6 Things that separate the pro from the amateur trader Part 1

1. Distractions and focus
Amateur: Watches YouTube videos, is online at Facebook, chats in Skype or watches TV while trading. The amateur loses focus easily and does multiple things when there is no setup in sight or markets are currently slow. He, therefore, misses trades easily, makes mistakes when calculating his position and when executing trades.

Pro: When the professional trader is trading, he is 100% focused and does nothing else besides watching his charts. He might have a website open to monitor news releases or watch the news ticker on a TV channel (on mute!), but that’s it. The pro knows how important it is to be 100% focused and when there is nothing to do and no trading setup in sight, he turns off his platform, works on his trading skills or just takes the day off.

2. Wasting screen-time
Amateur: Amateur traders tend to watch charts for hours at a time and randomly flip through timeframes on the hunt for a trade. The myth that screen-time will help a trader become better is still accepted among amateur traders. Watching charts for the sake of it has no value whatsoever if you don’t know what you are looking for.

Pro: The professional trader has a detailed trading plan and knows exactly what he is looking for and when he is going to trade. He does not flip through timeframes, but just waits patiently until the trade comes to him. He does not waste his time by sitting in front of his charts all day long when there is nothing to do. When there is nothing to do, the professional goes back to his trading journal and reviews his past performance to find ways to become better.

3. Overconfidence after a winning streak
Amateur: The amateur trader believes that after a few winning trades in a row he has acquired superior skills or that his trading strategy is suddenly a money machine and cannot fail anymore. The problem is that after a few winning trades, amateur traders use too much risk and take trades that are too big or violate their trading rules because they ‘can feel’ what will happen next.

It’s not uncommon that after 4 or 5 winning trades, traders lose all their profits on only one trade. Are you guilty of that too?

Pro: The professional trader knows that he is not suddenly a super trader and cannot predict what is going to happen next. A winning streak is normal and will happen time after time; it is just how trading works. A professional trader ALWAYS sticks to his plan, always follows his risk and money management rules and NEVER lets one losing trade wipe out a significant amount of his capital.

You should also read Part 2

Junior Trader Stefan Panteleev