To help you navigate the markets, setting trading goals can be helpful, but some plans are more practical to develop than others. This article will discuss the appropriate and inappropriate types of forex trading objectives to pursue, why reasonable goals make sense for your trading strategy, and how to monitor your goals’ advancement.
WHY SHOULD I SET TRADING GOALS?
Setting trading objectives can help you stay on track with your trading strategy and will increase the consistency of your trading. You are developing a more process-oriented goal than an outcome-oriented one will be necessary for individuals new to trading. For instance, setting rigorous risk management and sound technical analysis objectives, as well as developing a daily routine that includes exercise and a healthy diet, will promote more consistent trading.
WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T SET AS YOUR TRADER GOALS
On the other hand, setting a financial objective is not a trading objective. This is because markets are dynamic and do not linearly provide chances; certain trading times will be profitable and suitable for your trading style while other trading periods won’t. Since traders have little control over when good market circumstances will arise, protecting the trading money they already have is more important than establishing arbitrary financial goals.
Other typical objectives that fall short include those that are too general or difficult to assess. Examples include “trade this or that strategy better,” “be more consistent,” “be more disciplined,” and so on. How precisely are they attained or assessed? These overarching objectives are best subdivided into more manageable, process-oriented goals.
PROCESS-ORIENTED GOALS AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS
Process-oriented objectives, as opposed to outcome-oriented goals, might help keep you on track with your trading strategy. You may focus on the nuances contributing to successful transactions by setting objectives that complement your approach.
To achieve this, one strategy is to approach the process as a series of “If, then” statements, such as “If this [event] occurs, then I will do this.” For instance, “I will enter long if EUR/USD pulls back to a certain price level and displays a key-reversal bar.” Depending on your trading style, it might be any number of factors, but the key is to emphasize acting following your strategy and doing the correct thing.
No of the result—win or loss—if you stick to your guidelines, the deal was successful. You offer yourself a shot at profitability over time if you have an advantage with appropriate risk management guidelines (another set of guidelines/objectives).
Profitable deals shouldn’t be seen as “good” trades and losing trades as “poor” trades. You may make a “good” transaction and still lose money (as many wills), or you can make a “poor” trade and profit. Remember that negative reinforcement occurs when lousy conduct results in a gainful consequence, and positive reinforcement occurs when excellent behavior results in a gainful outcome. Make sure you are concentrating on the latter.
Tracking your goals and evaluating your progress
To ensure your approach is practical and to hold you responsible, goal-tracking and progress monitoring are essential. A trading checklist and a trading journal are two effective ways to ensure that you are trading according to your plan. This helps you stay focused on making the right trades and reveals your areas of weakness and where you need to improve. You may set new objectives on which to concentrate based on the areas you need to improve.
For instance, maybe you find it tough to keep to your stop-loss or target goals. This often results from an overly aggressive position size. Reducing the risk per trade will solve this problem quickly and easily, preventing you from making irrational judgments because of your P&L fluctuations.
One suggestion is to create a scorecard for each transaction in which you assign a certain amount of points for each aspect of the deal and keep track of the results to see how well you are adhering to the strategy. This will show you your weak points and clarify what you need to improve.
Overall, you will be best prepared to achieve long-term success by stressing objectives focused on “doing the right thing.” There are no certainties, but short-term success won’t last if you simply ” throw it about” without structure and appropriate objectives.
A SUMMARY OF TRADING GOALS
In conclusion, process-oriented objectives will be more successful than goal-oriented ones that are outcome-focused. Instead of having a financial purpose, which would only push you into trading too often or recklessly, making such goals may help you get the correct mentality to trade to the best of your abilities. The most excellent chance for long-term financial success is emphasizing process over result.
Always have a strategy that details your risk tolerance, trading markets, money management, and entry and exit strategies.
Likewise, keep things simple. For instance, choosing a few efficient trading indicators can improve concentration rather than attempting to use them all. Streamlining your technical analysis methodology may reduce unnecessary noise and help you become a better trader.
By setting trading objectives with a sound plan, you may increase your trading confidence. Download our free guide for further details on improving your trading confidence. Be sure to browse our collection of other resources to support you in your trading endeavors regardless of your degree of experience.