It is no coincidence that the most successful floor traders are in general those with the most experience. This is because I believe that trading is essential a skill based activity which requires both practice and experience. There are many similarities between very competitive skill based sports, like golf or tennis, and trading. Here are 7 of the key skills that you must develop as a trader.

1. Futures markets are just like any other market wether it be stocks, options or bonds. They will obey the laws of techincal analysis as well as any other market, providing there is enough volume to make the market liquid. So when trading futures look for support and resistence, trendline and chart patterns. Learning techincal analysis is not as hard as most people think, you just need to spend enough time looking at charts because it is really a visual skill.

2. Always have a trading plan before you enter the trade, and more important than your entry point is your exit point. Your exit strategy could include multiple points including several price targets where profits are taken and a stop loss point.

3. Keep your losses small!, this is the one thing that every trader must do if they want to stay in the game for a long time. By doing this you will preserve your capital allowing you to trade another day. Your small wins will compensate your small losses allowing your big wins to give you an overall profit

4. Don’t over trade, this another big mistake that amateurs make. The pros are more patient and cherry pick only the best trades when the probabilities are on their side. This takes patience and discipline. These are two of the essential skills that you must develop in your game.

5. It is important that you track all your trades and review them to see where you are making the mistakes. This is hard work, but this is what separates the professionals from the amateurs. Unless you do this you will keep on making the same mistakes. The best way to do this is to keep both a daily and weekly log.

6. Trading is a tiring activity, even if you are sitting down all day!. Don’t trade unless you are feeling both physically and mentally well, and are well prepared for the trading day ahead. Prepare for each day by 1st getting a good nights sleep, reviewing your trading plan, rules and charts before the market opens. It is also very important to be in the correct frame of mind, yiu must be confident in yourself and your plan if you are going to trade, otherwise don’t trade that day.

7. If you are new to trading futures take the time to paper trade until you are very confident that you are going to make money. You will know when you are ready because you will start to hate paper trading knowing that you could be making real cash profits on a consistent basis.

Tags: day trading