In general, fluctuations are good for traders. We usually hear from those who are getting killed, not from those who are making a killing.
Actually the "long term diverisfied holders of stocks and funds over 10-20 year periods make money 100% of the time. and that also can't be challanged" can be challenged. Just go back to the 60s and 70s and I seem to recall a period where you could have bought and waited a long time for an inflation adjusted return (even an unadjusted return). Also, some people have awfully bad luck in their diversification even in good times.
Someone said equity indexes are great, I think they are awful. How do you make money holding overnight ? Daytrading eminis I don't know, don't have the inclination anymore, it^'as tough or more from what I see on the charts. Other markets have had great tradable moves, one problem though is that volatility is so huge, you trade smaller (in my case MUCH smaller) so the end result in terms of $$$, is it that better for you ? One bad trade, held on to just a little too long and you erase weeks or months of profits.
This has been discussed many times on ET. Though there may not be a consensus, many of us believe that the reason so many traders fail is that there is such a small entry barrier to trading. Anyone with a few bucks can trade whether they know how to or not. Contrast that with the entry barrier for virtually any other vocation or profession and i believe we have a valid explanation for why so many fail at trading. Imagine that you wanted to be a pilot and therefore read a bunch of books on flying and read as much on the internet as you could about flying, and then went to the airport, jumped behind the controls of an airplane and took off. What would be your chances of surviving? This is somewhat comparable to a new trader who downloads a trading platform, grabs a mouse and starts trading. Not much of a chance there either. The difficulty of learning to trade is compounded by there being relatively few successful traders willing to share there knowledge in sufficient detail to be helpful and the large number of charlatans who pass themselves off as successful traders and sell false or poor trading advice via books and the web.
That's why money management is paramount in trading. If you held "too long" you're not a professional trader; you're an amateur trader without a written trading plan.
If you let your losers ride, you're not only in the 95 % that lose but in the lowest 20 % that are really dumb. You need a lot more than just a bit of discipline to succeed in trading IMO.
Possibly successful traders donât mind sharing some information, however in my experience too often the noob think they know better and too often heap abuse or smart alec comments at the voluntary mentor. After a while the mentor just SâsTFU. Iâve been on both ends of the stick in this regard, giver and receiver unfortunately. Hence many traderâs struggle as they attempt to go it alone. I suppose at the end of the day one will succeed or fail by their own efforts. If one should need assistance, then one should pay for that, either with cash or blood sweat and tears. Doing the homework and like trading, there is a probability outcome. The law of the jungle usually favour the fittest, the smartest and those who persevere. Some also get lucky thru good connections. Often itâs the way the dice falls, some make it and others donât. Every aspect of life has its casualties and trading is no different. Summer, Autumn, Winter & Springâ¦..day and night, all seasonal. Every dog has its day.