Top 4 Things Successful Forex Traders Do

Behavior is an integral part of the trading process, and thus your attitude and mindset should reflect the following four attributes:

Patience

Once you know what to expect from your system, have the patience to wait for the price to reach the levels that your system indicates for either the point of entry or exit. If your system indicates an entry at a certain level but the market never reaches it, then move on to the next opportunity. There will always be another trade. (See also "Patience Is a Trader's Virtue.")

Discipline

Discipline is the ability to be patient – to sit on your hands until your system triggers an action point. Sometimes, the price action won't reach your anticipated price point. At this time, you must have the discipline to believe in your system and not to second-guess it. Discipline is also the ability to pull the trigger when your system indicates to do so. This is especially true for stop losses.

Objectivity

Objectivity or "emotional detachment" also depends on the reliability of your system or methodology. If you have a system that provides entry and exit levels that you find reliable, you don't need to become emotional or allow yourself to be influenced by the opinion of pundits. Your system should be reliable enough so that you can be confident in acting on its signals. (See also "Trading Psychology and Discipline.")

Realistic Expectations

Even though the market can sometimes make a much bigger move than you anticipate, being realistic means that you cannot expect to invest $250 in your trading account and make $1,000 each trade. Although there is no such thing as a "safe" trading timeframe, a short-term mindset may involve smaller risks if the trader exercises discipline in picking trades. This is also known as the tradeoff between risk and reward.