Take Money Out of the Decision

Take Money Out of the Decision
Source: Stockscores.com Perspectives for the week ending December 2, 2011
What are your motivations for trading the stock market? If you a relatively normal person then it is likely that you trade to make money. However, I have found that trading to make money is dangerous because of the emotional attachment we have to our cash. The best traders have different motivations.
Consider something as simple as crossing the road. What do you think about when crossing a busy street? Are you solely motivated to achieve the obvious goal of getting to the other side? Not likely. You are probably thinking a lot about getting to the other side without getting run over.
While this seems obviously silly, the correlation that can be made to trading demonstrates an important point. When we focus on money, when we are motivated by greed, we tend to ignore the obvious. If you are trading to make money then a number of psychological problems enter the trading decision.
First, we worry about missing out on an opportunity. We may look at a trade and think that it is not ideal but still “pretty good”. We remember the last “pretty good” trade set up that came along and how it did really well. We remember the pain that we associate with missing out on that pretty good trade set up that we ignored and that motivates us to take this trade, even though it is less than ideal.
Would you cross a busy road if you had a “pretty good” chance of making it without being hit? Would you jump out of an airplane if there was a “pretty good chance” that your parachute would open?
Second, when our trading decisions are motivated solely by money, we tend to work very hard to find something to trade. While a good work ethic is important to be successful in life, working hard to identify opportunities in the stock market is not always good. Doing so means we work hard to find things that are not obvious, and therefore, may not be good enough to even be worth trading. I find that my very best trades are the ones that I don’t have to think twice about, those that jump off my trading screen when the stock is in front of me. I don’t work hard to find them, they find me.
Third, when we trade just to make money we tend to sell our winners too soon. We want to lock in that good feeling of making a profit and don’t want to ever feel the frustration of having a winner turn in to a loser. So, we exit the stock when it feels good or at the first sign that the trade might make us feel bad. This causes us to not ride out the inevitable pull backs along a longer term trend.
Finally, focusing on the money causes us to now manage risk effectively. When we think about how much we “could” make if the stock goes up then we might buy a position larger than we are willing to lose. By taking too much risk, we are more likely to not sell our losers when they reach a sell signal or exit our winners too soon because of the fear that the winner will turn in to a loser.
Rather than focus on money when you trade, I want you to focus on being right. Do your analysis on a stock and then ask, “am I right to buy this stock?” “Am I right to short sell this stock?”
Make your trading an intellectual exercise, a challenge to your brain to be right more than you are wrong. Take your focus off of the green and on to the black and white. The easiest way to do this is to only look at the charts and not look at your account’s profit and loss indicator. I strongly believe that if you focus on making the right decision instead of focusing on making money, you will end up making more of it anyway.

Great Lessons from Wall Street Legends

Allow me to begin by saying that I have an insatiable love for the capital markets. The operations of the markets are inspiring on both a personal and professional level. As any good professional, I’ve been humbled by my trials and tribulations in my work.
My journey and continued education in capital markets has helped me start several successful businesses which include www.SarhanCapital.com and www.TheSarhanAnalysis.com. In our era, where information is one’s most valuable asset, my constant market analysis helps me stay sharp.
Over the past decade, I have studied many of the legends of Wall Street and have noticed several overlapping similarities in their thinking. The following list outlines critical components that many of the best investors/traders share, regardless of their investment style or background (these are not in any particular order):

  • Trade on what you see happening, not on what you think will happen. (i.e. trade in the now)
  • Always keep your losses small and never argue with the market, you will always lose.
  • You don’t need to a lot of money to do well, you need to have rules and follow them!
  • Only trade when you have an edge. If your edge is not clearly defined- stay away.
  • Develop a sound set of money management rules.
  • Focus on what matter most, your bottom line.
  • All your positions should pay you to be involved. If they don’t, something is wrong.
  • Study and learn history, otherwise you are doomed to repeat it.
  • Take responsibility for all your actions, do not make excuses.
  • Do not try to pick tops or bottoms, instead capture the bulk of the move.
  • No one gives permission. Seize the moment.
  • Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
  • Hard work, focused dedication and drive are vital to being successful.
  • Post analysis- be your biggest critic.
  • Plan for every possible outcome, then trade your plan.
  • Separate your emotions from your decision making process.
  • Be positive and happy. Develop a spirit of opulence. Life (and the market) is full of good.