Correct me if I'm wrong, but dont futures products have the highest leverage?

Silicon 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but dont futures products have the highest leverage?

leverage <> risk

I just re-read my post and it seemed like a personal attack. I didn't mean it like that so I apologize.

As far as I know futures...which is limited...you are correct. But OPTIONS are multidimensional and and most retail have a limited understanding of how they work. I just think it's a bad idea to go on a forum full of retail traders and recommend selling premium.

The point is...be safe.

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Leverage = debt = risk

Maybe notional value is a better way of putting it.

I'm not offended.

You're over complicating options. They're fairly straightforward.

And I disagree, I think it's a great idea to inform people on the subject, and to understand you don't always have to make directional, un-defined risk trades.

Every veteran trader knows everything about the markets, wether it's options, or calendar spreads. Don't sell yourself short by not understanding everything the markets have to offer

Xevancha

I’ve mentored a lot of traders over the years and what you’re experiencing is not uncommon. Here is some of the biggest and usual culprits. First, most traders NEVER realize how synced their performance is to general market movement and volatility. Most usually do fairly well during strong directional markets / trends and increasing volatility but struggle when the market is going sideways or against what they are trading (unless future or stock has a specific exogenous catalyst). And struggle when the VIX is falling or below 20. This demonstrates, in essence, a ‘market model’ which most don’t’ have and could benefit from. Marty Zweig and Ned Davis both wrote some good books about various market models / market timing.

Second, most trade the hard pennies (ranges, choppy trends, difficult contracting patterns, etc.) instead of the easy dollars (strong trends, identifiable trends, obvious turning points). Prices consistently cycle between expansion and contraction. The time to be aggressive is during expansion and cautious during contraction. One must look for this on multiple time frames. Also, they take large / high risk breakout entries / wait for maximum confirmation instead smaller risk pullback entries or aggressive trend line / range break or range retest entries. Most over trade and trade too large. Position sizes that are too large make discipline extremely difficult and nearly impossible to sit through small, normal lateral consolidations / pullbacks... so they choke the trade.

Third, you don’t need anything fancy just price and volume, some simple trend and range lines. Most people make it unnecessarily complicated. They also jump from strategy to strategy. When I look at your charts I see some very common mistakes. I marked a few up with simple concepts and hope it helps. I also have tons of trades and free educational stuff on my own private website (ZazenCapital.com) maybe it will help or at least give you some ideas. Simple things like retests of swing highs and lows, pullbacks to trend lines offer solid info that can improve your trading. Moving averages can also be helpful tools.

Most I’ve worked with don’t really understand price and trend structures, so they don’t have any idea what they are seeing on the chart. Their focus is so myopic, just on their one little piece of the trade instead of ALL the surrounding context around their “setups”. Additionally, most don’t even come close to having a REAL trading plan or even a specifically defined setup / repeatable methodology. Not a single trader I’ve worked with, no matter how ‘together’ they thought they were, came to me with a clear ‘If / then” setup, trading plan or market model.

Now obviously I’m not saying you make any of these mistakes. Just pointing out common ones I’ve observed that hinder performance…. and hoping some of this info helps. Best of luck ;-P

What you got is what you deserve. This is tough business. Welcome
This is WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE to be successfull trader. 75% of this MASTHAVE

I bet you cant play this game. Also you cant manage your Emotions and mind. This is why you failed. Lesson to learn.
You need to cover Order Flow and Psychological stuff to succeed in this game.

OldSaltie 

Third, you don’t need anything fancy just price and volume, some simple trend and range lines. Most people make it unnecessarily complicated. They also jump from strategy to strategy.

bobwest 

There's nothing wrong with not going Elite, but that's why it's there. --------------- Basically, understand that everyone goes through exactly what you are experiencing. You can find help and support, and I hope that just knowing you're not alone is a help also.

I was "YOU" ten years ago, but sadly... I didn't even know about FIO aka BMT forum back then to find help and support.
You are not alone, Old Saltie already has given you an excellent technique to start learning and Bob already suggested many reasons why you should become an Elite member. Just be able to download some of the indicators from @Fat Tails would save you half the time requires to do homework because E-Mini tends to back-fill, test, and retest key levels.

Over the holidays, I have been thinking about my new game plans as well as "Actionable Journal" after
listening to this link from Futures Radio Show with topic "Trading Volatile Markets - Morad Askar aka FuturesTrader71".
https://futuresradioshow.com/podcast/ms49/?utm_source=Futures+Radio&utm_campaign...9956&mc_eid=%5BUNIQID%5D

Algo or HFT programs are running at more than 80% in NYSE session... whole different GAME now... new NORMAL is NOT normal... not to mention about "Artificial Intelligence in Markets". Think not only Volatility but EXTREME Volatility!

You are the only one who can decide to continue or not, but know that if you continue then you are at the beginning of the journey, so give yourself time to learn.
If you ask FuturesTrader71, how long does it take to be profitable ES Trader? He would say it takes 5 years... the same number of years that a pro-Trader told me during my first year; I didn't really believe it then but I do now.

Speaking of homework, here are my new "Actionable Journal" and couple charts to show how the Bears lost their battle with 2592 Line In The Sand.
Just to show "less is more" and "trade it & forget it" from RTH 30M Chart for a SwingL2535; interesting where it stopped at EOD with 2677.75 as HOD.
Could be a decent pullback as Crude Oil is rolling over to March contracts, huh?

Fxfutures1976 

With all due respect you are a beginer so i very much doubt that you are consistently profitable and not eligible to give advice on how long it takes. In fact the 10,000 hours needs to be at least double or triple to even stand a chance of making it. it is very very very difficult.

Thanks. Firstly, I'm not here to get into spats with anyone but if I see something I don't agree with I'll call it out.

You are right, I am a beginner but not sure how you would know that. I'll take it that you made an assumption.

I still don't agree that you need to put in 10,000 to learn how to trade.

Some people can learn to trade very profitably in 1,000 hours. Some can toil away at it for 20,000 hours and still lose money.

In my opinion a beginner needs to learn 2 things:

1. Controlling emotions.

2. Risk managment.

The rest can be learnt over time. However, if you don't master the above 2 then you are scuppered.

I'm sure that there are many profitable traders on this forum who have become very profitable in far less than 10,000 hours.

Trading is difficult, I agree, but let's not over egg the difficulty - it's not like learning nuclear physics for example.

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kazz 

Thanks. Firstly, I'm not here to get into spats with anyone but if I see something I don't agree with I'll call it out. You are right, I am a beginner but not sure how you would know that. I'll take it that you made an assumption. I still don't agree that you need to put in 10,000 to learn how to trade. Some people can learn to trade very profitably in 1,000 hours. Some can toil away at it for 20,000 hours and still lose money. In my opinion a beginner needs to learn 2 things: 1. Controlling emotions. 2. Risk managment. The rest can be learnt over time. However, if you don't master the above 2 then you are scuppered. I'm sure that there are many profitable traders on this forum who have become very profitable in far less than 10,000 hours. Trading is difficult, I agree, but let's not over egg the difficulty - it's not like learning nuclear physics for example. Sent using the NexusFi mobile app

I know that you're a beginner because you have stated that in your description. haha.

Ok, if you believe all that then good luck to you. but prepare for a very long and difficult road ahead.

this thread is making me lost and losing hope

-P