Overtrading
2024-10-01

I want to talk about overtrading in trading

Looking at social media traders, it seems like everyone is trading perfectly! In reality, everyone has their own demons that we fight every day! Overtrading is not gambling, but it is also not good! Yes, of course, we must have a trading strategy and if we do not stick to the strategy, and more importantly, risk management! The number of open trades does not equal profit!

Overtrading is an excessive passion for buying or selling financial instruments, also known as tilt. In other words, having too many open positions or using a disproportionate amount in one trade. There are no laws or rules against overtrading for individual traders, but it can hurt your trading account or portfolio.

Trading style is an important component of your trading. This means that your preferred style should determine the frequency of your trades. For example, you are more comfortable trading swing positions with a stop loss of 3-4 percent with a little leverage! Perhaps you do not have the time or desire to sit during the day and monitor entry points! Therefore, if you have a trading style that is comfortable for you, stick to it! If you switch and make 3-5 trades during the day, you will simply burn out from emotions, good or bad! You can also feel problems when you do not trade enough! Sometimes you see positions, but fear overcomes you and you do not open positions, but just watch! Often, after a series of such missed trades, you open a trade on emotions! Therefore, always keep a balance in your trading style

The biggest reason for infrequent trading is the fear of losing money. But if you do not trade, you can miss good trading opportunities.

 Reasons for overtrading 

Excessive trading occurs when a trader does not adhere to the rules of his trading strategy. He is tempted to increase the frequency of trades without consulting a trading plan, which can lead to bad consequences. To prevent overtrading, you can change your trading plan at any time to be more restrictive and add stricter entry and exit criteria.
Avoid emotional trading: Distinguish between rational and emotional trading decisions and back up your decisions with clear market analysis. Diversify your portfolio: If you often open more than one position, you can minimize risk by spreading your investments across different asset classes. Use only what you have: Decide how much you want to risk, but never trade with more capital than you can afford to lose. When it comes to your trading plan, consider your goals and motivation, time and money, and market knowledge to manage risk.

 Goals and Motivation 

Describe what drives you to trade. Do you want to make a profit? Or do you simply want to learn more about how the financial markets work? It’s important to not only write down why you want to be a trader, but also what type of trader you want to be. There are four common trading styles: scalping, day trading, swing trading, and position trading.

Finally, you should write down your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals.

 Time and Money 

Decide how much time and money you want to dedicate to trading. Remember to factor in preparation time, learn about the markets, analyze financial information, and practice on a demo account. Then decide how much of your own money you can dedicate to trading. Never risk more than you can afford to lose.

 Risk Management 

Decide how much risk you are willing to take. All financial assets carry risk, but it is up to you to decide how aggressive your trading strategy will be. Risk management includes determining your preferred stop losses, limit orders, and risk-reward ratio.

 Market Knowledge 

Before you begin trading, it is essential that you thoroughly understand the markets and trading. Assess your experience before you start trading, and keep a trading journal to learn from your past mistakes.

 Overtrading and Risk Management 

Managing risk when overtrading or tilting starts with a trading plan. Regardless of your experience level, type of trader, or the amount of money you have to spend, you need a well-thought-out trading plan. Once you have that plan, you can assess how much you are trading.

 Calculate your maximum risk per trade 

Choosing how much to risk on each trade is a personal choice. It can be anything from 1% to 10% for traders who can take a lot of risk. But if you risk up to 10%, it can take as few as five trades to lose 50% of your trading capital, so a lower percentage is usually recommended.

You should make sure that your risk percentage is sustainable and that you can still achieve your trading goals with the chosen percentage of risk you take

