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8 Most Important Trading Levels of EntryThere are over 30 different elements you can add to your trading journal. But if you want to start off light and easier, then there are only a few KEY levels you’ll need to get into your trade and track them. 8 to be exact. These include: #1: Market (Stocks, Indices, Forex, Commodities, Crypto) What market are you trading? There are many different markets to choose from, including stocks, indices, forex, commodities, and crypto. Each of these markets has its own unique characteristics, including volatility, liquidity, and risk factors. When you specify what market you’re trading you’ll know which account to measure your portfolio. #2: Date of Entry This information will allow you to track your trades over time and evaluate the success of their strategies. Also, something not many people think about is when you’re profitable and in the money. It is also useful for tax purposes, as you might need to report your gains and losses to the relevant authorities. #3: Entry Price The entry price is the price at which a trader enters a trade. This information is critical for calculating potential profits and losses, as well as for setting stop loss and take profit levels. You’ll also know how the market is moving relative to their position and make certain adjustments to your trades (following your strategy) as needed. #4: Type Buy (Go long) or Sell (Go Short) The type of trade, whether it is a buy or a sell short, is important because it determines the direction of the trade. If a trader buys a security, they are betting that the price will go up, while a sell short trade is a bet that the price will go down. This information is important for setting stop loss and take profit levels, as well as for understanding the risk profile of the trade. #5: Stop Loss (Risk level) A stop loss is an order to close a trade if the price reaches a certain level. This is a key risk management tool that helps traders limit their losses in case the market moves against them. Also, it’s used to lock in profits when the trade is going in your favour. #6: Take Profit (Reward level) Take profit is the opposite of a stop loss. It is an order to close a trade when the price reaches a certain level of profit. This allows traders to lock in their gains and exit the trade at a predetermined level. #7: Margin (Initial deposit) Margin is the amount of money a trader needs to deposit in order to open a position. This is important because it determines the amount of leverage the trader is using and the potential risk exposure. By recording the margin requirements for each trade, you’ll be able to monitor your overall risk exposure and adjust your positions if needed. #8: Reason of Entry The reason for entering a trade is important because it helps traders evaluate the success of their strategy and make adjustments as needed. This depends on your trading strategy. Are you trading because of a breakout pattern, Moving Averages, Range bounded, Order blocks, Liquidity Sweeps, Volume Spread analyses or indicator analysis – you’ll be able to jot your entry reason for each trade. So if you’re new to trading or not worried about the extras when plotting in your journal. You now have the most important elements of a trading: Markets, the date of entry, entry price, type of trade, stop loss, take profit, margin, reason. Hope that helps.
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
EXPLAINED: Calculation for CFD Brokerage with Anheuser ExampleHow do I calculate the brokerage I'll pay on a local CFD trade? You’ll need to calculate the brokerage you’ll pay to enter your trade and the brokerage you’ll need to pay to exit your trade. We’ll first need to lay out all the necessary information to calculate what brokerages you’ll pay… For this example, we’re going to use a trade example with Anheuser Busch InBev. And we’ll use the brokerage of 0.30% leg in (entry) and 0.30% leg out (exit) to pay. Here are all the specifics needed for this trade: Portfolio value: R40,000 Trade: JSE:ANH Type: Long (buy) Brokerage rate in: 0.30% Brokerage rate out: 0.30% Entry: R1,184.00 Stop loss: R1,143.00 Take profit: R1,215.00 Calculation #1: Calculating your ENTRY brokerage with CFDs Step #1: Know what your max portfolio risk is per trade Max % risk = (Portfolio value X 2%) = (R40,000 X 2%) = R800 Step #2: Find out the rands risked in trade Rands risked = (Entry – Stop loss) = (R1,184.00 – R1,143) = R41.00 Step #3: Calculate the number of CFD contracts to trade No. CFDs = (Max % risk ÷ Rands risked) = (R800 ÷ R41.00) = 19.51 SIDE NOTE: We always round down the number of CFDs, so that we risk less than what we choose to risk instead of more. Therefore, we will buy 19 CFDs in this specific trade. Step #4: Calculate your ENTRY exposure for the CFD trade Entry exposure = (Entry price X No. CFDs) = (R1,184 X 19 CFDs) = R22,496 Brokerage in = (Entry exposure X Broker rate in) = (R22,496 X 0.30%) = R67.48 This means, you’ll need to pay a brokerage of R67.48 in order to buy (go long) 9 Anheuser CFDs. Now we can move onto the next brokerage leg. Calculation #2: Calculating your EXIT brokerage with CFDs Step #1: Work out your EXIT exposure for the CFD trade Exit exposure = (Exit price X No. CFDs) = (R1,215 X 19 CFDs) = R23,085 Step #2: Calculate your brokerage leg out Brokerage out = (Exit exposure X Broker rate out) = (R23,085 X 0.30%) = R69.25 Step #3: Calculate the total brokerage for the CFD trade Total brokerage = (brokerage leg in + Brokerage leg out) = (R67.48+ R69.25) = R136.73 This means, if the trade hit your take profit level you would have ended up paying a total brokerage of R136.73 for your Anheuser CFD long trade.
