I Lost Over $20K Trading Stocks. Here's What I Learned | 7-Year Reality Check

Are you interested in stock market trading but unsure where to start? Or concerned about the risks and the mistakes beginners often make? In this episode of The Build Session, Nawaz sits down with Shayan Khursheed to explore his journey into stock trading, the lessons he learned from early losses, and why strategy, risk management, and trading psychology matter. Shayan shares his perspective on technical analysis versus fundamental analysis, day trading versus long-term investing, and how economic forces such as interest rates and bond yields influence the markets. We also discuss the differences between the US and Canadian stock markets and how he built One View, an AI-powered tool for researching market conditions. Whether you’re curious about how trading works or interested in the thinking behind financial markets, this conversation explores the realities, risks, and lessons worth understanding before making investment decisions. ⏱️ IN THIS EPISODE 00:00 Introduction and Shayan’s backstory 01:50 Getting started with trading during the pandemic 04:15 Learning from early trading losses 05:25 Trading psychology and technical analysis 07:25 Why having your own trading strategy matters 10:30 Lessons from losing money in the market 12:15 Learning and practising before committing real money 15:30 Is stock trading skill, speculation, or gambling? 18:00 Risk management and controlling losses 22:45 Fundamental analysis vs. technical analysis 25:20 Index trading and understanding price movements 29:20 US debt, interest rates, and bond yields 35:20 US vs. Canadian stock markets 36:45 Risks and considerations when researching Chinese stocks listed in the US 39:30 Building One View, an AI-powered market research tool 44:00 Emotions, stop-loss decisions, and trading psychology 49:00 Five lessons for aspiring traders 55:40 AI valuations and the possibility of a market bubble 57:15 Advice for people learning about the stock market Note: Verify chapter timestamps against the final video before publishing. KEY TAKEAWAYS Understand your risk tolerance before making investment decisions. Never risk money you cannot afford to lose. Learn through research and simulated practice before considering real-money investing. Develop and evaluate a strategy instead of blindly copying other people’s trades. Understand economic conditions alongside market prices and technical indicators. ABOUT THE BUILD SESSION The Build Session features conversations with people building products, exploring ideas, and learning through real-world experience. We discuss what they’ve built, what they’ve learned, and where they’re going next. Subscribe for more conversations about technology, AI, business, finance, and the people behind interesting projects. This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Trading and investing involve risk, and losses are possible. #StockMarket #TradingPsychology #TheBuildSession