Thursday, February 24, 2011

When To Cut Your Option Trade Losses Short


These Simple Rules Can Make A Huge Difference To Your Next Option Trade


This is actually the sister rule to the one mentioned above, and is usually just as difficult to do (even if it is very easy to define). In the same way that profitability comes from a few large winning option trades, capital preservation so comes from avoiding the few large losers that the market will see fit to send you each year.
Setting a maximum loss point before you enter the option trade so you know ahead of time approximately how much you are risking on this position is pretty straight up.
You just have to have an exit price that tells you that your option trade is a losing one you should exit before it gets any bigger. Because of gaps at the open, or limit moves in options we can never be 100% sure that we can get out with our maximum loss, but simply having the rules, and always sticking to them will save us from the nasty option trades that just keep on going against our position until we have lost more than many winning option trades can make back.
If you have a losing position that is at your maximum loss point, you should just get out of the option trade right away. You can’t hope that it will turn around for, as it isn’t common sense.
Being that option trades are either winners or losers, and this one is shouting ‘Loser’ at you, the chances that it will turn around and become a large winner is decidedly small.
Why would you want to risk any more money on a option trade that has already shown itself to be a loser when you could simply close it out (accept the loss) and move on. This will leave you in a much better place financially and mentally, than holding on to your option trade and hoping it will go back your way.
Even if it did do this, the mental energy and negative feelings from holding the losing option trade are just not worth it. This is why you should always stick to your rules and exit a option trade if it hits your stop point.
Never Add To A Losing Option Trade
One of the few option trade management rules that you should never break is ‘Never add to a losing option trade’. Trades are split into winners and losers, and if a option trade is a loser, the chances of it turning right around and becoming a winner are too small for you to want to risk more money on. If it actually is a winner disguised as a loser, why not wait until it shows it is a winner before you add to it.
If you do this you will notice that nearly every time the option trade ends up hitting your stop loss and does not change direction. Sometimes the option trade turns around before it hits your stop and becomes a winner and you can count yourself very lucky if it does.
Sometimes the option trade hits your stop loss and then turns around and becomes a winner and you can count yourself unlucky. Whatever happens, it is never worth adding to a loser, hoping that it will eventually be a winner. The odds of success are just too low to risk more capital in addition to the initial risk.   By:

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