JSE:ANHEducation
by Timonrosso
4 EXTRAS to add to your Trading Journal TODAYI’m sure you know by now. That every successful trader needs a trading journal. This is an essential tool to track, monitor, evaluate, record, and measure your trading success. However, I’ve come up with 4 EXTRA Journal Items that you can add to your journal that could help improve your trading, win rate and overall performance. We can call these the “Trading Journal Extras.” Let me know if you think any of these will be helpful to add to your journal. EXTRA Journal Item #1: MY EMOTIONS Emotional State When Taking Trades Trading can be an emotional rollercoaster. When you lose, it feels like everything is out to get you. When you win, it can feel like you’ve nailed life in a bag and you can do this for the rest of your life. But what if you actually journaled your emotions? Every time you take a trade or you bank a loss or gain, document it in a section saying “EMOTIONS. This element to your Trading Journal can help you identify patterns in your emotional state that may impact your decision-making abilities in the future. You will also see who you are personally and how you emotionally handle trades. Watch it improve over time. For instance, if you find that you’re more likely to make impulsive trades when you’re feeling anxious or stressed, you can take steps to manage your emotions before taking trades. This can help you make better decisions and minimize the risks of impulsive trades. EXTRA Journal Item #2: MISTAKES LEARNED Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned As a trader, you’re bound to make mistakes, and it’s essential to learn from them. So why not write them down. Incorporate the mistakes you made in your Trading Journal. This way, it can help you avoid making the same errors in the future. For example, if you realize that you lost way more than 2% for a trade. Write down where you went wrong. Did you over capitalise? Did you extend your stop loss? Did you hold on longer than you should (which the costs added up)? Did you follow your strategy and risk management rules? Write down the mistake and you’ll have a better chance of avoiding it in the future. EXTRA Journal Item #3: NEWS REACTION Market Reaction to News Events You won’t find this in my journal. But I know many traders who trade using market fundamentals and news analyses. And if you’re a day trader, Forex trader or a high frequency trader – then this item might be imperative to your trading journal. The market’s reaction to news events can cause major whipsaws, fakeouts and shakeouts. You might find it interesting and educational track how the market behaves before and after a news release. E.g. NFP (Non Farm Payrolls). Unemployment numbers Interest and Inflation rates announcements Quantitative Easing Earnings Reports and so on… For instance, if you notice that the market reacts positively to news about a particular sector or asset, you can make an informed decision to invest in that asset or sector. Similarly, if you notice a trend of negative market reactions to news events, you can use that information to minimize your losses. EXTRA Journal Item #3: TRADING LESSON Trading Lessons and Strategies Finally, as a trader, you must keep learning and growing. If you learnt something about trading, WRITE it down in a journal entry. Adding a section in your Trading Journal called LESSON OF THE DAY. Then record the trading lesson/s and strategies you learnt which can jog back your member and it can help you improve your skills, application and knowledge. The FOUR extra Trading Journal Entries A Trading Journal with these EXTRA items can help you excel as a trader. Thins like emotional state to identify patterns, writing down mistakes to avoid repeating them, tracking market reactions to news events to inform decisions, and recording trading lessons and strategies to continuously learn and improve. So here’s a sum up of the FOUR EXTRAS that you can apply to your journal. MY EMOTIONS Document emotions every time you take a trade or bank a loss/gain MISTAKES LEARNED Write down mistakes made and where you went wrong in your Trading Journal NEWS REACTION Track the market’s behaviour before and after news releases TRADING LESSON Record lessons and strategies learnt that will help with your trading Let me know if this helps and which out of the FOUR you’ll add to your trading journal?
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
Maximise your trading success with market analysisWhen it comes to trading, one of the most important skills to develop is market analysis. When you know how to read the market and make informed decisions, it can be the difference between spotting high, medium and low probability trades. Here are some ideas to analyse the market and maximise your chance of success. Start with the Main Indices The first step in market analysis is to take a look at the main indices. These indices, such as the JSE ALSI, SP500, Nasdaq, FTSE100, and others, are a good indication of the overall market direction. Once you have seen the indices, you’ll get a sense of how the market is moving as a whole, and what kinds of opportunities might be available. Identify the major Trends Once you’ve looked at the main indices, it’s time to: Identify any market trends (Market environment) If the market is showing a strong uptrend (trend, momentum, moving averages analysis) Then it’s best to ONLY look for longs or buys. On the other hand, if your indicators suggest that the market has confirmed a downtrend, it’s best to look for sells or shorts. Look for Breakouts Sometimes the market doesn’t confirm an up or down trend. If you see the market is moving in a sideways manner, there’s still an opportunity to profit. In this case, it’s a good idea to write down the levels of breakouts you’d expect. If the market breaks up, you’ll expect longs, and if it breaks down, you’ll look for shorts. This way you’ll prepare for both outcomes And you’ll be able to capitalize on whichever direction the market takes. Final Thoughts Market analysis is a critical skill for any trader to master. When you start with the main indices, to identify trends, and looking for breakouts, you’ll be able to make informed decisions about your trades and get a good idea of where they’re more likely to head.
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
4 Ways to STOP Impulse TradingHow do I STOP Impulse Trading? Just a reminder. An impulse trader is one who makes quick, irrational decisions to take a trade (long or short) for some form of immediate satisfaction it may bring in the short run. Impulse trading might occasionally work. But it's risky and can damage your trading confidence and psychology in the long run. That’s because when you win, you’ll take more impulse trades that go against your strategy. But then the winning streak will end and the losing streak will come. And that’s where you’ll blow your portfolio eventually. So, to help you overcome impulse trading, I suggest these three solutions: Solution #1: Take a break When you feel the urge to make an impulsive trade, step away from your computer for an hour. Use the time to go cook a meal, go for a walk, or do something else that helps you relax. Then when you’re feeling more relaxed and in tune, you can come back to trade the markets with a refreshed, rational mindset to see what has or is lining up. Solution #2: Reflect on your trading history Review your trading track record. It is your game plan. It shows you the potential of what is to come. And it allows you to look at your past data and trend of your portfolio. Consider the gains and losses you've experienced and remind yourself of why it is super important to stick to your trading strategy. This alone should help you resist impulsive trades. Solution #3: Set specific conditions for impulse trading If you still struggle to control your impulsive trading instincts, then this might be the best idea. Open a separate trading account with disposable funds. This way, you can indulge and take your impulse trades without jeopardizing your primary trading strategy and account. Maybe it’s a R10,000 or even a R50,000 account. Or if you just want to trade for trading sake it, it might be a R5,000 account. Whatever it is. When you feel impulsive, trade using your impulse trading account. And then when it comes to your main account, you’ll be able to follow your specific trading strategy according to your track record. Remember, trading should be approached and seen like running a business, not like playing a slot machine. Keep this in mind, and this should help save your portfolio.
