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AI prompts for traders: 12 copy-ready prompts (and the 5-part recipe)

A good prompt turns an AI chat into a patient tutor, a strict reviewer and a fast reader. Here are 12 you can copy today, plus the recipe for writing your own.

Beginner guide · 9-minute read · Updated 2026-10-21

The 5-part prompt recipe

A vague question gets a vague answer. Most good prompts have the same 5 parts:

1. Who you are: "I'm a beginner learning to trade."
2. What you give it: the text, the numbers or your rules.
3. The job: explain, summarise, check, quiz, list.
4. The format: "5 bullets", "a table", "under 100 words".
5. The limits: "no predictions", "don't add facts", "say 'unclear' if unsure".

Part 5 is the one most people skip. It's also the one that keeps the answer honest.

Fill the parts in square brackets with your own details. Use these with any AI chat assistant (like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini).

Prompts for learning

1. Explain it like I'm new

I'm new to trading. Explain [term] in plain words a 12-year-old would get. Use one simple example with small round numbers. Then tell me the most common beginner mistake with it. Under 200 words. No predictions or trade advice.

Try it with terms like Leverage, Spread or Drawdown.

2. Quiz me

Ask me 5 questions, one at a time, to check I understand [topic]. Wait for my answer each time. If I'm wrong, explain why in 2 sentences, then move on. At the end, tell me which idea to review.

Being quizzed sticks far better than reading. This one turns any guide into a lesson.

3. Compare two ideas

Make a simple table comparing [idea A] and [idea B] for a beginner: what each is, when people use it, one common mistake with each. Plain words. No opinion on which is "better".

Prompts for planning

4. Turn my rules into a checklist

Here are my trading rules: [paste your rules]. Turn them into a yes/no checklist I can run before every trade. Keep my wording where you can. Put the risk checks first. If any rule is vague, list it at the end with a question to make it clearer.

The "if any rule is vague" line is the gold. It finds the holes in your plan. See our pre-trade checklist guide for what a finished one looks like.

5. Check my plan for gaps

Here's my trading plan: [paste it]. Don't judge whether it will make money. Just check it has: which markets, which times, how I enter, where the stop goes, how I size the trade, a daily loss limit, and when I stop for the day. List anything missing.

6. Draft a practice plan

I want to practice [method] on past charts before using real money. Make me a 4-week practice plan: how many practice trades per week, what to log for each, and what to review each Sunday. Keep it simple.

Prompts for reading the news

7. Summarise a report I paste in

Below is the text of [report]. Summarise it in 5 bullets: what it measures, the main number, how it compares with last time, anything surprising, and what to read next. Use only the text below. No market predictions.

[paste text]

For company results, see how to use AI to read earnings reports.

8. Decode a central bank statement

Here are two Fed statements, the new one and the previous one. List every sentence that changed, and explain in plain words what each change says. Don't guess what markets will do.

[paste both]

Prompts for reviewing your trades

9. Find patterns in my journal

Below are my last [number] practice trades as a table: date, market, time, setup, followed rules (yes/no), feeling before the trade, result in units of risk. Find patterns: when do I break rules most? Which feelings come before rule breaks? Only describe what's in the data. Don't suggest new strategies.

[paste table]

Remove any account numbers first. More on this in how to use AI to review your trading journal.

10. Write my weekly review questions

Based on these notes from my trading week, write 5 short questions I should answer in my weekly review. Focus on following my rules, not on profit.

[paste notes]

Prompts for checking AI itself

11. Show your work

For your last answer, list every fact or number you used, and say where each came from. Mark anything you're not sure about. If you'd need a current source to be sure, say which kind.

Use it any time an answer feels too neat. It's step one of fact-checking AI answers.

12. Argue against me

I believe [your view]. Give me the 3 strongest reasons I could be wrong. Be direct. No predictions, just reasons and what evidence would change my mind.

Prompts to avoid

These get a confident guess, not help:

No prompt can make AI see the future. Ask it to sharpen your thinking instead.

A privacy reminder

Before you paste anything, remove account numbers, passwords, login codes and personal details. Chats may be stored. Trade details in units of risk are enough for every prompt above.

Put it to work today

Pick one prompt — number 4 is a good start. Paste in your rules, even if they're rough. Fix the gaps it finds. Then try your new checklist on 10 trades in bar replay and log them in the free journal template.

Questions