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How Many Hours a Day do You Trade?


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How Many Hours a Day do You Trade?

  #41 (permalink)
 
SMCJB's Avatar
 SMCJB 
Houston TX
Legendary Market Wizard
 
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DetroitMoney View Post
I think it is also very prudent to have a money goal. Once your money goal is met BOOM you're out. I know I am. I don't want to have my personal money OR my profit money I take off them in the live market for any longer than is needed to get my money goal. Right now I take out $200 and I am otttttta there.

Whether it takes 1-2 trades doesn't matter. Done is done. Turn off the charts and leave or do something however DON'T turn those charts back on until the next days session opens and you are ready to mark them up for the day's work.

I think once the money goal is met you're good. The rest is over trading and being in the market JUST to be in the market is a recipe for disaster.

I knew somebody who had a very similar philosophy. Once he made $X he logged off and went to play golf etc. Other days he sat there all day and made nothing. Too me that's backwards. If you've already made $X in the first hour of trading, chances are that it's one of those days where you could make 2X, 3X, 4X etc if you trade all day. On the other hand if you've made nothing in the first several hours, thats probably a good day to log off and go and do something else. Maybe it's just me, but I find that I make 50% of my money on 10% of my trading days.

Saying that I trade 9.5-10 hours a day, every day. That's time spent in front of screens watching markets, running algo's, checking margins/PnL, updating spreadsheets etc etc. On top of that I probably spend 5-10 hours a week, reading, researching and thinking.

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  #42 (permalink)
mazdaq
London, United Kingdom
 
Posts: 11 since Oct 2012
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I trade the DAX so usually at my desk for 6.30 GMT ready for the open at 7. Usually wrap up around 4pm, with an hour off for lunch. Need to get better at taking some small 5 min breaks every now and again, not very good at that.

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  #43 (permalink)
 Itchymoku 
Philadelphia
 
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If one can focus all their energies on trading than by all means trade during this time period. Once the energy is divided you can only expect to make poorer decisions. That being said, time is irrelevant because you can make a bunch of great trades in the first few hours and then lose it all in five minutes if you're not careful.

R.I.P. Joseph Bach (Itchymoku), 1987-2018.
Please visit this thread for more information.
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  #44 (permalink)
steveo107
Frankfurt Germany
 
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For me the trading time is dependent on a reasonable daily goal. I think we trade to achieve a certain daily goal. Once that goal is met then the reason for continuing to trade will probably due to some other reason such as practice etc. and you change to simulation mode. I can usually make my daily goal in 2 - 2.5 hours from the open. If you decide to increase your daily goal, then simply increase your position size and continue to trade the same number of hours. Be careful when you choose to increase your position size that you do not exceed your risk tolerance. I increase my position size only as I grow the account and keep the risk tolerance the same. I think if increasing your position size causes you to increase your risk tolerance, then you will tend to trade differently and probably impact your performance negatively.

Steveo

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  #45 (permalink)
Commodity
Malaysia,Kualalumpur
 
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It takes me at least 12 hours a day (including European and usa session ) .
the hardest action is sitting behind the screen all the time...

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  #46 (permalink)
 
skz75's Avatar
 skz75 
Memphis Tennessee
 
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Hey all! New to this forum, but have picked up some good info in the short time here.

I trade shortly after 8:30AM CST and try to shut it down by 12:30-1PM CST. I'll spend about 2 hours before and after close to review my day trades and plan for next session.

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  #47 (permalink)
 
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 tderrick 
Nashville, Tennessee
 
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skz75 View Post
Hey all! New to this forum, but have picked up some good info in the short time here.

I trade shortly after 8:30AM CST and try to shut it down by 12:30-1PM CST. I'll spend about 2 hours before and after close to review my day trades and plan for next session.


Greetings from Nashville from another AMP / CQG cat


AJ
Nashville, Tennessee


"Life On The Edge of SR"
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  #48 (permalink)
HPotter
Russia, Rostov region, Rostov
 
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I am trading 12 hours, and then my robot system look at the market and send me sms if have an interesting point.

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  #49 (permalink)
 krazyanyway 
Quebec, Canada
 
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krazyanyway View Post
On most days, I am trading from 7:30/8:00 AM EST to 6:00/7:00 PM.

Too much.

Thank God this has changed, hours reduced to 7:30/8:00 to max 4:00, with mandatory breaks

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  #50 (permalink)
 Hood 
London
 
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I trade the 1st hour of FTSE100 at 8am uk time, then I go to work. For me it's enough. But I also market replay the previous week during the weekend. I like to be be in and out of a trade and then its over until the next day. My average trade is 9mins. It seems to suit me. I'm not sure if I wold like to be watching charts all day.

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