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What Is A Stop-Loss? Learn How To Choose The Best Spot

Stopping trading in the market and leaving investment opportunities on time has always been an integral part of trading.

In other words, managing and maintaining capital is your most important job as a financial market trader, because maintaining capital will always take precedence over trading profits.

Then In fact, sometimes patience is useless in a trade, so how much better to get out of the market before we lose more. In this article, help an essayFrom Trading ‌Hirooz site, we are trying to explain how to get out of the market before losing more.

And In other words, this article answers the question of where to put your Stop-Loss at the lowest possible risk.

What is the loss limit?

Simply put, a loss limit is a condition you set for an exchange: If the price of an asset reaches X (Stop Point), place an order for sale with a Y price for me to avoid further losses.

Due to the many factors involved when deciding to buy a stock or asset, some important considerations may sometimes be easily overlooked. Adjusting the trading loss limit is one of these factors. If the loss limit is used properly and has a rule, it can make a big difference in returnTrading system And generate your profit amount.

The loss limit can generally be defined as a custom in which, when the price reaches a certain level, the asset is sold in order to prevent further loss or an open position in the market is closed. This tool is used to limit losses or gains in trading, because the loss of trading profits will also be a loss.

Although the main application of the loss limit will be in short or medium term trades, investors can also take advantage of this feature.

In fact, the loss limit is an automatic order that the investor determines the amount and by registering it in his trading platform to the brokerage or exchange office, orders the sale of that asset at a predetermined price.

For a better understanding, consider this example: Suppose Atrium is priced at $ 1,000 and we predict the price will reach $ 1,100, we set our sales target at $ 1,100. But on the other hand, for various reasons, our prediction may be wrong and the price of Atrium may fall, in which case we should not allow the transaction to be more than a certain amount of loss. So, for example, in an exchange office with helpStop order We set the trade limit at $ 900, which means that if the price of ether reaches 900 or less, the exchange will automatically sell the ether to avoid further losses.

How to find the best place to set a loss limit?  Learn how to set a stop loss (Stop Loss) in transactionsMaintaining trading profits, and primarily capital, is the first principle of entering the world of trading. The use of a loss limit for any trade makes sense in this principle.

Do not forget that the loss limit should be recorded according to our market analysis and review of conditions, not conjecturally.

If you make a profit in a market transaction, you must be able to maintain it. Here it isCapital and risk managementWill come to your aid. But we must accept that the market will always do what it wants and move as it wants. Every day we face a new challenge, and almost everything, from world politics, major economic events to central bank rumors, and many other factors that correlate different types of assets, causes prices to change faster than the blink of an eye.

If your job is trading and you are not a long-term investor, it is enough to stay in a wrong position several times in the hope of returning the market to your target, so that your trading account balance will quickly decline and your trading motivation and life will end.

Having a predetermined level of exit from losing trades not only provides the benefit of reducing potential losses, but also eliminates the anxiety of participating in an unplanned trade.

The main purpose of the loss limit is to ensure that the losses will not be too great.

To better understand the importance of the loss limit, consider the following example:

Imagine a person 1 and 2 with the same amount of initial capital and trading strategy. The only difference between the two is the amount of risk in their transactions. The first person in each transaction accepts 10% and the second person 2.% risk.

Each trade will lead to only one of two results: win or lose. Therefore, each trade will be closed if the loss limit (SL) is activated or when the profit limit (TP) is reached. Now imagine that both people are caught in a losing trade.

Under these hypothetical conditions, the loss limit of ten consecutive transactions of the two is activated, but the difference is that the second-person account balance decreases by 19%, but another capital loses 65% of its value.

Of course, this does not mean setting small losses in your trades, because the reality is that large investors and market makers in all financial markets use the Stop Hunt strategy to provide a temporary trading space with high volatility. )

 Simply put, this strategy is used to activate the loss limits of other traders in the market to create a temporary trading environment with high volatility.

For example, in the figure below, most traders have set their trading losses on the green support line, so large investors artificially direct the price below this level in order to activate the loss limits of other investors.

After this move, market fluctuations increase and continue its main path without benefiting the rest of traders. The basis of this strategy is based on the fact that many traders tend to adjust to certain price levels to adjust the loss limits of their trades, which are particularly attractive to the trades of large investors or oscillators.

So do not be afraid to activate the loss limit of your trades or the so-called stop loss, it is important to the overall outcome of the trades and optimize the loss limit in your trading path.

How to find the best place to set a loss limit?  Learn how to set a stop loss (Stop Loss) in transactions
Large investors and market makers in all financial markets use the stop hunt strategy to provide a temporary trading space with high volatility.

How to determine the best loss point?

