One thing I'd avoid (and again, I'm no expert myself!) is markets with insufficient liquidity.
If you try to trade a market 10 minutes before the off, with just double figure amounts on either side of the spread, odds are you'll get burned!
Also, you might want to avoid markets that jump around like a flea on acid! I know some traders to well in such markets, but there are also experienced guys on here who find them very frustrating, so they're probably best avoided when you're starting out!
Hope this helps.
Jeff
mctash wrote:Yes, I think that learning to leave the profits running and ditching the losses (where appropriate) is an art form and one of key things to learn on the road to becoming a better trader.
The kind of protection I'm after is that which cushions "beginner style" avoidable mistakes. For instance you can spot what you should do based on market activity but enter the market in completely the wrong fashion, be it the wrong side, too late, too soon etc. My ideas may be correct but my execution is sometimes lacking, but that is something I can definitely improve through practice. This is completely unlike the market activity itself, which no matter how much I practice I cannot greatly influence without a whacking great load of cash.
Tash