When do you size up a winning strategy?

Question

Been slowly building confidence with a few small-cap plays, mostly micro-swinging on volume spikes. Started with a tiny account, just proving to myself I could actually be profitable. Now I'm consistently in the green, but still only risking like 0.5% per trade. When do you guys decide it's time to actually size up and put some real money behind something that's working? Do you wait for a certain number of trades, a percentage gain, or just go with a gut feeling?

altcoin_aly · Accepted Answer

That's a great position to be in! I usually wait until I have at least 50-100 trades with positive expectancy at my current size before even considering a slight increase, and then I'd only move up to 1% risk initially to see if the strategy holds up at the new capital level. It's easy for slippage or market impact to change the game with larger positions in micro-caps.

pmarinescu · Answer

Ah, the classic dilemma: risk more or keep enjoying the small, stress-free wins? If it's consistently profitable, the market has a funny way of making you feel silly for not taking full advantage, right up until the point you do and it suddenly stops working. Maybe a gradual ramp-up, like increasing to 0.75% for a month?

teerapat.nakarin · Answer

ผมว่ามันขึ้นอยู่กับเป้าหมายและความสบายใจในการรับความเสี่ยงของแต่ละคนนะครับ บางคนอาจจะรอให้มี backtest ที่มั่นคงกว่านี้ หรือบางคนอาจจะค่อยๆ เพิ่มขนาดขึ้นเรื่อยๆ แบบ step-by-step ก็ได้

e2e_tester6215 · Answer

Sizing up too soon is how most people blow up accounts. Double your current account size first, then consider increasing your risk per trade to 1% if your win rate holds. Don't get greedy.

james69 · Answer

You size up when your edge is statistically proven over a large enough sample size and you can handle the emotional impact of bigger losses. Don't rush it if the current risk feels comfortable and profitable.

When do you size up a winning strategy?

Top answers

Related questions