Trading on your own two feet

Everyone talks up their own method of how to trade. I'm no different. I am unashamed fan of trend following, and hopefully this blog acts as a useful resource to those who favour a similar approach or who want to learn more about the basic concept.

But within that broad definition of trend following, people can easily tailor it to their own needs or requirements.

In my own case, trend following as a concept is a good match, based on my basic beliefs, the amount of time I want to spend in front of charts, and my family and other time commitments.

The timeframe I choose is also the best match for my personality - towards the shorter-term end of the trend following scale which stops impatience getting the better of me, but still long enough so that I can get into multiple-R profitable trades. It also has the benefit of getting out of losing trades quickly.

However, unlike other many other market participants, I know and accept there are many other successful traders who trade in a completely different manner to me.

It is not 'my way or the highway', and never has been - I'm always happy to talk to others about trend following as a concept, and to try and help others use it to their benefit. But there are plenty of other traders who day trade, scalp, invest, or swing trade, who also make money. They have found the way that works for them, in the same I have found the way which works for me.

Your job is to find the right way which works for you.

If we all thought in the same way, there wouldn't be a functional market or buyers and sellers. And wouldn't life be boring if we all thought the same way?

Everyone has their own reasons for their buying and selling, based on their beliefs, method and timeframe.

As a result of this, two traders, trading the same stock or instrument, at the same time, trading in the opposite direction to each other, can both be profitable.

This is why I try to avoid getting involved in discussions where opinions and predictions are sought about a particular stock or instrument, and where price may (or may not) go.

As my own basic method of trading and the timeframe or rules I employ may be completely different to yours, my opinion or interpretation of what is happening is relevant only to myself, and totally irrelevant to you, and vice versa.

Occasionally I come across people who are always asking the advice of others - not about basic trading concepts or ideas about how to improve their own performance, but about specific stocks or instruments.

Truth be told, if they can't think on their own two feet, they shouldn't be in the game.

You can take this a stage further - if someone is wanting an opinion or interpretation relating to a specific market, they are looking for an emotional crutch in order to enter or exit a position (convenient so they can blame someone else for any resultant loss), and they obviously haven't clearly formulated their own rules about what to do when price acts in a certain manner.

The sooner you can learn to think for yourself, based on your own method and rules, and accept full responsibility for what happens, the better.

Do your own thinking, planning and trading.