The ideal location for setting a loss limit is determined by two factors:

  1. The loss limit must be at a level that proves that the point of entry into the transaction was completely wrong.
  2. The breakout must have an acceptable winning rate in trading history. This rate depends on your overall trading strategy.

Determining the loss limit has a few simple steps that are very important to adhere to. We review these steps:

What is a Stop-Loss?  Learn how to choose the best spot

Step 1: Define your trading strategy (plan)

If Trading strategyYou do not have a specific letter, you must create one before continuing. To optimize the loss setting, you must first have a permanent approach to it. Once you have determined the specific rules for the location of the loss limit, follow up on its operation and see if there is a way to improve it.

What is a Stop-Loss?  Learn how to choose the best spot

Step 2: Test your trading strategy

Measuring the efficiency of a trading strategy allows you to measure the performance of your trading loss system based on historical price data. Review the results to identify the most useful ones. Also test different timeframes and value pairs and choose the most productive one based on your strategy.

What is a Stop-Loss?  Learn how to choose the best spot

Step 3: Improve your trading strategy and try again

If your strategy is not profitable, it’s time to change it. Even if the results of your strategy go well, consider experimenting with new ideas. Perhaps in these studies you have found a more profitable system. Do not be afraid of creativity, sometimes the strangest ideas are the most profitable! Once you have the right strategy, it’s time to move on to the fourth step.

What is a Stop-Loss?  Learn how to choose the best spot

Step # 4- Discovering Your Purpose There are many ways to strengthen your trading strategies

Now it’s time to put the results of your strategy to the test. Create a demo account and monitor the results when you start trading in it. Limitations and drawbacks will gradually become apparent at this stage, so here you can edit your strategy and finalize it.

Common mistakes in setting the loss limit

Wrong adjustment of the loss limit can cause a heavy loss to the trader or, conversely, cause a loss of profit. To set the right loss limit, keep the following in mind:

Greedy choice

What is a Stop-Loss?  Learn how to choose the best spot

Many traders are initially interested in setting small and very close price limits. Therefore, the loss limit is activated many times and the market removes this group from the game with a loss. This loss-adjusting model may be suitable for some day traders, but in most cases, setting a stop-loss with a wider range or farther from the price will usually lead to a higher profit.

This method is especially profitable for oscillators or traders who enter into trades at price returns (pullback). This is because you give your trading space more room to fluctuate.

Incorrect trading volume

What is a Stop-Loss?  Learn how to choose the best spot

If you have a small amount of capital in the market (for example, under $ 1,000), it is better to trade with a small volume so that you can set a more limited loss limit.

Many traders suffer losses due to inconsistencies in the size of their trades with their account balance. They choose the loss margin of their trades according to the first small case and ignore one of the most important elements of the market, ie fluctuations. Therefore, matching the size of transactions with the investment account balance, in addition to allocating a reasonable amount of risk, will also allow prices to fluctuate.

What is a Stop-Loss?  Learn how to choose the best spot

Lack of tested loss limit strategy

Although we mentioned this at the beginning of the article, its repetition is not without merit due to its immense importance. If a trader acts only emotionally in setting a loss limit, he will have no way of knowing how to improve his results. Because by doing so, there will be no stability.

In any case, having a strategy alone is not enough. The strategy must be constantly tested to prove its effectiveness.

7 Common methods of professionals to adjust the loss limit

By studying the following 7 items, you can get new ideas about where to set your trading limit. Naturally, their results will be different in each strategy. But to begin with, it gives the trader a good idea.

The first method; Adjust the loss limit based on a percentage of capital

Let’s start with the most basic method of setting a loss limit. The loss limit in this method is adjusted based on a predetermined percentage of the trading account.

For example, a trader is willing to risk two percent of their capital in each trade. This amount can vary from person to person. Risk-takers may expose up to 10% of their potential losses, while risk-averse traders typically risk less than 1% of their trading volume.

After determining this amount, the trader calculates the location of the loss limit relative to his entry point according to the size of his position.

The disadvantage of this method is that the loss limit should be determined according to the market environment or strategy rules, rather than how much of your capital you are willing to lose.

calculator Embedded in the Trading Crypto Course site, this method will help you determine the volume of positions and set the loss limit.

The second method; Adjust the loss limit using the latest price and floor price

Price fluctuations, which are shown in the chart as ceilings and floors, are a good place to set a stop loss. This method is one of the simplest and most basic methods of limiting losses and at the same time one of the most practical.

Consider the following example; By entering into a transaction Sale (Short) At the specified point, you can set the trading limit of your trade in the current price ceiling.

