Online Futures Trading – How to Trade Futures for a Living

Online futures trading is one of the few ways traders can start with small stakes, and build real wealth quickly - and the opportunity is open to anyone.

Everything you need to know about futures trading can be self-taught - using the Internet. As with all ventures in life, there’s a right way to do it.

Many traders fail because they don’t have a realistic plan - and that’s what this article is all about – having a plan that will make you huge profits by trading futures the right way.

Here is a simple step-by-step plan:

Start with the Right Attitude

If you start with the attitude, that making big money is easy, and that someone else can give you success - you will fail. The good news is that while it’s not easy, by working smart, the effort you put in will bring rewards.

The right attitude, means you need to learn the basics - and think you will succeed. If you think you can succeed in online futures trading – then you will.

This means having confidence and taking responsibility for your actions. If you’re going to be rich, you have to do it yourself.

Getting Started

To get started in trading futures on the Internet, you need the following:

. A computer.

. An Internet connection.

. A charting software package.

You can learn all the basics free on the net – about contract sizes, how to place orders, etc. - the real key is having a method - and being able to execute it with discipline.

Your Trading Method

Markets trend long term - and your aim must be to catch these trends - as the big trends yield the big profits.

Forget day trading - it’s the big trends you want - and the way to catch them is to use a breakout method.

Breakout systems work - and have worked for hundreds of years, being based on human psychology. Most traders won’t use a breakout system – which explains why 90% of traders lose money. This is good news for you - because if you use a breakout system correctly, you can win at futures trading - and win big!

Applying a Breakout Method

To apply a breakout method to futures trading, you need to apply the system with discipline - and this is where most traders fail. Most traders don’t have the confidence to stick with their system - but you will, if you learn the basics of human psychology.

There’s some great books you can read – “Market Wizards”, and “The New Market Wizards” by Jack Shwager, also, any books by Larry Williams, Jake Bernstein, Ken Roberts, and Dr Van Tharpe.

Applying Your Method for Maximum Profits

This is where most traders go wrong when futures trading - many traders have good methods - but can’t apply them with discipline.

They also fail for two other main reasons

1. They lack staying power.

2. They don’t understand money management.

Many traders want to take as little risk as possible - and they always get stopped out - you need to take risks to make big gains! It’s a fact of life. This doesn’t mean that you should be rash - but when you see a trade - take a calculated risk.

With the above method, you won’t be trading a lot - but when you do trade, you’ll be trading the best opportunities.

Staying Power

You need to be able to stay in the trade - and not get stopped out. There’s no better tool than options. You need to use options in the right way though – with plenty of time value - and buy them at, or close to the money.

Isolation

When trading futures, 90% of traders fail - so separate yourself from the losing herd - and trade in isolation.

It’s vital you stay focused - a lot of the time, the news, and other people, will be telling you that you’re wrong. It’s essential to stay focused - most traders get swayed by others – you mustn’t be swayed.

So, there you have it - a simple blueprint for making money, by trading futures on the net.

Apply the above concepts, and you could enter the elite minority of traders, who win at futures trading - and win BIG!