Optimus Futures Trading Tips & Strategies

Organization is crucial to success. Some of the most successful traders are those who keep themselves organized and preplan before they begin their trading sessions. In this podcast, Matt Z discusses the crucial role that preplanning plays in the success of your trading.

Stop focusing so much on other traders. With information being so readily available online, traders have become obsessed with finding the next "big thing". Gossiping online about new indicators, methods, strategies, etc. rather than focusing on themselves and refining their own trading style. In this episode of the Optimus Futures Podcast, Matt Z proposes why you should stop joining in on gossip in the trading industry and focus on yourself instead to improve your trading.

Many traders seem to have an odd fascination with the word "Edge". There's an ongoing search with traders trying to find their "edge" in order to give them some sort of potential advantage in the market. In reality, these traders need to stick with the basics and find a successful method that works for them and their trading style. There is no true edge that lasts forever.

Developing and testing a Trading Method can take years to successfully implement. There are better ways than others of testing a new trading method and implementing a new strategy. In this video, our host Matt Z defines the stubborn amateur's way of testing a new trading method compared to the approach of a seasoned trader implementing a new method.

Addictive tendencies are a huge obstacle to overcome when it comes to all aspects of life. Many times, traders will recognize a bad trade before entering a position, but due to factors such as addiction, false confidence, or losses on the day, they will end up taking this trade anyway. In this podcast, our host Matt Z talks about the addictive tendencies of trading and how to prevent a mistake and the steps you should take before it even occurs.

Decision making is one of the most crucial aspects when it comes to being a successful trader. In reality, the decision making process starts before you even make your first trade. Decision making starts when looking for a compatible trading software for you and your trading style. In episode 46 of the Optimus Futures Podcast our host, Matt Z, discusses the importance of finding a trading software that suits your needs and personal preferences.

The reality is all traders have made mistakes at some point in their careers. What defines a successful trader is the ability to analyze a small mistake as it occurs, correct it, and move forward with your newfound experience in order to avoid an avalanche of errors down the line. In episode 45 of the Optimus Futures Podcast our host, Matt Z, discusses trading mistakes and how to deal with them rather than try and recover from those losses making things worse in the long run.

The trading industry has changed quite a bit over the last 30 years. What once required traders to gather in the Pit and call their orders by Open Outcry, now allows those same traders to sit behind their desk in the comfort of their own home and place those some orders. There is still a lot of information that can be taken from the "Pit Trading days". Listen to Episode 44 of the Optimus Futures Podcast to learn from our host, Matt Z, on why you should enter your trades early and what lessons you can take from the Old Pit Guys.

We've all seen the Ads and Paid Promotions from "Trading Gurus" out there trying to promote their product, service, or themselves as the next big thing. In reality, are these gurus worth listening to? Tune in to Episode 43 of the Optimus Futures Podcast to find out whether or not these trading gurus are a waste of time or actually offer sound advice.

Our dogs actually good traders? Or have we lost our minds? Tune in to Episode 42 of the Optimus Futures Podcast to find out why dogs make the best traders!

There is a common theme among new Futures traders, mistakes and failure. That being said, there is nothing wrong with failing and success takes time! The following episode of the Optimus Futures podcast covers common mistakes that traders make and addresses the issue of why most new futures traders fail.

Transitioning to full time trading and quitting your job to do so is a daunting task that can leave a trader with a load of uncertainty. Episode 40 of the Optimus Futures podcast discusses the pros and cons of becoming a full time trader and tackles the topic of whether or not it is worth quitting your job in order to achieve your goal of becoming a full time trader.

Getting to the top of any challenging profession or career takes dedication and effort that the average person isn't willing to put forward. Episode 39 of the Optimus Futures podcast tackles the topic of what the top 1% of successful Futures traders do and what it takes to become one of the best in such a competitive industry.

The 10,000 Hour rule, first proposed by Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers : The Story of Success, examines the factors that contribute to high levels of success and the time it takes to achieve such a level of expertise. The following episode of the Optimus Futures podcast explores the 10,000 hour rule and whether or not it is applicable to futures trading.

Are you satisfied with your progression as a trader? Are you a better trader today than the day you got started? If not, maybe it's time you reestablish your trading goals, formulate a trading plan, and execute a trading method.

This podcast covers the industry’s shift towards a commission free trading model for stocks, how the big brokerages are really making money, and if it has any impact on futures traders.

Join the discussion in our Community: What is the difference between a futures broker IB and an FCM? https://community.optimusfutures.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-futures-broker-ib-and-a-fcm/1683 For more on the differences, watch this video: FCM vs. IB: The Difference Between Futures Clearing Merchants and Introducing Brokers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAOw3tYp6Sc

Clinical psychologist, trader and author of The Psychology of Trading,  Brett N. Steenbarger, Ph.D. joins the Optimus Futures Podcast and has a discussion with Matt Z about trading psychology, the mental game of trading, and decision making. Dr. Steenbarger's Books: https://www.amazon.com/Brett-N.-Steenbarger/e/B001IGSOBM%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Dr. Steenbarger's blog - TraderFeed: http://traderfeed.blogspot.com/ Dr. Steenbarger's recent blog book - Radical Renewal: https://leadingrenewal.blogspot.com/

Sticking to a plan and using forms of analysis in order to meet criteria is one way to potentially increase your trading profits. Episode 33 of the Optimus Futures Podcast tackles the topic of increasing your profits and improving your trading through the means of developing criteria, creating a plan, and focusing on quantitative & qualitative analysis.

Whether traders are conscious of it or not, psychology and one's inner thoughts play a huge role in the world of trading and their mentality towards the markets. Episode 32 of the Optimus Futures Podcast tackles the mental game of trading. In this episode we dive into the decision making process, how to handle losses, self-sabotage, and much more.