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
1
May the Fourth Be With You - And your Stop losses!Star Wars has been around since 1977 which was written and directed by George Lucas. During that time, there have been phenomenal quotes, lessons and adventures that have been shared. Instead of telling you different lessons Star Wars can teach you about trading. How about I share some quotes and how you can apply them? Here are the ones I find are the most applicable. #1: "I find your lack of faith disturbing." Use this as a reminder to stay confident in your trades, even when the market is unpredictable. Have faith in your strategy. Have faith in your commitment. Have faith in your strong mindset. #2: "Your focus determines your reality." Stay focused on your trading goals and strategy. It’s not about what others see. It’s not about what others feel. It’s about you in your own work station, planning, preparing and executing accordingly. #3: "Do or do not, there is no try." Commit fully to your trades, rather than hesitating or second-guessing. When it’s lined up, ACTION. When you see a trade setups, write them down and prepare for execution. Don’t try… DO! #4: "Fear is the path to the dark side." Stay level-headed and not let fear or panic drive your trading decisions. Fear doesn’t exist. Only danger does. We are fearful most times in our head when there is no apparent danger. Remember this when you feel fear. #5: "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck." Successful trading is based on skill, probabilities and strategy, not luck. #"6: The Force will be with you, always." Here’s a reminder that your skills and strategy will guide you through both good and bad trading times. In this case the force is your proven strategy, your will, your commitment and your strong mind. #7: "You must unlearn what you have learned." Be open-minded and flexible when it comes to adapting your trading strategy. We learn as sheeple to buy low sell high. While I have gone against the idea and instead BUY HIGH, SELL HIGHER. Also, when everyone buys, is normally where the Smart Money offloads theirs. And when retail dumb money sells, that’s where Smart money BUYS. Did you find these useful? Which one resonated the most with you?
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
13
Q. Why when the FED raises interest rates does the rand weaken?A. Whenever you think about a country raising interest rates, we need to consider what happens to investors and where they are more likely to deposit their money. So, as we are expecting an increase in interest rates this month from the FED, there are a few reasons why we can expect the rand to weaken further: Here are three to consider… Reason #1: Investors flock to the US Dollar When the US Federal Reserve raises interest rates, it becomes more attractive for investors to hold or buy US-dollar denominated assets. That’s because they know they’ll receive a higher rate when they invest in it. This will also lead to a rise in the US dollar and a drop in smaller currencies (like the rand). Reason #2: US Dollar is still the fat cat of reserve currencies A rise in US interest rates may lead to higher borrowing costs globally. This is because the US dollar is still the world's primary reserve currency. When we think of gold, Bitcoin and other precious metals, we think of how it’s priced in US dollars. The problem with this, is that emerging market countries, like South Africa, will face higher debt-servicing costs as the US interest rates continue to move up. And this could continue to put pressure on their economies which will lead to a depreciation in the rand. Reason #3: South Africa is still a big exporter Also, South Africa remains one of the major exporters of commodities. And the value of the rand is linked to fluctuations in commodity prices. So, when US interest rates rise, this leads to a stronger US dollar. And can cause commodity prices to drop (as they are generally priced in US dollars). As South Africa is a major commodity exporter, the lower commodity prices would have a negative impact in SA’s export revenue – which can in turn weaken the rand further.
Education
by Timonrosso
1
RISK less with Drawdowns and more with Winning StreaksA drawdown is a period of decline in the value of a portfolio. This is where you take a number of trades, and the losses drop the portfolio at a marginal level (if you know what you’re doing). During these times, the market is typically more volatile (jumpy) and unpredictable. And so you have a higher chance to risk money in unfavourable times. Risk less with drawdowns When your portfolio drops 6%, 8% or even 11% – This is where you’re not sure when the market will become more favourable. This is the time where you decide to risk less money per trade. You would drop the risk from 3%, 2% to 1.5% or even 1%. Then keep trading until the markets pick up and start to favour your portfolio… Once you’re out of the drawdown then… Risk more money with the winning streak During the winning streaks, the market is typically more stable and predictable, and the chances of making a profit are higher. You can then pump up the risk back to 2% or 3% (if you’re a risky biscuit). When do you do this? When your portfolio is either BACK to an all-time-high. Or when you can see the market has broken out of the sideways consolidation and volatile period. Risk management is an important aspect of successful investing, and adjusting the amount of money being invested based on market conditions is one strategy that can help investors achieve their financial goals. By risking less money during drawdowns and more money during winning streaks, you as the trader can lower your potential losses and maximize your potential gains.
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
Why YOU NEED a Slice of Humble PieAs a trader, you must approach the market with humility and an understanding that you are at its mercy. And so you need to remember that the market, doesn’t know you, doesn’t care about you, and doesn’t work to reward you. Let’s break that down. The Market Doesn’t Know You The financial market (Mr. Market) is a complex and dynamic system that is influenced by a multitude of factors. These factors are beyond our control and are pretty much impossible to predict. As a trader, you need to remember that the market doesn’t know you, isn’t out to get you and that your success or failure is not a personal reflection of your worth. The Market Doesn’t Care About You It can be tempting to think that the market is out to get us and that every loss is a direct result of our own mistakes. However, the market doesn’t care about us as individual. They don’t have some personal vendetta against us. Every trade is simply a result of supply and demand dynamics along with risk, reward and probabilities. We must accept that sometimes the market will work against us, no matter how skilled or experienced we are. The Market Doesn’t Work to Reward You There is such high competition with trading. This environment is very high-pressured. It sometimes feels like we are in some race to make as much money as possible. However, it is important to remember that the market doesn’t work to reward us. As a trader, you must be humble and understand that success in the markets takes time, patience, and you must be willing to learn from your mistakes. Also need to approach each and every trade with a level-headed and open-minded perspective. Focus on this, and you you’ll make which will help us to make better decisions and increase our chances of success.
