So a bit of time has passed since my first post, I apologise. We have moved passed our theoretical studies and we have now begun trading on the simulator, which is why I haven’t posted in a while. I have been trying to get as much trading time as possible because our studies have not stopped entirely and we still have assignments to do. The only thing that has changed is that now work no longer feels like work most of the time, and the hours seem to fly by.
The simulator is basically the same trading software a regular trader uses, except that our orders are not connected to the exchange and have no impact on the market. No one sees us. This can give us a distorted view of our trading. For example: If my order is at a price with no volume, even a 1 lot can fill all the orders I have at that price. This is an unrealistic fill and we try to discard the results of these trades whenever we realise they happen. The thing is, the market can sometimes move so fast it is impossible to know what exactly happened. I try to keep in mind that it is better to be conservative when looking at what was and wasn`t a realistic fill.
Our first day trading started in the late afternoon. We had spent the day setting up our workspace and customizing the layout to suit our preferences. When we were done with this (and our other assignments) we got the “fire at will” order from our head trader, so we started. My first night trading I ended up positive which made me think this trading thing won’t be that hard after all. I started the next day believing I would kick ass.
Nope.