Arthi’s journey, like many other traders, is marred by hard-learned lessons, and losses. Learn how he overcame his stumbles and created his own strategy. He shares what lead him to where he is now and goals for the year.
Good day, Arthi. We appreciate that you have chosen to trade with our platform. As a long time Olymp Trader, the first question is, what got you into the world of trading? How did you find out about Fixed Time Trades and Forex trading?
Well, 3 years ago, I wanted a simpler job. At the time, I was trading shares. Then I saw an ad on a YouTube video about Olymp Trade. I checked out the platform, and that’s when I learned about both Fixed Time and Forex.
What are your general trading goals?
My goal is to generate a steady income. Initially, I thought I could earn some extra money trading. But, I’ve realized trading can be my primary source of income.
And what attracts you to trading the most?
It’s that everyone faces losses. If you don’t face losses you aren’t learning. The knowledge to be gained is most attractive about this platform.
Great. Tell us about the beginning of your journey. What were the first difficulties you faced? And challenges you overcame?
When I was introduced to the platform, I used the basic platform. In the beginning, I thought it would be easy to earn some EUR. But after 2 or 3 months, I realized the market changed constantly, and I discovered platform tools like strategies and indicators.
I learned to use the indicators through practice. As I figured out strategies, and money management, I would be introduced to new kinds of strategies and types of analysis.
But I had to learn it. The first 2-3 months weren’t easy. I had some wins and losses. But, I studied, practiced, and figured out when to use which strategy.
So, it was a pretty long journey… What did your regular trading day look like? Did you do anything specific to get your day going?
I had a bit of a routine. I worked a regular job like most people. That was the majority of my day. After work, I’d come home and trade for 3 to 4 hours.
Before logging into the trading platform, I’d take a moment and see how the market is moving. I’d wait for a signal, then enter the market. Occasionally, I’d practice with my demo account, before switching to my live account for a few hours.
How many hours per day do you trade? Like total?
If it is a holiday, like quarantine times, I’ll check the market first. If the market is moving as expected, I will trade for a full day. If the market is very aggressive or slow, then I will trade for 1-2 hours.
Ok. How has your trading experience been?
Well, I’ve been trading for the last 3 years. In my first year, I faced so many losses. They hurt, but they were a part of the learning process. They were the price of learning.
Now, I can see trends without indicators or strategies and predict the price action of an asset with 90% accuracy. Without any indicators.
What are some of the main skills that you acquired en route to becoming a professional trader? What kinds of skills did you learn first?
Ok. At first, when I started on Olymp Trade, I didn’t know what a price chart really was. I only knew how Japanese candlesticks were made and moved. After learning bit by bit, I found my own strategies; using some indicators and oscillators in different ways.
A chart has only three types of movements; uptrend, downtrend, and sideways. If it is a sideways trend, the chart will not have much movement and warrants a different strategy.
And what tool helps you the most these days?
I use 2 or 3 strategies that utilize the Parabolic or RSI indicators. However, if it is a sideways trend, I use the Bollinger band or Stochastic. That’s known as the “Kind Martin”.
So that’s is your strategy for short term trading?
Yes.
What is your main motivation for trading?
My primary motivation was money. Then, sometime after the 2nd year, I realized I could continue to learn. Now, my motivation is knowledge.
How should someone choose a trading strategy? What’s your favorite one?
Well, my favorite strategy is Kind Martin. Before choosing a strategy, I look through the market first. There are two likely kinds of charts an uptrend or downtrend.
I group currency pairs according to their current trends. If there is a strong signal for one currency pair, then the next two or three pairs will likely follow.
If it’s a sideways trend, I switch to a Scalping strategy.
And how did you learn about the strategies you use?
In the beginning, YouTube Finance was very helpful. Then I started to attend webinars, and 2 or 3 live trading sessions every week.
In each live trading session, our analyst would explain new strategies and how to use them. They’d share useful knowledge.
So, we searched for signals, and they would tell us if it’s a good signal or not. It was really beneficial. But, now I mainly use Kind Martin.
The Kind Martin is the combination of the Parabolic and MACD. Do you add other indicators or oscillators to it?
I’ve tried every oscillator and indicator. Kind Martin will sometimes give perfect signals, and then it won’t for 2 or 3 days.
In those times, I’ll use Bollinger Bands with Kind Martin.
Okay. Do you deviate from your strategy?
Yes, I do it every week. I get tired of using the same 2 or 3 strategies like Scalping and Kind Martin. When those Expert strategies don’t show any signals, I try to use MACD, Bollinger Bands, and I’ll occasionally use Inverse Bollinger too.
What is your favorite indicator?
The Parabolic.
What timeframe do you usually use on the charts?
