It's always fun to hear about trading stories, how one struggles to be a trader, how one fails, or eventually becomes successful. What's your story? Are you profitable now?
How did you learn how to trade? StudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudyStudy ResearchResearchResearchResearchResearchResearchResearchResearchResearchResearch WorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWorkWork Try it, you'll like it!! (And if you do try the above and don't like it, you'll know so right away. So you can stop right there and save a lot of money and time!)
I'm grateful for the Fall 2008 financial crisis. ...I wouldn't be here today, if not for the massive headlines the market crisis was making back then -- I was Hooked into this world...how prices move up/down. ...and the rest, is history -- as they say.
"How did you learn how to trade?" Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Oh, this works, OMG Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing,Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, I am so close, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, it is like "They" let me win for that glimmer of hope I can do this then Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Losing, Yea, I better learn how to program, WOW, none of this stuff I think is incredible works. That is how I found what didn't work, and slowly found what worked for me, very slow and still learning. You have to learn what most traders pass up cause it is harder.
I'm sure most here didn't. ET is basically the same people posting the same thing over and over again 24/7. Even during market hours.
"Read" Charts / Doms / Others. Make also stats analysis / backtestings, Stress test my Techne / Episteme to discover flaws... Then Design painful experiments to overcome weaknesses. I didn't learn to trade, actually, I'm still learning the craft.
6 years of banging head against wall Reading tons of typical retail trading stuff + watching youtube videos. Making tons and tons of indicators / formulas to test in Excel. Lost big enough on spurious/hopeful intraday trading as a good lesson to scale down. Forward-testing various ideas with insignificant money, automating execution in the process. Iterative development, fixing flaws, refactoring and starting from scratch in most areas multiple times. Giving up too clever ideas, going back to basics and trying to build something from very basic and simple ideas. Tearing down complications I inevitably pile up. Never giving up, even on days where it's not so "fun". Taking breaks when body and mind benefit. Not working with it every day. Recognizing when I'm too excited about my implementation, there's always something wrong with it. Still learning and evolving as consistency still far away. Many profitable traders may be deluding themselves in regards to consistency.
I read more than 200 trading books and went to numerous trading seminars. I was better than everybody else... And blew up 2 small Forex accounts, 1 "not that small" Stock and Option account, and eventually I almost did it again with an underfunded Future account. Well, after that I decided to exclusively backtest and paper trade until I was able to to make annually at least twice of my max drawdown. I totally forgot Options and Forex. 3 years later, I focus on risks first an strategy diversification (instead of sectors or markets diversification). I still have a small side business which help a lot to relieve the pressure of trading a larger account.