I'm burnt out

I started swing trading about 4 years ago, made about 40% of my savings in the first 3 years. Then lost about 1% last year. It used to be fun, but now it's just tedious and I'm tired of it.

I don't know if I can quit though. I'm planning to quit my job, and trading, in a few months to take a gap year. But without investing in something, I will think about how I'm being left behind every second. It feels like it's consuming me.

 

Burnt out from swing trading?? Bro, I've been daytrading for 12 years and I can go another 12 no problem. You need to up your stamina, burnt from swing trading is really weak.

 

^^ Completely irrelevant but ok.

I used to day trade, it's just I made more money from swing trading. But like I said, your post has nothing to do with anything.

 

You've been in the market for 12 years and still daytrading?

If you had just bought $100,000 worth of shares of apple in 2002 you be retired now.

Now your trading against the HFT machines still doing the 9-5 daily grind. Still dealing and hustling after 12 years in the streets. The good ones have moved on to better things.

You are not paranoid that the HFT machines are programmed to kill you.



QUOTE]Quote from Fireplace:

Burnt out from swing trading?? Bro, I've been daytrading for 12 years and I can go another 12 no problem. You need to up your stamina, burnt from swing trading is really weak. [/QUOTE]

 

swing trading is to slow paced I can see getting burnt from it, your just sitting around and waiting I don't have the patience for something like that I don't even leave for lunch.

 

That must be my problem. I eat too much.

 

Schonfeld Group laid off 15% of their day traders in 2010 due to the increased difficulty yet people just refuse to read the signs. A fool and his money are soon parted.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-06/schonfeld-to-fire-50-traders-as-speed-curbs-profits.html

cheers.

btw, patience will make you money, but I guess people don't want to hear that.

 

“It just is that if you are in a marketplace, especially arbitrage, if you are not trading at a high speed, you cannot compete, you have no chance. A few years ago you could maybe survive by seeing something visual, but now the machine will take out the price inconsistency very quickly.”

That's a quote from the article. There are so many ways to skin a cat. To be fair, the quote's from a guy that's not affiliated with Schonfeld as far as I can tell. I remember reading that article. They laid off guys that weren't making money or doing very well at all. I understand they still have traders trading at Schonfeld. Also, contrary to popular belief...there is still money to be made in the markets intraday. It's harder. But it's still there.

 

Go dig ditches for a week or two and report back.

 

If I was swing trading I would def have a full-time job as well.