One
of the cardinal rules of Forex trading is to keep your losses small.
With small Forex trading losses, you can outlast those times the market
moves against you, and be well positioned for when the trend turns
around. The proven method to keeping your losses small is to set your
maximum loss before you even open a Forex trading position. The maximum
loss is the greatest amount of capital that you are comfortable losing
on any one trade. With your maximum loss set as a small percentage of
your Forex trading float, a string of losses won`t stop you from
trading. Unlike the 95% of Forex traders out there who lose money
because they haven`t applied good money management rules to their Forex
trading system, you will be far down the road to success with this
money management rule.
What happens if you don`t set a maximum
loss? Let`s look at an example. If I had a Forex trading float of
$1000, and I began trading with $100 a trade, it would be reasonable to
experience three losses in a row. This would reduce my Forex trading
capital to $700. What do you think those 95% of traders say at this
time? They would reason, “Well, I`ve already had three losses in a row.
So I`m really due for a win now.”
They would decide they`re going to bet $300 on the next trade because they think they have a higher chance of winning.
If
that trader did bet $300 dollars on the next trade because they thought
they were going to win, their capital could be reduced to $400 dollars.
Their chances of making money now are very slim. They would need to
make 150% on their next trade just to break even. If they had set their
maximum loss, and stuck to that decision, they would not be in this
position.
Here`s a perfect illustration why most people lose
money in the Forex trading market. Let`s start out with another $1,000
float, and begin our Forex trading with $250. After only three losses
in a row, we`ve lost $750, and our capital has been reduced to $250.
Effectively, we must make 300% return on the next trade and that will
allow us to break even.
In both of these cases, the reason for
failure was because the trader risked too much, and didn`t apply good
money management. Remember, the goal here is to keep our losses as
small as possible while also making sure that we open a large enough
position to capitalize on profits. With your money management rules in
place, in your Forex trading system, you will always be able to do this.
About the Author:
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