Mastering the Edge: How Risk and Leverage Shape WinnersIn my last post, we discovered how expectancy works like a compass — giving us direction and helping us see the road ahead of our trading account. But a compass alone won’t move you forward. To actually get anywhere, you need an engine.
And that engine is risk management.
Many traders spend years looking for the “perfect” trading system, only to ruin it by stepping too hard on the gas. They don’t blow up because their strategy was flawed — they blow up because their risk was.
Risk per Trade: The Accelerator and the Brake
Think of risk per trade as the pressure you put on the accelerator. Risk too little, and your system barely moves. Risk too much, and you spin out of control.
When you risk a fixed fraction of your account, every trade slightly changes the size of the next one. This creates compounding — the same principle that builds fortunes when handled with care, but wipes accounts when abused.
The key takeaway is simple: risk is the throttle of your system. Push it wisely.
Drawdowns: The Valleys You Can’t Avoid
Every journey has valleys and peaks, and trading is no different. A drawdown is simply the distance between your highest equity peak and the valley that follows.
It’s not something you can avoid. Every trader, no matter how skilled, will walk through valleys. What matters is how deep they go — and whether you can climb back out. The bigger your risk per trade, the deeper those valleys will be.
Leverage: The Amplifier
Leverage doesn’t change your system; it amplifies it. It’s like turning up the volume on your speakers. A little more volume makes the music clearer. Too much, and the sound distorts, eventually blowing out the speakers.
In trading, leverage multiplies your effective risk. That means it can quickly push you beyond the “sweet spot” where your system grows steadily, into a dangerous zone where volatility eats away at your gains.
The point is not to avoid leverage altogether, but to respect it. Used wisely, it enhances your edge. Used carelessly, it magnifies every weakness until it breaks you.
Risk of Ruin: The Hidden Monster
Even with a profitable edge, there’s always a monster lurking in the shadows: risk of ruin.
In simple terms, risk of ruin is the probability that you’ll blow up your account before your trading edge has enough time to show itself. It’s not about whether your system works — it’s about whether you survive long enough to let it work.
Here’s the practical catch: leverage amplifies both your gains and your losses. And because losses are inevitable, leverage makes your drawdowns deeper. The real question every trader should ask is: will this amplified drawdown knock me out of the game too soon?
That’s why using leverage wisely is non-negotiable. Even a solid system can collapse if pushed beyond its limits. The trade-off is clear: grow steadily but safely, or chase faster growth and risk snapping the system in half.
Now, for those who like to peek under the hood, there is actually a scientific way to estimate the “sweet spot” for risk and leverage. Traders and mathematicians call it the Kelly Criterion. In this post we don’t go into formulas, but if you want to see the numbers, the simulations, and even play with your own scenarios, you’ll find a complete Python notebook in this GitHub repo (github.com).
Bringing It All Together
A trading system with an edge is like a powerful engine. But without managing the fuel (risk), the throttle (leverage), and the terrain (drawdowns), even the best engine can explode before reaching its destination.
This is why risk management isn’t just a technical detail — it’s survival. And here’s the truth: every profitable trader in the world, whether they know it or not, follows these principles. Some arrive at it through mathematics and statistics, others apply it intuitively. What outsiders often call “the touch” or “the magic” of a great trader is nothing mystical at all — It’s nothing more than the consistent application of probabilistic thinking, whether done consciously or unconsciously.
Strip away the charts, the buzzwords, and the noise, and you’ll always find the same foundation underneath: probability, expectancy, and risk control. Apply them consciously with tools and simulations, or apply them instinctively — either way, they are the invisible framework that separates survival from ruin, and consistency from chaos.
And if you want to see this foundation in motion, not as abstract ideas but as living numbers and scenarios, the GitHub notebook is there for you. It’s a way to pull back the curtain and watch how expectancy, Kelly criterion, leverage, and drawdowns truly shape the future of your trading account.
Probabilities
From Execution to Adaptation: Enter Dynamic ProbabilitiesIn the previous article , we looked at a real trade on Gold where I shifted from a clean mechanical short setup to an anticipatory long — not because of a hunch, but because the market behavior demanded it.
That decision wasn’t random. It was based on new information. On structure. On price action.
It was based on something deeper than just “rules” — it was about recognizing when the probability of success had changed.
That brings us to a powerful but rarely discussed concept in trading:
👉 Dynamic probabilities.
