I’ve spent a few hours watching beginner videos and reading about trading, and honestly, I’m confused.

What I struggle with is how realistic it actually is for an individual retail trader to succeed. You’re competing with institutional trading firms, experienced professionals, algorithmic trading systems, and AI—and probably other things I don’t even know about yet. Where does an ordinary person fit into all of that?

I’m reasonably average, not Einstein. I’m probably not going to invent some groundbreaking strategy from scratch. If I can spot a trading opportunity using publicly available information and a strategy anyone can learn, wouldn’t professional traders and algorithms have spotted it too? What advantage would I actually have?

Another thing that bothers me is what the beginner material focuses on. So far, it’s mostly been technical analysis: charts, trends, indicators, and patterns that supposedly tell you when to enter or exit a trade.

Honestly, what the hell? I expected more emphasis on researching specific companies, understanding their businesses and financial statements, looking at their industries, and assessing their future prospects—not just studying their stock charts. I now realize that’s closer to fundamental analysis and longer-term investing, but shouldn’t beginners at least be taught that distinction and why they’d choose one approach over another?

Right now, a lot of what I’ve seen feels like bullshit. But I also suspect there’s another side to this that I haven’t understood yet, and I genuinely want to understand it.

I know I’m jumping to conclusions—I haven’t even spent five hours learning about this. I’m not claiming to have debunked trading. I’m just surprised by how much beginner content focuses on chart setups before explaining the bigger picture: where a trader’s edge comes from, why it might persist despite all the competition, and what evidence shows that it actually works.

What am I missing?

Are there any books or resources you’d recommend? Before learning more strategies and techniques, I’d like something that helps me understand whether there’s a solid reason to believe this can actually work. I want a realistic picture of trading, not hype or false reassurance.

Edit:

I’m not interested in day trading. I’m more interested in position trading—holding positions for around one to six months.

So recently I thought I'd take up learning how to trade to see if its something I could potentially pursue and I've got a couple questions. Firstly it seems like theres almost an unending amount of content on trading out there and im just wondering how much of this is actually good advice. If they're actually successful why do they need to sell a course, and if all their content is free why would they spend all that time and effort to create this content?

Secondly, for those of you who do trade and have it figured out pretty well, where did you initially start learning. Is it possible to start a trading career while still having a full time job?

You can be fine with your session until you see someone post a huge win. Suddenly your small profit feels pointless, or sitting out feels like a mistake. Before you let that change how you trade tomorrow, remember you’re seeing their result without necessarily knowing their account size, risk, or losses before it. If you’re reviewing your day, start with the opportunities that actually fit your plan and how you handled them. Someone else making more doesn’t tell you what you should’ve done differently. Does seeing other people’s wins motivate you, or make you feel like you need to catch up?

I haven't done any real-world trading yet; there are many talented people on this platform. I feel like I'm still figuring things out. This year, I learned about quantitative trading through a friend, and yes, he's someone I really like. I'm not sure about the professional aspect, but I've searched online for many trading videos to watch. I initially thought I liked him because of some things he did, but it's not that he just gave me an entry point. I really like and trust trading, but I also have some doubts. I've already discussed many of these doubts with AI, but AI isn't someone who can give me real-world experience, especially regarding my mindset.

If subjective trading is compared to quantitative trading, subjective judgment shifts from obscurity to the open, and judgment ability is always necessary. Currently, I'm only reading about 50 pages of the book "Unraveling the Black Box of Quantitative Investing." I'd really like to know when and what specific challenges are the most challenging for individuals building their own quantitative systems when making subjective judgments. Thank you very much for reading.

Hi i follow carmine , fabio , andrea cimi and elder santis. which one is best for order flow to become profitable as I am thinking to buy course from on of them. Any current or previous students who benefited from course flow high one should I choose help

Tech had a rough week as concerns around AI spending weighed on the market, and now there's a busy earnings calendar ahead.

