Amazing Trading Stories: Gains and Losses That Changed Lives

[Gmlenis]

Hi everyone, I thought it would be great to hear some of those little-known ''big stories'' from the trading world. Here's mine: I met someone who left school at 17, lost all his friends and his girlfriend, lived alone in a crappy London flat and worked as a waiter to make it to the end of the month. When I wasn't at the bar, I spent 16 hours a day looking at a 233 tick chart of the SP500 along with the command tape (tape reading)

[Papas]

I met a poor Nigerian orphan who got an old laptop with MT4 installed. He found 10 dollars lying on the floor of the orphanage and deposited them in Oanda. As an orphan, Oanda exempted him from margin requirements (they are so good people...

[P.]

That's a good story.

[Jangmo]

Of course he did, I'm sure he did.

[oxgelbwy]

Hahaha, good story, billionaire at 8... doubling capital 17 days in a row... and selling his magic strategy for four tough ones... what a charitable soul.

[Kunhusky]

Thank you for sharing it. Some still don’t believe that forex is possible.

[jaimllalas9]

I have seen too many people who, instead of studying the market, spend their lives asking for strategies in forums and saying that there are no profitable traders.

[Gmlenis]

Of course, of course...

[kpk]

I started my first demo account at age 16, and the following year I opened a real one on behalf of a family member (you can't have a real account before age 18 in the EU)

[palmily]

A good real story is that of Stanley Druckenmiller. At first he lost everything, but he learned about risk management and ended up running several funds, including the Quantum Fund of Soros.

[imf542]

I started in college back in 1981. I played with small oil companies. I made every possible mistake. One day, I invested most of my capital in an IPO that fell 20% on the first day. I did not accept the loss and ended up losing it all a year later when the fraud came out in the Wall Street Journal. It took me 15 years to regain confidence to re-operate.

[GuanchinelCanamii]

This isn’t trading, but it’s brutal. A guy I know got 900,000 shares from LVLT at $20 when they bought it. He went up to 135 and he didn’t sell a single share. He mortgaged the shares to buy everything: discotheques, yachts, mansions... Then the shares plummeted to $3 and received massive margin calls. In the end, the IRS claimed tax on what was sold and lost 99% of everything. One day he lost $750,000 in Las Vegas from a sit-down. Pure ruin. Perfect, starting directly:

[Gmlenis]

Seriously guys, these stories are epic. They make me think anything is possible in this business if you have the right mindset and learn to control risk.

[nllololechno1982]

It's hard to do it when you're looking at your positions in red.

[isox8519]

Hahaha, that's because most start playing without even knowing the rules. This is a business, not a casino.

[inoxnavaq]

I like to read these stories, but let's not fool ourselves: for everyone who succeeds there are hundreds who end up in ruin.

[Xamly939]

The vast majority of traders are just feeding the brokers.

[100]

Hey, well, I know one who started out in demo, kicked it, and then went real... and didn't last a month.

[canlenys11]

Hahahahaha, that's the most repeated story in trading history.

[Gmlenis]

Yes, but all those failures also teach. Learning from error is the only thing that can really make you move forward.

[ALF1971abfg]

Learning yes, but better if you learn with someone else's money or demo. Learning in real is usually painful.

[Gambayno10]

Some say the best trading course is to lose your first account.

[coks21]

In my case, I lost the first three. I finally understood that leverage was not my friend.

[clamamm]

Well, I melted 20,000 euros in less than 3 months, it was my best master's degree.

[pegmoblube]

That's not a master's degree, it's an express doctorate!

[Gmlenis]

I think the key is in the discipline, and without it, it doesn't matter how much you know, you're going straight to the hole.

[meinuki]

Discipline is what everyone mentions, but very few have. Especially when FOMO begins.

[mulhybecemmil]

Or when the market goes against you and you're stuck waiting for the miracle, we've all been there.

[angmiusmokny]

And the worst part is that sometimes the miracle happens... and that reinforces the bad habit.

[benalinho]

That's the most dangerous thing: when you do something crazy, it works for you, and you think you're a genius.

[Gmlenis]

That's when the fantasy begins that this time I control the risk until the market gives you the blow of reality.

[kikesgxG]

The market doesn't forgive arrogance, I say it from experience.

[amoxmenle]

I still don't understand how people throw themselves into the market without even reading a damn book.

[P.megina14]

It's just that many believe watching three YouTube videos is enough to be a professional trader.

[alcenlis]

It's the generation of "all easy." Then they cry when they wipe out their count.

[JaviNola]

Well, but there are also those who start like this and then take it seriously. I myself started being a total ignorant.

[Gmlenis]

There's the point. We all start the same. The difference is who decides to take it as a trade and who sees it as a bet.

[XIMEGWVAMA]

What amazed me was when I understood the true power of compound interest. It changed my view of all this.

[use57]

The problem is, everyone wants the ball right away, they don't understand the concept of patience.

[isabelcasals]

Patience... the most undervalued indicator of trading.

[becken1983]

Patience and monetary management, two pillars that few want to apply because it bores.

[Caluxacs]

Those who seek adrenaline, better go to the casino. Trading is not for that.

[Gmlenis]

The day I understood that trading is 80% boredom, it was the day I really started winning.

[OxmayJlle913]

If you have too much fun doing trading, you're doing something wrong.

[michij151]

When your operations seem "exciting," you're probably taking an absurd risk.

[avmlla94]

But it must also be said that this adrenaline rush at first is addictive.

[Laumyna.11]

Hook... until it crackles... and then you either grow up, or you leave.

[Javigg30]

I was about to quit after my first big drawdown, but I decided to restructure everything.

[Gmlenis]

Those are the stories that inspire me! Not the fast balls, but the ones that endure the learning curve. (I follow exactly as you indicate: I do not add anything else, nor indications of continuation.