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📉 Static Thinking in a Dynamic Market
Most traders operate with static probabilities — whether they realize it or not.
They assign a probability to a trade idea (let’s say, “this breakout has a 70% chance”) and treat that number as if it’s written in stone.
But markets don’t care about your numbers.
The moment new candles print, volatility shifts, or structure morphs — the probability landscape changes. What once looked like a clean setup can begin to deteriorate. Conversely, something that looked uncertain can start aligning into high-probability territory.
Yet many traders fail to adapt because they’re emotionally invested in the original plan.
They’ve already “decided” what the market should do, so they stop listening to what the market is actually doing.
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🧠 Dynamic Probabilities Require Dynamic Thinking
To trade dynamically, you must be able to update your internal odds in real time.
This doesn’t mean constantly second-guessing or overanalyzing — it means refining your bias based on evolving context:
• A strong breakout followed by weak continuation? → probability drops.
• Price holding above broken resistance with clean structure? → probability increases.
• Choppy pullback into support with fading volume? → potential reversal builds.
It’s like playing poker: you might start with a good hand, but if the flop goes against you, your odds change.
If you ignore that and keep betting like you’ve got the nuts, you’re not being bold — you’re being blind.
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📍 Back to the Gold Trade
In the Gold trade, the initial short was based on structure: broken support turned resistance.
The entry was mechanical, the reaction was clean. All good.
But then:
• Price came back fast into the same zone.
• Sellers failed to defend it decisively.
• The second leg down was sluggish, overlapping, and lacked momentum.
• Compression began to form.
That’s when the probability of continued downside collapsed — and the probability of a reversal increased.
The market had changed. So did my bias.
That’s dynamic probability in action — not because of a feeling, but because of evolving evidence.
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🧘♂️ The Psychological Trap
Many traders intellectually accept the idea of being flexible — but emotionally, they cling to certainty.
They fear being “inconsistent” more than they fear being wrong.
But in a dynamic environment, consistency of thinking is not about repeating the same action — it’s about consistently reacting to what’s real.
True consistency is not mechanical repetition. It’s mental adaptability grounded in logic.
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🧠 Takeaway
If you want to trade professionally, you must upgrade your mindset from fixed-probability execution to fluid-probability reasoning.
That doesn’t mean chaos. It means structured flexibility.
Your edge isn’t just in spotting patterns — it’s in knowing when those patterns are breaking down.
And acting accordingly, before your PnL does it for you.
Disclosure: I am part of TradeNation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analyses and educational articles.
Think in Probabilities Embracing Uncertainty Your Key To SuccessPicture this: You’re at your trading desk, eyes on the charts, heart pounding as the market swings unpredictably. Do you feel that fear creeping in?
Now, imagine knowing that this unpredictability doesn’t have to scare you. Instead, it can be the key to your success. Let's dive into why thinking in probabilities and staying calm in the face of uncertainty can turn trading from a gamble into a calculated path to consistent success.
Many traders struggle with uncertainty because they lack a solid, tested system. Trading randomly or without a proven strategy leads to anxiety and inconsistency. But once you have a reliable system that suits your lifestyle and mindset, and you fully understand your edge, you realize that while the outcome of each trade is random, the probabilities of your trading system will work out for you over time.
The Role of Probabilities in Trading
Trading isn’t about predicting the next big market move; it’s about understanding the odds and working them to your advantage. Each trade is a small part of a larger statistical framework, where the focus shifts from individual outcomes to the bigger picture.
Why Is Learning To Think In Probabilities So Important For Trading Success?
Reduces Emotional Bias : By thinking in probabilities, you understand that each trade is just one in a series of many. This helps reduce emotional reactions to individual losses or gains, such as revenge trading, doubling up on position sizing, or even smashing your new iPhone against the wall (been there, LOL).
For example, if you know that your strategy wins 60% of the time, you won't be devastated by a single loss. You'll see it as part of the statistical outcome.
Encourages Rational Decision-Making: Knowing your strategy has an actual edge helps you stick to your plan, even during losing streaks, and avoid impulsive decisions. To know your edge, you need to do plenty of backtesting and forward testing so you can gain confidence in the system.
For instance, if you experience a string of losses, understanding that this is normal and statistically probable helps you remain disciplined and not deviate from your strategy.
Builds Confidence in Your System : Confidence comes from knowing your strategy is backtested and has a proven edge over a large number of trades.