How to find the best place to set a loss limit?  Learn how to set a stop loss (Stop Loss) in transactionsAdjust the loss limit using the latest ceiling and price floor in sales transactions

Similarly, you can see the adjustment of the loss limit in buying transactions in the image below. The point to note is that according to the topic of capital management, the ratio of risk to reward (Risk / Reward) in these two examples and the similar case in the third method is 1/2. Simply put, in exchange for two reward points, we are willing to accept one risk unit after entering into a trade.

How to find the best place to set a loss limit?  Learn how to set a stop loss (Stop Loss) in transactionsAdjust the loss limit using the latest price ceiling and floor in buy transactions

A big advantage in setting a loss limit based on the latest fluctuations is that you can usually enter the market with a small loss limit. On the contrary, the downside is that these losses will be easily activated, as they are adjusted close to price movements and have a small range.

The third method; Adjust the loss limit using the previous price ceiling and floor

If the use of the last ceiling or floor for transactions seems small due to price movements, sometimes the use of the previous ceiling or floor is suggested. Some traders may not like this idea, because the loss limit is set far away from price movements and distorts the profit-loss ratio of trades.

How to find the best place to set a loss limit?  Learn how to set a stop loss (Stop Loss) in transactionsAdjust the loss limit using the previous price ceiling and floor

Sometimes in some trades, after doing some research and studies, you may find that using a larger loss limit can actually lead to a higher winning percentage.

Of course, this may not be the case with your strategy. However, if you are one of those traders who adjusts their losses too small, this simple trick can greatly improve the profitability of your trading strategy. For example, compare the previous method with this method.

The fourth method; Adjust the loss limit using the moving average

Adjust the loss limit using Moving averages, Is a good way to follow trending trading strategies. This indicator dynamically provides resistance and support levels to the trader according to the price movements in the market.

In this method it is better to first several time frameAnd look at different time periods in the past and present of the market to find the best one that fits your strategy.

For example, you can use moving averages with periods of 20, 50, 100 and 200, which are also very popular among traders. You also do not need to test all available ranges.

The performance of the moving average is important as the loss limit of your trades. In fact, it can be said that using the moving average as a loss limit is a kind of use ofFloating loss limit (Trailing Stoploss).

How to find the best place to set a loss limit?  Learn how to set a stop loss (Stop Loss) in transactionsAdjust the loss limit using the moving average

We said that using the moving average as a loss limit is a good way to follow trending strategies. But sometimes some traders use this method in their strategies to find the place of rotation and return of the market.

Also, one of the disadvantages of this method is the movement of the moving average along with the price. Therefore, the loss limit must be constantly adjusted.

In this method, the ATR or Average True Range indicator along with price actions (price action) will help the trader to identify market fluctuations and set a reasonable loss limit.

The fifth method; Adjust the loss limit using support and resistance levels

Another way to set a loss limit in trades is to use key support and resistance levels. The point is that these levels are not exactly linear, but rather support and resistance areas.

Therefore, be careful not to set a small price fluctuation around them when adjusting the loss limit with this method, because often the price will not react only to a linear and static resistance and may be a little up or down these levels. Oscillate.

How to find the best place to set a loss limit?  Learn how to set a stop loss (Stop Loss) in transactions
Adjust the loss limit using support and resistance levels

As a rule, the best places to draw levels are the areas to which prices react most strongly. Violation of these areas is also a warning that your initial analysis of the chart is incorrect. An interesting point is not to ignore the psychological levels of prices and circulating numbers, as these levels are often levels of support or resistance.

Sixth method; Adjust the loss limit using the star parabolic indicator

Using the Parabolic SAR indicator is another great way to set a trading margin. The use of this indicator is to show changes in acceleration (momentum) and confirm the upward or downward trend. This indicator, like the other indicators, is not complete on its own and complements price movements and other indicators, but it works well in following and confirming the trend.

How to find the best place to set a loss limit?  Learn how to set a stop loss (Stop Loss) in transactions
Adjust the loss limit using the star parabolic indicator

This indicator responds to both trend-following and trend-turning strategies. You can use similar indicators such as Bollinger Bands.

The seventh method; Adjust the loss limit based on time

In this method, the loss limit will not be based on price parameters, but will be adjusted based on time parameters. For example, this method may require the trader to close his position at the end of the day, regardless of the outcome. Of course, this method is not very popular and less people use this method in their transactions.

This method will not take into account the real market situation and also the trader will eventually have to close positions manually.

Conclusion

Try not to get too caught up in the constant improvement of your loss-setting location, as there will be no perfect place to adjust it. One of the principles of trading is to play with these percentages. But when you track the output of your loss-making strategy, the best place and the best way to set a trade-off will be revealed.