There are five leading mistakes that Forex traders always make. Only those Forex traders with long experience and great practice under their hats do not make these mistakes, but most of them learned the hard way and did make them or at least made some of them. This is how common these five leading mistakes are. It is very important that you know about these mistakes so that you can more quickly learn how to avoid them. If you are new to Forex trading, by being aware of these very common mistakes you may be able to avoid them entirely.
Having "Bad Psychology" About Forex Trading
Forex trading is very exciting. The market is quite volatile and, as a result, there's a chance to make big buckets of money. But this excitement can lead people astray. You have to "cast a cold eye" on your trading decisions. Not only getting excited, but even having traits that normally enable you to succeed, such as great drive and ambition, can cause you to make bad decisions that cost you money instead of make you money.
You see, you don't control the markets. You can only make your educated guesses at the way a currency pair is going to move and place your educated bets. But when a trader gets overly ambitious, driven, or excited, he begins subconsciously "forcing" trades. This results in failure. In Forex trading, it is a rule than only cooler heads prevail.
Emotional Trading
This is related to the bad psychology trait, but it's a little different. Trading on emotion is more than just trading on excitement or with too much ambition. Trading on emotion means that you allow your emotions to dictate your decisions. Essentially you are caught up in the vicious cycle of greed and fear. No successful trader in Forex makes decisions based on either greed or fear. Yes, as a trader you are "greedy" in the sense that you want to make as much money as you can. But a successful trader never breaks away from his calculated strategy because he wants to make a killing with one trade. He's got his "pips plotted" and he remains within the confines of his rational, well-studied strategy. He does not over-bet and he does not take out-sized risks.
The successful trader also does not exit a position too soon because of fear. He knows that sometimes he is going to lose money. He creates and follows a strategy so that he will win more often than he loses and thus have net gains. You can't be skittish and trade the Forex with any success.
Having Insufficient Funds
New Forex traders love the fact that Forex accounts can be opened for very little money as compared to most other investment accounts. But while this might seem like an advantage for a new trader, it is a double-edged sword and really not a good idea. The reason for this is that with only a few losses taken, the money is all gone. The new trader, still learning how to refine her strategy, doesn't have the time to build up her account enough to where she can take a few losses and still be alright.
Don't open a new Forex account for the lowest possible amount. Instead, try to have at least $10,000 that you can use to open your account. And never risk more than 5% of your total account on any one trade. This gives you margin for errors while you refine your trading style and stratagems.
Speaking of Trading Style...
You have to know what your trading style is. You have to have prepared strategies. You cannot shoot from the hip and be some kind of "improviser" when trading the Forex. Your strategic preparation begins with you knowing your risk tolerance. If you don't know your personal risk tolerance, get some advice about it from other traders or financial professionals.
You must be totally comfortable with your own approach to the Forex. Study the various ideas and trading styles out there, but don't force any of them upon yourself. And you should not be losing sleep over your risks. Too many traders just don't understand this.
Not Knowing What You're Doing
In the Forex market, knowledge is power. Lack of knowledge is financial death. And remember, a little learning is a dangerous thing. You want to have sufficient knowledge before you begin risking your money. Practicing on a demo account, talking to Forex veterans, and reading up on strategies are all essentials.
There you have it. Avoid these five all-too-common Forex errors.
