profit-oriented goal setting

Sometimes, uninformed individuals recommend to new traders that if they make a 30% profit in a single day, they should stop trading.

This is entirely incorrect because we operate in some of the world's best markets with the highest liquidity and trading volumes.

For example, if a company forecasts a 50% monthly profit but makes 60% profit, it doesn’t stop operating. The answer is clearly no, so there’s no reason for us to stop in a high-potential market either.

However, this should be done logically and in conditions where the trader is not experiencing excitement or pride. In other words, if the trader has achieved complete control and can adhere to all defined trading rules, there’s no reason to stop.

In any profession or business, we will succeed in reaching our goals if we focus on being the best version of ourselves and on improving the quality of our work. For example, in trading, we should aim to reduce our trading errors, increase the percentage of profitable trades, or improve the return-to-trading-cost ratio. Overall, we should strive to enhance our trading performance.

When we focus on improving the quality of our work and aim for higher goals, such as achieving better financial positions instead of merely pursuing specific and idealistic goals emphasized in sensationalist books, our mind will make plans along the way, such as in financial management, which we might not have even considered on the first day.

Return is a broader concept compared to gain. Simply put, in return, you sum up all the profits and divide the total by the cost incurred. Return shows the overall behavior and trend of your performance in the market. Therefore, any trader can calculate their performance and capital return at the end of their financial period or over various periods.

But what is gain in the stock market? Gain refers only to the increase in the price of a stock and the profit obtained from selling it compared to the costs incurred. Gain can show how much profit you have made from a trade, not an investment.

Note that there are significant differences between trading and investing, and some people mistakenly consider them the same. A trader seeks high gains and moves based on selling profits, while an investor is more focused on overall return and moves based on investment profits. These two concepts, though similar, have major differences.

Gain is one of the most important tools that can help us move from incorrect emotions to accurate quantification. Emotions can be misleading. They like to show us what we want to see. People want to feel they have made a profit, so emotions might lead us to exaggerate the profit or downplay the loss.

This behavior of emotions in the stock market is somewhat similar to "the friend of the bear's aunt" (a concept from the Persian language suggesting false friendliness). When you can't see the true results of your work, you can't make accurate decisions about your strategy and the future course. This is why it's essential to understand what gain is in the stock market; gain can turn a qualitative experience into a quantitative one. This helps you make better-informed decisions regarding your strategy.

How Gain and Return Help in Strategy Development

Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses: Tracking your gains and calculating your returns can reveal which strategies are most effective and which need improvement

Avoiding Emotional Traps: By focusing on quantitative measures like gain and return, you reduce the influence of emotions on your decision-making, leading to more rational and effective strategies.

Improving Decisions: A clear understanding of your performance metrics allows for better planning and adjustment of your trading or investment strategies.

n summary, gain provides insight into the profitability of individual trades, while return offers a broader view of overall performance. Both are essential for making informed decisions and improving trading strategies by mitigating the impact of emotional biases.