NexusFi: Find Your Edge


Home Menu

 





The benefits of creating a journal in this forum


Discussion in Trading Journals

Updated
      Top Posters
    1. looks_one Anna K with 13 posts (12 thanks)
    2. looks_two Big Mike with 9 posts (170 thanks)
    3. looks_3 sledmt with 6 posts (1 thanks)
    4. looks_4 ratfink with 6 posts (18 thanks)
      Best Posters
    1. looks_one CaptainKirk with 19 thanks per post
    2. looks_two Big Mike with 18.9 thanks per post
    3. looks_3 deaddog with 4 thanks per post
    4. looks_4 ratfink with 3 thanks per post
    1. trending_up 62,639 views
    2. thumb_up 330 thanks given
    3. group 39 followers
    1. forum 84 posts
    2. attach_file 2 attachments




 
Search this Thread

The benefits of creating a journal in this forum

  #31 (permalink)
 
ratfink's Avatar
 ratfink 
Birmingham UK
Market Wizard
 
Experience: Intermediate
Platform: NinjaTrader
Broker: TST/Rithmic
Trading: YM/Gold
Posts: 3,633 since Dec 2012
Thanks Given: 17,423
Thanks Received: 8,425


Anna K View Post
I don't understand, was it meant to be funny or offensive?

Funny. My bad if you took it wrong. Could have been either of us ending up with last word.

Travel Well
Visit my NexusFi Trade Journal Reply With Quote

Can you help answer these questions
from other members on NexusFi?
Request for MACD with option to use different MAs for fa …
NinjaTrader
My NT8 Volume Profile Split by Asian/Euro/Open
NinjaTrader
NexusFi Journal Challenge - April 2024
Feedback and Announcements
ZombieSqueeze
Platforms and Indicators
 
Best Threads (Most Thanked)
in the last 7 days on NexusFi
Retail Trading As An Industry
58 thanks
Battlestations: Show us your trading desks!
55 thanks
NexusFi site changelog and issues/problem reporting
48 thanks
What percentage per day is possible? [Poll]
31 thanks
GFIs1 1 DAX trade per day journal
29 thanks

  #32 (permalink)
 jsengxx2 
Portugal, Viana do Castelo
 
Experience: Intermediate
Platform: ninjatrader
Trading: 6e
Posts: 345 since Sep 2011

It was not my intention to make some people angry, it is just my opinion. If I see a journal that is wrapped up with nice charts with drawn in arrows where a trade occurred I just get a little bit suspicious.

Best way to prevent this is just posting the account performance.

There is another thing that I feel is missing in the journals, the MFE and MAE. If I take an X amount of trades and suppose my target is 10 ticks then I want to monitor the move after my target is hit. If price is going +60 ticks then I basically am leaving 50 ticks on the table, if you have this for 50-100 trades you then can calculate the best target, average move. The MAE can give you the perfect stop loss.

Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Account_performance.png
Views:	267
Size:	50.5 KB
ID:	157009  
Reply With Quote
  #33 (permalink)
 Anna K 
LA, ca
 
Experience: Intermediate
Platform: TradeStation
Trading: Es
Posts: 507 since Jan 2014
Thanks Given: 1,623
Thanks Received: 1,062



Big Mike View Post
Trading is a lonely profession.

Most people will not be honest with themselves in a private journal. It's not that you intend to deceive, it's just human nature. The biggest gain from a public journal is the accountability, it will help your trading enormously.

As the owner of the site, and as someone who reads more posts than anyone else, I can tell you unequivocally that the overwhelming majority of people that create journals on futures.io (formerly BMT) have stated it has helped them.

When you try to "teach" someone your process, or "explain" why you did something, then it really focuses you and most people will likely learn that their reasoning is flawed or unpredictable. A journal helps you reach this realization, and then from there you can learn to hone your skills and start making predictable and well researched trades that follow a plan, instead of claiming to do so while the facts clearly state otherwise.

