Market Intelligence › Basic Terminologies

PAPER CONFIDENCE VS LIVE CONFIDENCE

Confidence in a backtest and confidence in your live trading journal are two different things.

Published by The Retail Trader · JUL 31, 2026 · Trading Psychology

Paper Confidence vs Live Confidence — Confidence in a backtest and confidence in your live trading journal are two different things. Only the latter is useful.

WHERE THIS FITS IN

This term comes under Trading Psychology, in the section “Learning Journey”. And finally the words that describe every trader's learning phase:

RELATED TERMS TO READ

Other terms in this group — understanding them together is more useful:
• Beginner's Luck
• Learning Curve
• Demo to Live Gap
• Information Overload
• Mentor vs Guru
• Plateau
• Deliberate Practice
• Unconscious Competence
• Survivor's Routine

To read the entire group and all its examples in one place, see the journal "TRADING PSYCHOLOGY: Words from the Mind" - this term has been taken from there.

This entry is for educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell. Exchanges change charges, margins, lot sizes and expiry rules from time to time, so verify any figures with your broker or exchange.

Back to Market Intelligence