Never Risk More Than 2% Per Trade (2024)

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How much should you risk per trade?

Great question.

Try to limit your risk to 2% per trade.

But that might even be a little high. Especially if you’re a newbie forex trader.

Never Risk More Than 2% Per Trade (1)

Here is an important illustration that will show you the difference between risking a small percentage of your capital per trade compared to risking a higher percentage.

Risking 2% vs. 10% PerTrade

Trade #Total Account2% risk on each tradeTrade #Total Account10% risk on each trade
1$20,000$4001$20,000$2,000
2$19,600$3922$18,000$1,800
3$19,208$3843$16,200$1,620
4$18,824$3764$14,580$1,458
5$18,447$3695$13,122$1,312
6$18,078$3626$11,810$1,181
7$17,717$3547$10,629$1,063
8$17,363$3478$9,566$957
9$17,015$3409$8,609$861
10$16,675$33310$7,748$775
11$16,341$32711$6,974$697
12$16,015$32012$6,276$628
13$15,694$31413$5,649$565
14$15,380$30814$5,084$508
15$15,073$30115$4,575$458
16$14,771$29516$4,118$412
17$14,476$29017$3,706$371
18$14,186$28418$3,335$334
19$13,903$27819$3,002$300

You can see that there is a big difference between risking 2% of your account compared to risking 10% of your account on a single trade!

If you happened to go through a losing streak and lost only 19 trades in a row, you would’ve gone from starting with $20,000 to have only $3,002 left if you risked 10% on each trade.

You would’ve lost over 85% of your account!

If you risked only 2% you would’ve still had $13,903 which is only a 30% loss of your total account.

Of course, the last thing we want to do is to lose 19 trades in a row, but even if you only lost 5 trades in a row, look at the difference between risking 2% and 10%.

If you risked 2% you would still have $18,447.

If you risked 10% you would only have $13,122.

That’s less than what you would’ve had even if you lost all 19 trades and risked only 2% of your account!

The point of this illustration is that you want to set up your riskmanagement rules so that when you do have a drawdown period, you will still have enough capital to stay in the game.

Can you imagine if you lost 85% of your account?!!

You would have to make 566% on what you are left with in order to get back to breakeven!

Trust us, you do NOT want to be in that position.

“What Do I Have to Do to Get Back to Breakeven?”

Here is a table that will illustrate what percentage you would have to make to break even if you were to lose a certain percentage of your account.

Loss of Capital% Required to get back to breakeven
10%11%
20%25%
30%43%
40%67%
50%100%
60%150%
70%233%
80%400%
90%900%

You can see that the more you lose, the harder it is to make it back to your original account size.

This is all the more reason that you should do everything you can to PROTECT your account.

Not sure how well (or poorly) your trade went?

Use our Gain & Loss Percentage Calculator to help you know what percentage of the account balance you have won or lost.

It also estimates a percentage of current balance required to get to the breakeven point again.

Never Risk More Than 2% Per Trade (2)

By now, we hope you have gotten it drilled into your head that you should only risk a small percentage of your account pertrade so that you can survive your losing streaks and also avoid a large drawdown in your account.

Remember, you want to be the casino… NOT the gambler!

Never Risk More Than 2% Per Trade (3)

Never Risk More Than 2% Per Trade (2024)

FAQs

What is the 2 percent rule in trading? ›

One popular method is the 2% Rule, which means you never put more than 2% of your account equity at risk (Table 1). For example, if you are trading a $50,000 account, and you choose a risk management stop loss of 2%, you could risk up to $1,000 on any given trade.

What is 2% risk per trade? ›

Risk Per Trade

So, for example, if you have $5000 in your account, the maximum loss allowable should be no more than 2%. With these parameters, your maximum loss would be $100 per trade. A 2% loss per trade would mean you can be wrong 50 times in a row before you wipe out your account.

What is the 2% risk strategy? ›

The 2% rule in investing suggests that you should never risk more than 2% of your capital on any single trade or investment. This approach helps manage risk by limiting potential losses and preserving capital for future opportunities.

