Nikolai was born in Bulgaria and happens to be a master of all trades: he cooks a mean steak, worked as a finish carpenter, trained elite body builders, and even used to be a concert pianist before the age of 20. At the age of 29 he managed to become a full time professional day trader and is one of the Master Trader’s that assist in training new students in our training program.
1) Tell us a bit about you
Professionally, I never felt stimulated or challenged enough with anything before I started trading. I believe it is the most prospective carrier of our times and I work daily to become the best trader that I can be.
2) When did you start trading?
I’ve been dabbling with different types of trading since I first saved some capital in my early twenties [circa 2005]. I lost a huge some of money in the 2008-09 crash, over the course of almost 2 years, learning to trade options… I moved to the futures markets in late 2009 and got great mentoring! I gradually evolved to consistent profitability in 2012 and have been expanding my scope of markets since.
3) Why did you chose DTA and how did it help you?
I was following Marcello’s approach since even before DTA was founded. The system appealed to me with its tick-charts [as opposed to time-based] and its cleaned up visuals that allowed for price reading to be the main focus. The approach is straight-forward and logical [rather than “proprietary” or “indicators-based” or “rules-based” trading voodoo], which makes the learning curve smooth and skill development tangible. At the same time, the basic premises allow enough room for the development of individual style within what is considered good practices.
4) What were the results?
I could take anywhere from 4 to 10+ points per hour of trading if the market is moving and the opportunities are being offered on the chart. However, getting to that level of skill and developing the proper trading mentality to attach to it is a journey of relentless effort and patience.
5) What were your biggest challenge?
Personally, I struggled with all the challenges a trader could encounter during various stages of my development as a trader. The hardest to overcome was the lack of sufficient patience – both while in front of the chart and during the process of emerging into consistency.
6) How is your lifestyle today as a trader?
I trade based on reading sentiment from left to right on the chart and understanding what already is a fact and what is possible and probable going forward. Price is a language, very similar to all languages that we use.
Financial and geographic freedom are two of the best perks of this career! I’ve visited almost 15 countries in the time since I turned the corner on consistency.