Everyone gets what they want out of trading. If you approach journaling as a negative or "why am I doing this", then clearly it is not going to benefit you.

The journal is for you. It's not to show off. Just keep it honest, that's crucial. When people ask questions, it forces you to think, also crucial. When you explain something, again it forces you to analyze your thought process, which is always a good thing and often uncovers mistakes.

Mike

well, I don't know, but it seems to me that people can lie in a public journal and be honest in a private one. Most are posting trades after the fact. So while I agree that accountability is important, public journal doesn't guarantee it at all.

As for people stating that the journal helped them, may be it did at some point. But is this the benefit of journaling or journaling publicly? how do you separate the two?

I've also stated in the beginning that it helped me, now I'm not so sure. And I didn't approach it negatively, I was very positive in the beginning...

Do you have any statistics on how long an average active journal last?

What % of people journaling here go on to become successful traders?

Visit my NexusFi Trade Journal Reply With Quote
  #34 (permalink)
 Anna K 
LA, ca
 
Experience: Intermediate
Platform: TradeStation
Trading: Es
Posts: 507 since Jan 2014
Thanks Given: 1,623
Thanks Received: 1,062


Big Mike View Post
That's an interesting comment.

How much time do you spend on your trading each day, in total?

How much of that time is spent on the actual journal?

If you were to break this down by averaging your YTD figures and computing your hourly salary, are you earning a good wage for your time? If the answer is no, then you are probably over trading in my opinion, which could be why you find the journaling difficult or exhausting.

Mike

I don'g find journaling difficult because I overtrade. It's just the same 1 or 2 charts that I post daily regardless of the number of trades.

The difficulty comes partly from "all the coaches coaching at the same time different strategies", as @rmejia said in my journal.

Party, from the amount of time it takes.

And party because it messes with my confidence when I'm told this strategy will not work. I don't see too many people coming in saying this will work if you do this or that. I mostly get, this will not work because it can't.

Visit my NexusFi Trade Journal Reply With Quote
The following user says Thank You to Anna K for this post:
  #35 (permalink)
 
tturner86's Avatar
 tturner86 
Portland, Oregon
 
Experience: Intermediate
Platform: F-16CM-40
Trading: GBU-39
Posts: 6,191 since Sep 2013
Thanks Given: 10,459
Thanks Received: 12,695


Anna K View Post
well, I don't know, but it seems to me that people can lie in a public journal and be honest in a private one. Most are posting trades after the fact. So while I agree that accountability is important, public journal doesn't guarantee it at all.

As for people stating that the journal helped them, may be it did at some point. But is this the benefit of journaling or journaling publicly? how do you separate the two?

I've also stated in the beginning that it helped me, now I'm not so sure. And I didn't approach it negatively, I was very positive in the beginning...

Do you have any statistics on how long an average active journal last?

What % of people journaling here go on to become successful traders?

The problem with a set % is most journals do not have an end. If someone is successful they tend to leave, same if they are not successful and blow out their account. No one ever comes back and says "Hey I made it!", or "I quit." They just fade into the ether. (Not saying it hasn't happen, but that is an exception and not the norm.)

You journal for yourself, and as long as it stays helpful then continue to journal. I am going to be honest and I don't mean to offend you, but you have placed a lot of focus on whether to journal publicly or not. I think you should focus on your trading and understanding the market more then whether or not to publicly journal.

Again I am not trying to be harsh, but you have to make a decision and do it. Take a week off from posting, relax.

People journal for different reasons. I journal for this discussion with others, sharing ideas, marking what I was thinking so I can come back later and see if that is still valid.

Visit my NexusFi Trade Journal Reply With Quote
The following 3 users say Thank You to tturner86 for this post:
  #36 (permalink)
 
tturner86's Avatar
 tturner86 
Portland, Oregon
 
Experience: Intermediate
Platform: F-16CM-40
Trading: GBU-39
Posts: 6,191 since Sep 2013
Thanks Given: 10,459
Thanks Received: 12,695


Anna K View Post
I don't see too many people coming in saying this will work if you do this or that. I mostly get, this will not work because it can't.