What is the 2% rule for stop loss? ›

The 2% Loss-Limit Rule

Abiding by the 2% rule, the maximum amount that can be lost on any single trade is $200 ($10,000 x 2%). If a trade turns unfavorable, the trader has the means to cut the loss and keep the bulk of the capital available for future trades.

What is the 2% rule? ›

The 2% rule in real estate dictates that a property's rental income should be at least 2% of the purchase price. Understanding this rule can make it easier to evaluate whether a particular rental property might be right for you.

How much should I risk per trade? ›

You'll find some guidance that says don't risk more than 1% of your trading capital per trade, while others say it's ok to go up to 10%. Most traders agree not to go much higher than that though, and here's why... With 2% risk per trade, even after 15 losses you've lost less than 25% of your trading capital.

What does risk per trade mean? ›

Risk per Trade means, How much risk you take in a single trade.

How to calculate risk per trade? ›

  1. Determine Risk Tolerance:Decide on the percentage of your trading capital you are willing to risk on each trade. A common rule of thumb is to risk 1-2% of your trading capital per trade.
  2. Calculate Dollar Amount at Risk:Multiply your trading capital by the percentage of capital you are willing to risk.
Apr 8, 2023

What does it mean to risk 1% per trade? ›

Understanding the 1% Rule in Day Trading Stocks

In essence, the 1% rule dictates that you never risk more than 1% of your trading capital on a single trade. This might seem restrictive, but its benefits are unparalleled.

What are the 2 main types of risk? ›

The two major types of risk are systematic risk and unsystematic risk. Systematic risk impacts everything. It is the general, broad risk assumed when investing. Unsystematic risk is more specific to a company, industry, or sector.

What are the two 2 least effective risk controls? ›

Using administrative controls and PPE to reduce risks does not control the hazard at the source. Administrative controls and PPE rely on human behaviour and supervision and, used on their own, tend to be least effective in minimising risks.

What are the two 2 major components of risk? ›

Risk is made up of two parts: the probability of something going wrong, and the negative consequences if it does. Risk can be hard to spot, however, let alone to prepare for and manage. And, if you're hit by a consequence that you hadn't planned for, costs, time, and reputations could be on the line.

What is the best ratio for stop-loss and take profit? ›

A common rule is to aim for a risk-reward ratio of at least 1:2, meaning that for every dollar at risk, you aim to make at least two dollars in profit. Adaptability: Be flexible in adjusting your stop loss and take profit levels as market conditions change.

What is the golden rule for stop-loss? ›

The golden rule of Stop Losses is that they should never be moved away from the market once the trade is opened. If a trader feels that their stop loss is incorrectly placed, they are recognising that the foundations of their trade are incorrect and therefore they should close out.

What is the best percentage for stop-loss? ›

4. What stop-loss percentage should I use? According to research, the most effective stop-loss levels for maximizing returns while limiting losses are between 15% and 20%. These levels strike a balance between allowing some market fluctuation and protecting against significant downturns.

What is the 3 percent rule in trading? ›

3% Rule: This suggests risking no more than 3% of your trading capital on any single trade. This helps limit the potential loss from any one trade and protects your overall capital.

What is the 2 1 trading rule? ›

A positive reward:risk ratio such as 2:1 would dictate that your potential profit is larger than any potential loss, meaning that even if you suffer a losing trade, you only need one winning trade to make you a net profit.

What is the 5% rule in trading? ›

It dates back to 1943 and states that commissions, markups, and markdowns of more than 5% are prohibited on standard trades, including over-the-counter and stock exchange listings, cash sales, and riskless transactions. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

What is the 5 3 1 rule in trading? ›

The 5-3-1 strategy is especially helpful for new traders who may be overwhelmed by the dozens of currency pairs available and the 24-7 nature of the market. The numbers five, three, and one stand for: Five currency pairs to learn and trade. Three strategies to become an expert on and use with your trades.

References

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