Important CFD Trading Tips That You Should Know
Before you begin trading CFDs it is imperative to take a few points from the professionals to ensure that you do not make many of the expensive errors that amateur traders make. Below are three trading pointers that will help you in your CFD Trading success.
1. Manage your Positions
Over and over again new traders spend a large amount of time selecting, planning and executing new positions, however they regularly make the error of exiting these trades with much less thought. This is unfortunate as it is the exit that will determine whether a trade has been profitable or not.
It’s human nature to take profits quickly while the fear of incurring a loss will see the same trader leaving poorly performing positions open in the optimism that prices will move in the correct direction and decrease losses or even turn them into profitable trades.
Many new traders forget about the old saying “Let your profits run and cut your losses short”. As the saying states if you have a profitable position, make sure you allow that trade to achieve its full potential, instead of closing it out at the first sign of a tiny profit. On the other hand, if you hold a position that is moving against you, it is best to move quickly to exit that position, before the loss becomes too great.
If you’re managing your trades properly, your average winning trade should be much larger than your average losing trade. Once you have the discipline to buy and sell in this way, you should be able to achieve overall profitability even when only half of your trades are winners. Many traders make the mistake of not closing poorly performing positions fast enough. One tool that makes this a lot easier is a stop-loss order.
After you have identified a price level that corresponds with the amount of risk that you are prepared to take on a particular trade, a stop-loss order can be placed at this level to automatically close out the trade. This removes the human aspect from the exit, reducing the risk that the emotion of hope will interfere with rational decision making.
It is important to understand that a stop-loss order simply provides a trigger point for the execution of an order. If a sell stop has been put on a long position, the stop-loss is going to be activated if the price trades at or below the nominated stop level. Occasionally, this can result in trades being executed a price that is less favorable than the nominated stop-loss price. This is known as slippage.
2. Become familiar with the instrument you are trading
Being over-the-counter products, there are several differences in the contract specifications of CFDs. If you’re buying and selling these products, it is essential to know what these specifications are.
You should also become familiar with the impact that currency price changes might have on your holdings. If the base currency of the CFD rises against the base currency of your account your profits may be eroded by any currency fluctuation or your losses might be made worse.
Most CFD traders buy and sell Contracts for difference based on stocks listed in their own country. The simple reason for this is that traders are more at ease trading CFDs that they are familiar with. Most traders also benefit from the convenience of trading their home market as it is not realistic to sit up for half the night to trade a Contract for difference over a share listed on an exchange in another part of the world?
In many cases it is better to stick to Contracts for difference based on equities listed on exchanges that you’re familiar with rather than trading Contracts for difference quoted on shares listed on markets you do not fully understand.
3. Use the correct order types
You must always treat trading as a serious business. As such, make sure you take some time to ensure that you thoroughly understand the tools of your business. Many Contract for Difference traders miss opportunities or have been stopped up out of trades at the wrong time just because they placed the incorrect kind of order.
At the very least, it is advisable to be familiar with the following order types:
Market order: This type of order is utilized to execute a trade at the current market price.
Stop-order: This order type is used to exit a trade at a specific price. Stop-orders are placed at a level that is worse than prices currently obtainable in the market. On a long position, the stop-loss order to sell would be placed below the present market price. Conversely, on a short position, the stop-loss order to buy would be located at a level greater than present market prices.
Limit order: A limit order is used to get out of a trade. Limit orders are positioned at a level that is better than the present market price. When seeking to lock-in profits on an open long position, a limit order to sell would be positioned at a level greater than current market prices. If seeking to lock-in profits on a short position, a limit order to buy would be placed at a level lower than current market prices.
You should always remember that as Contracts for difference are geared and that trading them might be risky. However if used properly CFDs will become a valuable tool within your trading arsenal.
