I've been an active investor for about 20 years of my life. In using either my tried and tested strategies, or trialing new ones, one thing I have realised is that the more an investment strategy makes logical sense, the more successful it tends to be.
There are so many strategies I've tried, I have lost count. And there are at least as many which I've let go without trying. There are just too many. I found a quick fire way though which helps disregard the strategies which are useless, so you can trial the ones which are worth trialing. Its logic. Look at the logic of your trading strategy and see if there are holes in it. You'll be amazed by the number of strategies with big logical holes.
Strategies generally make sense. The problem I am talking about is not about making sense, it concerns completeness. When these strategies do not cover all possible scenarios, you can be left in a position where you need to make decisions that are not following the strategy. The amount of judgment you can bring to such forced decisions depends on how close this situation is to others covered by the strategy. In a worse case scenario, it could be a complete guess.
When I am in this situation, where I have to make a decision outside a strategy I am trading because the strategy does not offer me guidance, I believe I am gambling. This is not good. I may make the right decision, but then again, I may lose my money. In all good investment strategies, you should not have to do this. You should simply plan the trade, and then trade the plan. There should not be room for guess work.
Also, the point about trialing a strategy is that you are finding out whether it will make consistent returns over the fullness of time. The point about trading a strategy is that you know it makes consistent returns over the fullness of time. If you have had a guess mid way through the strategy, you cannot be confident its the strategy or your guess which is making the money. You will need to start again.
So if you have a new strategy which looks promising, apply your logic to it first. Try to understand all the trading scenarios you may face and ensure the strategy stands up to all of them and deals with them. This simple piece of advice could save you thousands.
And don't forget to dummy trade before you put any money down. When you are dummy trading you will most likely find a bunch of trading scenarios you never thought about before. Make sure these are covered by the logic of the strategy too. Its much easier to sort this stuff out without money, than when you have money on the line. - 23309
There are so many strategies I've tried, I have lost count. And there are at least as many which I've let go without trying. There are just too many. I found a quick fire way though which helps disregard the strategies which are useless, so you can trial the ones which are worth trialing. Its logic. Look at the logic of your trading strategy and see if there are holes in it. You'll be amazed by the number of strategies with big logical holes.
Strategies generally make sense. The problem I am talking about is not about making sense, it concerns completeness. When these strategies do not cover all possible scenarios, you can be left in a position where you need to make decisions that are not following the strategy. The amount of judgment you can bring to such forced decisions depends on how close this situation is to others covered by the strategy. In a worse case scenario, it could be a complete guess.
When I am in this situation, where I have to make a decision outside a strategy I am trading because the strategy does not offer me guidance, I believe I am gambling. This is not good. I may make the right decision, but then again, I may lose my money. In all good investment strategies, you should not have to do this. You should simply plan the trade, and then trade the plan. There should not be room for guess work.
Also, the point about trialing a strategy is that you are finding out whether it will make consistent returns over the fullness of time. The point about trading a strategy is that you know it makes consistent returns over the fullness of time. If you have had a guess mid way through the strategy, you cannot be confident its the strategy or your guess which is making the money. You will need to start again.
So if you have a new strategy which looks promising, apply your logic to it first. Try to understand all the trading scenarios you may face and ensure the strategy stands up to all of them and deals with them. This simple piece of advice could save you thousands.
And don't forget to dummy trade before you put any money down. When you are dummy trading you will most likely find a bunch of trading scenarios you never thought about before. Make sure these are covered by the logic of the strategy too. Its much easier to sort this stuff out without money, than when you have money on the line. - 23309
About the Author:
After decades of successful investing, Gnifrus Urquart enjoys reviewing his favorite investment strategies and offering general investment advice
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