Trading in the Zone. Huh? What zone? I thought I was trading in my office....there's a zone?
The following principles are taken from the “Trading in the Zone” by Mark Douglas. I refer to it's teachings constantly in our video series, "Basic Training for Traders". If Trading was a faith, and it had a bible, I believe it would be Mark's book.
Here they are in numerical order:
The 5 Fundamental Truths of Trading:
1. Anything can happen.
2. You don’t need to know what is going to happen next to make money.
3. There is a random distribution between wins and losses for any given set of
variables that define an edge.4. An edge is nothing more than an indication of a higher probability of one thing
happening over another.5. Every moment in the market is unique.
The 7 Principles of Consistency:
1. I objectively identify my edges.
2. I predefine the risk of every trade.
3. I completely accept the risk or I am willing to let go of the trade.
4. I act on my edges without reservation or hesitation.
5. I pay myself as the market makes money available to me.
6. I continually monitor my susceptibility for making errors.
7. I understand the absolute necessity of these principles of consistent success
and, therefore, I never violate them.
In "The Disciplined Trader" for example, Mark Douglas points out that typical traders often avoid creating principles and rules, because they simply do not want to take responsibility for the results of their trading. They like the mystery and intrigue of the markets - of thinking that they have some input on what the markets are doing when they trade. They enjoy the working out of it all, taking their best guesses and going against the big boys head to head. They have something to talk about in the golf cart on Saturday - something to share at the dinner table after the movie. They love sharing their opinions in chat rooms, and being asked their opinions by others - the camaraderie of it all.
None of this has anything to do with actual trading.
So print these rules out - and get serious about your profession.
