Anchoring on the entry price
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2026 7:54 am
Once a trade is open, the entry price becomes a mental anchor. The market no longer moves relative to the chart. It moves relative to that number.
That distorts decisions. A trade slightly below entry feels like something that must come back. A position above entry feels safe. Price, though, has no memory of where anyone bought.
A clearer question to ask at any moment: if flat right now, would this trade be taken at the current price? If the answer is no, staying in the position is a decision to enter at the current price, with the same stop and target as before.
This reframing removes some of the emotional weight. Entry price becomes just a historical fact.
A related habit is hiding the entry line and profit-and-loss figure on the chart, leaving only price, stop and target visible. Without the running dollar figure pulling at attention, decisions rest on the chart instead of the feeling about the trade.
Does the entry price get referenced in decisions about holding, and does the flat-now question change the answer?
That distorts decisions. A trade slightly below entry feels like something that must come back. A position above entry feels safe. Price, though, has no memory of where anyone bought.
A clearer question to ask at any moment: if flat right now, would this trade be taken at the current price? If the answer is no, staying in the position is a decision to enter at the current price, with the same stop and target as before.
This reframing removes some of the emotional weight. Entry price becomes just a historical fact.
A related habit is hiding the entry line and profit-and-loss figure on the chart, leaving only price, stop and target visible. Without the running dollar figure pulling at attention, decisions rest on the chart instead of the feeling about the trade.
Does the entry price get referenced in decisions about holding, and does the flat-now question change the answer?