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
1
WHY YOU Don't always Receive INTEREST when you are short... Q. I thought that when you go short (sell) that we earn interest (swap fees) per day. But to my surprise I was actually charged interest on my open trade with AUD/NZD. Was I not meant to earn interest?” A. Unfortunately, it depends… With each market you trade, you’ll need to look at the symbol information for each trade you take. This also depends on the deal the broker has with each market. For example, when you SELL AUD/NZD you're essentially buying NZD/AUD (as they are currency pairs). So whether you go long or short, you don't earn interest with short (sell) currencies... But make sure, you always look at Symbol information and see what swaps are positive when you are short. With the AUD/NZD you can see you pay -3.35% per year. That means each day you hold, you’ll have to pay 0.009% per day. Then with some commodities and indices you’ll either earn interest or you’ll have to pay interest when you short (sell). For example, with gold you’ll receive an interest of 1.23% per year. Whereas with cotton you’ll pay 5.4% per year. With the UK 100 FTSE, you’ll pay an annual interest of -0.24%. And with the Dow Jones you’ll receive 0.74% per year. Then with local and international stocks, you’ll receive a certain % of interest (swap fees) per year. So make sure you always check to see what each swap (daily interest fee) entails. This obviously depends on the Market Maker you're using and if you're using Trading View make sure you see the information from your broker what the interest swaps (fees) are when you go long or short.
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
4 Ways to ACTION a trade - WHEN TO FIRE!You know that successful trading is… . . . . Patience. You need to wait for the setup, reason, system, lining etc… But then there is the 2% time where you actually ACTION a trade. We action a trade for three reasons. To enter To adjust To get out But we need to talk about these reasons more… Let’s do it., ACTION #1: Trade lines up – JUST TAKE THE TRADE! When your trading signal lines up with your entry, stop loss, take profit, and system: This is the most obvious time to take action. It tells you “HELLO AN OPPORTUNITY HS ARISEN” It is crucial to act quickly and decisively when this happens, as opportunities in the market can disappear just as quickly as they appear. ACTION #2: Adjust your levels – JUST CHANGE THE TRADE There are two levels you can adjust with your trades. Stop loss and Take profit. When the market is moving in your favour, and you have solid rules to move your stop loss in the favour. This is done to lock in minimum gains. For example. When my trade is 1:1 in the money, I might move my stop loss to just above breakeven. This way I have nothing to lose if it turns against me. Then when the market is shooting in your favour, you might want to adjust the take profit. This is because you can see the market wants to move further or… There is a new setup with a new take profit level in place – which happens often with my analyses. Action #3: Execute the time stop loss – JUST GET OUT When an extended period has taken place i.e. 35 days or 7 weeks. You might want to just get out of the boring trade. You are either : • Chowing (eating away at) unnecessary daily costs holding a non performing trade. • A trade setup seems null and void as a new contrary setup as formed. • Or it’s just a plain old opportunity cost where you can put your money in better places. it may be necessary to exit the trade in order to avoid incurring too much in daily fees or missing out on other better opportunities. Action #4: Exit due to unforeseen circumstances- SERIOUSLY JUST GET OUT! For example when a black swan event occurs: A black swan event is a term used to describe a market collapse (10X the standard deviationof its normal price move) that is unexpected and has a significant impact on the market. In the event of a black swan event, it is essential to exit your trade in order to protect your capital and avoid taking a bigger loss than you expected.
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
FUNDAMENTALS-Share Consolidation (Reverse Stock Split) RichemontOn 19 April 2023, Richemont went through a Share Consolidation (Reverse Stock Split). That's why we saw the price move from R300 up to R3,027 (909%). But before you get excited with whether you could have profited big time we need to remember what a Reverse Stock Split is... What is a Reverse Split (Share consolidation)? • The opposite of a stock split where • When the company makes a corporate action to • Reduce the number of its outstanding shares to its shareholders • Which simultaneously increases the share price • The shareholder will still have the same value proportional. What happens to the par value of the share price? A decrease in the number of shares means that the share price will go up! Why would a company do a reverse spit? The company might be under the impression that shareholders think the share price is too low. So, they’ll cut the number of shares and increase the shareholder which will give the impression of the share price higher and more valuable. EXAMPLE: With Richemont – 19 April 2023 SPECIFICS: Share consolidation: Reverse Stock Split 10:1. BEFORE: The share price was R300.00 AFTER: The share price is R3,027 No. SHARES OWNED: 100 AFTER CONSOLIDATION: For every 10 shares you owned before, you now own 1 share. So your 100 shares would be consolidated into 10 shares. OVERALL VALUE: BEFORE: 100 shares X R300 = R30,000 AFTER: 10 shares X R3,027 = R30,270 In this case, the value of the investment has indeed increased after the share consolidation but only marginally.
