Had a few this year..
1) The worst one, in terms of missed gains, was getting stopped out on the 30 year above 148 back in spring (even called it in advance on ET!)... put on way too many contracts and couldn't take the heat. Stopped right near the top tick (about 3-4 ticks from the top). emg was right on this one: stop loss is for loser!
2) After that, not so much a bad beat, but just a premature entry: Shorting NKD near the top. Started selling around 15600 the day before the top! Scaled in too many contracts for my account size, and once again got stopped out. Failed to consider the blow-off scenario or psychological 16000 level resistance, and was not watching the multi-year index chart for upper channel resistance (pointed out by another ET member a few months later). emg's recurring theme strikes again.
3) Then, bought NKD near the bottom a few weeks later *two minutes* before the 'blow off bottom' -- after the two minutes, stopped out 3 ticks from the low instead of adding more... was trying to learn from the previous two bad beats. Stop loss is for loser in the futures market, clearly!
There are a few more but these stick out, particularly #1 and #3 because the stop loss placement was just so poor/unlucky..right at the turn! Well, that was cathartic
Anyone care to share their worst beats?
1) The worst one, in terms of missed gains, was getting stopped out on the 30 year above 148 back in spring (even called it in advance on ET!)... put on way too many contracts and couldn't take the heat. Stopped right near the top tick (about 3-4 ticks from the top). emg was right on this one: stop loss is for loser!
2) After that, not so much a bad beat, but just a premature entry: Shorting NKD near the top. Started selling around 15600 the day before the top! Scaled in too many contracts for my account size, and once again got stopped out. Failed to consider the blow-off scenario or psychological 16000 level resistance, and was not watching the multi-year index chart for upper channel resistance (pointed out by another ET member a few months later). emg's recurring theme strikes again.
3) Then, bought NKD near the bottom a few weeks later *two minutes* before the 'blow off bottom' -- after the two minutes, stopped out 3 ticks from the low instead of adding more... was trying to learn from the previous two bad beats. Stop loss is for loser in the futures market, clearly!
There are a few more but these stick out, particularly #1 and #3 because the stop loss placement was just so poor/unlucky..right at the turn! Well, that was cathartic

Anyone care to share their worst beats?
