Obsessively Watching the Market is a Disease—It Needs to Be Cured! Only by Avoiding This Addiction Can Trading Success Be Achieved
Among the root causes of major losses in forex trading, obsessively watching the market (staring at price charts) ranks first. Once traders become addicted to monitoring price movements, their emotions take over, leading to impulsive decisions—and inevitable losses.
Why does staring at charts lead to heavy losses? Let me explain.
Whether a beginner or an experienced trader, once they start trading, their favorite activity becomes constantly watching the market. Beginners are especially prone to this—checking charts day and night, even during meals, sleep, work, or while walking. The moment they fixate on the screen, their minds become swayed by price fluctuations, biases and impulsive trades take over, and before they know it, they suffer huge losses. Surprisingly, even seasoned traders occasionally fall into this trap. As a veteran in the trading world, I’ve seen many disciplined traders suddenly blow up their accounts.
I, too, struggled with this issue at one point. Despite having a solid trading system and years of experience, why did I still suffer major losses after periods of successful trading? After much reflection, I realized the culprit was over-monitoring the charts. The more I watched, the more emotional I became, abandoning my trading rules, principles, and risk management. I repeatedly violated key trading taboos, making instinctive, irrational decisions. The ugly side of human nature took control during screen time. Only after forcing myself to stop obsessively watching the market did my trading stabilize.
So why do traders love staring at charts? Here are the reasons:
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Trying to find patterns in price movements
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Looking for trading opportunities
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Having open positions and fearing missing profits or unexpected losses
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Curiosity—always wanting to know what’s happening in the market
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Thrill-seeking—the excitement of unpredictable price swings, like watching a suspenseful game
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Boredom—no open trades, so they stare at charts to find something to do
Ultimately, this behavior stems from a lack of deep understanding of market dynamics and trading psychology, making chart-watching an unavoidable habit for many traders.
