Interview with Chris Vermeulen
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a full time trader with my main focus on trading ETFs and small cap stocks.
How did you get started trading?
I started trading tech stocks with a small account in college. I used the profits to pay for books, courses and seminars to I could learn as much about the market as possible.
How long have you been trading now?
I have been trading since 1999.
What do you like best about trading?
I enjoy the analysis and profit potential that it provides on a daily basis. Also the fact that trading can be done from a laptop makes it easy to enjoy life while working from anywhere.
What markets do you trade?
I trade the broad market indexes, gold and small cap stocks when they are hot.
What style of trading do you use?
My focus is on swing trading. Most trades last between 5-40 days depending on the market condition.
What have been the biggest influences on your development as a trader?
I watch price patterns, volume, market internals and moving averages for my trades. Always following the trend is crucial.
What is the one biggest lesson that you have learnt since starting trading?
Trade with the trend of the 5, 10, 14 simple moving averages… Scale out on closes below MA’s, never trade all in and all out…
How did you get interested in coaching other traders?
Being from a small town, I didn’t have any local traders to make money with, so I decided to trade with fellow traders around the word via email and chat. From there it grew into helping other traders.
Do you focus on coaching of one particular area of trading, e.g. risk management / psychology or finding trades?
Going forward I am teach all the major aspects of trading. One cannot succeed with only one particular area mastered.. You must understand how to find trade, manage money/risk, and wrap your head around the emotional aspect also…
How do you work together with your clients? E.g. phone / email / screen sharing?
I share my learning though email and weekly videos as the market unfolds. I will be doing screen sharing in the near future.
What sort of results do your clients get after coaching with you?
Trades walk away with a complete understanding of how to read charts, find trades, manage money/risk and how to keep you emotions in check. Overall they view the market as a profit vehicle with.
What is the most satisfying part of coaching traders?
It feels great when an individual finally sees how the market moves, and how simple it is to take advantage of it. Also once they trade proper position sizes they become traders without fear or greed affecting them any longer.
What is the biggest but most easily fixed mistake that you see traders make?
Over trading, and trading to large of a position at once… Trading is about steady accumulation, not hitting grand slams every trade.
Do you recommend journals or other record keeping as an important part of trading?
Yes trading journal is crucial for success. It allows individuals to see if they can overcome their emotions, profits can be made on a weekly if not monthly basis.
What are the most common issues that you see in your clients that prevent them from becoming better traders?
Trading to much money on any given trade, and not scaling in and out of positions as key pivot points.
What advice would you give traders who are just starting out?
Understand how to read volume, Trade with the 5, 10 ,14 simple moving averages placing stops just below each one, if the daily chart closed below each level.
What 3 books do you recommend traders read?
I learned all my technical analysis from John Murphy but soon I will have my own book/course which truly coveres everything you need to know including my trading strategy in one spot. It also will come with coaching time with me.