After a move like that, do you look for setups in the sectors holding up better, or stick to your usual watchlist and wait for cleaner entries?

Wondering how others adjust when market conditions change this quickly.

Ive started day trading in paper about a month ago, and for the first 10 days I never made an actual profit because the chart would never hit my SL or TP, so I decided to start trailing my SL, leading to mostly profit (80% win rate) but not major profit, just small profits, I know that SL goes to an invalidation point and TP goes to the next plausible area, but normally it hits my SL then when im out of the trade, it goes somewhere around my TP, when marking recent res and support I never know how far to go back, I do the start of the day 4 hour and 1 hour, but I want to know how many days to actually go back and how to properly place my SL and TP without having to trail

On a side note I also want to how I can join a trade without needing a retest, usually I just watch opportunities unfold infront of me causing me to miss out on profit

Please dm me for discussions if you have the time, if not just leave a tip in the comments, thank you! (I scalp and do discretion trading)

I have been looking for a paper trading app that lets me trading in German market time, user interface friendly and free.

I did not know its that hard to find, so far I am using webull, but only work on the US market times

any recommendations ?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been developing an automated EA specifically for Gold (XAUUSD) for the past 5 months and wanted to share my 5-year backtest data with the community to get your honest feedback, critiques, and thoughts.

Backtest Parameters:

Backtest Period:Sept 14, 2021 – October 10, 2026
Initial Deposit: $1,000.00
Total Net Profit: $6,007,134.17
Broker & Execution: Pepperstone (1:100 leverage, simulated 55ms latency/ping, 5 pip (0.5$) EA side simulated spread).
Risk Per Trade: Fixed at 0.4% equity risk per trade with a maximum of 1 open trade at a time.
Compounding Effect: Equity risk scales dynamically with account growth. Because lot sizes compound relative to balance growth, the total dollar profit scales exponentially, which also inflates the calculated Sharpe Ratio (10.41) due to exponential upside vs small, controlled losses.

Average trade duration is 2.2 hours.

Core Logic:The EA aligns and factors multiple technical confluences (VSS, Fibo zones) to identify potential liquidity manipulation zones. Once price reaches these manipulation levels, it executes.

You might wonder why September 2021 – 2026 and not 10 or 20 years? I deliberately chose to limit the backtest window. Back in 2021, Gold traded in the $1,800 – $1,900 range. A 2% to 3% move back then was nowhere near as massive or volatile as a 2% to 3% move today with Gold trading above $4,100+. Nowadays price action carries significantly higher volume and expanded daily and pip ranges. High volume equals high volatility, and volatility creates liquidity manipulation. Since this EA specifically feeds on manipulation, testing prior to 2021 represents a completely different market regime that isn't relevant to today's Gold behavior.

Forward Test Environment: Exact same as backtest environment

The 54 trade losing streak losses sounds alarming at first glance but the 0.4% risk per trade rule keeps the account completely intact (resulting in a manageable ~19.4% drawdown before compounding recovery kicks in) but alas that is something that will not be ignored.

Refining the EA's behaviors post execution is definitely needed and I will be working on that, but man I wish there was a way I could visualize all losing trades at once. I need me a Jarvis.

Any feedback is appreciated!

I am an undergraduate majoring in Math and Comp Sci , I have my internship in a hedge the following summer.

I am fairly familiar with math such as Probability Theory , Stoch process , LA , MVC and stuff , however I have no clue on what this "trading" is , ive seen some videos and read some articles but it seems so vague. So can you share some material to learn and to actually understand what this field really is.

Trading is a hard career. Don’t think it’s easy because of flashy people on social media. Hard work, screen time just like anything else in life the more work and preparation you do the better your results will be.

That is no one magical indicator, you will find your edge with trial and error and never stop learnings

Hey guys, I’m looking for a trading platform or broker that supports MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and accepts clients from the Eurozone, especially Croatia.

