Never Do These 5 Things in Trading

[Henrik Ekenberg]

Never Do These 5 Things in Trading
Trading success requires discipline, planning, and emotional control. Falling into bad habits can quickly lead to unnecessary losses and frustration. Here are five critical mistakes to avoid if you want to stay on the path to consistent profitability:


1. Decide Position Size Based on How Much You Want to Make
Why It's a Problem:
Position sizing driven by greed ignores risk management and can result in catastrophic losses. A single bad trade with oversized positions can wipe out your account.

What to Do Instead:

• Base your position size on how much you're willing to lose, not how much you want to gain.
• Use a percentage of your total capital (e.g., 1%-2%) to calculate risk per trade.

Example:
If your account is $10,000 and you risk 1% per trade, your maximum loss per trade should be $100. Adjust your position size accordingly.


2. Enter Trades Without Rules or a Plan
Why It's a Problem:
Trading without a plan leads to impulsive decisions driven by emotions rather than logic. This inconsistency makes it impossible to evaluate or improve your strategy.

What to Do Instead:

• Develop a detailed trading plan covering entries, exits, position sizing, and risk management.
• Follow your plan religiously to ensure consistency and discipline.

Key Insight:
A plan turns chaos into order. Without it, you're gambling, not trading.


3. Keep Averaging Down Without Cutting Losses
Why It's a Problem:
Adding to losing positions traps more capital in bad trades and increases your risk. This strategy often leads to massive losses when the market moves further against you.

What to Do Instead:

• Use stop-loss orders to exit losing trades at a predefined level.
• Avoid emotional attachments to trades—focus on minimizing losses.

Golden Rule:
Cut losses quickly, let winners run.


4. Revenge Trading
Why It's a Problem:
Trading to "win back" losses clouds judgment and leads to impulsive, high-risk decisions. This emotional response often results in even greater losses.

What to Do Instead:

• Step away from the market after a losing trade to reset emotionally.
• Stick to your plan and wait for setups that align with your strategy.

Mindset Shift:
Focus on executing your process, not recovering losses immediately.


5. Spend Money Expecting Success Within the Month
Why It's a Problem:
Trading success takes time, experience, and education. Expecting quick profits sets unrealistic expectations, leading to frustration and poor decision-making.

What to Do Instead:

• Treat trading as a long-term journey.
• Invest in your education, practice on demo accounts, and focus on building consistency over months and years.

Key Insight:
Trading is not a sprint; it's a marathon. Sustainable success comes from patience and discipline.


Final Thoughts
Avoiding these mistakes is crucial for long-term trading success. Focus on disciplined risk management, a solid plan, and emotional control. By eliminating these pitfalls, you'll give yourself the best chance to thrive in the markets.

Remember:
The market rewards patience, preparation, and discipline—not impulsive, high-risk behavior.