Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com,Decades of data across global markets reach the same verdict: the more frequently retail traders trade, the worse they perform. Across decades of academic research, multiple global markets, and every asset class retail traders favor, from stocks to complex options, the conclusion is remarkably consistent: the more frequently retail traders trade, the worse they perform. In one of the strongest bull markets in recent memory, retail traders left nearly a third of available returns on the table. Retail traders have now underperformed the S&P 500 for 15 consecutive years. Retail traders consistently overestimated their informational edge, leading them to trade when sitting still would have served them far better.