Overtrading
Overtrading is trading too often: taking trades without a real setup, out of boredom, excitement or a need to 'be in the market'. It drains the account through fees and poor entries.
How it works
Signs of overtrading: you open more trades than your strategy allows, you enter 'just in case', you are glued to the chart and feel you are missing out whenever you are flat. It is often driven by FOMO, boredom in a range, or a losing streak you want to win back.
Every trade costs money: fees, spread, slippage, and funding on futures. A hundred trades a month at a 0.1% fee each side is about 20% of one position's size spent on costs alone. On top of that, entry quality falls: good setups are rare, and extra trades are almost always worse than average.
The fix is clear entry criteria in your trading plan and a cap on trades per day or week. Reviewing your journal helps: if the trades outside your plan add up to a loss, that is a concrete reason to stop taking them.
A trader with a $3,000 account makes 15 trades a day with $3,000 positions and a 0.1% fee on entry and exit. Costs are $6 per trade, $90 a day, about $1,800 over 20 trading days. That is 60% of the account in fees alone, even if the trades themselves break even.
The mistake is confusing activity with work and believing more trades means more profit. It is usually the opposite. Note how many trades your strategy gives on average, set a daily cap, and if there is no setup, do not trade; sitting out is a decision too.
Questions and answers
What is overtrading in simple terms?
It is trading too often, opening positions without a good reason. You end up losing money on fees and weak entries.
How do I know if I am overtrading?
If you take more trades than your plan has setups, enter out of boredom or after losses, and cannot stay calmly out of the market, those are signs of overtrading.
How do you stop overtrading?
Set a daily trade limit, trade only setups that meet your plan's criteria and review your journal regularly. Spending less time at the chart helps too.
Related terms
Read next
A stop-loss goes where your trade idea stops working, not where the loss feels bearable. Here are two practical ways to find…
Read →Risk per trade: how to size a positionA simple formula that answers "how much should I buy".
Read →Position sizePosition size is the trade size at which hitting your stop-loss costs a pre-chosen amount. Formula: money at risk /…
Updated: 2026-10-19