Crushed

Quote from Random.Capital:

If a 20% move is enough to kill you, your first problem is being over-leveraged.

Isn't it the purpose of trading futures to be leveraged?

20% in oil futures is a lot. 15 dollars in CL is 1500 x $10=$15,000 per contract. Depending on the number of contracts, his loss can be any number.
 
Quote from Uncle_Ho:

Got long 100-150 bonds and was out 15 ticks in 20min. Lost 70-80k on that trade. Dropped over $100,000 in the bonds on friday, had my worst day in a while losing over 150k in a single day.


150k US dollars? are u serious? That's big money.
 
Quote from BPtrader:

Isn't it the purpose of trading futures to be leveraged?

Futures have many uses besides jacking up leverage.

If 20% is enough to crush someone, they're in "I'm AIG, bail me out!" territory. If it's bad for institutions to be that stretched, how can it be healthy or sensible for anyone else?

It takes all kinds to make a market, each to their own...
 
I have two actual trading systems, one automated and one based on signals, both of those are well understood and are doing well.

Unfortunately, they are simply funding my discretionary trading losses. I should probably just stop trading discretionary. The thing is I believe if I can master some of the psychological aspects the discretionary approach will be superior to the systemic ones.

We will see....I may just revert to only trading systems based on autogenerated signals.
 
Sorry, to be clear, when I said "kill" me, Ive taken about an 8% portfolio loss.

For me, in such a short period of time, that kills me. However, it's not so bad that I won't live to fight another day.

Still, probably a bit too much leverage with the CL. However, it is bad luck that I've hooked into this beast in the midst of a $13 run over two weeks. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me.
 
Quote from bridenour:

Unfortunately, they are simply funding my discretionary trading losses. I should probably just stop trading discretionary. The thing is I believe if I can master some of the psychological aspects the discretionary approach will be superior to the systemic ones.

I've heard this same thing from several others. My husband and I are developing an ATS based on my trading strategies but with none of my foibles programmed in such as analyzing a setup while it moves heavily in my favor without me, moving stops too soon and cutting off 3/4 of the profit in the expected move, jumping the gun just in case price doesn't reach the point at which the trade is truly set up to play, and so on.
 
Quote from Uncle_Ho:

I too have been struggling with this for a long time, and I think I am somewhat of a seasoned trader. My losing days have always historically been bigger than my winners, I just can't help that I will get rocked on a trade here and there. My problem is that I take my loss, but I am so frustrated with how much cash I just loss, I trade much bigger on my next few trades. I have been rewarded in the past I guess for doing this, so maybe thats why I seem to have a problem with it. I will make money 4 of 5 days nice, then drop all of them on a big loser.

If anyone has any tips on recognizing the mindset I get into after that first brutal loss (its just that it happens so quick or something) please add to this.

I dropped some money on a trade on friday really quick, just a bad entry then smack lost 40k in about 5 min. What did I decide to do, LONG BONDS. Bonds dropped 2 handles friday, and the stocks didn't budge, I wanted to be short stocks, so I ended up buying bonds, heavy. Got long 100-150 bonds and was out 15 ticks in 20min. Lost 70-80k on that trade. Dropped over $100,000 in the bonds on friday, had my worst day in a while losing over 150k in a single day. I was just so convinced I would get an uptick, but nope

I will trade on and do what I always do, not about making it back, just becoming profitable in the long run.

If anyone has any tips for me please share (especially dealing with sizeable quick losses), although I've been doin this for a while.


You should strive to cut down your position size after a sizable loss until composure is regained. Although, I do not trade the size you do, this has helped me, because you are in a very vulnerable position emotionally. It will aggravate you to make it back slowly, but at least you won't deplete capital further, and that is your real adversary.............capital depletion.
 
Quote from bridenour:

However, it is bad luck that I've hooked into this beast in the midst of a $13 run over two weeks. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me.

good luck for those who hooked into the trend => long side. kind of fortuitous if you ask them
 
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