Sometimes it is better to improve an existing model that needs work than to start afresh with a totally new system. In this article I look at 21 ways you might be able to improve on your existing trading system:
Traders generally buy and sell securities more frequently and hold positions for much shorter periods than investors. Such frequent trading and shorter holding periods can result in mistakes that can wipe out a new trader’s investing capital quickly. Here are the ten worst mistakes made by beginner traders:
1. Letting Losses Mount
One of the defining characteristics of successful traders is their ability to take a small loss quickly if a trade is not working out and move on to the next trade idea. Unsuccessful traders, on the other hand, get paralyzed if a trade goes against them. Rather than taking quick action to cap a loss, they may hold on to a losing position in the hope that the trade will eventually work out. In addition to tying up trading capital for an inordinate period of time in a losing trade, such inaction may result in mounting losses and severe depletion of capital.
2. Failure to Implement Stop-Loss Orders
Stop-loss orders are crucial for trading success, and failure to implement them is one of the worst mistakes that can be made by a novice trader. Tight stop losses generally ensure that losses are capped before they become sizeable. While there is a risk that a stop order on long positions may be implemented at levels well below those specified if the security gaps lower, the benefits of such orders outweigh this risk. A corollary to this common trading mistake is when a trader cancels a stop order on a losing trade just before it can be triggered because he or she believes that the security is getting to a point where it will reverse course imminently and enable the trade to still be successful.
Benchmark indices swung between gains and losses on Friday to end the day flat amid lack of global as well as domestic cues. Nifty50 settled the week 0.8% lower, its first weekly loss in six weeks, breaking its longest gaining streak since late 2014 while Sensex ended the week 0.6% lower.
Gains were capped by a sharp correction in pharma and IT stocks on worries over their earnings outlook while ITC, Tata Motors continued to support the market.
The S&P BSE Sensex settled at 31,056, down 19 points, while the broader Nifty50 ended at 9,588, up 10 points.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE Smallcap pared gains to finish 0.1% higher after rising 0.5% to hit its record high, while the S&P BSE Midcap index was up 0.2%.
Pharma was the top losing index amid worries about their earnings outlook because of pricing pressures in the United States, down 1.8%. Lupin was the biggest laggard on the index, down over 4% followed by 4% Divi’s Lab, Cadila Healthcare, Sun Pharma and Cipla.
Maybe you also followed this story. Or maybe not. But basically a really big hedge fund manager, one of those guys who people quote and probably talk about at Harvard Business School, placed a super big bet on this company called Valeant.
Valeant is a pharmaceutical company trying to cure problems with skin and infectious diseases. They actually also own Bausch Lomb so that means they have a giant eye care business.
This hedge fund manager made a bet that Valeant would keep growing their business, diversifying, and acquiring. He once even called them the next “Berkshire Hathaway.”
This thesis turned out to be wrong. Like really wrong. The company crashed. People started to call Valeant out for jacking up the prices of their drugs. They also were apparently doing some dicey bookkeeping things. Just Google “Philidor Valeant scandal” if you want to learn more about that.
12In nine posts, stretched out over almost two months, I have tried to describe how companies around the world make investments, finance them and decide how much cash to return to shareholders. Along the way, I have argued that a preponderance of publicly traded companies, across all regions, have trouble generating returns on the capital invested in them that exceeds the cost of capital. I have also presented evidence that there are entire sectors and regions that are characterized by financing and dividend policies that can be best described as dysfunctional, reflecting management inertia or ineptitude. The bottom line is that there are a lot more bad companies with bad managers than good companies with good ones in the public market place. In this, the last of my posts, I want to draw a distinction between good companies and good investments, arguing that a good company can often be a bad investment and a bad company can just as easily be a good investment. I am also going argue that not all good companies are well managed and that many bad companies have competent management.
The benchmark indices ended marginally higher on Friday tracking mixed trend seen in global markets as investors reacted benignly to the UK poll verdict, which left no single party with a clear claim to power.
The S&P BSE Sensex settled at 31,262, up 48 points, while the broader Nifty50 closed at 9,668, up 21 points.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE Midcap and the S&P BSE Smallcap indices gained 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively.
The breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was positive. On the BSE, 1,380 shares rose and 1,289 shares fell. A total of 187 shares were unchanged.
After a rally of more than 8 per cent in the first two months of 2017, voices have become louder on Dalal Street that the benchmark equity indices may touch fresh all-time highs in the coming weeks.
The 30-share BSE Sensex surged 2,186 points, or 8.21 per cent, to 28,812 on February 27 from 26,626 on December 30, 2016.
The momentum may remain positive in the long run, as India could see a rating upgrade in the coming months on account of a slew of reforms by the government, including an ambitious plan to introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
GST is expected to improve tax compliance in the medium term besides removing barriers to investment, particularly for foreign direct investment. It will also improve the ease of doing business.
Index investing has become extremely popular in recent years. A lot of new investors have embraced the strategy in recent years. Unfortunately, many investors are embracing the strategy by believing certain myths that are simply not true. I am going to examine several of their problematic thought points, and discuss why they are myths that could hurt those investors in the future. In reality, there is nothing magical about index investing.
I will refute the five myths below:
1) Indexing is passive investing.
Indexing is not passive, because there is a requirement for the investor to exercise judgment as to which index funds to select. It then also imposes forced market timing through buying and selling of assets at certain time periods. In addition, the indexes themselves comprise portfolios of individual stocks or bonds which constantly add or remove components for a variety of reasons.
The benchmark indices ended at record highs on Friday, tracking upbeat trend in global markets, while back home hopes of good southwest monsoon rains also lifted sentiment.
The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 31,273, up 135 points, while the broader Nifty50 closed at 9,653, up 37 points.
In intraday trade, the 30-share Sensex gained as much as 195 points to touch a new high of 31,332, surpassing the previous milestone of 31,220 hit on May 29, while the broader Nifty50 rose as much as 16 points to reach a fresh high of 9,673, scaling last peak of 9,637 hit on May 29.
The broader market outperformed with the S&P BSE Midcap and the S&P BSE Smallcap indices adding 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively.
The breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 1,449 shares rose and 1,237 shares declined. A total of 164 shares were unchanged.
Emotions aren’t always your friend when it comes to investing. In fact, they can lead to trouble in some very specific ways…
Here’s today’s understatement of the year: emotion plays a major role in investing.
That’s not always bad. Emotions come into any big decision, and it’s important to feel good about your portfolio. Emotions dictate risk tolerance, after all. The same goes for picking companies with a strong sense of mission. Those are the decisions that help you sleep at night.
The problems start when emotions become biases. That’s when you, as an investor, can make bad choices that don’t leave you personally or financially any better off. What do those biases look like? Here are the top ten to keep an eye out for the next time you open up the portfolio…
10. Overconfidence
Bias: Focusing on an actual or perceived expertise on a narrow slice of the market
Overconfidence isn’t necessarily what it sounds like. Yes, sometimes this bias is caused by an investor who knows less than he thinks. That guy who caught 15 minutes of “Mad Money” and then gives lectures at a dinner party is a classic example.