Why smart traders still lose money?
You enter a trade. It goes up 15%. You start thinking what if it keeps going? You hold. It reverses. You exit at 2% profit. Sound familiar?
This is called loss aversion in reverse, fear of missing more gains makes you hold winners too long. You turn a great trade into a mediocre one.
To fix this set your TP before you enter. Write it down. The moment price hits it, execute. You think more rational pre-trade than your in-trade.
You enter a trade It drops 8%. You think it'll come back. It drops 15%. You think I'll wait. It drops 30%. You're paralyzed. This is hoping instead of trading.
Stops are decisions made with a clear mind. The second you're in a trade, your brain is compromised.
Let your plan do the thinking.
Never trade without clear plan.