I have joined up for the ASX Trading game (which started last week). Seemed a good learning tool.

The funny thing is I am doing great on the game - up a $1,000 the first day, etc.

The thing is my REAL trades are doing fairly poorly. The best you can say about them is that I might just break even. I am using the same trading plan for both - ie for the trading game and my real trades. I spend a LOT more time on the real trades (working out entry points, etc), than I do the game ones. But basically, they come from the same watchlists, and I use the same techniques to trade them.

It could just be luck, of course. But I was wondering whether I am over analysing the real trades - and perhaps I am a bit gun-shy because of it? The game trades I took after very little consideration - they met my trading criteria, and that was that.

Has anyone else found this?

Kneighbour

You may have answered your own question.  Do you have a written trade plan that more or less mechanically tells you when to place a trade?  It could be that you are mixing strategies or over complicating your decisions with too many indicators and the like.  As with the game trades, the real trades should be along the lines of - yes, the trade plan has given a buy signal + recent news, announcements and ex-div dates all look OK, therefore: buy, set the stop, live the moment, don't hold expectations - I will just do what the plan says and and don't think too much. (All the thinking needs to be in the plan, not at the time of the trade).

If in a hole, perhaps reduce the trade sizes for a while, until things get back on track.  From my own experience when in a deep hole, I have found a 2 week absence from trading, followed by a gradual re-start with reduced trade sizes can work wonders.

I won't say good luck, instead - good trading.

Chart Rider