I think that in itself should tell you something. Short term scalping, especially when you are targeting less then you are risking is a lose:lose game.

Risking more then you are targeting will cause you to need a 75% or more win rate which is unobtainable for some people just to B/E. Add in commissions and slippage and it is easy to lose.

Key in trading is to position yourself in a way where you have the best opportunity to make the most amount of money. Scalping puts you at a disadvantage at the get go. The only reason people are advising against it is they have been there and not succeeded.

Trading is a math game and the numbers are not good for scalping.

Visit my NexusFi Trade Journal Reply With Quote
The following 2 users say Thank You to tturner86 for this post:
  #37 (permalink)
 Anna K 
LA, ca
 
Experience: Intermediate
Platform: TradeStation
Trading: Es
Posts: 507 since Jan 2014
Thanks Given: 1,623
Thanks Received: 1,062


tturner86 View Post
I think that in itself should tell you something. Short term scalping, especially when you are targeting less then you are risking is a lose:lose game.

Risking more then you are targeting will cause you to need a 75% or more win rate which is unobtainable for some people just to B/E. Add in commissions and slippage and it is easy to lose.

Key in trading is to position yourself in a way where you have the best opportunity to make the most amount of money. Scalping puts you at a disadvantage at the get go. The only reason people are advising against it is they have been there and not succeeded.

Trading is a math game and the numbers are not good for scalping.

but THERE ARE many people who do this successfully! There are lots of journals here of people scalping for 1 point! or am I wrong? @Big Mike

Visit my NexusFi Trade Journal Reply With Quote
  #38 (permalink)
 Anna K 
LA, ca
 
Experience: Intermediate
Platform: TradeStation
Trading: Es
Posts: 507 since Jan 2014
Thanks Given: 1,623
Thanks Received: 1,062

I think I put together a pretty good list of pros and cons of public journaling here, but it seems that there is no discussion of particular points. It feels like "take it or leave it" attitude.

It seems that discussion in general is not terribly welcomed here at futures.io (formerly BMT), unless we all agree. This is not the first time I've noticed this. And I'm not the first one. If you stray against the party line or dare question the guru, you are often forced out of the thread or intimidated.

It's not about having the last word, or whatever, it's about open discussion and learning, or so I thought. Nobody here even agreed that at least some of my points are somewhat valid. It was - you are just doing it wrong.

Visit my NexusFi Trade Journal Reply With Quote
  #39 (permalink)
 
Big Mike's Avatar
 Big Mike 
Manta, Ecuador
Site Administrator
Developer
Swing Trader
 
Experience: Advanced
Platform: Custom solution
Broker: IBKR
Trading: Stocks & Futures
Frequency: Every few days
Duration: Weeks
Posts: 50,322 since Jun 2009
Thanks Given: 33,143
Thanks Received: 101,477


Anna K View Post
I think I put together a pretty good list of pros and cons of public journaling here, but it seems that there is no discussion of particular points. It feels like "take it or leave it" attitude.

It seems that discussion in general is not terribly welcomed here at futures.io (formerly BMT), unless we all agree. This is not the first time I've noticed this. And I'm not the first one. If you stray against the party line or dare question the guru, you are often forced out of the thread or intimidated.

It's not about having the last word, or whatever, it's about open discussion and learning, or so I thought. Nobody here even agreed that at least some of my points are somewhat valid. It was - you are just doing it wrong.

Often you'll find the more experienced traders are simply tired of repeating themselves. It's a problem, the longer the forum is around, the more everything has already been said.

And most of us find that there is no way to convince someone who doesn't really want to listen, in fact the best way for them to learn is for them to discover it on their own. Only once they are ready to listen to others does it make sense for others to be spending time talking.

