Harsh Truth About Forex & Gold Trading: In Books VS In Reality
Most traders start their trading journey by studying theory first, reading books or taking video courses before putting these newfound skills into practice. But once they start trading on a real market, they quickly realize that things are not as straightforward as the books make them out to be.
In this educational article, we will take a critical look at the difference between theoretical knowledge and practical experience.
📍And first of all, do not get me wrong. I am not trying to imply that trading books or courses are bad.
Theoretical knowledge is essential for successful trading, and of course the books are the best source of that.
The problem is, however, that books can be misleading . The examples in books are always tailored. When the authors are looking for the examples of the patterns, of key levels, they are looking for the ideal cases.
📍The problem becomes even worse, when one start studying the trade examples in books. And of course, the authors choose the brilliant winning trades with huge take profits and tiny stop losses.
I guess you saw these pictures of "sniper" entry trades with 5/1 R/R.
The inexperienced trader may start thinking that the markets are perfect and act in total accordance with the books.
That all the trades that he will take will bring tremendous profits.
That the identified patterns will work exactly as it was described.
📍The harsh truth is that books and courses are simply the compositions of different examples, cases and market situations.
In reality, each and every trading setup is unique .
The reaction of the price to the same pattern will be always different .
Please, realize the fact that books are only good for acquiring the knowledge. But in order to survive on financial markets, you need the experience . And the experience will be gained only after studying thousands of real market examples in real time.
📍Here is the example of a double top pattern that we were trading with my students on AUDJPY.
In books, double tops are always perfect . Once the market breaks the neckline, the price retests that and then quickly drops.
So the one can set a tiny stop loss and a big take profit.
However, after a retest of a broken neckline, AUDJPY bounced and the market maker was stop hunting the newbies. Our stop loss was way above the head, and we managed to survive.
Even though the pattern triggered a bearish movement, the reaction of the market was far from perfect.
Be prepared, that the market will much different from what you see in the books.
Good luck to you!
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Freetradingeducation
5 Elements of the Best Key Level in Trading
What are the best key levels to trade?
Last year I analysed more than 1500 key structures on Forex, Gold, Crypto and Indexes.
In the today's article, I prepared for you a list of 5 elements of a perfect support and resistance for trading.
As always, remember that the best key levels are always on a daily time frame. So all the structures that we will discuss will be strictly on a daily.
Also, all the structures that I analyzed and traded are available on my TradingView page, so you can back test them by your own.
1. Clear historical significance
The structure that you spotted should act as a significant historical support or resistance.
Here are the important historical support and resistance that I spotted on USDCAD on a daily time frame.
2. Psychological significance
The structure that you identified should match with round numbers.
All the structures that we spotted on USDCAD match with psychological numbers.
3. Confluence with other technical tools
The best structure should align with other trading tools such as trend lines of Fibonacci levels, strengthening its significance.
After adding fibonacci levels and a significant falling trend line on the chart, the confluence was found in Resistance 6, Resistance 3, Resistance 2, Resistance 1, Support 2. Other structure does not match with technical tolls.
4. Volume
The level experiences high trading volumes, indicating strong participation and interest from market participants, especially smart money.
All the structures that we underlined show significant volume spikes. By volume spike, I mean a volume being higher than the average volume - a blue curve on volume.
5. Multiple touches
The more, the better. There are numerous instances where price has respected and reacted to the structure, confirming its strength (at least 2).
Only these 3 structures were confirmed by the multiple touches. These resistances will be considered the strongest ones.
That checklist will help you to identify the most significant structures from where you will be able to catch impulsive movement and make nice profits.
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5 Easy Steps for Beginners to Start Trading in Forex 📝
Being a beginner, it is natural for you to feel overwhelmed when you first start forex trading. But that doesn’t mean that you should shy away from the market. By following the 5 steps listed below, you can start your trading journey in currencies in a smooth and efficient manner.
1. Get to know what drives the market 📈
When it comes to trading in currencies, the first ever step that you would need to make as a beginner is educate yourself about the market. Although the forex market works in a very similar fashion to the stock market, the factors behind the movement of the currencies tend to be different.
2. Choose the right broker 🤝
Selecting the right forex broker is as important as getting to know how to trade in currencies. Not all brokers offer the same level of services or are always reliable. Therefore, it is essential for you to spend some time looking into the various brokers offering forex trading services.
An ideal forex broker should have an easy account opening process, a simple trading platform, offer exceptional customer support and have low transaction costs. While evaluating brokers, make sure to look into their downtime frequency.
3. Establish your financial goals and targets💰
The next step is to work on your financial goals and targets. Introspect and ask yourself what you hope to achieve by trading in currencies. Also, before you actually buy and sell currencies, it is a good idea to first determine your financial targets.
For instance, you can set a target for each forex trade you make or a target for each day or month of trading. Establishing these goals can make you plan your trades much better by helping you come up with a trading plan, which will ultimately make you a better trader.
4. Practice with demo (paper) trading 📃
Through extensive virtual trading practice sessions, you can quickly get the hang of currency trading and try out new trading techniques and strategies. Since you’re not really trading with real money, you don’t have to worry about losing money on trades. Instead, you can spend some quality time learning the ropes and trying to analyze the trades that you make. This can give you some much-needed perspective on how to tackle forex trading in real-time.
5. Start slow and go easy on your trades🐢
Once you’ve gotten the hang of trading in currencies on demo account, you can slowly move onto the real thing. Now, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. The forex market’s volatility tends to be quite high and can lead to wild swings in the price. Therefore, it is a good idea to start slow by using just a fraction of your total investment amount.
Now that you’re aware of the 5 steps that you need to take to start trading in forex, go ahead and begin your journey. Good luck to you!
Hey traders, let me know what subject do you want to dive in in the next post?
Learn How to Improve Your Forex Trading 🔝
Whether you're new to Currency Trading or a seasoned trader, you can always improve your trading skills. Education is fundamental to successful trading. Here are some tips that will help hone your Currency trading skills.
⭐️Plan How You Will Trade
You may have heard the adage, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." This is particularly true in Forex speculation.
Successful traders start with a sound strategy and they stick to it at all times.
⭐️Most traders fail because they make the same mistakes over and over. A diary can help by keeping track of what works for you and what doesn't. Used consistently, a well-kept diary is your best friend.
⭐️Patience
Once you know what to expect from your system, have the patience to wait for the price to reach the levels that your system indicates for either the point of entry or exit. If your system indicates an entry at a certain level but the market never reaches it, then move on to the next opportunity. There will always be another trade.
⭐️Discipline
Discipline is the ability to be patient—to sit on your hands until your system triggers an action point. Sometimes, the price action won't reach your anticipated price point. At this time, you must have the discipline to believe in your system and not to second-guess it. Discipline is also the ability to pull the trigger when your system indicates to do so. This is especially true for stop losses.
⭐️Realistic Expectations
Even though the market can sometimes make a much bigger move than you anticipate, being realistic means that you cannot expect to invest $250 in your trading account and make $1,000 each trade. Although there is no such thing as a "safe" trading time frame, a short-term mindset may involve smaller risks if the trader exercises discipline in picking trades. This is also known as the trade-off between risk and reward.
Trading is nuanced and requires as much art as science to execute successfully, which means that there is only a profit-making trade or a loss-making trade. Warren Buffet said that there are two rules in trading: Rule 1: Never lose money. Rule 2: Remember Rule 1.
Stick a note on your computer that will remind you to take small losses often and quickly rather than wait for the big losses.
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