You Are Your Enemy

According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans. We should only add to winning positions and never average down on a loser. Profits are carried by momentum, and if you are on the right side of momentum, you can make a lot of money. When losing, stick to the plan and exercise stop losses. When winning, increase position size as new entry signals are confirmed. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength. If the expectation of your trade is not working out in a timely fashion, then you have read the market wrong and it is best to exit the position. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on. If you think the stock market is fair, quit trading immediately. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb to every battle. If you know the market and know yourself, you will consistently profit. If you know the market but not yourself, your success will be random. If you do not know the market or yourself, you will consistently lose money. Success in the stock market is not just about the market, it is also about knowing how you react to fear and greed. The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even roll stones along in its course. The trend is your friend. The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. Good traders know that they can consistently make money, and that confidence fuels them to consistently make good decisions. To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear. Great traders see more than the obvious. There are not more than five primary colors (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen. Keep stock trading simple. You need only understand support, resistance, optimism, pessimism, price volatility and abnormal behavior.