How Time Traveling Can Fix Your Trading
How ThinkorSwim’s OnDemand feature fixed my trading mistakes.
Trading Lessons from the Future (of the Past)
Imagine this: it’s 9:30 AM on June 13, 2019. The market bell rings, your chart lights up, and you're ready to dominate the day. Except, it isn’t June 13, 2019… it’s today. Welcome to the wonderful world of ThinkorSwim’s OnDemand feature, where time travel is real, and it can improve your trading.
Before you ask: No, this isn’t about flux capacitors or meeting your past self to give them hot stock tips. (That’s illegal anyway.) It’s about using OnDemand to practice trading in a simulation so real it might as well be an episode of Black Mirror.
Here’s how I discovered the magic of time-travel trading, and why you should, too.
The Power of Practicing Without the Pressure
When I first heard about backtesting, I thought, Sounds boring. Why would I trade yesterday when I’m trying to make money today? But let’s be real: Trading live without practice is like playing chess for the first time against a grandmaster (and the market is always the grandmaster). Enter ThinkorSwim’s OnDemand: a time machine designed to make you better.
Think of it as a financial holodeck. You can rewind to any trading day, experience the real-time data, and make trades as if you were there. It’s like taking a market simulator for a spin but with a cheat code that lets you skip the heartbreak of blowing up your actual account.
For example, I decided to revisit March 2020: a chaotic time when the market was on a rollercoaster of pandemic-induced madness. I placed trades, made mistakes, and learned valuable lessons without risking a single dollar. (Pro tip: Don’t short a market that’s being propped up by stimulus checks. Lesson learned.)
Three Reasons OnDemand Feels Like Magic
1. It Reveals Your Blind Spots
Trading live often means you’re too focused on the present to notice recurring mistakes. OnDemand gives you a chance to replay the tape, see where you faltered, and fix it. Did you hesitate to pull the trigger on a breakout? Did you panic sell at the first sign of a pullback? Time travel exposes your habits like a brutally honest coach.
2. It Builds Confidence
There’s something magical about entering the market with zero fear. When you’re in OnDemand, it doesn’t matter if your trade bombs, because the stakes are imaginary. This freedom allows you to experiment and refine your strategies. Over time, you’ll start noticing patterns, which leads to confidence when you take your skills to the live market.
3. It Turns You Into a Scientist
Backtesting is basically trading in lab conditions. You can test theories, try new setups, and see how different strategies play out in various market conditions. The best part? You’re using real historical data. It’s not “what if”—it’s what happened.
Practicing the Art of Taking a Stop Loss
Here’s a confession: Sometimes, I go into OnDemand and intentionally pick the wrong direction. Why? Because I want to practice taking my stop loss without fear. Seeing red on your screen can trigger panic, doubt, and frustration… but it’s just part of the game.
By purposefully putting myself in losing trades, I’ve trained my brain to see a stop loss as a tool, not a punishment. I’ve learned to react calmly, stick to my plan, and move on to the next setup without letting the loss spiral into revenge trading. Think of it as emotional conditioning. The more you practice handling losses, the less they control you when it counts.
A Day in My Life as a Time-Traveling Trader
Here’s how a typical OnDemand session looks for me:
Pick a Date: I choose a random day when the market was particularly volatile. (Pro tip: News days are gold for practice.)
Set the Scene: I load up my charts with indicators I’m testing. Then I act like it’s a live trading day (no pausing or fast-forwarding allowed).
Take Notes: Every decision I make gets written down, whether it’s good, bad, or ugly.
Analyze: After the session, I review my trades. What worked? What didn’t? What would I do differently next time?
This process might not sound glamorous, but it’s transformative. By the time I hit the live market, I’ve already practiced the scenarios I’m likely to encounter.
Why Every Trader Should Embrace the Time Machine
If you’re not using OnDemand, you’re missing out on the ultimate trading cheat code. It’s not about predicting the future… it’s about preparing for it. Here’s the kicker: Backtesting isn’t just for beginners. Even seasoned pros can benefit from revisiting the past to sharpen their edge.
As legendary investor Paul Tudor Jones once said, “The secret to being successful from a trading perspective is to have an indefatigable and undying thirst for information and knowledge.” Think of OnDemand as your never-ending knowledge well. Drink from it often.
Wrapping Up
Time travel isn’t just a sci-fi fantasy… it’s a real, tangible tool that can take your trading to the next level. Whether you’re rewinding to learn from your mistakes or fast-forwarding your skillset through practice, ThinkorSwim’s OnDemand gives you the edge you need to trade smarter, not harder.
So, dust off your virtual DeLorean, set the clock, and get to practicing. Because in trading, the more you practice, the luckier you get.