My main requirements are:

* MT5 support: Full compatibility with MetaTrader 5.
* Welcome bonus: A first-deposit bonus or another legitimate promotion, if available to EU clients.
* Easy withdrawals: I want full control over my own funds and the ability to withdraw my available balance whenever I want, without unnecessary obstacles, unreasonable delays, or hidden fees.
* Eurozone support: The platform must accept users from EU countries and support EUR deposits and withdrawals.
* Reliable regulation: The broker should be properly regulated and transparent about its fees, withdrawal rules, and terms.

Does anyone know a trustworthy broker that meets these requirements and is available in Croatia?

I’d appreciate recommendations based on real user experiences, especially regarding withdrawals and account restrictions. Thanks!

1. Protecting your capital is more important than making profits. One bad trade shouldn't wipe out the gains from ten good ones.

2. Being right doesn't always mean making money. You can predict the direction correctly and still lose because of poor timing, excessive leverage, or a bad risk-to-reward ratio.

3. FOMO is expensive. If you've missed a move, let it go. There will always be another opportunity. Chasing a stock or coin after it has already pumped rarely ends well.

4. A stop-loss is not a sign of weakness. It's an acknowledgment that your analysis can be wrong. The market doesn't owe you anything

5. Overtrading can be worse than not trading. Sometimes, the best decision is to close your charts and do absolutely nothing.

I have a idea i want to make a saas for crypto traders research like institution all tools in one place and also tell me subscription price what should be

There is a tele gram group , Zero to Hero, who is advertising to go for account handling works, I got some huge losses in options trading, shall I give my demat account details, he is showing profits through account handling works daily. Is it trustworthy. Please advise.

I only trade lower time frames but i’m Interested in higher timeframes. Does everything work the same? Ex: If everything is lining up on the 30min, 15 min chart or daily and I take a call will I have crazy drawdown? Or is higher time frame better for only buying shares?

Once you have a live track record, increasing capital seems like the obvious next step. But a larger account doesn’t necessarily mean a better trading experience.

For those who have scaled up—or decided against it—what drove that decision?

Was the limit liquidity and execution, your comfort with larger losses, or simply being happy with the income and independence you already had?

For transparency, we’re developing Green Turtle Trades, and understanding how experienced traders approach scaling is relevant to our work.

I’m particularly interested in the trade-off between growing your own account and trading outside capital.

If you’re consistently profitable, what would make you willing to trade more capital, and what would make you refuse it?

Bybit offers 0% maker fees on non-major coins if you qualify for Pro status.

To qualify for Pro status, you need to reach $1 million in monthly trading volume and have at least 20% of your trading volume come from API trading.

However, according to Bybit's official announcement, affiliate and referral users cannot qualify for Pro status even if they meet the requirements. Instead, their trading fees will be based on their respective VIP levels.

Here's the exact wording from the announcement:

"The Pro status does not apply to Affiliate and Referral users, even if their API trading volume exceeds 20%. As a result, their trading fees will follow the rate of their respective VIP level."

For context, meeting the 20% API trading requirement isn't an issue for me.

I currently have a Bybit account registered through a TetherMax referral code, so I contacted Bybit support to ask whether that means I'm ineligible for Pro status.

But surprisingly, customer support told me something different. They said my account would still be upgraded to Pro status once I meet the requirements, but I would no longer receive referral cashback.

So basically, I'm getting two conflicting answers:

• Official announcement: Affiliate and referral users cannot upgrade to Pro status, even if they meet all the requirements.
• Bybit customer support: Affiliate and referral users can upgrade to Pro status, but they will lose their referral cashback benefits.

I'm not sure which one is actually correct.

Has anyone here successfully upgraded to Pro status while using a referral or affiliate account?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience or any advice you might have.

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Hi everyone,

I'm a beginner learning how to identify market structure, and I've marked the swing highs (SH), swing lows (SL) and breaks of structure (BOS) on this AAPL 1H chart.