JSE:CFREducation
by Timonrosso
EXPLAINED: A Bearish Fair Value Gap (FVG) - Smart Money ConceptsA Bearish Fair Value Gap is a 3 candle structure with a DOWN impulse candle (2nd) that indicates and creates an imbalance or an inefficiency in the market. WHAT DO THE IMBALANCES TELL US? These imbalances tell us that the buying and selling is not equal. Now the market needs to rebalance (move at least to 50% of the fair value gap to fill) to make up for the imbalance and rebalance. For this to happen we need to see orders filled in the prices of the candle with the FVG. HOW A BEARISH FAIR VALUE GAP IS CONSTRUCTED: 1st Candle Draw a horizontal line from the bottom of the wick. 3rd Candle Draw a horizontal line from the top of the wick 2nd Candle Draw a BOX between the bottom and the top and pull it over to see the FVG range. BETWEEN CANDLE 1 and CANDLE 3: Do NOT show common prices. They do NOT touch where the lower & the upper wicks do NOT overlap. With a Bearish FVG we can expect the market price to move UP. HOW MUCH? I believe a Bearish FVG needs to close at least 50%. So you can drag a Gann Box or a Fib retracement (take out all the other levels except 50%). Wait for the price to close and fill the prices and boom - Your Bearish Fair Value Gap has been filled. SO WHAT? When you see a Bearish Fair Value Gap, you can expect the price to move up. So you can place your stop loss below the downtrend. You can place your entry where it shows upside is imminent to close the gap. You can place your take profit above the 50% of the formation, as you expect the price to close. But also, we use other confirmation signals with the Bearish Fair Value Gap. Let me know if you have any other SMC (Smart Money Concepts) Questions.
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
Why you should NOT view LOSSES as LOSSESI want you to stop thinking of trading losses as losses. It’s having an effect on you emotionally and is stopping your full potential of growth. Financial trading, like any other business or aspect of life, involves costs. That’s just life. In business, there are costs associated with equipment, rent, salaries, taxes, and legal fees. In our personal lives, there are costs associated with household expenses like rent, groceries, insurance, medical fees, taxes, and repairs. Similarly, in trading, there are costs associated with normal losses, daily interest charges, and drawdowns. It’s crucial to remember that losses are an inevitable part of trading and should be viewed as a necessary cost of doing business. Just as a business owner must invest money in equipment, rent, and salaries to run their business, traders must also be prepared to invest money in losses in order to be successful in the long run. If you try to avoid taking a trade, because you are worried about the loses, you will miss out on the greater rewards for when profitable trading opportunities come your way. When you see trading losses as costs… You will be able to take a more objective and strategic approach to the trading decisions that you make going forward. This can help you to minimize losses and maximize profits over time. So there are few things you need to do to mange your costs (losses) emotionally and physically. Action #1: Set realistic stop losses Place your stop loss with every trade and never risk more than 2% of your portfolio per trade. Action #2: Understand the concept of Risk to Reward better. The risk-reward ratio is the ratio of the potential profit of a trade to the potential loss. By understanding the risk-reward ratio, traders can make more informed trading decisions and can better manage their risk. Action #3: Don’t feel your losses If you feel 2% is too much to risk, risk less! Get to the point with your life where a loss isn’t that much as with where the reward isn’t worth celebrating. Overtime, you’ll slowly grow your account and your mind too.
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
Why we MAKE Excuses as tradersIt is an innate habit to make excuses in life. We make excuses because it is the easy way out. And let me tell you. With trading, there is no EASY way. As I like to say trading is the easiest hard way to make money. It starts with NOT making stupid excuses such as: Excuse #1: “I don’t know enough about the markets – so I won’t trade yet” People don’t trade because of one thing. Ignorance. People may make this excuse because they have not put in the time and effort to research and understand the stock or market they are trading in. They make this excuse that they believe the market is a difficult, advanced and complex world to financially grow. If you passed school, or university – you can definitely learn how trading charts work and how the market operates. Besides, it’s just demand, supply and volume and the rest is micro and macro economics (which you don’t even need). I know some 20 year olds who dropped out of school to learn to trade the markets and they are doing fine (for now). Excuse #2: “I’m scared of losing money – so I’m not going to trade”. Sure you’re worried about financial loss and that you can blow your account. Besides 98% of traders fail, because of this. But you do know you can start with a demo (paper) account in the mean time. Once you see consistent paper returns and that you have a solid and adept strategy, you can start depositing little by little. Money is no excuse when you can learn to trade – for free! Excuse #3: “I won’t be able to stick to the strategy” Most people make this excuse because either: They do not have a proven and profitable strategy. They do have a strategy but do not have the confidence to trade it. They do NOT have the faith to actually take the discipline to take a trade when the system lines up according to the strat. They don’t think they’ll be able to focus on trading because, they are distracted by other things in their lives. This is a mind game, so work on yourself before you trade for yourself. Excuse #4: “I can’t stand the fact of losing” Back to ego, pride and integrity. Let me try and help you with this one. When you buy yourself clothes, cars or other material stuff. You do know you’re spending your hard earned money – poof – gone. With business, you have monthly costs fixed and variable. With life you have expenses and unexpected doctor appointments. All of these come with an opportunity cost. I lose this to get that. Trading shouldn’t be any different. You lose a bit of capital off one trade, to bank a higher return the next time. Rinse and repeat and your losses will start to feel like costs of the business. Your winners will feel like the money to pay for some of the costs next month. Cut your ego out because every week and month you spend and waste money – it’s called maturity. Excuse #5: “I’m waiting for better conditions” When the market Is not that favourable, how do you know when it will turn back? You just need one day, one week or one month – and your portfolio could head to all time highs. It’s not our jobs to trade when markets are favourable or not. It’s our job to follow the proven strategy because we know it will yield a consistent return over time. Also… When you do eventually get into trading – then what? Are you going to stop trading again because the market isn’t feeling right for your strategy? I should hope not. You’ll be entering into a discretion and subjective form of trading which eventually ends up to be a losing strategy. I hope this helps and makes you realise that excuses are nothing more than going back into a comfort zone of no change and progress… When later in life you’ll realise. Your comfort zone, was uncomfortable to begin with.
