Trading, especially to the unaware, is generally intimidating. Some would even go as far to say that it's frightening! Over time we've heard it all: 'participating in the market is a sure-fire way to lose your shirt', 'the market is rigged', 'it's gambling' - the list is endless! So why, if all the above is true, are there traders that seem to almost effortlessly pull money out of the markets on a consistent basis? Is it luck, insider knowledge or were they just born with a trading gift?

Statistics say that hardly 2% of traders actually make the cut. The remainders of the 98% are merely a flash in the pan. Some traders give up at the first taste of failure; others continue to spend money in hopes of finding the 'Holy Grail' of trading.

A military sniper's edge is not only crucial, it's also extremely extensive! Determining distance, selecting camouflage, preparing a suitable location, making sure that the rifle is well-sighted, having the correct mindset and showing patience are just some of the components that help form a sniper's edge in the field. Without it, there could potentially be fatal consequences. Fortunately, for us civilians we don't have to deal with the stresses of conflict. What we can do from here, however, is apply some of these elements a sniper uses to form a complete trading edge. What we mean by 'complete' is simply an edge which has all the necessary components to achieve consistency in the market.

Biases are like shortcuts for your brain. They can have an unusually large impact on how you make decisions in your everyday life, but particularly when it comes to your trading. To put it simply, your brain has a way of conserving energy by making fast decisions or mental shortcuts in what are known as heuristics.