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10 Golden Rules for Stock Trading Success

10 Golden Rules for Stock Trading Success

Your stock trading rules are your money. When you follow your rules you make money. However if you break your own stock trading rules the most likely outcome is that you will lose money.

Once you have a reliable set of stock trading rules it is important to keep them in mind. Here is one discipline that can reap rewards. Read these rules before your day starts and also read the rules when your day ends.

Rule 1: I must follow my rules.

Naturally if you develop a set of rules they are to be followed. It is human nature to want to vary or break rules and it takes discipline to continue to act in accordance with the established rules.

Rule 2: I will never risk more than 3% of my total portfolio on any one stock trade.

There are many old traders. There are many bold traders. But there are never any old bold traders. Protecting your capital base is fundamental to successful stock market trading over time.

Rule 3: I will cut my losses at 5% to 15% when I am wrong without question.

Some traders have an even lower tolerance for loss. The key point here is to have set points (stop loss) within the limits of your tolerance for loss. Stay informed about the performance of you stock and stick to your stop loss point.

Rule 4: Never set price targets.

This is a style that will allow me to get the most out of rising stocks. Simply let the profits run. Realistically, I can never pick tops. Never feel a stock has risen too high too quickly. Be willing to give back a good percentage of profits in the hope of much bigger profits.

The big money is made from trading the really BIG moves that I can occasionally catch.

Rule 5: Master one style.

Keep learning and getting better at this one method of trading. Never jump from one trading style to another. Master one style rather than become average at implementing several styles.

Rule 6: Let price and volume be my guides.

Never listen to any opinion about the stock market or individual stocks you are considering trading or are already trading. Everything is reflected in the price and volume.

Rule 7: Take all valid signals that show up.

Don’t make excuses. If an entry signal shows up you have no excuse not to take it.

Rule 8: Never trade from intra-day data. There is always stock price variation within the course of any trading day. Relying on this data for momentum trading can lead to some wrong decisions.

Rule 9: Take time out.

Successful stock trading isn’t solely about trading. It’s also about emotional strength and physical fitness. Reduce the stress every day by taking time off the computer and working on other areas. A stressful trader will not make it in the long term.

Rule 10: Be an above average trader.

In order to succeed in the stock market you don’t need to do anything exceptional. You simply need to not do what the average trader does. The average trader is inconsistent and undisciplined. Ask yourself every day, “Did I follow my method today?” If your answer is no then you are in trouble and it’s time to recommit yourself to your stock trading rules.

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Hedge Funds 101 : Understanding Current Concepts and Lingo

Hedge Funds 101 : Understanding Current Concepts and Lingo

What exactly is a “hedge fund ” ?

In essence , it is a managed pool of capital for institutions or wealthy individual investors that employees one of various trading strategies in equities, bonds or derivatives , attempting to gain from market inefficiencies and , to some extent hedge underlying risks.

Hedge funds are often loosely regulated and usually are much less transparent than traditional investment funds. That helps them to trade more stealthily. Funds typically have minimum investments periods, and charge fees based both on funds under management and on performance.

Many experts contend it is a mistake to talk about hedge funds as an asset class : rather the industry embraces a collection of trading strategies. The appropriate choice of hedging strategy for a particular investor depends largely on its existing portfolio; if for example , it is heavily invested in equities, it might seek a hedging strategy to offset equity risk. Because of this, discussion of relative returns between hedge-funds strategies can be misleading.

Hedge funds use investment techniques that are usually forbidden for more traditional funds , including “short selling: stock – that is borrowing shares to sell them in the hope of buying them back later at a lower price – and using big leverage through borrowing.

The favored strategies tend to change. It has been said that the hedge-fund industry was equity driven but that now in 2006 there is less long/short. It seems to be a much more diverse picture in 2006 with less of a concentrated exposure format.

Some of the most common strategies include

Convertible arbitrage : This involves going long in the convertible securities ( that is usually shares or bonds) that are exchangeable for a certain number of another form ( usually common shares) at a preset price , and simultaneously shorting the underlying equities. This strategy previously was very effective and was a standard. However this type of action seems to have lost effectiveness and seems to have lost favor in the crowd.

Emerging markets : Investing in securities of companies in the ever emerging economies through the purchase of sovereign or corporate debt and /or shares.

Fund of funds : Inviting in a “basket” of hedge funds. Some funds of funds focus on single strategies and other pursue multiple strategies These funds have an added layer of fees.

Global Macro – Investing in shifts between global economies , often using derivatives to speculate on interest-rate or currency moves.

Market neutral : Typically , equal amounts of capital are invested long and short in the market, attempting to neutralize risk by purchasing undervalued securities and taking short positions in overvalued securities.

As you can see the terminology in dealing with “hedge funds ” is both ever-changing and confusing.

You should be fluent in both the language and the concepts in order that you can discuss and make intelligent rather than confused choices in your investments.

Remember it is you and not your broker / adviser who will pay the ultimate costs of negligent comprehension and investment planning.

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