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Position Sizing: The Key to Consistent Trading Success

Introduction

Position sizing, a crucial aspect of trading strategy, is often overlooked by novice and experienced traders alike. It is the process of determining the number of shares or contracts to trade, taking into account your account size, risk tolerance, and trade setup. In this article, we delve into the importance of position sizing and explore insights from Dr. Glen Brown, a renowned expert in trading psychology and risk management.

The Importance of Position Sizing

  1. Risk management: “Position sizing is the cornerstone of successful risk management,” says Dr. Glen Brown. By controlling the size of your trades, you can manage potential losses and prevent devastating drawdowns in your trading account. By employing proper position sizing techniques, you can preserve your trading capital and stay in the game longer.
  2. Consistency: Dr. Brown emphasizes the importance of consistency in trading, stating, “Consistent position sizing is essential for consistent results.” This is particularly true for traders who follow a systematic approach. By maintaining a consistent position size, you can better evaluate your trading system’s performance and make necessary adjustments.
  3. Emotional stability: Trading can be an emotional rollercoaster, and proper position sizing helps to maintain emotional equilibrium. “When traders use appropriate position sizing, they’re less likely to experience emotional extremes,” explains Dr. Brown. By keeping your trade sizes in check, you can avoid the emotional pitfalls of overconfidence or fear, which can negatively impact your decision-making.
  4. Longevity: Position sizing contributes to trading longevity by reducing the likelihood of significant losses that can lead to account depletion. Dr. Brown cautions, “Ignoring position sizing increases the chances of encountering the dreaded ‘death spiral,’ where one large loss leads to a series of even larger losses, eventually wiping out a trading account.”

Position Sizing Techniques

  1. Fixed dollar amount: Dr. Brown suggests that one way to approach position sizing is to set a fixed dollar amount per trade. This approach is simple and easy to implement, but may not be the most suitable for all traders, as it doesn’t consider the specific risks associated with each trade.
  2. Percent of account: Another method is to risk a fixed percentage of your trading account on each trade. Dr. Brown states, “This method ensures that as your account grows, so does your position size, while a decrease in your account size will lead to smaller position sizes, keeping risk in check.”
  3. Volatility-based sizing: This technique involves adjusting position size based on the volatility of the asset being traded. Dr. Brown notes, “By factoring in volatility, traders can better account for the inherent risks associated with each trade.”

Conclusion

Position sizing is a critical aspect of trading success that should not be underestimated. As Dr. Glen Brown emphasizes, it helps traders manage risk, achieve consistency, maintain emotional stability, and promote longevity in the markets. By employing a suitable position sizing technique, you can better safeguard your trading capital and enhance your chances of long-term success.

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A better way to set Stop Losses by Dr. Glen Brown

 

Your Stop Loss should be based on the Volatility Exposure(VE) of the financial instrument .

Volatility is the  rate at which the price of a financial instrument  increases or decreases for a given set of returns.

How do we measure Volatility of a financial instrument?

Volatility is measured by calculating the standard deviation of the annualized returns over a given period of time. This shows the range to which the price of a financial instrument may increase or decrease. Hence, Volatility measures the risk of a financial instrument.

Within the Global  Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS), We use Volatility to  indicate the pricing behavior of the financial instrument which help us to estimate the fluctuations that may happen within different timeframes.

We use the PATS Average True Range(ATR) indicator to set the stop loss and profit target for the various subsystems and strategies.

At Global Financial Engineering, we believe that your stop loss should be based on the number of Volatility Exposure Periods (VEPs). 

For example: Using Average True Range(ATR) with period 200 with a conservative risk % model:

**27VEPs  is assigned to the based system which runs on the 1 minute chart where the default risk is set at 0.01% of free equity

**24VEPs is assigned to system #1 which runs on the 5 minutes chart, where the default risk is set at 0.02% of free equity

**21VEPs is assigned to system #2 which runs on the 15 minutes chart, where the default risk is set at 0.0.03% of free equity

**18VEPs is assigned to system #3 which runs on the 30 minutes chart, where the default risk is set at 0.04% of free equity

**15VEPs is assigned to system #4 which runs on the 60 minutes chart, where the default risk is set at 0.05% of free equity

**12VEPs is assigned to system #5 which runs on the 240 minutes chart, where the default risk is set at 0.06% of free equity

**9VEPs is assigned to system #6 which runs on the Daily chart, where the default risk is set at 0.07% of free equity

**6VEPs is assigned to system #7 which runs on the Weekly chart, where the default risk is set at 0.08% of free equity

**3VEPs is assigned to system #8 which runs on the Monthly chart, where the default risk is set at 0.09% of free equity

The Global Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS) will use the above inputs to calculate the position size of each financial instrument.

 

 

RISK WARNING!

There is a substantial risk of loss in futures and Forex trading. Online trading of stocks and options is extremely risky. Assume you will lose money. Don’t trade with money you cannot afford to lose.

The analysis in this material is provided for information only and is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security.
To the extent that this material discusses general market activity, industry or sector trends or other broad-based economic or political conditions, it should not be construed as research or investment advice.
To the extent that it includes references to specific securities, commodities , currencies, or other instruments, those references do not constitute a recommendation by Global Accountancy Institute,Inc. or Global Financial Engineering,Inc. to buy, sell or hold such investments.
This material does not and is not intended to take into account the particular financial conditions, investment objectives or requirements of individual customers.
Before acting on this material, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and, as necessary, seek professional advice.

 

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Global Professional Proprietary Trading Course

Aim:

  • This course will help you to become a Professional Prop. Trader
  • To develop some of the knowledge and skills expected of a Global Financial Engineer , in relation to trading and investments, and portfolio  policy decisions when using Global Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS).

Main capabilities

On successful completion of this course candidates should be able to:

A: Prove your abilities and trade for a living.

B:   Create your own Proprietary Trading Firm and trade successfully with your own capital

C: Become a Successful Professional Trader and embrace Trading as a Business

D: Discuss the role and purpose of the Global Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS)

E: Assess and discuss the impact of the economic environment on  Global Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS) trading decisions. 

F: Discuss and apply trading strategies for stocks, futures, options, commodities and forex using Global Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS).

H: Carry out effective trading strategies using Global Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS).

I: Identify and evaluate alternative strategies and settings for Global Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS).

J: Discuss and apply principles of risk management and asset valuations using Global Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS).

L: Explain and apply Global Algorithmic Trading Software(GATS) risk management techniques.

Do you want to build up a professional trading career? This course will help you to:

  1. Prove you can profit
    Demonstrate that you have a winning strategy for the market.

2. Show you can manage risk
Establish consistency with your trading to prove your capital is safe in your hands.

Within Global Proprietary Trading Division, we have three (3) types of traders namely: Global Intra-Day Traders(GIT), Global Swing Traders(GST) and Global Position Traders (GPT).

These traders can be internal or external. Internal Traders are traders that work within Global Accountancy Institute trading department. External Traders are traders that work remotely around the globe.

All traders must undergo continuous training and hence we have designed training courses for each group.

Register today and start your Journey