Trading Psychology  |  APR 1996

The Lone Trader by Adrienne Laris Toghraie

The Lone Trader by Adrienne Laris Toghraie The stresses built into the profession of trading isolates traders from their natural emotional supports. Here are some ways to ensure those pressures don't reach a boiling point. If you were to make a movie of this man's life, it would be filled with scenes of him surrounded by all the people in his life: his adoring wife and three children, his supportive parents, his many friends and associates and his wider associations in the community where he is regularly elected to head committees and organizations. That's why I was surprised when Jack confessed, ""There are times I feel so alone."" Of all the people I would have expected to make this heart-wrenching confession, Jack is not one of them. How can such a successful man whose life is full of supportive relationships feel alone? Jack is a trader, that's how. WHAT CREATES LONELINESS IN A TRADER? What creates loneliness in a trader? The answer lies in a single word: drawdown , a phenomenon that is integral to the business of professional trading. Just as the finest physician eventually has to face the death of a patient, as a trader, you know you will eventually have to face a series of losses. When that happens, even the most accomplished traders can lose self-confidence during those drawdown periods that never seem to end.

by Adrienne Laris Toghraie