S&C Magazine Current Contents Q & A Futures For You
Futures For You
Inside The Futures World
Want to find out how the futures markets really work? DeCarley Trading senior analyst and broker Carley Garner responds to your questions about today’s futures markets. To submit a question, post your question at http://Message-Boards.Traders.com. Answers will be posted there, and selected questions will appear in a future issue of S&C. Visit Garner at www.DeCarleyTrading.com. Her books, Commodity Options and A Trader’s First Book On Commodities, are available from FT Press.
THE JOYS OF PAPER-TRADING
- Details
- Parent Category: Q & A
- Category: Futures For You
- Written by Carley Garner
How long should novice traders paper-trade before getting involved in the markets?
The benefits of paper-trading significantly diminish beyond a couple of weeks. In fact, those who spend months (or even years) perfecting their skills in a simulated trading account are likely getting more entertainment than education.
STAYING COOL
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- Parent Category: Q & A
- Category: Futures For You
- Written by Carley Garner
How can traders improve their ability to manage emotions and stay calm under pressure?
The most influential factor in trader success or failure is the ability to manage emotions. The inability to keep fear and greed in check can lead to financial and psychological devastation. After all, speculation is not a 9-to-5 venture in which traders are paid to show up for work. It is performance based; the capacity to produce income is contingent on the ability to function efficiently and behave logically.
TECHNOLOGY AND TRADING
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- Parent Category: Q & A
- Category: Futures For You
- Written by Carley Garner
Technological advances seem to have improved the trading environment tremendously in recent years. What are your thoughts?
Unfortunately, an improved trading environment hasn’t necessarily translated into more successful traders. Too many beginning traders fail to prepare for the challenges they will face before jumping into the speculative pool. Technological advances in the arena have created an environment in which it is all too easy for novice traders to fall victim to the idea that successful trading is as simple as buying the right software and subscribing to a datafeed.
THE RIGHT STUFF
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- Parent Category: Q & A
- Category: Futures For You
- Written by Carley Garner
Not everyone has the ability to trade profitably. How do traders know if they have what it takes to be successful?
Trading and athletics have a lot in common; both career choices require a certain degree of natural-born talent, an excessive amount of dedication, and the ability to control emotions and handle pressure. For those who succeed, there is a sizable pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
LIMITS TO LIMIT ORDERS
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- Parent Category: Q & A
- Category: Futures For You
- Written by Carley Garner
When is it appropriate to use a limit order to enter a market, and when should they be avoided?
As a reminder, a limit order is one in which execution is permissible only if it can be done at a price named by the trader, or at a better price. You might hear this order type referred to as an “or better” order.
