Stock Trading as a Business

It's a level playing field. The market does not care about your race, gender, age, or nationality. It does not care about your background, education, whom you know, or what you think. It does not care where you are. It does not care, period.

The market is an endless opportunity. It's always been there and will always be there - as long as there is fear and greed. Nobody can take it away.

Your life does not depend on anybody. Nobody can fire you. You don't have to ask for permission to trade. You set your own hours and take vacations as you please.

There are few barriers to entry: trading capital and skill level. Other than that, all you need is a passion for trading, a powerful computer, and a fast Internet.
But you must treat trading as a business.

Amateurs focus on stock picks. Successful traders focus on the system. The key is the ability to produce profits consistently over time. A good trading system should include at least three key components:

1) Stock selection;

2) Portfolio management;

3) Emotion control.

Stock Selection

The market is too big for anybody to be equally good at everything. Find a niche that best fits your style and get good at it.

No system works 100% of the time. The market is an equal opportunity mechanism. It favors different styles at different times. All you need to do is wait for your turn and act decisively when it comes.

Portfolio Management

Trading capital is the lifeblood of your business. Stocks are your inventory. You turn over the inventory for a profit. Lose your trading capital - lose your business.

The overriding goal of portfolio management is capital preservation. You should expect to sustain losses as part of doing business. But no one position should hurt you to the point that it puts you out of commission. Your system should incorporate position size / number of positions, loss limits, and risk/reward ratios.

Emotion Control

It's not the stock that makes you money, it's what you do with it. Your worst enemies are inside you: fear, greed, doubt, and hope. Gains will make you overconfident and careless while losses can paralyze or drive you to desperate steps. Have a way to control your emotions. Maintain poise and detachment under most circumstances.

Like with any business, your success or failure in trading will depend on your skill level and how much effort you are willing to put into it. There are no short cuts.