This knowledge helps you stay disciplined and focused on executing your plan. For example, if your backtesting shows a positive expectancy over 1,000 trades, you can trust your system even when short-term results are unfavorable.
Things That Have Helped Me Over the Years to Deal With the Uncertainty of Trading
Finding or Developing a System/Strategy That Suits You : As humans, we are all different, and this is especially true in trading. Some people are happy to be in and out of the market fast (scalpers) and have the ability to make big decisions quickly under pressure.
Others are slower thinkers and like to make decisions carefully, staying in the market for a longer period of time (swing traders).
You need to find what you're best at and stick to it. If you have a busy life with work and family, maybe swing trading suits you. If you’re younger and not as busy, then perhaps scalping is your style.
Playing Strategy Games and Games of Chance : This may not be something you've heard before, but I've met many traders, including myself, who have found that games like poker can really help your trading by teaching you to think in probabilities.
Another game I love to play is chess, as it encourages you to think ahead, and I’ve found it has helped me in my trading over the years.
Practicing Visualization : If you've ever read anything on the subconscious mind, you know it’s responsible for 95% of all your automatic behaviors, especially in trading. The subconscious doesn’t distinguish between what is real and what is imagined.
This is why visualization is such a powerful tool to help you embrace market uncertainty. By visualizing yourself placing trades confidently, managing risks well, and handling outcomes calmly, you prepare your mind for real trading scenarios.
This mental practice reinforces your belief in your system and prepares you for the market's ups and downs.
Books That Helped Me Think in Probabilities
Reading has been an invaluable part of my journey to understanding probabilities. Here are some books that have profoundly impacted my trading mindset:
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
This book helped me understand how cognitive biases affect decision-making and how to overcome them by thinking more strategically.
"Fooled by Randomness" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Taleb's insights into the role of chance and randomness in our lives and the markets were eye-opening and changed how I view risk and probability.
"Beat the Dealer" by Edward O. Thorp
Although this book is about blackjack, Thorp’s exploration of probability and statistics offers valuable lessons for trading.
"The Theory of Poker" by David Sklansky
Sklansky breaks down the mathematics of poker, showing how to make decisions based on probability, a skill directly applicable to trading.
"The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham
This classic on value investing emphasizes the importance of long-term thinking and understanding market probabilities.
"A Man for All Markets" by Edward O. Thorp
This autobiography offers a fascinating look at how Thorp applied probability theory to beat the casino and the stock market.
"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Harari’s book provides context on human behavior and decision-making, offering insights into the psychological elements of trading.
"The Signal and the Noise" by Nate Silver
Silver’s exploration of how we can better understand predictions and probabilities is highly relevant to making informed trading decisions.
"Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction" by Philip E. Tetlock and Dan M. Gardner
This book teaches how to improve forecasting skills through careful analysis and thinking in probabilities.
Thinking in probabilities was a game-changer for me. It shifted my focus from trying to predict every market move to playing the long game. By embracing this mindset, I turned fear into confidence and uncertainty into strategy.
Remember, trading isn’t about guessing the market. It’s about responding with a clear, composed mind. Trust your strategy, know your edge, and let the probabilities work in your favor. This approach transformed my trading journey, and it can do the same for you. Happy trading!
Managing Risk Using Probabilities 3 In part 2 of this series, we discussed the probability of a coin flip and how the odds that you land on heads "x" number of times in a row significantly decreases each time the coin is flipped. Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between "the probability the chart goes up or down" and "the probability that you (the trader) find yourself in a winning trade."
The brings me to my next point of gathering your data. There is a difference between gathering data to calculate the probability an asset will rise or fall versus gathering data on a specific trade set-up and determining whether or not it will win or lose. Backtesting and forward testing are both excellent methods to calculate probabilities. In my honest opionion, backtest at least 100 trades in order to best calculate probability. Ask yourself if you are okay with losing more than 3 times in a row. If your set up loses more than 4 times in a row, it is very likely your odds of being in a losing trade are worse.
Please take the time to think and meditate on this matter. If there are no questions concerning this, I may begin to go into details of my own personal trading set ups on the next article.
Be blessed!
Handy
How To Trade Probability Ranges The Critical Rule of 1/3Using the Rule of Thirds to Master Probabilities in trading and investing ranges
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Stocks typically remaining in consolidation ranges 70% of the time while trending the remainder.
Using the rule of thirds, we can use statistics, prior price action and the probabilities of success to determine when to enter trades where the odds are stacked in our favor.
