My Trading Journey 2023
“How much profit did you make in 2023?“
This is the first question anyone would ask a trader to check their credibility, but it might not be the right one.
When questioning a trader or financial expert, focus on their percentage returns rather than profit or loss; it helps evaluate their performance.
What people often do on YouTube is showcase flashy numbers like millions, crores, and lakhs, attracting new clients. However, it’s crucial to focus on both their capital and profit/loss.
So, I usually share my reports on YouTube, blogs, and social media, emphasizing that a trader’s skill lies in working effectively with any available capital.
That being said, my trading journey in 2023 was great, turning out to be profitable. After almost 3 years of practicing trading, in July 2023, I started trading for regular returns with a small account. Years of practice, trials, errors, profits, and losses finally paid off.
I created my strategy by learning from various online experts and tested it in the early months of 2023. After July 2023, I began trading for regular income.
I’d say my strength lies in swing trading stocks. After trading various assets, I realized the importance of sticking to my strengths initially and gradually progressing.
In 2023, stock trading was my most profitable asset, followed by commodity futures, then stock options, and finally index options. While I experimented with currencies, they weren’t my main focus.
Unfortunately, index options resulted in losses despite limited trades, whereas other assets proved profitable with good returns. Overall, my 2023 trading journey was profitable, and I still hold a few trades.
This is the breakdown of my trades since July 2023. The category ‘No asset type’ is where I enter stocks solely for calculation before entry, not of significant importance.
I categorize each asset with a general category like ‘options’ and a subcategory like ‘stock options’ to analyze and sort out the assets for profitability assessment.
I began with a small capital in July and later increased it in November. From July to October, my focus was solely on trading stocks.
However, in November, I expanded my strategy to include derivatives alongside stocks. This approach ensures that any losses in derivatives can be compensated by profits from stocks.
Here is a glimpse of the percentage profit/loss in my Notion trading journal database.
As seen in the notion trading database above, simple stock trading yielded higher returns compared to options and futures. However, the drawback is that it took three months to achieve a 50% return in swing trading stocks.
On the other hand, swing trading commodity futures provided a 14% return in two months, and stock options yielded 9%.
Unfortunately, there was a significant 47% loss in index options due to experimenting with scalping ITM options.
In total, swing trading proved to deliver better overall returns.
In total, my profit reached around 30%, a significant achievement compared to the average 10-20% yearly returns.
The key factor was my selectivity; I didn’t trade regularly on every opportunity but focused on high-probability stocks.
Now, I am thrilled to learn more and explore additional opportunities in the stock market. In 2024, I will be experimenting with stock options, beginning with OTM as movements are slower, and engaging more in commodity futures.
I have no intention of venturing into index options and currency trading at the moment. Additionally, I plan to explore opportunities through demo trading in forex and cryptocurrencies, especially if I am planning to travel.
Let’s see how 2024 unfolds. If you would like to see more trade reviews, please comment below.
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