Is Manual Trading Better Than Automated Trading?

ituglobal

Master Trader
Apr 17, 2013
515
31
69
I know that trading robots have their advantages and disadvantages. I also know that manual trading has merits and demerits. Before the advent of EAs, some people were trading manually: this is a fact. Then, in your own opinion which one do you think is better or is the ideal? Would you advise someone to go manual when trading or go automated when trading? Which one promises everlasting success?
 

hayseed

Master Trader
Jul 27, 2010
1,010
258
149
usa
man vs machine

hey ituglobal..... without a doubt, for me, ea's are the way to go..... they free me up to do what I rather be doing.... not to mention they do a far better job at trading than I could ever do......

also, without a doubt, for most people manual trading would be better, providing they could.....

I've said many times a good manual trader can beat the best ea in the long run.... that might not be true, but it's my belief.....h
 

BlindFA

Trader
Apr 29, 2013
41
0
17
It's a bit of a tricky question because you're asking us what we would advise someone to do. I would never advise someone to go automated, as if I'm advising this person he/she is probably a beginner.

I think before even considering automated trading (and by that I mean your own automation, not buying someone else's), one should learn to trade manually. Get chart time, learn how things work and learn to make a profit manually first.

Once that's done and you proved yourself, you can go on to automate your strategies and relax.
 
And what do you do when you get somewhere where you don't have your EA and you want/need to trade? You're putting all your hopes in a script and not in your own ability. So, you can't trade because learning took too much time and you left your Peter Pan EA at home.

I manually traded everyday I was in Europe last month. I made between $500-800/day, depending on my time. Anywhere I go, I can trade, because my head and my hands are always with me.
 

eyeball

Master Trader
Sep 25, 2011
164
12
49
In the long run EA's do no better than their clents/customers---Therefore their value is at best questionable. They can and do have periods , short term though they may be, when they are hghly accurate and can produce significant profits. The problem is when to get on their particular bandwagon and when to jump ship and find a new carrier. If you agree with the foregong than you must conclude that the problem of deciding when to follow a particular EA and when to seek a new or different one is as difficult as manual trading. My advce --stck to manual--- At least you'll save the expense of EA's and at the same tme give yourself the opportunity of learning by actually trading and quite possibly you mght develop a trading strategy that can produce consistent profits.
 

hayseed

Master Trader
Jul 27, 2010
1,010
258
149
usa
peter pan

And what do you do when you get somewhere where you don't have your EA and you want/need to trade? You're putting all your hopes in a script and not in your own ability. So, you can't trade because learning took too much time and you left your Peter Pan EA at home.

I manually traded everyday I was in Europe last month. I made between $500-800/day, depending on my time. Anywhere I go, I can trade, because my head and my hands are always with me.
//---

hey ezrydn..... your trading results are matched by few..... but inspire us all.....

//----

as for using ea's......

just because someone relies heavily on ea's does not mean he can't still manually trade at will....

the power in ea's is that it will pick up the slack when I am unable to trade...... such while i'm driving, sleeping, or sliding down the log ride at silver dollar city.....

when on vacation, computers at the house are running ea's non stop..... also, at every hotel I stay at will have a backup laptop running..... but even so, in my pocket will always be

the iphone with the mt4 mobile app...... just in case the need arises to manual trade.....

//------

to put it in other words....... the general sleeps sound cause he knows there are a pack of 'easy riders' in the fox holes taking care of business..... but he still carries a gun....h
 
hayseed,

I agree. I ran across a little "saying" that fits Forex exactly:

Don't only practice your art.
But force your way into its secrets.
For it and knowledge
raise men to the Divine.

I only do baskets, scaled baskets and odds/ends scaled trades. No single pair straight trading here.
 
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Rambo35

Confirmed PaxForex Representative
Apr 22, 2013
909
24
32
Canada
I think manual trading beats automated trading any day and there is no substitute for manual trading at least not in my book.
 

