One of the best tips I could ever give to any beginning or developing trader is to choose one or two financial securities and stick solely with them. At the start, it's natural for many of us to diversify our watchlists with a wide range of instruments - ranging from forex pairs to stocks and even cryptocurrencies. However, as time progresses, we come to realise that focusing on one or two pairs is more than sufficient. Working with them consistently and making necessary adjustments along the way can lead to long-term success.
The most significant benefit of this approach is the development of what is often referred to as a ‘sixth sense.’ The more you analyse, monitor, and trade the same instrument, the deeper your understanding of it becomes. A helpful way to think about this is through the analogy of learning a language. If you practice the same one or two languages daily, your skills improve over time. You develop muscle memory, an affiliation with the language, and expert intuition, making it easier to read, write, listen, and speak. Trading is no different - by focusing on one or two securities, you sharpen your focus and deepen your understanding of them, rather than diluting your attention across too many instruments.
Every security has its own unique characteristics - its own "universe." By sticking to a limited number of them, you can gain greater insight and mastery over time.
Last year, we applied this principle with EUR/GBP, one of the two pairs we've been trading for years. This time, we will use USD/CHF as an example.
As inferred from the detailed illustration, over the past months, we have executed 6 trade positions on USD/CHF, netting a total of +8.3% with a win rate of 66%. Currently, we have one position running in the portfolio (a long trade at [0.84550]), which is running in profits of +1.5% for the time being. In addition, we aim to execute additional positions in the coming weeks, provided everything aligns with our game plan.
By closely monitoring the daily movements of this instrument, we have been able to identify and capitalise on several strong swing positions. This has deepened our connection with the currency pair and enhanced our understanding of its price behaviour.
As with any craft, experience leads to mastery. A useful analogy here is the game of chess. How do you improve your chess skills? Through hard work, continuous practice, and patience. By revisiting the same patterns over the years, you establish a solid connection with your approach to the game. The same principle applies to trading.
One of the most beneficial strategies we've adopted is to "fall in love" with a single financial instrument (or two), trading it consistently without allowing distractions to pull our focus away.