I started intra paper trading s&p emini about two months ago and I'm making on average USD600 for about three hours work a day. I trading 3 contracts at a time, when I see my signals I enter and when I see exit signals, I get out. So far I'm having more of a success than a loss, on average, maybe 8 wins with two losses from my trading system. If there is an average of 20 trading days per month times USD600 = USD12,000 per month! Certainly a comfortable living. I know from threads paper trading is not the same as real trading but what are there differences (apart from real money!) anyway? I'm putting strict mental stops and exit sharply even I in a loss. From some articles and other research to confirm, 95% of daytraders fail in the long run. So ... 1. Am I lucky? 2. dreaming. Paper trading is not the same? 3. 600 is too little, should be 'way' more ... Can any fellow S&P emini day traders tell me I'm earning more or less what they're earning?
I don't even even listen or watch the news, why complicate when you have the signals in front of you. two minute chart, stochastics and Trix to confirm
Thank you for the responses. I'm planning to try real trading on Monday, possibly Tuesday depending on how busy I am. There's a lot of responses with 'no there is a difference' so let me ask another question, what the differences are between real and paper? Why is it different. What should I be looking out for? What is the point of paper trading account if it is not similar to the real thing? BTW, I'm with IB and sierra charts.
I do a short vid on where the S&P futures will find resistance and support as well as breakout and breakdown targets If you like, check it out on youtube under tradepilotpro As to SIM.- Real Money trading Psycology has such a huge impact on your trading you will find it much different to trade the same, however your sim trading has given you good results so try your hardest not to change what you are already doing and when you go live STICK TO YOUR PLAN !!!!!!!!! NO MATTER WHAT dont change it now because you are trading with real money Good luck with your new start in the futures you will find out alot about yourself and your emotions when you trade, keep cool and dont get caught up in moment, in short do what works for you !!!! Take Care, Joe baker
Whereas in sim trading the objective is comfort in order execution and signal recognition (and as you so eloquently illustrate, dream of wealth-building), going live you not only see commisions and perhaps other fees subtracted from your trades, which add up quick to the detriment of a losing day, if and when you admit defeat and call it a losing day, but the reality of the risk of actually losing money often at the beginning causes poor judgements in either not pulling the trigger to get into a profitable trade, exiting too soon, or once happened a few times, if you're lucky, too late. Sim trading doesn't prepare you psychologically for real losses. Indeed, greed being latent, the tendency is to overlook, brush aside or cause flat-out denial that losing hard-earned money is probable; in favor of displaying an outlook that trading is easy money, as you are. The result, in more times than not, is blowing accounts.. Which brings us to margin to equity ratios: at 3 contracts, do you have an additional 15 grand to match your margin? Your broker and FCM wont allow you to trade without a equity ratio of their chosing, and I dare say you're likely too inexperienced and it's doubtful you've backtested a system to factor in an expected return to drawdown ratio for an equity curve trading a margin of 1 contract at 3 or more. Outside of money management, too few have the necessary abilities of observation and introspection to notice subtle emotive and psychological underpinings in their own nor do many have the will-power to change even if so. Trust me, the cards are stacked against you. And you shouldn't rush into going live. Most, when it's too late, find that they couldn't afford to trade to begin with. If you're relying on withdrawals from your account to live, you've failed from the onset. You probably wont believe a word that I've written, but that too is inclined and predictable. At any rate, I wish you luck. You'll need it.