Scalping is the most difficult thing you could do as a retail trader. I would highly recommend against it. Not worth saying anything else, as you already know my position and you can read about this 1000x times over on the forum if you want to understand why.

Mike

We're here to help: just ask the community or contact our Help Desk

Quick Links: Change your Username or Register as a Vendor
Searching for trading reviews? Review this list
Lifetime Elite Membership: Sign-up for only $149 USD
Exclusive money saving offers from our Site Sponsors: Browse Offers
Report problems with the site: Using the NexusFi changelog thread
Follow me on Twitter Visit my NexusFi Trade Journal Started this thread Reply With Quote
The following 4 users say Thank You to Big Mike for this post:
  #40 (permalink)
 
PandaWarrior's Avatar
 PandaWarrior 
In the heat
 
Experience: None
Posts: 3,165 since Mar 2010
Thanks Given: 6,329
Thanks Received: 13,404



Anna K View Post
but THERE ARE many people who do this successfully! There are lots of journals here of people scalping for 1 point! or am I wrong? @Big Mike



I said I would quit harping on you....but for some reason I can't leave it alone......sorry.....

Of course there are lots of journals by people scalping for one point......but are they successful long term? That is the question you must ask yourself and them.

Scalping is so very attractive. In and out quick. Take your money and go home.....supposedly low risk.

And its possible. For some very very very very disciplined traders.

Ask yourself "Do I have the iron discipline to only take the exact set ups this scalping method calls for 20 times a day 5 days a week, 240 trading days a year for 20 years and ONLY take those exact trades?"

If the answer is no, and for most of us it is resounding no, then the answers lies elsewhere. And that is something you must find for yourself......what I and all the others are trying to help you with is avoiding the black hole of scalping and get you to focus your attention on something with more long term viability.

That's it. If you read something else into it, you are wrong. If you think we are against you or think you aren't capable of finding a way that works for you, you are wrong. Its just finding out scalping is normally a fools pursuit usually takes the average stubborn trader several years of pain and frustration to finally acknowledge its futility and move toward longer term trading.

Now make no mistake, if you are an intraday trader, all the other traders will call you a scalper. That's ok, what we are talking about here is being ok with a much lower win rate while still being profitable longer term. For instance, I have around a 40-45% win rate, but I am net positive every month. That's all I care about. The net.

And finally, the holy grail really isn't in how you enter, although that's important to minimize risk, or how you exit, thats how you maximize profits, or even your win rate.....the holy grail of trading is something called money management. This is NOT as many surmise, the size of the stop. It has everything to do with how much you risk on any one trade, how you size up and down depending on risk and when to increase or decrease your base size. There are any number of ways to do this but money management will either make you or break you.

When I'm trading poorly, money management keeps me in the game, when I am winning money management helps me maximize my opportunities.

Did you know there is a way to manage money that ensures you can lose for 6 months in a row and still have 75% of your initial capital intact? This is what trading is all about. Risk and money management.

So instead of focusing on scalping vs everything else and wondering if everyone is against you, listen to people that have sweated blood to learn what they are telling you.......

Trade less, hold longer and finally, learn how to manage your money if you haven't already.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, Leonardo da Vinci


Most people chose unhappiness over uncertainty, Tim Ferris
Reply With Quote
The following 12 users say Thank You to PandaWarrior for this post:





Last Updated on September 10, 2018


© 2024 NexusFi™, s.a., All Rights Reserved.
Av Ricardo J. Alfaro, Century Tower, Panama City, Panama, Ph: +507 833-9432 (Panama and Intl), +1 888-312-3001 (USA and Canada)
All information is for educational use only and is not investment advice. There is a substantial risk of loss in trading commodity futures, stocks, options and foreign exchange products. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
About Us - Contact Us - Site Rules, Acceptable Use, and Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy - Downloads - Top
no new posts