Position sizing is the way to determine or estimate appropriate number of contracts or shares to trade based on your risk tolerance and capital. Here are some steps to consider when doing position sizing:
Let's look through an example of how position sizing might work in practice:
Let's say you have a trading account with $100,000 and you have determined that your risk tolerance is 2% of your capital per trade. This means you are willing to risk $2,000 (2% of $100,000) on any one trade.
You've also decided that you will use a stop-loss order to automatically close a trade if it reaches a loss of $1,000.
Based on this information, you can use a position sizing calculator to determine the appropriate number of shares or contracts to trade.
Let's say you are considering trading XYZ stock. The current price of XYZ stock is $50 and the stop-loss is set at $48. The calculator would determine that you should trade 400 shares of XYZ stock ($1,000 / ($50 - $48) = 400 shares).
If the stock's price falls to $48, your stop-loss will be triggered and you will lose $1,000. Since you were willing to risk 2% of your capital, which is $2,000, this trade represents half of your risk tolerance.
You can also adjust your position size based on the volatility of the underlying asset. For more volatile assets, you may want to trade smaller position size to mitigate the risk.
It's important to remember that the example provided is just one scenario and it's important to do your own research and find what works best for you. Also, it's important to note that past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
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