http://www.premiertraderuniversity.com/system - Free Trading System
The quick movement in prices makes it easy for traders to get sucked into taking trades outside their normal plan or at prices far worse than they really should. Even though the additional movement is likely to generate far more opportunities, somehow the fear of missing out (fomo) in trading seizes control of the trader and their subsequent decisions become rash.
2. The fact that both the ECB rate
decision and the US Non-Farm Payrolls
report coincided this recently meant
that at least some markets saw a bit of
volatility.
3. The quick movement in prices makes it
easy for traders to get sucked into
taking trades outside their normal plan
or at prices far worse than they really
should.
4. Even though the additional movement
is likely to generate far more
opportunities, somehow the fear of
missing out (fomo) in trading seizes
control of the trader and their
subsequent decisions become rash.
5. A dangerous and chaotic spiraling out
of control can then take over as
revenge trading shows up and before
you know it you can find yourself with
sizable losses for the day.
6. This is why “Don’t chase trades” is
such a vital day trading rule. Let me
describe the sort of scenario that I’m
talking about in a little more detail.
7. You thoroughly prepare for what you
think could be an active session given
the importance of several economic
releases.
8. You specifically identify a number of
possible scenarios and some entry
prices that are likely to give you a great
opportunity to make a healthy amount
of ticks. Then, you sit and you wait.
9. The numbers come out and the
market reacts. It’s moving pretty
quickly but has a good “feel” to it. The
market sets up and you’re calm and
collected.
10. However, as you’re getting ready to
pull the trigger, the market jumps a
few ticks as several other traders take
the trade ahead of you. “Fine” you
think. “I’ll get in on the retest”.
11. But the retest is just a little bit too
shallow for you to get your fill. And the
market starts to move nicely in the
direction of the missed trade.
12. The trouble is that fomo now starts to
take control and it’s a powerful
motivator. Unfortunately it can also be
powerful in blinding a trader to the
reality of the actions that they’re
about to take. So you pounce on the
runaway beast and all of a sudden it
stops.
13. This is when it dawns on a trader that
they only managed to take the trade
because the market had already
started waning and the entry was very
poor.
14. If you ignore the day trading rule –
“Don’t chase trades” – the most
dangerous outcome is perhaps to be
rewarded and end up with a highly
profitable trade.
15. Even if this only happens in a small
proportion of trades, it’s unlikely that
this will be at the forefront of your
mind when those strong fomo
emotions are motivating you to take
the trade.
16. If you get these poor decisions
reinforced by the occasional positive
outcome, it’s unlikely that you’ll learn
any of the important lessons of why
you don’t chase trades.
17. To start with the market doesn’t care
where you enter, so if you get in at a
much worse price than you had
planned for, your price risk may have
increased dramatically – where you’re
wrong remains the same and so your
stop has to increase in size.
18. If your profit potential is still good and
you have the flexibility to reduce the
size of the trade to normalize risk, then
a trade still could work. But this is all
too often not the way things happen.
19. Apart from the added level of price
risk to see if the trade will work, by
getting in after the market has already
made a thrust and before it’s had a
chance to pull back, you’re increasing
the risk that it’ll move against you and
move against you fast.
20. Bear in mind that the reason that
you’ve chased the trade is that you’re
becoming emotional in the first place
and it’s easy to see that a sharp move
against you right after you’ve entered
the trade is only likely to intensify your
emotions. Psychologically, chasing
trades can be extremely damaging.
21. When they do happen to go right, the
trouble is that you’ll see a decrease in
the level of profit potential –
remember the market doesn’t care
where you’ve entered and is going
where it wants to regardless.
22. So if you’ve taken a trade closer to its
destination, your profit potential is
diminished.
23. In terms of how you should approach
potential trades in order to guard
against chasing trades, you could do a
lot worse than attempt to mimic our
furry feline friends. A cat is a natural
and effective hunter. It identifies its
likely prey.
24. It stalks its prey and waits for the best
moment to pounce. It lets its prey
come to it. Finally, in the moment of
truth, it either pounces or it passes up
on the opportunity and returns to its
other business.
25. Here are a few other tips to avoid
chasing the market:-
26. 1) Try to be focused when your
trades show up. If you’re able to set up
audible alerts on your charting
platform then do so. Avoid distractions
when you are scheduled to trade and
set up your trading environment to
take this into account.
27. 2) If you find that you’re often
missing trade setups by a small
margin, ask yourself if your entry plan
needs revising or whether you might
add a secondary entry plan if you miss
the first chance to take a trade.
28. 3) Ask yourself the question of
whether you’re being impulsive based
on fomo – awareness is the first step
to remedy.
29. 4) As part of your trade plan, you
might want to consider giving yourself
a finite tick tolerance for your entries
so that you don’t have to get your
entry price 100% spot on every single
time.
30. The day trading rule to not chase
trades is probably not one where the
importance is going to be apparent
every single time you trade. It is
however, going to be crucial when the
markets are moving quickly. Not
chasing trades is a rule that might just
save you a substantial number of ticks.