Well said -- I accidentally hit 'buy' instead of 'sell' on an ER2 contract a few weeks ago because I was in such a damn hurry, uncaffinated, and still half-asleep at the office, yet I just *had* to get into the trade. The minute the order hit, I realized what I did -- aside from a quick "d'oh, eeediot!" muttered to myself, thankfully I got out just below my breakeven. It was only the second time in my trading history spanning over a decade that I broke my own rules and fouled up because I rushed something. Lesson: Since I'm not a committed daytrader with professional tools and software setups, I always double-check, triple-check, use the final review screens on my order forms, and NEVER rush a trade or trade when I'm not 100% "there" mentally. I'd rather miss an opportunity and preserve $$$ than f--k one up, lose capital, and get angry at myself...especially on entering a new position. After all, there always are other opportunities down the road.
Yesterday, I made an error when entering a calendar spread on heating oil with IB. I think there's no ladder type order entry for calendar spreads. Just typed sell at 0.0012 instead of 0.012 and got served market...
Some people are saying it's due to a lack of cous---STFU! These mistakes happen to everybody, it's just a part of the game. You try your best, but when you're sitting in front of the computer for 15 hours/day for years, you're gonna slip up sometimes. accept that and move on.
Yes, but if these mistakes happen with frequency like the original poster implied, then there are steps you should take to limit them. To not address the problem would be less than smart.