In the highly analytical world of trading, intuition is often viewed with suspicion. Many traders are taught to ignore gut feelings and stick strictly to their rules, believing that only logic and discipline lead to success. This gives rise to the belief that “you must ignore your intuition to succeed.” But the truth is more balanced. While undisciplined instinct can lead to emotional trading, trained intuition is one of the most powerful assets a skilled trader can possess. This article explores why suppressing intuition entirely may limit your growth — and how to harness it the right way.

Why intuition gets a bad reputation

1. Confused with emotion:
Beginners often act on fear, greed, or FOMO and call it intuition. These impulsive decisions usually lead to losses — reinforcing the idea that “gut feel” is dangerous.

2. It’s hard to quantify:
Unlike mechanical rules or indicators, intuition can’t be backtested or measured precisely. That makes it uncomfortable for data-driven traders.

3. Inconsistency in early traders:
When traders have no process, intuition becomes guesswork. This causes erratic results and damages trust in one’s own judgement.

What intuition really is in trading

True trading intuition is subconscious pattern recognition, developed through:

• Thousands of hours of screen time
• Repetitive exposure to setups and market behaviour
• Post-trade reflection and journaling
• Understanding subtle market shifts and order flow dynamics

It’s the brain’s way of drawing on experience to make fast, informed decisions — often before conscious logic catches up.

Why ignoring intuition can be a mistake

1. You silence your edge:
If your intuition has been trained through experience, ignoring it can mean missing early signs of reversal, exhaustion, or risk. Sometimes your instinct knows before your indicators do.

2. Markets aren’t always logical:
Markets are driven by crowd psychology, narrative, and liquidity — not just mathematics. Intuition helps navigate complexity when pure logic breaks down.

3. Instinct improves timing:
Even in rule-based systems, intuition helps with execution — knowing when to skip a setup, wait for cleaner confirmation, or exit early due to “off” price action.

4. Advanced traders use it effectively:
Top traders like Paul Tudor Jones and George Soros have openly credited instinct — not just data — as a critical part of their success.

When you should ignore intuition

There are times when intuition is not real — it’s emotion wearing a mask. You should ignore it when:

• You’re overtrading or forcing setups
• You’re making decisions out of fear or revenge
• You feel urgency, desperation, or excitement
• You’ve deviated from your trading plan
• You haven’t logged or tested your intuitive choices

The difference lies in whether your intuition is informed or reactive.

How to integrate intuition into your trading

1. Build a structure first:
Rules, risk controls, and setups form your foundation. Once these are solid, you can begin using intuition as a filter or enhancement — not a substitute.

2. Journal intuitive decisions:
Tag trades where intuition influenced your actions. Over time, track whether they added or reduced your edge. This develops awareness and confidence.

3. Use intuition for context, not entry alone:
Let your gut alert you to unusual behaviour — but don’t enter unless the trade still meets your criteria.

4. Recognise intuition’s tone:
True intuition is calm and quiet, not loud and emotional. It feels like clarity, not urgency.

Conclusion

You do not need to ignore your intuition to succeed in trading. In fact, trained intuition — grounded in experience, discipline, and review — can be one of your most valuable tools. The key is to separate impulse from insight, and to ensure that instinct enhances your system, not replaces it. Traders who learn to listen to their intuition without abandoning structure often outperform those who rely on logic alone.

To master the art of blending instinct with discipline, join our Trading Courses at Traders MBA — where we teach you how to trust your experience, not your emotions.