The Hidden Secret Of A Perfect Trade Entry
Posted on January 31st, 2010 in Finance | No Comments »
So what is a perfect trade entry and what’s the secret to finding it? While this may come as a disappointment, its better that you learn the truth so let me say this, “the secret is, there’s no such thing as a perfect trading entry. Yes you’ve read correctly so you can save yourself a lot of time and effort if you accept the fact that you’re not going to discover the Holy Grail of trading. That’s right; that perfect indicator which tells you when to jump in and when to get out, simply does not exist.
Once again, if you’re still relatively new to trading, you need to realize that a perfect indicator simply does not exist.
Why is it that so many still continue to believe in such indicators?
According to Van Tharp who is himself a much respected trading guru, the reason lies in the fact that many novice traders believe that if they’re actually involved in the selection and entry into a trade, they somehow have some measure of control over the market. He also goes on to compare this phenomenon with the behaviour of many people who play the national lottery. Of course the lottery players he’s referring to are those who favour choosing numbers which are relevant to their personal lives, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and etc.
Why do so many lottery punters choose numbers from birth dates and etc? Simply because they believe whole heartedly that those are the best possible numbers. Of course, irrespective of what they want to believe, their combination of numbers stands the same chance as any number of combinations. Unfortunately, because there’s an emotional connection, these punters have a tendency to feel as though they have a certain amount of control over the outcome. The same applies to traders and trade entry.
At that point in time when you’re just about to enter into a trade, you’re in full control of any trade entry. However, once you’ve taken the plunge, you need to let go. Once you’re actually in a trade, you no longer have any control over the markets. They’ll do exactly as they please and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to change it.
Contrary to what you may currently believe, the amount of money you make on a trade depends primarily on how much you put into a trade and when you exit the trade, and not when you enter it.
Let’s take a look at the following example:
You’ve decided to buy some stock and according to the stock trading system you use, you should buy at $10 and exit at $12. Now let’s consider two scenarios. In the first one you have $1000 and in the second you have $5000.
1) You purchase 100 $10 shares with your $1000. When they reach the $12 mark you sell and as a result, you rake in $200 in profit.
2) With your $5000 you are able to purchase 500 $10 shares. Here again, once they hit $12 per share you sell. This time your profit stands at $1000.
Now that we can clearly see that the amount you invest is the main factor influencing profits, it’s easy to see why this is an essential part of good trading money management.