There's nothing that hurts more than missing an opportunity

Beginner Questions Trading Psychology
#1

Worse if it was a really good opportunity, and this applies to the broader sense of life but I’ll keep to trading only in this post.

Missing an opportunity in trading can be particularly painful because it often involves a tangible financial loss. When an opportunity to buy or sell an asset at a favorable price is missed, the potential profits that could have been gained are lost and this can have a negatice effect on a trader’s equity.

The feeling of missing an opportunity can overwhelm traders especially if their recent trades have resulted in a loss, it can compound their negative emotions and make it difficult to remain confident and optimistic about future opportunities. This can lead to a vicious cycle of missed opportunities, increasing losses, and declining confidence, which can be challenging to overcome.

In addition to financial loss, missing an opportunity in trading can also challenge a trader’s confidence and sense of control. When a trader feels that they have missed a significant opportunity, they may question their decision-making skills and ability to navigate the market effectively. This can lead to feelings of disappointment, frustration, and discouragement.

However, it’s important to remember that missed opportunities are a normal part of trading (even if it’s painful sometimes) and that everyone experiences setbacks and losses at some point. Rather than dwelling on what could have been, traders can learn from their experiences and use them to inform future trades and decisions. Additionally, it’s important to maintain a long-term perspective and focus on the overall performance of their portfolio, rather than fixating on individual trades or missed opportunities.

#2

There’s nothing that hurts more than missing an opportunity

Personally I would prefer to miss an opportunity than lose my 10k. When I am scalping opportunities come every other minute on the M1. Money doesnt come my way that often.

1 Like
#5

Definitely! :open_mouth: But I would dare say it hurts more to see an opportunity, grab it, and get results that are completely different than what you expected. :confused:

#8

Opportunities are everywhere and at any time. Thinking about missed opportunities is designed to make one feel better about oneself as if to say “If I would have seen that, or if I wasn’t busy at the time I would have talked to the girl”, but really this mindset is for losers who lack confidence.
You can never consume all opportunities out there. There is a limit to what one can do.
If you take a reasonable amount of shots and still don’t net a profit then surely it is not due to missed opportunities.

3 Likes
#11

Your just playing mind games with yourself ,at the end of the day.You get over it.

4 Likes
#12

If you’re too busy to spot an opportunity then you would surely be too busy also to manage the trade if you had opened it. That just increases the risk of a loss.

So maybe a trader who is not methodical in their thinking or daily routine doesn’t have a clear picture what they are looking for from an opportunity. Maybe their charts are not clear enough for easy visibility. Stick to one strategy on one pair and you will never miss those opportunities again.

7 Likes
#16

Out of curiosity, do you use a single strategy for trading on one specific currency pair?

#17

Yes, I have found it to reduce workload, makes planning easier, really helps concentration, and makes sure the opportunities I really want are always found.

#18

It’s impossible to take advantage of every opportunity, and it’s okay to miss some. It’s important to take reasonable chances and learn from experiences instead of fixating on missed opportunities.

#19

not only do i strongly disagree with this premise, for all the reasons mentioned above by others, among others, but i even find it doesn’t hurt at all: the markets go on for ever and there will always be others

to all intents and purposes, there are infinitely many opportunities available - missing one is barely relevant to anything that actually matters in the long run

2 Likes
#20

As someone who’s dabbled in trading before, I totally get how FOMO can mess with your decision-making. But now that I’m into copytrading with zulutrade, I don’t have to worry about FOMO driving my decisions.

#21

I appreciate your thought but you can’t stay stuck with your hands rolled up. It’s not mandatory to trade every opportunities but you should try to make the best use of opportunities if possible.

#22

Yeah agree with you buddy!

#23

It’s better to be out wishing you were in
than in wishing you were out :wink:

1 Like
#24

just when i thought i was out, they pulled me back in