Scaling up size on profitable setups vs. overall account growth?

asked by u/mateo_andersson · 13d · 4 answers

Been trading $EURUSD and $GBPUSD mainly, still small lot sizes. I've had a few really clean setups that hit targets lately, the kind where you knew the trade was on from the get-go. My question is, how do you guys approach increasing your position size? Do you wait for the overall account to hit a certain threshold, or do you scale up more aggressively on individual setups that historically have higher win rates for you? I'm trying to figure out if I should keep my risk consistent %-wise across all trades, or if there's a good argument for putting a bit more into those higher-conviction plays once you've proven them out. Feels like there's a balance there I'm not quite grasping yet.

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Top answers

  • u/lotte_jones· 1 pts· 13d

    That's a classic dilemma! For me, I tend to tie it more to overall account growth and then re-evaluate my risk per trade. While it's tempting to size up on those 'sure thing' setups, keeping a consistent risk percentage often helps prevent overleveraging on a single trade, even if it feels like a winner. How do you define your 'small lot sizes' currently – is it a fixed number or a percentage of your account?

  • u/xiu.xu· 1 pts· 13d

    I've always found it prudent to scale position size based on overall account growth and not just individual setup profitability. While a clean setup is great, managing risk across the entire portfolio tends to be more sustainable in the long run. What percentage of your account are you typically risking per trade?

  • u/aylin45· 1 pts· 13d

    I personally tie my scaling to account growth, usually a percentage of realized profits. Trying to scale up based on individual setups can lead to overexposure if your win rate drops.

  • u/wei_adams· 1 pts· 13d

    It's the classic chicken and egg, isn't it? If I scaled up aggressively on every 'sure thing' trade I've had, I'd either be retired on a yacht or still be driving my 1998 Corolla. Probably the latter. I tend to wait for a bit of overall account growth before incrementing, just to avoid that gut-wrenching feeling of blowing up a good run with one over-leveraged moment of brilliance.

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