Trading Entry and Exit Checklists

SELF DEVELOPMENT/METHODOLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY

Trading Entry and Exit checklists

Over the past 18 years of trading, it has been a crucial step in my development to constantly critique myself and my trading strategy. I constantly monitor my performance on a daily, weekly,monthly,quartley and yearly timeframe. Listed below is a small simple example of some of the checklists that i have used in the past prior to entering and exiting a trade.

Entry Rules

1. Is the stop loss placed past the strongest support or resistance line?
2. Am i following my trading rules?
3. The risk/reward is acceptable
4. Have i double checked my entry/stop loss and target position?
5. No news announcements that will affect my trade?
6. Bid/ask spread - Is it in normal range for this pair, this session, this time?
7. AM i risking more then my agreed 1%?
8. Correlation - AM i trading against myself with already open trading trades?

Exit Rules

1. Has the market behaved as predicted? If so stay on track
2. Has the trade reached the support or resistance line?
3. Has the stop been placed too far away? or to close?
4. Am i exiting to early?
5. If unsure of trade exit immediately?
6. If i was impatient and entered trade exit immediately?
7. Is there an upcoming news event that will affect my trade?
8. Is the trade changing directions?
9. Don't take profits to early!! Are you exiting before your target line?

How has yours differed? is it similar?