1) We start by finding a stock that is in a consolidation range, and identify the nearest important support and important resistance levels based on your targeted trading timeframe.
2 ) We take the range between the support and resistance levels and divide it into thirds, so we have three zones within the consolidation range.
3) When going long, you want to BUY the stock when it is within the bottom third or the zone from support to the 1st third level. Once you buy, your objectives are to hold during the middle third of the range, and sell during the top third.
When you buy in the first third, this gives you a 66 percent chance of success. If you buy in the second third of the range, you only have a 50/50 chance of success. Going long in the top third of the range, gives you only a 33% chance of success because you are already close to the resistance level.
When going short, the sequence and odds are reversed. You sell during the top third of the range, hold during the middle third and exit in the bottom third. This again gives you a 66% chance of success when you enter in the top third, 50/50 chance if you enter in the middle third, and a 33% chance of success if you enter in the bottom third as you are already close to the support zone.
****Using this simple trick, you can quickly evaluate trades based on probabilities and selectively enter trades where the odds of success are the highest and avoid likely losing trades. The rule of thirds also also gives you the confidence to continue to hold trades based on previous important ranges, and provides clear levels where the stock is likely to either reverse or start trending.
Hope It Helps to your Trading & Investing Success
Marc
I flipped a coin 110 times. Easiest profitable strategy.I tested whether you could be profitable by flipping a coin 110 times to show the power of risk management.
This is Bitcoin 1hr chart from the beginning of 2021 to now.
Rules:
1. Bollinger Bands are squeezed tight.
2. If coin lands on Heads, go long. If coin lands on Tails, go short.
3. 1:2 RRR
Results:
Wins = 51
Win Percent = 315%
Losses = 59
loss Percent = 190.6%
Net Profit = 124.4%
You can make money by flipping a coin.
In fact, a 46% win rate is very good with 1:2 RRR.
You don't need to be a genius or even have any strategy at all to make money trading.
All you need to have is the discipline not to mess with your trades after placing them.
Don't exit trades early, let them play through and trust in the probabilities and RRR.
Should you trade by flipping a coin? NO.
Should you have a good risk reward ratio and not mess with your trades? YES.
Educational. How to trade a broadening wedge pattern? In this video:
* How to spot and draw a broadening wedge pattern.
* What constitutes an official broadening wedge pattern.
* Is the pattern bullish or bearish?
* What is the probability of breaking down vs. moving further up?
* How to measure target down and how to measure target up?
* Other notes to make on how to trade.
Want To Improve Your Trading Game? Play Poker!In virtually any field of athletics it is advised that you should cross-train in order to both avoid injury and increase performance . For example, Football players are encouraged to take up pilates, yoga, and swimming. Runners can reduce injury and increase performance by incorporating Rollerblading, Barre, and Zumba into their routines.
So what should traders do in order to "cross-train" that will make them better traders, to help them "avoid injury" (as in lose money ) and "increase performance" (as in make money )?
My answer: Play Poker!
Yes, Poker and Trading are both "sedentary" activities where you are sitting at a desk or table. It is the brain that needs to be toned, limbered up, and made flexible, not the body. (Though you need to make sure your body is healthy too!) So it is safe to say that the peak performance trader needs a mental cross-training routine, not necessarily a physical one.
So why is Poker the ideal cross-training exercise for traders?
1: Poker Teaches Risk Management
Unless you're a novice or not seriously playing in a virtual poker App, there's little chance you will go "All In" at the poker table. I can count on one hand the number of times I went "all in" and I won every time. Such opportunities rarely happen. When I did move my pile of chips to the center of the table it was because I knew what was in my hand. I "managed my risk". Likewise, the trader or investor should almost never go "all-in", putting their entire account into asset X, Y, or Z because "the market will market" on you and you will lose it all. In trading terms, you can very easily "blow up your account."
As Kenny Rogers says, "You've got to know when to hold'em... and know when to fold'em."
Good risk management requires that even if you lose say, 5 times in a row, you will live to trade another day. I frequently talk about never risking more than 1% of your account on any single trade . A 5% loss is easy to recover from with two 3-R wins, or one 7-R win. Likewise in poker, with a $100 buy-in, you usually have $1 antes, allowing you to play up to 100 hands (even if you were the worst poker player in the world) risking only 1% per hand.
