Even the traders with the most wins record losses, and every trade is a risk for any trader. A successful trader can be identified by a great winning percentage rather than by looking for an absence of losses. The size of each win and each loss is also a factor.
Even winning traders can be at risk of losing everything and need to have a risk management strategy in place to avoid this. They need to know how much risk they can handle, the risk-reward ratio for every trade they make, and put the tools in place to minimize losses. We look at the strategies required to ensure traders win more than they lose, using tools such as a position size calculator.
Win-Loss Ratio and Amounts
You can manage your risk by keeping a good handle on how much your win-loss ratio is, i.e., are you winning more often than you are losing? This alone cannot tell you if you are making money. A trader can have small win amounts and comparatively bigger losses on most trades, giving them a negative balance. Another trader can be successful with a poor win-loss ratio if the amounts of their wins consistently exceed the amounts of their losses. The most successful trader will win more often than they lose and win big when they do, with losses staying small by comparison.
Traders should keep track of these measurements and their overall profitability (or loss).
Keep Losses to a Minimum Amount
A trader must be willing to cut their losses before they become too big and affect their profitability. If you keep your risk on any one trade to under one percent, you can control the size of your losses. Even if you have several losses, the overall amount should remain manageable and be easily recovered with small wins.
The breakeven on a capital loss of ten percent is 11.1%, which is relatively easy to achieve. When you start hitting loss figures like fifty percent, you are faced with having to double your capital to break even. Keep loss percentages small.
One way to do this is to implement stop-loss orders that are automatically activated at a certain point.
Follow Your Own Rules.
Those new to trading are inclined to let emotion get in the way of doing what is best for their portfolio. When they are winning, instead of taking the gains, they hold out for bigger wins, which then turn south, and they end up losing the wins they had achieved. Beginners are also reluctant to get out when they are losing, exacerbating their losses.
Successful traders devise a system of rules for themselves and stick to these. The system can manage rules and tell the trader when to buy and when to sell. By following the system’s prompts, good traders avoid getting into trouble.
Use the Available Tools
There are plenty of tools out there to help a trader make decisions. Success requires reading up on trading and educating yourself to know which resources will be helpful.
While you cannot guarantee a win on any one trade, you can manage your risk so that you win more often than you lose and so that your wins exceed your losses.
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