If you trade the same method, regardless of demo or real, you will build up confidence. Most people don't take demo seriously and get bored and mess it up. I used to trade demo by putting on a huge position just to see a huge return, but eventually I blew up. Yep, I blew up several demo accounts, besides real accounts.
Wed., 4/27: +1236. Didn't follow the method today, took some trades that I shouldn't take and lost. Then took some trades that I shouldn't take and won. Then took a short bet BEFORE inventory report, knowing market would react negatively, and won. So the result is not a reflection of the method. Note 1: I saw some really stupid people trading oil today. Minutes before the inventory report came out, I saw buying, one size is 25 contracts. If anyone has a little brain, he would not long before the report, given yesterday's warning. Why would anyone long (25 contracts) minutes before the report today? And this idiot has money (paper money of course) to spend (25 contracts at a time). Note 2: Maybe this idiot is one of those on CL Redux thread?
Thursday, 4/28: +132. Lots of bad entries, either too early, or too late. After a few frustrating trades that led to losses, I started to short resistance and made up for the losses. But shorting the resistance is not part of method. Obviously I care about a demo result and am willing to violate the rules. Isn't that amazing? so the result is not a reflection of the method.
Friday, 4/29: +183. Followed the method, every dollar is made by the method, no cheating: no early jumping in, no shorting the resistance, no other stupidity. thought about greed and changed my method last night, then immediately after the first entry, I knew it wouldn't work. For too many times, I tried to rely on "it" and "it" disappointed me every single time. I will not give "it" any more opportunity. Enough is enough.
Not everyone trading oil is day trading. Buying as price was pulling back to previous resistance on the daily chart in a solid uptrend is how swing trading trend followers choose value entries. The idiot who bought 25 contracts before Wed's inventory report is sitting on a nice median annual salary right now on that trade.
Monday, 5/2: +255. Followed the method for the first few trades, then got stupid and did a non-method trade, and lost. To make up the losses, did a few more non-method trades and shorted the resistance, and made the money back. Then back to the method, did a few trades. Excluding the non-method trades, the result should be around +90. Shorting the resistance is very tempting, it is one way of telling the bulltards: I will slap your face and stop your irrational exuberance. Note: What were those pit traders thinking when they tried to push the market down after the pit opened? They think they can control the oil market? Some of them must have got crushed.
I asked my broker about the idiot who bought 25 contracts before the report, and my broker, being a hacker for years before joining the brokerage firm, managed to track down the buyer and followed his trades of the day. Here is what the broker found about the trader: 1. The trader covered the 25 contracts for a profit because he shorted earlier about 20 minutes before the report was out. I guess he was worried that his winner would turn into a loser after he saw the price inching up before the report from .15 to .38. 2. After the report, the price dropped, the same trader shorted 25 contracts (he liked to trade 25 contracts at a time, obviously), at the price of .85. The trade went into profit briefly (a few seconds) and then went into red when the price rebounded. 3. The trader held on to his short position. I guess the inventory number was so bearish that many traders thought of only one direction: down. 4. My broker found that the same trader didn't have any trading activity until hours later: He covered his 25 contracts, at a loss of about 40k. Who would think the oil price would go up relentlessly after a very bearish inventory report?
Noticing the drop after 11pm ET, re-started the platform and took a few more setups, added +50. so the total is +140 for today.
Really? Your broker is an ex-hacker that has nothing better to do then chase down a question for you? And this is legal for him to do? .....