In poker, only if the "odds are in your favor", that is, you have two-pair, or you have three or four-of-a-kind, or a straight, would you consider raising the stakes to 2, 5, or even 10% of your bankroll. If you can make 20R from a 4R "risk" with the odds in your favor, you are now thinking like a professional trader where Risk Management is "Job One".
2: Poker Teaches Emotional Management
I like to teach that our goal as a trader is to be totally mechanical - totally rules-based. Our goal is to "Trade like a Vulcan" or "Trade like Spock: Trade long and prosper!" What's the poker analogy? Having a " Poker Face ". Or as the old antiperspirant commercial said, "Never let'em see you sweat."
We may have an awesome hand, but we can't display a "woo-hoo" face because no one will bet against us. We may have a terrible hand, but we can't put up a "oh, good grief!" face and let others know that they have even the slightest chance of beating us. We have to play every hand waiting for the last card drawn (the river) because that last card can make or break what we are holding in our hand. And very often it is that last card dealt, "the river", that can make or break a poker hand.
3: Poker Teaches You to Play the Probabilities
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I remember the famous slogan from the New York Lottery: "You gotta be in it to win it!" They threatened (coerced?) every New Yorker with "fear of loss" if they didn't play the lotto... "Well, yeah, we all know the odds of you winning are are actually close to zero, but of you don't play then they really are zero so you better play or you will feel more like the loser than you already are!"
Thankfully, the odds in winning at Poker are much higher than winning a set of numbers printed on ping-pong balls, which teaches you that when you have an "edge"... when you have a "system" that has the odds in your favor (a winning trading system) you can't try to outsmart the system – you need to play every hand that meets the criteria of your system.
As hockey great Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." So as Poker players and as traders, we have to play every hand, or every trade that appears that meets our trading plan's criteria, otherwise if we try to "outsmart the market" we will lose every time. And more often than not, even with a terrible hand, say a 2 and 4 of spades, you might find that if you don't fold, every once in a while three spades will appear on the table giving you one of the high-probability hands: the flush . So play every hand . And in trading, take every trade opportunity that appears that qualifies under your rules-based trading system.
4: Poker Teaches You To Stay Humble
My poker buddies and I play every month or so. Early in my tenure when I learned to play poker I realized "Hey, I'm pretty good at this.... I'm gauging the probabilities, I'm keeping my risk-per-hand low, I'm taking small profit after small profit and leaving with twice the money I bought in for or more. Drinks are on me!"
Then I got cocky... Walking into game four I thought to myself "I'm the Vulcan, emotionless, rules-based, odds-calculating poker player, right?"
And that night my proverbial hat was handed to me.
It was one of the worst games I'd played to that point. I over-bid, I bluffed (something I had never done before and my opponents knew it!), and I raised bets on hands I know I should have folded. I re-bought in after losing my original buy-in and lost all of that! And I went home with a valuable lesson: Don't think you can out-smart the probabilities.
The reason we win at poker is the same reason we win at trading. We must always play the odds, we must never play the low probability hands, we must always keep our emotions get the best of us, and when it's time to fold, it's time to fold!"
Last week our poker group met again. I bought in for $50 and left with $135. In trading parlance, that was a 170% return. I was grateful. I learned my lesson. I've got to stay humble and let the hand come to me, let the trade come to me, and never think I can out-smart the table or the market.
5: Poker Teaches You To Set a Financial Target
One of the reasons that casinos give their players free drinks, free upgrades to already expensive suites, and free food is they know that "the more you play, the more you'll pay." You can be up $5,000 for the night, then go get yourself some free lobster tails paired with filet mignon, a bottle of wine, and a decadent dessert. Then you return to the tables all fat, happy, and lubricated and proceed to hand all your winnings back to the House.
I know more than one poker player who has a rule: "When I double my money, I'm done . I may walk in with $500, and when I'm $500 to the positive, I quit and go on to enjoy the rest of my night, otherwise I'll just give it all back."
Similarly, I know many a trader (yours truly included) who may have been up a sizable amount wonderfully early in the trading session, then proceed to give all those winnings back to the market an hour or so later. Setting a daily "win" will prevent you from getting mentally "fat and sassy" where you will become overconfident and then hand your winnings back to the market.
As a Poker player, you may want to make a certain amount of money per game. As a trader, you might want a daily amount of "R" or dollar amount to the positive. In either case, when you hit your goal, even if it's in the first 20 minutes of the trading session you need to close all open trades and enjoy the fact that you did what 90% likely did not do that day: end the day in the green! On other words, "Quit while you're ahead!"