Master Forex IB

Active Trader
May 23, 2013
174
1
27
Yes nmanual trading is favorit for all traders. We should start forex with manual trading so that we know how thi s market works. it is not safe to depend on automated trading .You can not control trding with automate trading . It controlls your amlount . In manual trading you had fullaccess to your account.
 

Fxpipper

Master Trader
Oct 26, 2011
1,132
4
49
Manual trading definitely. And what's more, an EA may work all right for a few weeks but sooner rather than later, it will end up wiping out your accout..
Manual trading is something you do on your own and you need not depend on a script developed by someone else..
 

jimcarter

Active Trader
Nov 10, 2017
38
9
44
39
USA
In Forex trading, there are two main methods that traders use to place their trades: manual and automated. Both methods have pros and cons, so it's important to understand the difference between them before deciding which one is right for you.

Manual trading involves a trader manually placing their trades. This means that the trader must have a good understanding of the market and be able to interpret the data. Manual trading can be more stressful than automated trading, as the trader constantly monitors the market and makes decisions. However, some people prefer manual trading as they feel it gives them more control over their trades.

Automated trading involves using an EA to place trades for you. It will interpret the data and place trades according to your specifications. Automated trading can take some of the stress out of Forex trading, as you don't need to monitor the market constantly. However, you must ensure that your EA is reliable and up-to-date with the latest configuration.

So, in my opinion, If you have a knowledge of the Forex market and want to control your trades, then you should do manual trading.
 

HeavenLeighGill

Active Trader
Aug 5, 2021
389
35
44
28
I think it depends. Of course you've considered the advantages and disadvantages of each, but there are also other factors like how experienced the trader is or the quality of the EA. If it's the best one ever then it would be better than manual trading, but things can also go in the other direction.
 

Haruto

Trader
Oct 26, 2022
52
5
9
47
Forex is a decentralized market so of course, manual trading is better! In a long run, only a manual trading system sustains here!
 

Marco877

Banned
Aug 26, 2022
53
13
14
43
Definitely manual trading is better than automated trading. In automated trading, you don’t have any control on your trading but in manual trading, you definitely have.
 

fargana

Active Trader
Nov 14, 2022
131
17
29
34
Manual trading is ok if you don't trade much, place long-term trades and your decisions are based on fundamental information rather than technical analysis one. Though technical patterns perform better on higher timeframes, this is important thing to keep in mind.
 

Marco877

Banned
Aug 26, 2022
53
13
14
43
Definitely manual trading is better than automated trading because in manual trading you have full control on your trading whereas you don’t have any control on automated trading. Besides, automated trading leads many traders’ capital to go crashed.
 

Ak04

Trader
May 31, 2022
33
7
9
24
Look at trade explorers that solely rely on ea's and their traders that don't intervene and you'll see they've all been decimated.

Live accounts...Demo is not even part of the equation and should never be.
 

Sk Sinha

Newbie
Apr 8, 2023
5
1
4
32
Forex is a decentralized market so of course, manual trading is better! In a long run, only a manual trading system sustains here!
Besides decentralization being a fact, uncertainty is another reason for which traders should keep themselves apart from automated trading. Personally, I used this approach initially, which resulted in quick loss.
 

AlexOZ

Trader
Apr 22, 2023
59
9
14
72
Advantages and disadvantages. EAs avoid one of the worst human weaknesses in trading - overly emotional and flighty responses to the inevitable losses. The temptation is to fiddle with a trading plan at the first sign of loss (if there is any plan in the first place) or switching endlessly from one system to another searching for the imaginary holy grail. On the flip side I worry about the inflexibility of EA's to meet changing market conditions. Also so many of the commercial EA sellers seem closer to snake oil salesmen showing their best trading scenarios (even audited) and hiding the typical poor ones. Or forum contributors offering free ones from the limited amount of back testing, on trending currency pairs. I know this all sounds very cynical and probably is. To me good trading is about consistently and patiently executing a good plan with realistic long-term objectives regardless of short-term wins and losses. It's more about managing trades across one or more asset classes as part of a well thought out business plan. I still believe that better done by a person at a retail trader level.