TVC:SA40Education
by Timonrosso
MC DONALD'S TRADING LESSONSStory time… One of the greatest success stories of all time, is with the company which is based on the glorious golden arches we still see today. Mc Donalds… It all started in 1940 where, two brothers, Maurice and Richard “Dick” Mc Donald’s made a small fortune selling hamburgers in San Bernardino, California… They took a product and an idea and turned it into a fast, convenient and consistently profitable business. Once they mastered their strategy and system then they introduced Ray Croc (a shrewd American businessman) into an agreement to build more Mc Donalds… However, he barely made enough profits to sustain, find more franchisees and even pay off his expenses… That’s when Harry Sonneborn came about where he made Ray Croc realise, he was in the land business rather than the restaurant business… Ray Kroc explained… “Pretty simple, really. Franchisee finds a piece of land he likes, gets a lease, usually 20 years, takes out a construction loan, throws up a building, and off he goes.” Sonneborne then said: “You don’t seem to realize what business you’re in. You’re not in the burger business. You’re in the real estate business.” This conversation lead to the global expansion of McDonald’s, turning it into the most successful fast food corporation in the world. In this article, I’m not going to talk about Ray Kroc, but instead how the brother’s starting concept applies to trading. Here are three lessons I learnt from Mc Donald’s Success #1: Less is more… The brothers were geniuses from the start… When something didn’t work, they threw it out… When something showed to work, they harnessed it, optimised it and improved it… They did this with data. The brothers took sales data to compare which products were making more money. They found that 80% of their sales in the last 3 years came from simple burgers. Each burger was made with precise ingredients. Any deviation and this caused sales to drop. The rest of the 20% were drinks and barbeque. So the brothers made their life easy and got rid of the barbeque pit completely. They also cut their menu down from 25 items to just 11 items. It mainly had Burgers Fries Milkshakes and Soft drinks They said let’s do less of what’s not helping sales and focus on what is making the most revenue. Once they got rid of the barbeque pit the brothers later on systematised the burger making process. So how does this relate to trading… Less is more is one of my most powerful quotes when it comes to trading… You need to cut out a LOT of data to maximise your returns… Find one or two systems that suit you. Minimise the number of markets, time frames and charts to look at. Cut out unnecessary indicators that conflict with the systems signals and frequency. Choose a certain time that works best for your system. Stick to 1 or two financial instruments to trade. Only have 1 or 2 or max 3 trading accounts with reason. It will take time and effort on your side to cut out what needs to be cut, but you won’t regret it in the long run… As Mc Donald’s did… Take a product improve it drastically then sell it to the masses. #2: Find a system to repeat over and over With Mc Donald’s did you know… They took a tennis court and drew out the compartments of making a burger. They then orchestrated it with their employees until the flow and speed was at the most optimised level. Once they found a winning system, reduced the time to make a burger and optimise the process – they were able to even drop the price to appeal more demand… At the time, they could drop the burger to 15 cents… With trading, you know this… You’ll need to find, adopt, follow and repeat your turn-key system. It doesn’t matter whether it takes you 2 months, 2 years or even 7 years to get right. Once you have it, you’ll be able to generate consistent results year in and year out. Just like the cycle of burgers, you’ll have your very own consistent cycle of success through trading… Also, with your one system you’ll be able to optimise it and improve it when conditions change… This brings us to the third lesson… #3: “We love to see you smile” This was one of Mc Donald’s campaign they used from 2000-2003, which has stuck… Not only does Mc Donald’s keep to their winning formula, systems, products and manner – but they also adapt to change… They continue to offer new items on the menu’s as time’s change… From Happy Meals, Toys, Lollipops, Café’s, Ice creams, food cultural adaptions to even Vegan food… They think of everything to adapt to change… BUT! They don’t stop offering their winning products that bring in revenue. With trading you need to also evolve as a trader and adapt to change. Sure, your system will remain consistent. Sure, your risk management won’t change… But there are certain elements that require change such as… New markets: You might want to incorporate your system with new markets i.e. AI, Electric Vehicles, Metaverse, Cannabis, Energy alternatives, Crypto, NFTs. AI (with ChatGPT, DALLEE, BING) and so on… New instruments: Also, we might need to evolve from the current financial instruments we’re trading… Once day, CFDs and Spread Betting might be a thing of the past. I personally have evolved from shares, warrants, futures to ETFs. You never know what will be next… New automations: We might soon have robots and AI to use out system to find trades and execute them. You get the point… If you want to be successful with trading you have to understand the power of systems to repeat… This way the system will do the job for you… Next time you’re at Mc Donald’s, you’ll see what I mean.
NYSE:MCDEducation
by Timonrosso
EXPLAINED: Runaway GapLESSON OF THE DAY Runaway Gap A Runaway Gap is a continuation move where the price gaps in the middle of a trend e..g Up or Down. The gap is a void (where no prices overlap between two candles) And then the price follows the previous trend. I like to think of a Runaway Gap as a horse that goes from trotting to galloping. The trend then starts to accelerate and continue in the direction. Specifics for this example: · Previous price moves in a downtrend. · Price then gaps. · Price then follows the continuous downtrend. Please react so I know to provide more daily lessons...
