In defining your cash management rules to start trading, step one should be deciding on your trading float. This is the quantity of money you have got to trade with. Before you set the exact amount, it is important to define your objectives in trading.
You need to be clear on the amount of time you have available to spend trading. Can you trade full time, part time, or do you have hardly any time to trade, perhaps because of work and family commitments. Next, work out how much capital you have to trade with. There will of course be times when you will experience a loss. Are you comfortable with a loss of 30%, 40%?
What annual rate of return are you wanting? You must be practical about this. How much profit are you wanting to make over what period? This amount will be dependent on the quantity of risk you are prepared to take. How do you need to take your hard-earned money from the market? Do you need a cashflow ( that is, constantly taking profits out ) or capital growth ( by growing your capital in the market, using the miracle of compound interest )?
Remember that money made of trading isn’t a trusty revenue stream. Some months, yes, you’ll make a reasonable profit, even maybe a respectable profit but at other times you need to acknowledge that there will be a succession of losses. It is a good idea for the first 2 years of trading not to focus on your ROI. Rather, concentrate on refining your trading system and developing good trading habits. You will in this manner be putting in the ground work for future trading success. There are tools out there that will help you. Knowing what is Metastock can be beneficial to your trading.
The bigger the trading float you start with, the easier it will be for you to trade. This is because there are certain fixed costs involved in trading. The biggest cost is brokerage. Many brokers charge a fixed fee for every trade and the traders with the larger fund size will find this easier to cope with.
Let us say two traders open a trade each. One trader’s position is valued at $2000 and the second trader’s position is worth $20,000. Both traders have identical brokerage fees which are $100 per trade. The trader with the larger account size has an advantage over the other, as he only has to make 0.5% in order to break even. The other has to make 5% before he breaks even. It is imperative therefore that the trader with the smaller position be more successful, which places him under greater stress.
There is of course nothing wrong with starting out with a smaller float, but you will be at a greater disadvantage than someone with a more sizeable amount.
To start defining your money management rules, think about the objectives you are aiming at in trading. When you’ve crystallized these objectives, you will be in a position to think about the dimensions of the float you are going to operate with. This is a key facet of your money management rules and should be given due consideration before you start trading. Desire to get started on the right trading trail? Look for a Metastock download so that you can become familiar with one of the best tools of the trade.
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