6: Poker Player Are Part of a Vibrant Community Full of Fun People!
Like traders, the number of people who are committed to improving their poker game are few. We need to belong to a strong community of passionate poker players to perfect our craft just as we need to belong to a strong community of passionate (and profitable) traders in order to continually perfect our skill at taking money from the markets each and every day. There are online poker communities you can join (think: Simulated Trading) and there are global in-person Poker communities that can link you up with other players once you're ready to "go live". These communities are generally free to join and will help you build up the skill to become a proficient and profitable Poker player which, more importantly, will help you become an even more proficient and profitable trader.
Is there anything else about Poker that you think needs to be added to the list? Leave a comment below.
As always, Trade well! (And maybe I'll see you at the table!)
DXY stay neutral still has room the higher time frames always have 2 outcomes with probabilities we only trade we the highest trading setups forecasting what is possible to happen if this trade doesn't go the way i expected it ? forecasting this so that your mind wont be shocked when this happens to you !
Closely guarded secret revealed!I'm joking of course. :)) But seriously, have a look at this indicator I'm showing. As I mention in the video it's not all about indicators. It is also about selecting the right indicator for the instrument one is trading.
Practice and understanding of how you can work them together to estimate probabilities is most important.
Lesson on trading, TA and RiskG'day Cobbers and Shobbers,
How are we this morning, did many of you manage to make so profit yesterday?
I will start with a quick talk about Edges and trading strategy and how to be profitable from your charts.
First if you take a look at the chart linked below from yesterday you will notice I flipped outlooks as the day progressed, I also traded on these calls, some I got stopped out on at small losses, a few I made breakeven or small profit after fees, the last one I made a massive profit on, none of those trades were any better than the other. Seriously!
You have to look at your trades in the same way a Casino runs, lets look at the Roulette table for example on a black/red bet, now the "Edge" the Casino has in this situation is the 0 00 on the wheel, which gives the player a 47% chance of winning , the house at 47% plus the edge (Around 6%%) This edge over 10 bets this edge won't net the Casino much or anything at all but over millions of games, you can see the potential for profit.
Trading is the same, once you have a strategy and find an edge, weigh up the risk to reward ratio and it fits your plan, you trade it, win or lose it does not matter, because if you have a good solid strategy and solid risk and money management plan in place, the profit will come. Taking the emotion out of trading is the first thing you need to do to last, this also relates to doing Technical Analysis.
To be good at TA, you need to do more than just study and draw lines, you need to take out any preconceived Bias you have towards the market, be fluid and not stubborn. Big Egos and know it alls always fail, they are unable to admit when they are wrong and end up missing subconsciously the triggers and patterns that are going against their analysis, they filter out all the noise that is not in their favor and look for that which confirms their biases.
Just remember The Market can do anything. you can do your research, analyze and be confident in your trade to go in a certain direction but you can not expect it to, which is why we trade on probabilities, when you see an opportunity ( set by your strategy / Edge) you need to factor in all the data in front of you, decide if it fits your R/R ratio, find an entry and set an exit and stick to it, if you miss the entry then let it go and wait for the next opportunity, it may come back and you will get another chance. Know your exit (look for resistance/support) levels, factor these in with your strategy (be it breakouts or simple MA crosses) before you set you buys/sells and take profits along the way.
Risk
You will hear people talking about Risk all the time and it seems pretty simple but it isn't. A simple explanation can be setting Stops and not risking more than a percentage of your account equity but it is more than that and it also part of what makes markets move. Risk = Pain. Pain is what causes big runs, first goes the stop losses in a big move, then the overleveraged and then those whose pain threshold is pushed beyond the limits, you know this to be true, its why you end up selling off your position at the bottom and then it magically moves up again. This is why you don't risk more than you are willing to lose, and you really got to believe it or this pain will cause you to sell at the bottom, good traders don't deal with this pain because they trade within Risk, they trade without emotion, knowing that a loss matters not, they are a part of trading, your strategy, if followed properly will profit over time. Many fail because they don't follow their strategy, they over-leverage, the place position sizes way to large and small moves against there position causes pain, pain causes loss of confidence. You can see where I'm going with this.
G'day
Thanks for dropping by, hopefully, you garner something valuable from my post, be it educational or an idea towards a trade of your own. Please share, like and comment and engage with me, I am here to help.