A 70k bet that I can't make a 50% gain in 2009

Quote from snake:

I think he's just following his rules and both basically hit good setups within close proximity to each other. I don't think he viewed it as a revenge trade.

The downside of a trade like this (not his trade but an overall strategy) is that a whipsaw can hurt you pretty good and mess up the risk:reward ratio.

Think of it this way: each winning trade will always trigger the stop loss on the opposite side (if you had a strategy of pair trading these). So, you're maximum win rate on winning trades is 1:1. That is, if you risk $200 on each trade with a target of $400. To get to the $400 target you will hit a stop loss on the other side of the trade for a $200 loss. So, the pair will win $200 net if it works.

However, you could have a situation where both stops get hit in a whipsaw and you lose $200 twice for a loss of $400 on the pair trade. So you're "real" risk:reward is 2:1 with maximum risk of $400 and maximum reward is $200.

no time to explain now...but this is not correct...what if BOTH trades went to tgt??
 
Quote from geez:

no time to explain now...but this is not correct...what if BOTH trades went to tgt??

Chances are next to none if both trades were placed around same time and they are exact inverse. The first stop will always hit well before other's target (because of 1:2 ratio) ;-)
 
Quote from TraderSU:

Chances are next to none if both trades were placed around same time and they are exact inverse. The first stop will always hit well before other's target (because of 1:2 ratio) ;-)

Look back at entry times of both fas and skf...different times.
I really didn't want to do the SKF trade, but that setup was just too pretty.
 
Quote from geez:

I really didn't want to do the SKF trade, but that setup was just too pretty.

This is exactly what I wanted to know.

Anyway, guess we are having this whole discussion because SKF position was opened before FAS position got closed. So you were effectively making bet on fin-sector in both direction at the same time.
 
Geez, your DIA trade hit its target, but I was wondering why you didn't select DDM instead, given the lack of volatility in the market at the time of your trade.
 
Quote from geez:

no time to explain now...but this is not correct...what if BOTH trades went to tgt??

Geez,

In your particular case that could have happened, but in the theoretical post I made whereby one takes a volatility bet on both sides of the trade, it wouldn't really be possible.

I figured with your trade, you had the one going and you leave your trades to play out. Then, the other one made a nice set up shortly thereafter. So, in that situation it would be possible to hit both targets. But, not in a pair trading strategy.

These are slightly different variations but a similar theme.
 
Geez, your DIA trade hit its target, but I was wondering why you didn't select DDM instead, given the lack of volatility in the market at the time of your trade.
 
Quote from geez:

2:40 1000 DIA EXIT 84.43
P/L +395.83


On this trade did you set the target and then calculate the stop based on that target? From the charts, that's what it looks like, which is the opposite of what you usually seem to do.

Thanks.
 
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