Struggling to nail down a consistent risk % per trade, any tips?

asked by u/almeida_mateo · 8d · 2 answers

Hey everyone, been lurking for a while and finally decided to post. I've been paper trading for a few months now and just started dipping my toes into live trading with a small account. My biggest hang-up right now is risk sizing. I've read all the standard advice about 1-2% per trade, but sometimes it feels really rigid, especially with different setups. Like, if I have a high-conviction setup with great confluence on a $NVDA or $TSLA play, I feel like I should size up a bit, but then I'm breaking my own rule. Other times, I have a more speculative idea, and even 1% feels like too much risk for the uncertainty involved.

Do any of you seasoned traders adjust your risk percentage based on the quality or confidence of the setup? Or do you stick religiously to a fixed percentage, no matter what? I'm trying to develop a system that's both disciplined and flexible enough to account for varying trade quality. How do you approach this without just gambling?

Join the full discussion

Top answers

  • u/rahul.pillai· 1 pts· 8d

    It's tricky, I'm still trying to figure it out too. Do you ever adjust your percentage based on the quality of the setup, or do you stick to a fixed number regardless?

  • u/greta_walsh· 1 pts· 8d

    It's a tough balance to strike, especially when you're just starting out. Instead of a fixed percentage, have you considered a tiered approach based on your confidence level or the setup's historical win rate? That might offer more flexibility while still keeping risk in check.

Related questions