This is an example why placing a stop loss is for loser. When trading let say in the es, 1 contract equal $100,000. That way, no need to worry margin call and no need to place stop order. 100% of small traders will disagree. and eventually they will lose. More than 90% of small traders lose! They just lose!
@FortNox pm me if you like. @prc117f u r so very wise. @emg you are so very correct, emg. i am totally behind you more than 100% for many years! More than 90% of small traders lose! They just lose! emg, enjoy the attachment which stands to prove your life long trading belief and theory.... with all due respect. yes, it has been a long time since i came across your turf again. see you again in a year or two, and by then hopefully you would be trading more happily and otherwise.... better yet, emg, since you are an old hand and a much more experienced trader here for a longest time, show us just one of your trading screens, be it live or simm, it won't matter; so many of us can learn from you, even though many of us who are less experienced and all, and who did not and could not begin our trading career with 100,000 usd like you and a few others suggested and proposed here and other forums.... emg, pls do not get me wrong, i have no intention to disagree with you and what you do. but you must be doing something right to be able to stay on here for a while now, correct? well, see you later. so long everyone, happy and profitable trading.
@emg got another interesting pix for you. it is from a small trader with small stop as well. but then maybe it is not within your definition though. yes, it is live and is just captured on 2015-09-10 at 14.50 est for you and other traders to mainly just enjoy the cooperation of the markets. but then when the markets do not cooperate, it is another sorry story altogether.... chow LOL View attachment 156724 chow.
I hold my positions for weeks sometimes mothes and just trade on futures. Some how I desided to follow my position in daily on 5minute charts. Today 11/20/2015 Cocoa market 5minutes chart 3394 jump up in a second to 3420 guess what 3420 was top. If I need to get short at the market what I need first? of course other side as a buyer (long) If price has ress. 3394 and if ı will push a little and let stops work what will heppen all these different level stops plus side walkers will jump the market and it will be a lot of buyer for my short side. I think trading is not only mind game also it is a war a fight. I do not say these kind of things happen so fothen there is no reason to be paranoid but I am watching price action almost 4 years and everyday minimum 10 hours and I saw many trich that noone can make me belive it was just price action, even news wich is falling market tops or bottoms. As everyting stop loss need to be use correcly, if you are day trader that puts you limited area by intraday charts and stop loss needs to be far enaugh. Personaly I do not use stop loss because I can not use a spesific number to understand I was right or wrong on my trade I need a chart pattern and deep changing on it to say I am wrong, pluss I need closing price one or two second price hit somewhere doesn't mean so much for me. Of course there is a cost for this first I have to be agree with large losses that a daytrader can not imagine but also that opens oportunity for big winners too and I sit all the time on my trading desk. Last 4 years I use 2 or 3 times stop loss and guess what still I am alive. Some where I read isn't it same loss %1 of 100K and 10K? or these kind of ideas no it is not. Because we are talking about futures contracts are standart 10K account if you will buy or sell e-minis you will get amazing risk %1 will not tell you anyting you can chose small margin contract such as cocoa sugar but again leverage is not depends on you 1 cocoa maybe less then 1K but leverage is around 31. So in futures 10K account can not be effective with %1 risk level you will not give enaugh chance to your trade unless you can buy bottom and seel top which is almost impossible. wish, max. profit min. emotion will be with you
Here it is we are on monday and Cocoa open 3356, 21 point down then friday closing price, moreover we are going a candlestick pattern on weekly charts, named evening star. Of course noone can guess the future but possibilities we are trading on right. So now what is the perspective the traders who had stop loss on higher then 3400. Their stops worked fine on friday until 3420. Highly possible they chose 3400 because 2014 top was on 3399. we were on that price less then 5 minutes and we can see all the time such a moments lets say before corn see 350 it was same 407 we trade for a minute and then we couldn't see ,t long time. Don't take it misunderstand I am not saying you shouldn't use stop loss, I am saying you should have enough discipline to use mental stop loss, not a specific number but encourage to say "I was wrong" it doesn't have to be on sharp point as 3420 if you would say 3421 you weren't wrong. Why a trader feel he or she has to say that because of indiscipline he or she is afraid to not apply trade if he will not use stop loss order. At least to say "I will decide 5 minutes before closing" save you a lot of problem but to say that and apply that before 5 minutes to closing needs very high discipline not easy as much as enter a stop loss order, right?
Trading is a business that answer of 2+2 is not always equal to 4, even questions are not easy as it is in math, same reason there is no need to discussion.
XD That guy made my day. Stop Loss realize unrealized loss ... No Really ?! I thought my TP would give me some money !
when day trading in the eMini ES, 1 contract = $100,000. eMini is not design for small traders to day trade because higher margin = higher leverage. More than 90% of small traders lose! They just lose!