when to take profit?

dafishman · Jul 24, 2014

I will try and post some charts later or this weekend.

Basically, I have been using a daily, a 1 min and a 5 min (rarely a 10) to enter in. I been playing news stocks, gappers, certain patterns like flags or wedges and I trade stocks that have solid volume so I can get in and out......

I can get in quite easy, its getting out as I stated where I am having issues. I have tried taking X amount of profit, using %'s, etc.

I know there is no guaranteed way but that is why I was asking what YOU did and maybe it can help me!

CoolHandLuke · Jul 24, 2014

xelite777 said:
This thread is not about stop loss, but profit target.

Buying at support (or shorting at resistance) is easy, but when to exit a winning position is the mystery here. There are only a few ways to enter a winning position, but thousands of ways to get out.

The problem is that the exit strategy is the key to real wealth, because it is my strong belief that if the trader could spend more time investigating/backtesting the optimal exit strategy (letting the profits run to the max) for his particular system - instead of worrying about the entry - he would be set for life.

maybe i misunderstood ...for instance if you bought in because of "support" then why wouldn't you get out at first "resistance" ...a resistance that was based on same/similar principle? or, whatever premise. when the reason for the trade is over, get out.

Swan Noir · Jul 24, 2014

No ... it's not at all like that. When you tie it to the size of the account rather than a profit goal on a trade it is not just different it is entirely different ... as in not even similar!!

wrbtrader said:
Hmmm...

Isn't that like saying "I've reached my profit goals or I've exceeded my profit goals...its now time for me to close the position".

lotek771 · Jul 24, 2014

Swan Noir said:
No ... it's not at all like that. When you tie it to the size of the account rather than a profit goal on a trade it is not just different it is entirely different ... as in not even similar!!

right, but it is similar in that you still need to decide when to get the account flat

JesseJamesFinn · Jul 25, 2014

Thank you NoDoji, your time is valuable, method are sound and you are the Real deal! Thank you for helping me reinforce what I was taught is not bad, there are pattern we trade everyday.

Swan Noir · Jul 25, 2014

No ... you don't. Closing the trade is a necessary but not sufficient condition to making the account flat. You do not need to decide when to go flat in your account to close an individual trade. Except for someone trading on a shoestring the account, as a general rule, has little if anything, to do with closing an individual trade.

Given that I think my views on this are clear, I'll leave this conversation behind.

lotek771 said:
right, but it is similar in that you still need to decide when to get the account flat

lotek771 · Jul 25, 2014

Swan Noir said:
No ... you don't. Closing the trade is a necessary but not sufficient condition to making the account flat. You do not need to decide when to go flat in your account to close an individual trade. Except for someone trading on a shoestring the account, as a general rule, has little if anything, to do with closing an individual trade.

Given that I think my views on this are clear, I'll leave this conversation behind.

ok, have a good trip. My only reason for closing an individual trade is because it is a loser. And then I look for a better place to get back in, usually on the same side, but sometimes on the other side.

Like I said, I never take a profit until the account takes out the old high. Then everything gets closed out, winners, losers and draws.

And when I'm finally flat I take break, and when my mind and personal business have recovered, I start it all back up over again.

ES Shooter · Jul 25, 2014

If you go 3:1, your expected value will be pretty high, even if you are right only half the time.

Or just rely on your "system" a.k.a witchcraft and take profits when you are in the money and you get a signal saying your fortune has come to an end or is coming to an end.

trade4love · Jul 25, 2014

ES Shooter said:
If you go 3:1, your expected value will be pretty high, even if you are right only half the time.

Or just rely on your "system" a.k.a witchcraft and take profits when you are in the money and you get a signal saying your fortune has come to an end or is coming to an end.

lol - love this "a.k.a witchcraft and take profits when you are in the money and you get a signal saying your fortune has come to an end or is coming to an end."