JSE:PIKEducation
by Timonrosso
2
T.G.I.M - Thank God It's Monday Traders! As a trader, Monday is probably the most exciting day of the week to trade... But before I tell you why let me remind you.... We live in a world where… Most people hate Mondays… Not only that… They wait 5 days to finally enjoy and live two measly days. They live for the weekend ONLY. That’s sad… But let’s try to conceptualise how lucky you actually are… Every action that your great, great, great, X 1,000 grandparents did, is the very reason you get to enjoy consciousness and existence in this blip of time. If just one of them got up to get a glass of water instead, you wouldn’t be around… Then let’s talk about that one day… Out of the millions of swimmers in one occasion on one day, you were the winner. YOU WON THE GIFT OF LIFE. That is a reason alone to celebrate every passing minute of your life. You won the cosmic lottery… Then, as life progresses you learn what you like, how to live and who to live with. You adapt to your idiosyncrasies, tastes, habits and interests… That’s what makes life a little easier to get through… And… Technology continues to outperform each year. We now have ways to communicate online, build our own empires and make an income through different career choices. Whether you enjoy investing, horse racing, online gambling or my favourite (financial markets trading), you have a multitude of options to choose and benefit from… And because you’re reading this today, tells me one thing… You have that passion, determination and discipline to try out the trading thing… Am I right? So what does this have to do with T.G.I.M? You need to stop saying “I hate Mondays” and start saying… “Thank God It’s Monday” Each Monday you start a new journey of life experiences to take you on the path of success, financial freedom and happiness… Mondays and the rest of the week days, are the days when you have the opportunity to grow your financial position. NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO: Learn about new markets with trading. Refine your trading risk management skills Take on new high probability trades to build your portfolio Educate yourself on new financial markets terminology, concepts, strategies and systems Go one step closer to achieving your financial goals Each day you learn, adapt and grow your portfolio, is another day closer to achieving your freedom. Also, you can ONLY get better. Find a reason to love Mondays. Next week wake up and say with confidence. T.G.I.M. Write it down somewhere BIG and read it out loud each week before you take a trade.
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
1
Why Trading Should be like Watching Paint DryIt has to be said. If you want excitement, take $10,000 and go to Las Vegas for a day. Trading should not bring about the same level of excitement. I’m not saying, the entire process should be boring. In life and with the careers you choose, you have to love what you do. You have to keep the reward and vison in your mind, to drive you each morning. And you need to have the discipline and integration to follow your plan each day. So, should trading be boring? Um, yes and no. Let’s start with where trading should be exciting and fun. When Trading is a Thrill This is where most people stay. They don’t take the necessary steps to open a trading account, fund it and grow their portfolios. Instead, they stay in a feel safe and in control of their non-growing finances. I still have members who’ve followed me for 10 years, and haven’t taken ONE single trade. You need to jump out and take action. The thrill of trading should be before the execution takes place. This includes: Analysing the markets Optimising your strategies Searching for high probability trades Reading up on new trading developments and fundamentals Monitoring your results and working on your statistics Finding new markets and instruments to trade and add to your strategy This part is an absolute blast. And requires no risk and no waiting. But then, when you do find your trade line up and put in your trading levels and click buy / sell… Then… Trading needs to be like watching paint dry or grass grow Once you have taken your trade, set your entry, stop loss and take profit levels – you’ve done your job. You now need to let it go and let the market to take over. Don’t interfere… Don’t get excited when it’s in the money. Don’t fear when it’s going against you. Don’t watch every tick. It will drive you insane. Just leave it alone. It should be boring to even see what your trade is doing, because it’s out of your control. If it hits your stop loss – cool… You’ve got your risk management in play. If it hits your take profit – cool… You’ve got your reward management in play. If you have rules to adjust your stop loss, when the market is moving in your favour – cool… You’ve got your reward management in play. Rather focus on the next trade idea or the other bullets I mentioned in the beginning. Keep control with what you can control and leave what you can’t control to the “stars”.
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
6
ROADMAP from COMFORT to GROWTHMost people take the easy road of being in a Comfort Zone. For this reason, they keep getting the same results and remain in their ‘uncomfortable’ position in life. Think about it… Those that don’t understand new things, never adapt to something that could change their life for the better. Those that keep earning the same old salary, never grow their retirement kitty to the level they wish. Those that never throw things away, end up cluttering their life with the old. Trading is no different. It requires you to step out of your comfort zone in the beginning, to create something that can change your life. Besides, great things never came from being in a comfort zone. Let’s talk about the stages required to become a Growth Trader. ZONE 1: COMFORT This is where most people stay. They don’t take the necessary steps to open a trading account, fund it and grow their portfolios. Instead, they stay in a feel safe and in control of their non-growing finances. I still have people who’ve followed me for 15 years, and haven’t taken ONE single trade. You need to jump out and take action. ZONE 2: FEAR When you have finally decided to take a leap of trading faith, a whole bunch of new fear with encompass your mind. Will I lose money? Will trading work for me? Will I be able to follow a strategy each day? Will I be on time to trade the markets? What if the market environment is not conducive when I start? Harness this fear, because it means one thing… CHANGE IS COMING… ZONE 3: LEARNING Every loss, gain, rule is a lesson and adaption to entering a NEW zone. Every challenge you face, is one less challenge you’ll need to deal with in the future. Every difficulty you experience is a skill that you’ll acquire for trading. The more you learn about the technical and fundamentals of the financial markets, the higher the level of experience and wisdom you’ll gain as a trader. The learning phase is imperative to achieving success in any field… ZONE 4: GROWTH The accumulated lessons, experience, wisdom, actions and tribulations of repetitive actions – are the foundations to entering into a new comfort zone of GROWTH. The difference is… You would have taken the necessary steps to succeed and accomplish your trading goals. It will eventually reach the point, where the above zones will help you enter into a conditional and automatic process into your life where trading is nothing more than a continuous habit. Once the fear, thrill and uncertainty are removed – only then you’ll realise that the initial comfort zone of inactivity was the uncomfortable phase that took you nowhere… Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Read that last sentence again.
