How can I determine what is wrong with my losing trades? Could it just be bad luck?

It could be luck if the sample size is small, but there are usually common factors behind losing trades. Check whether the trades were in weak sectors, whether you were taking longs or shorts, where your entries were, and whether you were shorting or buying into extensions. Review where you placed your stops. Also study the trades you passed on that later worked: why did you skip them? There will be insights beneath both the losing trades and the ones you skipped that worked. Some of it may also be luck; results have a random distribution.

Source: Patience | 15 Sep 2026