This is a trader question from the Fibonacci Trading Forum.

Vernon says:
I have the most difficulty with over analysis and Support/Resistance Zones that challenges me when it’s time to pull the trigger.

Neal’s reply;

The real problem is that you can’t catch any fish if you don’t put your hook into the water. If too much analysis stops you from trading, you are guaranteed zero success.

Sometimes it helps to step back and simplify. See my reply about finding high probability trades. Then make the decision to take the trade.

Let your trading plan work for you. Take the trades that match your trading plan. If you don’t trust the plan, then focus instead on making a plan that you can trust.

-Neal Hughes “FibMaster”.

This is a trader question from the Fibonacci Trading Forum.

Vernon says:
What would make the biggest difference to my trading?
Combining the top-down analysis and finding an entry in the lower time
frame based Higher High or Higher Low and TRSI with Fibonacci.

Neal’s reply;

That’s a good strategy!

So, make it happen, find the setup, wait for confirmation, execute the trade, manage it, and exit..

Try to ignore the profit motive for a while. Whether you are trading the TRSI Bounce, TRSI Pop & Drop, TRSI Push, or any other strategy, focus first on keeping the risk within your tolerance. After some experience, you can analyze the results and make revisions to optimize for profits.

-Neal Hughes “FibMaster”.

Vernon says:
I also need suggestions for the following;
Building confidence and trust in the analysis and pulling the trigger
based on the price action, Fibonacci and TRSI.

Neal’s reply;

Confidence requires time and consistency, it needs to develop. Time and experience are part of the recipe, they are necessary ingredients.

There is no way to become confident without following a consistent strategy. Then apply the strategy consistently over many trades, and measure the result. You can speed up the process by analyzing past charts, as well as executing your strategy in live trades.

With experience and consistent diligence, you can develop confidence in your strategy. Start small, with lower risk, then adapt as your confidence builds.

-Neal Hughes “FibMaster”.

This is a trader question from the Fibonacci Trading Forum.

Vernon says:
What part of your trading do I need to improve?

Finding and choosing the higher probability trade and sitting out on others.

Neal’s reply;

This is a constant challenge, and sometimes even the best looking setups will fail. We have to accept the disappointments, and continue to strive for better performance.

Here is the best way to find optimum trades; Look for trades with solid trend, or significant thrust in your favor. A weak trend, or a trend that is showing fatigue, will cause more frustration and worse results.

With trend in your favor, find strong Fibonacci support/resistance (SK Level) for retracement, and then wait for the move to confirm that Fibonacci Level. Trigger your trade with that confirmation, and look for follow-through momentum in the direction of the trend or thrust. This is the basis of the “TRSI Bounce” trade setup.

Those two basic techniques (trend and Fibonacci Retracement) will help you locate/filter those better trade setups.

-Neal Hughes “FibMaster”.

This is a trader question from the Fibonacci Trading Forum.

Vernon says:

Here is one of my biggest trading problems;

With all the different Fiblevels and Support / Resistance zones in the different time frames, I tend to hesitate once these levels are near and therefore need further confirmations.

Once there is confirmation based on price action, there will be nearby SK Fibonacci Support or Resistance, and this make me wait and analyze further and probably miss the trade.

Neal’s reply;

It is important to keep the context of the trade in focus. What is the trigger? What is required to keep you in the trade? What is required to get you out?

If your setup and trigger is good, then the trade is under way until you have reason to exit. If some predicted support/resistance gets in the way, it will get you out. Or if the predicted support resistance is not strong enough, you will remain in the trade. Your trading plan takes care of that.

If the support/resistance level interferes with your setup/trigger, you will not have a trigger, or you will not have a good setup. Then is not a good trade according to your trading plan, so there is no entry.

So, take the trades on appropriate setups, and let your trading plan take over. Keep it that simple, to avoid analysis paralysis. Trust your strategy, trust that your trading plan will get you in and out appropriately.

What I am really saying is that a simple trading strategy will be a winner, instead of over-analysis and complication. Get back to basics, trade your plan.

-Neal (FibMaster’s Fibonacci Trading Course)

This is an advanced strategy, so if you’re not ready for it, save this one for the future, file it under “Optimizing For Maximum Profits”..

Imagine that 50% of your trades are winners, therefor 50% are losers, and both winners and losers are the same in size. In this scenario, you are near break-even over time. One way to improve your results is to have larger winning trades than losers. If your position was double the size when you win, your profits would be twice the size. Now if your winning trades were all bigger positions than your losing trades, you would come out ahead over time even if you were only winning 50% of the time.

We never know in advance which trades are winners, any trade can become a loser. But as the trade develops, we often get a sense that the trade is a good one, the setup and trigger were executed, and the trend is solid. Using specific setups and triggers, we can take advantage of winning trades to improve our performance.

There are strategies to increase your trade size as the trade progresses, so your winning trades are bigger, and your losers are smaller. With a good strategy, trades that fail quickly will be small, only the winning trades will be larger. An additional aspect, is to keep your risk under control. This is vital for your survival! It is important not to exceed your tolerable risk exposure as you increase the size of your position. Every time you trade, you should be operating according to your trading plan, including your risk exposure.

Imagine if you could increase the size of winning trades, without increasing the risk… Think about that.

These techniques are advanced, well beyond the scope of beginners. I have a seminar that specifically teaches this technique (practical stop-loss planning) on my website Fibonacci Trading Strategies

I don’t present those seminars very often, so watch that website for updates, so you can get in on the “practical stop-loss-planning webinar.

This is a trader question from email.

Ivan says:
-Hi Neal,

I need a piece of advice.

When I started trading, I lost a lot of money and now have some problems to enter the market. It is some sort of mental problem. How to overcome it?

Thanks.
-Ivan

Neal responds:

Trading will always be risky. There is no way to trade without risk. so we must learn to accept risk, and to control it.

Unfortunately beginners have the greatest chance of failure, because their knowledge is lacking and their skill is non-existent. So it is common for beginners to lose a lot of money before they gain enough knowledge about risk control and survival.

Once a trader has had major losses, there is damage to the trader’s confidence. Patterns of fear are developed, because the pain of a large loss is so severe. Excess fear causes bad behavior, because our brain is trying to avoid future pain. This can cause the trader to avoid taking trades, to get into a trade late, to get out too early, to avoid placing a stop-loss etc. There are endless ways that fear can cause bad trading.

We have to tolerate a certain amount of fear because of the risk involved. Without risk, no gain is possible, no profits can result.

So how does a fearful trader recover, and start to trade more comfortably? How does a trader regain the lost confidence? It takes time, and experience.

First, eliminate the risk. If you can trade without risk, you can monitor your progress, and build confidence as your results prove to be positive. You can do this within a demo account. Take as long as necessary. After a few months, review the results, do you have confidence in your strategy, in your trading techniques?

Once you develop some confidence, you can begin to trade using risk capital. Once again, control the risk! Start with minimal leverage, and small positions. The goal is not to make huge profits. Focus on technique and strategy. Focus on building confidence. The goal is confidence, not large profits.

After some time, you will have enough confidence to take larger positions, and to use more leverage. Always monitor your fear and stress. If you are too uncomfortable, reduce the risk! You do not want to have another mentally devastating event. The goal is survival, building confidence. Take your time, this is a long-term project, not an overnight miracle!

-Neal. (FibMaster’s Fibonacci Trading Desk)