Ahhh… Trading expressions and quotes. You’ve got to love them. Those bit-sized pieces of advice from the gnarled, grizzled veterans of the industry.
In all seriousness, though, they’re fun, they’re always worth a laugh, some are worth pondering, but most offer something to take away and consider.
Whether they’re clichés, truisms, bland, banal, useless or worth your time, we’re sure that you’ve many of them before, probably when you were still clinging to your mother’s apron strings as you began your forex journey.
In any case, enjoy!
The System
“Most traders take a good system and destroy it by trying to make it into a perfect system.” - Robert Prechter
“Sheer will and determination is no substitute for something that actually works.” - Jason Klatt
“Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” – Warren Buffett - Plan and plan again, and understand what you’re doing.
Confidence
“Confidence is not ‘I will profit on this trade.’ Confidence is ‘I will be fine if I don’t profit from this trade.” - Yvan Byeajee
Pragmatism
“Are you willing to lose money on a trade? If not, then don't take it. You can only win if you're not afraid to lose. And you can only do that if you truly accept the risks in front of you.” - Sami Abusaad
“I have two basic rules about winning in trading as well as in life: 1. If you don’t bet, you can’t win. 2. If you lose all your chips, you can’t bet.” - Larry Hite
“It’s not whether you’re right or wrong that’s important, it’s how much money you make when you’re right and how much you lose when you’re wrong”. - George Soros
“Losers average losers.” – Paul Tudor Jones. PTJ is telling us to never add to a losing position. If you’re not comfortable, don’t throw good money after bad. It’s similar to “Don’t double up a losing position”.
“Don’t marry a position.” – Anon. Easy. Be willing to move if something’s going wrong.
Patience
“If most traders would learn to sit on their hands 50 percent of the time, they would make a lot more money.” - Bill Lipschutz
“Dangers of watching every tick are twofold: overtrading and increased chances of prematurely liquidating good positions.” - Jack Schwagger
“Buy the rumor, sell the fact.” – Anon. This one is the opposite of cautioning patience, it’s advising that you move on the rumor of news to come. We’d suggest that you do everything you can to confirm it.
Knowledge
“I know where I’m getting out before I get in.” - Bruce Kovner
“It’s ok to be wrong; it’s unforgivable to stay wrong.” - Martin Zweig
Getting Out
“Let your profits run, but cut your losses short.” – Anon.
“Don’t let a winning position turn into a losing one.” – Anon. This means when things begin to turn, don’t hang around unless you’re supremely confident.
Clichés
Cliches are clichés, because they’re very often true…
“Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.” -John Maynard Keynes
“The trend is your friend.” – Anon.
“Buy low, sell high.” – Anon. Easier said than done.
“Markets go up the stairs and down the elevator.” – Anon. Markets are often slow to go up, but they can come down fast.
“Don’t bet your house.” – Anon. This one’s, pardon the pun, as old as houses, but still true.
“All news is old news.” – Anon. The idea that market’s already moved by the time you get the news, whatever it was.
And we’ll leave the last one to a scientist, a biologist.
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” – Charles Darwin
The man behind the Theory of Evolution isn’t wrong. That’s a mantra to live by.
So there we have it, a collection of the best, worst, most useful, pointless and banal expressions and quotes tied to trading, forex, investments, finance and money. We hope you enjoyed this little excursion.
If our collection of trading expressions and quotes has you inspired and you’re looking for more words of wisdom, check out our YouTube channel for in-depth interviews. If you’re in the mood for something a little more lighthearted, check out our most hated office jargon, and our guide to understanding Gen Z… At least you can now annoy them with endless quotes and clichés just as they bore you with endless chat of Artificial Intelligence (AI ).