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
5 Choices you Make as a Trader - THIS Or THATFrom the second you turn on your computer, to the time you press buttons commit your funds into your trades and close your computer. You are making your own choices. Do you choose this? Do you follow that? Do you go against this? Do you type that? So technically, your financial future success lies all in your fingers. In this TradingView piece, you need to ask and answer what choices are you prepared to make – to turn your life around as a trader. CHOICE #1: Sleep until noon – Wake up early If you’re a position trader (trade once per week or so) like me, then you’ll know profitable opportunities knock VERY slowly. You can wake up late, open your trading platform and see a missed trading opportunity just like that. Or you can set your alarm, wake up to check the markets to confirm if there is a trade lined up or not. DON’T MISS YOUR TRADING OPPORTUNITIES! CHOICE #2: Only trade your starting portfolio size – Deposit money each month Let me be frank. R5,000 isn’t going to turn you into a millionaire. R20,000 isn’t going to turn you into a millionaire. I’m sorry but it has to be said. You need to find a way to keep depositing a bit of money into your trading account each month. Whether it’s 5% or 10% of savings, the more you deposit each month – the faster your portfolio will grow as you have more to make money from money. CHOICE #3: Go against your strategy – Follow your strategy I know it’s tempting to want to go against your strategy. You want to move your take profit, stop loss, you want to buy more. You want to take some money off the table. The problem is – make this choice and you’ll set a dangerous precedent. It will be the start of going against your strategy the next time and eventually, you’ll only be trading with discretionary (self) which I need to remind you is… A COMPLETE LOSING STRATEGY! The stock market doesn’t work on emotions. It doesn’t think and it doesn’t feel. So why should you? Keep to your proven and profitable trading strategy, and the profits will yield as your system has shown you time and time again. CHOICE #4: Learn and then drop the E – Try to earn and drop the $ Trading is a forever learning business. You need to learn how the markets work. You need to learn how the trading environments operate and when they are favourable or unfavourable to your strategy. You need to learn WHICH are the best instruments to trade. Which are the most reliable and secured brokers. Which trading platforms are up to date with technology. What NEW markets there are to utilise and profit from. The list continues. Please follow your own learning time line as a trader and then you’ll find it will all be worth it. CHOICE #5: LATER – NOW! I still get people who send me messages like… “Timon I’ve been following you for 15 years and haven’t started trading yet, what do you suggest?” Simple! Get out of your comfort zone, stop being lazy and take the necessary steps to start your trading journey. 15 years! You could have had all the experience you needed by now. You could have gained important lessons to build your portfolio. It’s all on you. The best time to start is NOW! There is no past (as it already happened). There is no present (as it automatically becomes the past). There is no future (as it’s still to come). So all you have is an infinitesimal photo shot of time called NOW! Got it? Make your choices and materialize your trading into the reality you’ve desired.
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
Tips to be a Healthy Trader - Wisdom Yields HealthI came up with a corny slogan in 2013. “Wisdom Yields Wealth”. Well, today I came up with another corny slogan but relevant to today and this year. “Wisdom Yields Health”. As you know, health is the greatest wealth of all when it comes to your: Physical appearance Mental cognitive thoughts Important decision making Longevity In 2023, health is everything as the world continues to linger in a very stressed phase. (Especially, what’s going on in South Africa with Eishkom, water issues and tax month having kicked off). If you want to be a good trader, you need to focus on not only your money and mind but also your health. Health will help you optimise your trading performance. So, this is a short but important article to remind you to try be a little bit healthier. HEALTH TIP #1: Sleep Even Hours It’s an old wife’s tale that you need 7 hours of sleep. It’s proven that the sleep cycle works on EVEN hours, NOT odd. So if you sleep 7 hours, you’ll deprive yourself of the last 1 hour you need to complete your cycle. When you decide to go to sleep, set an alarm for 6 hours or 8 hours to get the right amount you need. Also, if you wake up before the alarm and you feel fresh – stay awake, don’t go back to bed. Listen to your body more and it will reward you better. You need to be clear headed when you wake up in order to take on the markets with a fresh mindset. HEALTH TIP #2: Drink COLD Water Listen… You’re made up of over 73% water. So you might as well fuel yourself up and stay hydrated. First glass in the morning and another glass every two hours. Or just have a 2 litre bottle next to you. When it’s finished, refill it. Ok you’ve heard that a million times. Here’s where it gets interesting. Did you know that if you drink ice cold water, it will help you to keep awake, will fire your neurons and will boost your thinking capabilities. That’s the big tip with drinking water as a trader. Ice, Ice baby! HEALTH TIP #3: Eat less ‘high energy to consume’ foods in the day You know what puts us off work, trading and life? Having a bloated and painful stomach, because of the stuff we ate. I’m talking breads, pastas, sweets, crisps and fried food. When you eat this stuff, you won’t feel in the mood to trade, think or work. It’s also probably affecting in the bedroom too! Eat these in moderation and NOT when you trade or a few hours before you trade. Anyway, I’m not giving advice, just some tips that’s helped me to trade better over the years. HEALTH TIP #4: Keep Walking Gyms might be inaccessible right now. And exercise is just too difficult to keep motivated to follow. So instead, take your trade for the day and go for a walk around your complex, park or anywhere just to burn those calories and keep you fit and healthy. I’m in Greece right now and nothing beats a good walk around the Ancient historical sites in Monastiraki such as the Agora, Acropolis and even the amphitheatres. Or a walk around the Marina – Flisvos harbour to take in the cool breeze and breathtaking view of the sea. Find your piece of heaven (where ever it is) to walk around and burn those calories at least twice or three times a week. I can go on about health tips, but four is more than enough to start with. Please look after yourself, your body and your mind.
JSE:J200Education
by Timonrosso
1