I often change the timeframe to adapt to the market. It could be very aggressive, and a 2-3-minute timeframe is perfect. I’ll occasionally check the 5-minute chart when trading Forex.
However, I only use 2 to 3 minutes for Fixed Time Trades.
Is your favorite trading period also 2-3 minutes?
Yes, 2-3 minutes.
Arthi, can you please, explain why?
It’s because the market could change very aggressively. Signals could look perfect, but could quickly flip the opposite way.
When making short 2-3-minute trades you don’t risk money for long.
Arthi, the Kind Martin strategy uses a Parabolic, an indicator, and MACD, an oscillator. So, do you prefer to combine indicators and oscillators?
Yes, most strategies use both. It’s a simple strategy, if the trend is changing the indicator is important, while an oscillator shows how overbought or oversold an asset is.
Using both we can find perfect signals.
Do you pay attention to business and financial news?
Yea, the news is definitely important… Traders get notifications at the bottom of the screen on the platform. But, if the news is coming within the next 10 to 15 minutes, I stop trading for 20 to 25 minutes and likely won’t trade that asset.
In these times, even with technical analysis, I cannot say which direction prices will go.
Do you have specific websites you visit for such news?
Actually, nowadays, I use the Olymp Trade blog. It is the perfect place, so I only use it. I don’t really use any other sites.
What was your initial source of trading information, books, sites, webinars?
Only webinars in the beginning. I attended webinars every day, chatted with analysts, and tried to find signals.
After I became an Expert trader, I switched to consultations with an analyst. I learned the most from my analyst, he gave me ideas on how to find signals and analyze the market.
Do you keep statistics, do strategy testing, and study on your own, or do you follow someone’s lead?
I always follow my lead, because from my point of view if I follow someone, that means I cannot actually predict the market on my own.
So, I would take some time, like, 15 or 20 minutes, and I would check how the market was responding. I would take my time to find signals.
Do you track your trading?
Yeah, I have some logs, since I didn’t know how to trade in the beginning I recorded some big losses that hurt. But I realized the mistakes I made, and I haven’t repeated them.
I learned to limit myself and not get too excited.
What are your plans for the year?
I want to cover my losses. Beyond that, I want to make $3,000 to $5,000 each month and learn new skills.
So, How do you deal with a series of losing trades?
Actually, when I became an Expert trader, I just wanted profits, but I suffered around $3,000 in losses.
After 2 or 3 months, I realized that losses are common and I could recover them slowly. With the right strategy, you can earn so much over time.
If I lose for 2 or 3 trades in a row, I’ll stop trading. After about an hour I’ll check the market again, and I may start trading again. If I do, I will increase my trade amount to make up for losses.
So, if I lose on trades 4 and 5, I will restart from the beginning with low trade amounts.
Do you study the psychology of trading, and how do you keep yourself from getting too excited?
I studied the psychology a bit, I didn’t use books or anything. But over time I learned, in trading when you face losses, you will feel really down.
To keep from getting too excited I remember my losses, and what I ultimately learned from many of them is that you cannot trade on emotion. Maintain a level head, trade strategically, and learn from your mistakes, don’t repeat them.
You have to be calm because even if the market is mild, and if you get too excited, you won’t trade rationally, and could lose everything.
Alright, how often do you watch Olymp Trade webinars?
For the first 2 years, I didn’t miss a single webinar, I just kept on learning. I had so much to learn back then.
Over the last 2 or 3 months, I haven’t attended any webinars, because I’ve gotten to the point where I know how to use the platform.
Everything traders need to know is taught in the webinars. Analysts teach the basics of the platform, its tools, analyze the market, and use Japanese candlesticks.
Throughout the week analysts run 2 or 3 live sessions, so we can try using a couple of different strategies.
You are shown the first, second, and third signals and told something like, “When the three signals come at once, only then is it a perfect signal.” As a new trader, this is crucial information.
Arthi, how often do you communicate with your analyst?
Oh, I think 7 days a week. Every time I ask him something, he answers.
If I have doubts about a signal, issues with my withdrawal or I need help understanding market analysis, I message him, and he typically answers in an hour or two.
What do you usually discuss?
Sometimes new strategies, other times more about old strategies, or a live trading session from time to time.
What about the consultations is most valuable to you?
He will often refresh my memory and explain the parts of strategies I’ve struggled with.
After the consultation, my confidence is high, that’s when I trade.
Which Expert status privileges do you like most?
My favorite Expert privilege is if I deposit $200 I will get a bonus. Those bonuses and the expedited withdrawals.
Great. Last question, why did you make the decision to switch to Expert status? What convinced you?
Before Expert status, it was VIP. I switched because I could get profit margins above 90 percent, and personal support. Having a personal analyst to guide me through some trading situations was the biggest factor.
Thank you so much for doing this interview.