According to international statistics, more than 90% of traders who enter the market constantly lose because they do not educate themselves in the field before trading, and only 10% have earnings and make a profit.
"Romanians are constantly analyzing how they can have financial security in the future, which is why they are increasingly exploring the trading activity suitable for increasing long-term income, over 5, 10 or 20 years. To become a successful trader and to obtain profits from the traded amounts, the interest of Romanians in entering a trading training program is at the highest level in recent years. The number of requests for learning in this field has doubled this year compared to 2023. But trading is not for everyone - it is important that those interested have financial stability and do not aim for unrealistic and short-term gains. The trading activity is at the beginning in Romania, and Romanians must know that it cannot be done without knowledge and training and that there are no overnight gains. Like any profession, to become a trader you need training programs in trading, with the difference that this activity can be done in parallel with your job or managing your own business," explains Rareș Gabriel Păun, founder of Trading Instituțional, a training company in trading and owns the first trading floor in Romania.
How Romanians learn to trade: 12 months of intensive study
Learning to trade takes time and requires commitment, discipline, continuous practice and strong emotional control. Such a training program in trading on financial markets has 10 modules and lasts 12 months, during which participants learn from basic theoretical notions to complex trading strategies, to obtaining financing from specialized firms to practical sessions on demo trading platforms and later real. There are also knowledge verification tests.
Each participant goes through a whole process from scratch - learns what trading is, what is the difference between trading and long-term investing, what are financial markets, and how to choose the market according to his style. Then they learn technical analysis on trading charts and fundamental analysis, meaning news analysis to keep up with what's happening in the world's financial markets, but also how to put them together. Basically, the trainees understand that it is important to know geopolitics, economics, and what is happening in the financial markets before actually trading, constantly practicing the technical side of trading. The program focuses on long-term skill development, focused on probability and mathematics, without unrealistic promises of get-rich-quickness. The program lasts 12 months. If after this period, the trainees do not have trading results, they will get back the training program fee.
"Through the trading training program, participants have access to the entire puzzle. Trading is like a puzzle, we give them all the pieces and teach them to assemble the pieces. During the first 6 months, each participant benefits from personalized assistance, having access to an experienced mentor, and a trader with proven results. Mentoring is available 24/7 and participants take part in weekly meetings where they can clarify all their concerns and discuss trading strategies. Afterward, over the next 6 months, the learning process continues through a lot of individual practice on demo accounts until they start to get results. Then they can trade with real money," explains Rareș Gabriel Păun.
An important part of the learning program is the application for obtaining financing from specialized firms, called in the field "prop firms", by those who do not have sufficient capital to trade with large volumes right from the beginning or for people who want to reduce risk and not trade with personal money in the first place. These firms retain a certain percentage of the trader's profit, usually between 10% and 20%. Romanians generally apply for an initial capital of €10,000-25,000, and in some cases for €50,000 or €100,000. However the funding is not obtained simply, but following a test that lasts between 1 and 4 months. In addition, depending on the desired amount, a financing fee must be paid, depending on the value of the financing, which can start from as little as €100.
The profile of those interested in learning and practicing trading
Romanians who want to learn trading to increase their income in the long term are middle-class people, mainly the upper class, aged between 20 and 65. They have a high standard of living, they are professionals in fields such as law, medicine, IT, aviation, and managers in various companies, with monthly incomes of at least €1,500, but also entrepreneurs in various fields.
By residence, most are from big cities like Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara, but also from Brașov, Iași or Oradea. In terms of gender, 75% are men, respectively 25% are women, the number of women increasing considerably in the last period, Trading Instituțional data show. In general, there are very few women in trading, but since this year the proportion has started to change. The qualities of women in trading are the lack of a big ego, they are more relaxed, more conscientious, much more attentive, apply information much better. Their minus is that they have more emotions and less self-confidence than men when it comes to trading, especially at the beginning.
At the same time, more and more Romanians living abroad are interested in learning to trade in Romania, having higher incomes and a different mentality, more open to new things and learning. They currently represent 40% of the total participants in the trading training program, most of them being Romanians from Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, or Austria.
What indexes do Romanians trade and with what amounts
Romanians prefer to trade on the Forex market, especially on EUR-USD currencies, but also Crypto and international stock indices such as NASDAQ, DAX, Dow Jones, S&P 500, and FTSE 100.
Those who study have the best chance of success. The most dedicated and involved, who give their best effort, win after 4 months. Those who are partially dedicated have results after 8-12 months, and those who are less involved either have results after 1 year or have no results at all, but losses.
Most of them start with €2,000-3,000, start studying and when they get results they increase. The average range is between €1,000 and €10,000. Some people trade large values right from the beginning, €50,000-60,000, but many of them usually lose money, and after learning they start adjusting the amounts. At the same time, some people start testing with €100-200, learn, and later increase the trading amounts.
"Not everyone will be able to make gains, only those who practice constantly and are dedicated to the task. It is essential to enter the trading field with a realistic mindset because that is how they can achieve results. Beginner traders trade smaller amounts for higher returns. Profits can be between 1% and 10% per month of the traded amount, and earnings can vary between €1,500 and €8,000 per month or maybe even more depending on how skilled each trader becomes and how well they can manage their emotions. The personality of the man is very much reflected in the way of trading. If the person is very disciplined, very careful about what he or she eats, does sports, and takes care of himself/herself, these things are reflected well in the charts. If he or she is a disorganized person, has an unhappy life, does not live healthy, does not exercise, does not have a clear mind, there is a 95% chance that he will not have results in trading. Success in trading is based on many case studies. More precisely, it has been statistically proven that people who have gains from trading have the same lifestyle, they are athletes, they are educated, they live healthy, they have confidence in themselves, they are very balanced people, they have an iron patience," concludes Rareș Gabriel Păun.
Trading Instituțional is one of the few trading training companies in Romania. The company offers a unique deep training program in trading, being founded and developed by Rareș Gabriel Păun, a professional with over 5 years of experience in the field learning by doing on the FTMO platform, one of the largest trading finance companies in Europe. Also, Rareș has been active in entrepreneurship since the age of 15. Currently, Rareș is 23 years old and has a team of 21 employees and collaborators who train future traders, in the online environment and on the trading floor in Bucharest.
