Don’t Take Profits Too Quickly or Stay in Losing Trades Too Long
Does this sound familiar…
“Most of the time I earn a few pips and close out the trade because I want to catch it while it is still profitable. But when the trade goes against me I will hang onto it too long thinking it will come back to profitability. But then I get scared and close it out so I don’t end up losing more. And then, what’s really frustrating is that the currency pair ends up moving back in the direction of my original trade!”
“How can I learn to ‘stick with my trade’?”
This is a great question and it is something with which all traders, especially in the beginning, have a challenge. It is also something that is gained through
experience
.
A key concept that a trader must grasp is to acknowledge that they
will
have
losing trades
.
If a trade moves against you, as a trader you need to be willing to accept the losing trades just as you are willing to accept the winning trades. Moreover, since you are trading with risk capital,
money that you
can
afford to lose
, a trader simply must be OK with a loss as it will not affect their life style one tiny bit.
Losses are simply a part of trading.
(By the way, if you are not trading with risk capital,
STOP TRADING
!)
Once a trader accepts the above concepts, they will be more inclined to let a trade “play out” and not jump at the chance to lock in a tiny bit of profit or become distraught as a trade begins to move against them and close out the position.
Next, be certain that you are taking only the higher probability trades, those that are in the direction of the
trend
. And be certain that your entries are based on a solid
technical
reason such as a break of
support or resistance
.
When a trader knows that they are trading a pair that is in a strong trend, they will have the courage of their conviction, the
confidence
to be able to “stick with the trade”. This does not mean that sticking with a trade in the direction of the trend will insure a winning trade. It does mean, however, that you will be taking trades that have a greater potential for success.
Once you have decided on the higher probability pair you will trade and know where you will place your initial
stop
and limit, when the trade executes…leave it alone!
Promise yourself that you will only let the trade limit out or be stopped out.
Lastly, be sure that you are following the principles of
Money Management
. That way, when the losing trades occur, as they invariably will, your losses will be small and manageable.
Practice this discipline many, many times in a Demo account until you become comfortable with it.
