Sometimes you just know someone’s gonna get it. Between now and Halloween, it’s the last person of the group walking through a haunted house. During a scary movie, it’s usually the first one to go looking for trouble in an effort to prove their bravery, and it just doesn’t ever seem to end well for them.
In the market, it’s not much different – especially right now. The indexes have been correcting sharply, and there’s certainly some fear and panic in the air. Traders attempting to call the lows are becoming casualties on a regular basis, and it’s just too bad they lack the self control which could help them avoid that suffering.
When conditions get extremely volatile like they are at the moment, attempting to be first in line (buying in hopes of a turn) can be a very costly endeavor. Consider the perpetual bottom-callers within downtrends such as this. Or those who continually try to short sell [1] the highs within uptrends, just dying to be a hero [2] (yes, pun intended).
And it isn’t much different for those who simply allow themselves to get caught in the fray, unwilling to exit and take their medicine from a broken trade [3]. The hope [4] which initially grips them quickly turns to fear, paralyzing their decision-making as they watch their P&L get worse and worse.
Ouch!
Trying to call market turns can leave you strung up by your ankles like a jungle-walker caught in a booby trap. Keep your feet planted so you can keep moving, because if you get caught in a trap you can’t navigate the terrain… and that’ll mean some very bad news for your trading.
Most traders will agree that waiting for confirmation of a trend shift offers a higher-odds directional play, but there are still so many who want to time that turn and be the first one to place a trade in the new direction. Perhaps they want recognition or to feed their pride. Either way, it’s clear that profits aren’t what is driving their decision-making. And isn’t that why we trade?
So the next time you’re tempted to call a top or bottom, remember just how easy it is to encounter serious pain if your timing is off. Avoid getting strung up by an ankle! Have the maturity and the patience to wait for some confirmation of a higher low or a follow-through rally after a relief bounce. Doing so will allow you to continue walking through this jungle called the market in search of profits. Because truthfully, first in line just isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Jeff White
President, The Stock Bandit, Inc.
Swing Trading & Day Trading Service
www.TheStockBandit.com [5]
[tags]Stock Market, Day Trading, Stock Trading, Investing, Swing Trading[/tags]