How long did it take for profitability?

Discussion in 'Professional Trading' started by melmel, Feb 12, 2009.

  1. If you do the proper prep work before you ever trade your first share, not too long.

    Most don't do this and think anyone can trade and then lose substantially. When you read the statistics of how many fail do not get discouraged but instead ask yourself - how do I avoid the mistakes that most make so I have the best chance to succeed.

    Good trading to you.
     
    #11     Feb 12, 2009
  2. Is that the one that costs $5,000 plus a monthly %?

    What about drawdowns?

    Can you leave it 24/7
     
    #12     Feb 12, 2009
  3. mtt

    mtt

    This is very true. Everyone is different. Some may learn faster than others. Some can pick it up in a few months while others could struggle for years. You need to develop your own unique system that reflects your goals & personality. Following other people's system will eventually lead you to failure.
     
    #13     Feb 14, 2009
  4. So much more that would initially think. Perhaps you won't even reach that level, as the majority fails in this business. What makes the difference at the end is your motivation, your ability to get back with enough time and money when you blow your account.

    Good Luck and good trading.
     
    #14     Feb 14, 2009
  5. Redneck

    Redneck

    OP –

    IMHO Sir your question is extremely open ended (ambiguous) –

    That being said my time frames for becoming profitable trading intraday are as follows;


    Every trade

    Will never happen, nor do I ever expect it to



    Daily

    I had a down day earlier this week (down days are fewer and farther between but they still happen – and I really don’t think being profitable every day is realistic – for me)

    Note – I use to be consistently profitable on a daily basis (after narrowing down and becoming very selective on setups / share size), but since then I’ve backed off and assumed a little more risk (in order to make more)… I’m okay with a losing (non- profitable) day

    Another note: I compare refining / adjusting assumable risk per trade to focusing optics – You have to move past the focal point either way – then dial it back in to get optimal performance.



    Weekly

    Took about a year and a half to become profitable week over week – (had to eliminate everything that didn’t work) AND yes I tried all the dumb stuff everyone tells you to avoid – why should I be any different.


    Monthly – covered by the weekly


    So I guess my answer is, as was others – It’ll take you as long as it takes you to become profitable – as everyone is different…

    But more importantly I would suggest clearly defining what “profitable” means to you Sir...

    Else how will you know when you get there?

    Food for Thought

    Redneck
     
    #15     Feb 14, 2009
  6. tradersboredom

    tradersboredom Guest

    the deep secrets of traders that was being pursued for years was inside of me for years before i started looking.




     
    #16     Feb 14, 2009
  7. tradersboredom

    tradersboredom Guest

    dudes make money on first day and not a losing trade for years.

    winner from the start. never went to trading school.



     
    #17     Feb 14, 2009
  8. Mr J

    Mr J

    There's a huge difference between a +ev trader and a winner. It's extremely unlikely a "winner from the start" was actually a +ev trader, they just hit positive variance early on and become profitable before giving it back.
     
    #18     Feb 16, 2009
  9. TheBird

    TheBird

    Why not paper trade or back trade until you have a winning strategy (with positive probabilities) that produces fairly repeatable results?
     
    #19     Feb 16, 2009
  10. Said the chimp as it typed on one of thousands of typewriters, desperately seeking to churn out a meaningful phrase...
     
    #20     Feb 16, 2009