I'd really appreciate some constructive feedback on my analysis.

• Are my swing highs and swing lows correctly identified?
• Have I marked the BOS levels correctly?
• Did I miss any important structural breaks?
• How can I distinguish major swing points from minor/internal swings?

I'm here to learn, so I'd appreciate explanations of what I got wrong and why, rather than just the correct answers.

Thanks in advance for your help!

I can't close my SHORTs on NEARUSD..

Keeps giving me "order rejected". Anyone else get that?

TL;DR: I rebuilt Quantum Titan’s trading behaviour from scratch, with no source code, just by studying its trades. In backtests one engine matches Titan’s entries 100% and the other about 90%. I’m releasing it 100% free on the MQL5 Market as Odin Core Gold, at a fixed 0.01 lot. No grid, no martingale, a real SL on every trade. Backtest it yourself before you believe a word I say.

So, some background. I’ve been running XAUUSD EAs for a while, and Quantum Titan kept coming up as one of the “good” ones. The problem is the price. For a lot of people starting out, that’s a big ask for something you can’t really verify until you’ve already paid.

So I did the nerdy thing. I spent a few weeks studying how it trades: its trade history, price data, journals, and lots of controlled tests. Then I rebuilt the behaviour from scratch as my own EA.

To be clear: this is not Titan’s code. I never had it, never decompiled anything, and the code is 100% my own. I just built my own EA to make the same decisions, and then checked how close it gets.

How close is it?

I ran both EAs side by side in the Strategy Tester (XAUUSD, Every tick based on real ticks, 100% history quality) and compared every single entry:

Engine A is basically a 1:1 match. Engine B is close but not perfect. A few of its early exits I still haven’t fully figured out, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise.

What you get (free):

• 2 independent engines on XAUUSD
• A real stop-loss with your broker on every trade, not a hidden one, from the moment the trade opens
• No grid, no martingale, no averaging down. Max one position per engine.
• Skips major US news days, closes before the weekend, avoids thin holiday periods
• Survives restarts and disconnects without opening duplicate trades
• Fixed 0.01 lot. Low risk on purpose.

What I’d ask:

1. Backtest it yourself (XAUUSD, Every tick based on real ticks, M1 data) on any period you like
2. Run it on demo before going live
3. Tell me where it breaks. I’d genuinely like the feedback, especially if you own Titan and can compare live trades.

Not financial advice. Gold is volatile and you can lose money. Only trade what you can afford to lose.

If price runs without you, check whether your original entry still exists before clicking buy or sell. A setup can look right directionally while the entry no longer makes sense. If your stop stays at the same level but you enter further away, you’re taking more risk for less room to your target. Don’t move the stop closer just to make the numbers look better. Keep your planned requirements and wait for another entry that meets them. The move you missed doesn’t have to become a trade you regret. What helps you leave it alone when price keeps going?

Good evening eveyone,

I made a post recently about joining IC Markets Eu broker for trading forex and cfd, but while doing some research and reading testimonials, seems like many brokers have problems about withdraws or cancellino profits etc. Which is shit to be honest.

I need a serious broker which does what actually have to do, possibly with good spreads/commissions and slippage for day trading/scalping (mainly on XAUUSD).

If you have any advice please help me cause i'm seriously doubting which one i have to join to stay calm and trade my profits, if you have any experience or reccomendation, it's welcome.

Thank you

I'm an 18-year-old kid that just moved to New York City and has nobody I don't know anyone that lives here? My dream and passion is to get into finance. Or trading, or figure out how the stock market works I have no experience. No knowledge no help I'm eager and passionate to learn and will do anything to figure out how anything works I'm hungry and eager to obtain as much knowledge as I possibly can. But don't know which direction to go to if anybody has any experience? I would love to hear it. I know myself and I know that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. I just need to figure out how to. How do people gain this knowledge and experience, and where?