisions are often made without proper research, relying purely on gut feelings or herd mentality.
If you've ever taken a trade just because it "felt right" without fully analyzing the situation, chances are your intuitive brain was in control. These emotional decisions are natural, but they often lead to costly mistakes. The key to improving your trading is learning to slow down, analyze the situation carefully, and avoid rushing into trades based on impulse.
Why Deliberative Thinking Matters
Deliberative thinking is the key to becoming a successful trader because it encourages us to assess probabilities, reduce impulsive trades, and ensure well-thought-out decisions. Instead of acting on gut feelings, traders who use deliberative thinking take the time to analyze market conditions, trends, and risks. By calculating probabilities, reviewing different scenarios, and sticking to a solid trading plan, they can make more rational decisions that are grounded in logic, not emotions.
This slow, methodical approach may seem counterintuitive in a fast-paced market, but it’s what separates successful traders from those who constantly chase the market. The best traders don’t act on impulse; they analyze, think critically, and then trade. This approach leads to consistency in trading, as decisions are based on a systematic process rather than emotional reactions. By training your brain to operate in this way, you’ll improve your decision-making and reduce the likelihood of impulsive, emotional mistakes.
Let’s look at a real-world example of how intuitive thinking can trap traders:
The market rallies from 26,800 to 28,800, and as the price starts to pull back, lower lows form on the hourly chart. Many traders, relying on the short-term price action, decide to short the market, thinking the rally is over. However, when you zoom out and check the daily chart, you notice that there’s no clear reversal signal—it's still showing an overall uptrend.
Despite this, many traders act impulsively based on what they see on the smaller time frames, only to watch the market rally another 500 points, trapping those who shorted the market.
This is exactly how intuitive traders get trapped—by making decisions based on the lower time frames without considering the bigger picture. Deliberative thinking would involve checking higher time frames, assessing the trend, and waiting for a proper confirmation before entering a trade. By training yourself to think this way, you’ll avoid getting caught in market traps like this one.
One of the best strategies for avoiding impulsive mistakes is to always check daily or weekly charts before taking a trade. While it’s tempting to act on short-term movements, smart traders zoom out to get a clearer picture of the market's overall trend. By analyzing higher time frames, you can see if the market is truly reversing or if it's simply a temporary pullback within a larger trend.
It’s important to look for confirmation of trends before acting. If the higher time frames show an uptrend, but the lower time frames show a temporary dip, it may be wise to wait for confirmation before making a trade. Don’t rush based on short-term movements; give yourself time to assess the bigger picture and make decisions based on a well-thought-out analysis rather than emotional reactions.
Remember, successful traders understand that the higher time frame offers critical insights into market direction. By incorporating this approach, you’ll make more informed, consistent trading decisions and avoid getting trapped by short-term fluctuations.
Shifting from intuitive to deliberative trading takes practice, but with consistent effort, you can train your mind to make better decisions. Here’s how you can start:
Review past trades – Were they intuitive or deliberate? Reflecting on your previous trades helps you identify whether your decisions were based on impulse or careful analysis. Understanding the reasoning behind your past trades can help you improve future ones.
Ask ‘Why?’ before every trade: Before entering any position, take a moment to ask yourself, “Why am I taking this trade?” This forces you to think critically and ensures that your decision is based on analysis rather than emotions.
Use probabilities, not gut feelings: Deliberative thinking is based on probability, so focus on statistical analysis and historical patterns rather than relying on your gut. This might include checking your risk-to-reward ratio or waiting for confirmation signals from multiple indicators.
Follow a structured trading plan: A solid trading plan with clearly defined rules and guidelines will help you make logical, consistent decisions. When you follow a plan, you’re less likely to make emotional, impulsive trades.
By implementing these steps, you’ll gradually train your mind to operate more deliberately, leading to more disciplined and profitable trading. Remember, trading is a skill that improves with practice, so take the time to develop your deliberative thinking.
A great historical example of intuitive thinking gone wrong is the Dot-Com Bubble of the late 1990s. During this time, many companies added “.com” to their names, capitalizing on the internet boom. Investors rushed in blindly, often buying shares of these companies based purely on the excitement of the market and the fear of missing out (FOMO).
However, many of these companies had no real business model or clear path to profitability. Investors, driven by emotional excitement and herd mentality, ignored the fundamentals—such as profitability, cash flow, and market demand. As a result, the market eventually collapsed, wiping out traders who didn’t take the time to analyze the companies' real value and business models.
This is a perfect example of intuitive investors acting on emotions and hype without real analysis—and losing big. To avoid this trap, it’s important to apply deliberative thinking, focusing on thorough research, fundamental analysis, and careful assessment of market conditions. This case study shows the importance of not jumping into investments based on emotional impulses but making decisions grounded in solid analysis.
To become a successful trader, you must shift from relying on intuitive thinking to embracing deliberative thinking. Here’s how you can start making that transition:
Avoid easy, obvious trades: If a trade feels too easy or too obvious, it’s often a trap. The market is complex, and quick decisions based on gut feelings usually lead to impulsive mistakes. Take the time to think through your trades, even if they seem like a “sure thing.”
Develop patience and discipline: Patience is key in trading. Instead of reacting immediately to market moves, wait for the right setups and confirmations. Discipline ensures you follow your plan and don’t get swept up in the moment.
Learn to think in probabilities: Trading is about probabilities, not certainty. Start thinking in terms of risk and reward, and assess the likelihood of different outcomes before entering a trade. This shift in mindset will help you make more rational, logical decisions.
Be skeptical of ‘obvious’ trade setups: If a trade seems too perfect or too easy, it’s worth questioning. Often, the most obvious setups are the ones that lead to losses. Always do your due diligence and question your assumptions before pulling the trigger.
By making these changes, you’ll develop a trading mindset that focuses on thoughtful analysis, patience, and probability, rather than emotional, impulsive decisions. The goal is to think deeper, be more strategic, and avoid rushing into trades based on intuition.
Now that we’ve covered the key principles, it’s time to take action.
Start by reviewing your past trades. This is crucial for identifying whether your decisions were based on intuition or deliberate thinking. By reflecting on your trades, you can spot patterns and areas where you may have made impulsive decisions.
Next, identify your intuitive mistakes. Think about trades where you acted quickly or without full analysis. Were you influenced by emotions like fear or greed? Understanding these mistakes helps you avoid repeating them in the future.
Finally, commit to making deliberate decisions going forward. Before you place your next trade, take a step back. Analyze the market, assess probabilities, and follow your trading plan. This shift to a more thoughtful, disciplined approach is what will help you become a more consistent and successful trader.
Your next trade is an opportunity to put these principles into practice. Let’s focus on making smarter, more deliberate decisions from here on out!