Today was example where my confidence based betting hurt me. I had 3-4 wins today at normal and small size. I was up about 6/10ths percent. 6/10ths percent per day would equate to a return of approximately 144% per year. This would also only be making $120 per day on a 20k account! But, I sized larger on a bad trade near the end of the day. I didn't lose the maximum on it. In fact, I came close to losing the maximum but was able to close it out at a best price. The net result was today was break even. That trade should have been a small trade.
Even with a strong edge, trading results are rather random. I really hate to lose because 1 bad trade can ruin several good trades. The greater return one makes then the greater hurdle that one must clear before they leave the random area. If I'm sizing normal/light,that is risking about .5% to .6% per day on average, then I need to clear about 3% before I clear the "random hurdle". But, when I'm trying to clear 1% per day ($1,000 per day) then I need to clear about $8,000 before I feel I've cleared the random hurdle. This is just based on my feeling. it might be 3k and 5k. But, it is for sure quite high.
Some people try to avoid the bad trades. This is a never ending trap that leads no where. The solution I've adopted is to win more on my best trades. It might be a little more or a lot more. But, I always want to be winning at least a little something extra. I, also, size conservatively on trades that I'm not as confident about. I take these trades because they are sorta like the R&D department. If I didn't take them then I wouldn't learn how well they worked and I wouldn't be gaining experience. At worst, I'd be sitting on the sideline and then see my trade idea come to fruition and be tempted to jump in at worst time.
Overloading the boat...
I've often been tempted to load the boat especially after I seen the idea work previously. This is very dangerous. It also isn't as effective as one would think. Loading the boat on a trade for me would be making 5% or so. This would be huge. However it is still only 5%. My best months I've made over 26%. I'd need to load the boat quite often. Yes, I bet more when I'm confident but I try not to overload the boat.
On Tight Stops
Likewise, some traders try to set tight stops and wait for just the right time. I've tried that game too and it doesn't work for my personality. The biggest runners never retrace which means no entry. And, often when they do retrace the move is over. I often enter a small position just to test the waters.
Value of Winning
I've found that winning is very useful. If I make a brilliant trade and win x dollars then it is still x dollars. It is no more then if I made several okay trades that made money. This is why my hedge style is so powerful when it works because even if I'm losing on 1 side of the trade then I'm closing out profits. Those "dumb profits" can make a difference. I've held back on hedge style in recent market because I've had a hard time making it work. But, it offers a nice promise.
Even with a strong edge, trading results are rather random. I really hate to lose because 1 bad trade can ruin several good trades. The greater return one makes then the greater hurdle that one must clear before they leave the random area. If I'm sizing normal/light,that is risking about .5% to .6% per day on average, then I need to clear about 3% before I clear the "random hurdle". But, when I'm trying to clear 1% per day ($1,000 per day) then I need to clear about $8,000 before I feel I've cleared the random hurdle. This is just based on my feeling. it might be 3k and 5k. But, it is for sure quite high.
Some people try to avoid the bad trades. This is a never ending trap that leads no where. The solution I've adopted is to win more on my best trades. It might be a little more or a lot more. But, I always want to be winning at least a little something extra. I, also, size conservatively on trades that I'm not as confident about. I take these trades because they are sorta like the R&D department. If I didn't take them then I wouldn't learn how well they worked and I wouldn't be gaining experience. At worst, I'd be sitting on the sideline and then see my trade idea come to fruition and be tempted to jump in at worst time.
Overloading the boat...
I've often been tempted to load the boat especially after I seen the idea work previously. This is very dangerous. It also isn't as effective as one would think. Loading the boat on a trade for me would be making 5% or so. This would be huge. However it is still only 5%. My best months I've made over 26%. I'd need to load the boat quite often. Yes, I bet more when I'm confident but I try not to overload the boat.
On Tight Stops
Likewise, some traders try to set tight stops and wait for just the right time. I've tried that game too and it doesn't work for my personality. The biggest runners never retrace which means no entry. And, often when they do retrace the move is over. I often enter a small position just to test the waters.
Value of Winning
I've found that winning is very useful. If I make a brilliant trade and win x dollars then it is still x dollars. It is no more then if I made several okay trades that made money. This is why my hedge style is so powerful when it works because even if I'm losing on 1 side of the trade then I'm closing out profits. Those "dumb profits" can make a difference. I've held back on hedge style in recent market because I've had a hard time making it work. But, it offers a nice promise.