How do you guys adjust position size on commodities for volatility spikes?

asked by u/lotte_jones · 6d · 2 answers

Been trading some of the energies lately, mostly $NG and $CL, and I'm finding it tough to maintain consistent risk per trade when volatility suddenly ramps up. My usual fixed dollar amount per trade can lead to pretty small positions on big swings, or oversized ones if I'm not quick enough to adjust the stop. Do you use something like ATR to dynamically size your positions, or is it more of a manual, 'feel' based adjustment for you all?

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  • u/rossi_eva· 1 pts· 6d

    Yeah, it's definitely a challenge. I tend to use a percentage of my account value per trade and then factor in the ATR to calculate the number of contracts. It's not perfect, but it helps normalize the risk across different volatility regimes.

  • u/santos_farid· 1 pts· 6d

    For commodities, especially $NG and $CL, fixed dollar risk is often impractical. I use ATR to size, but I also have a cap on how much I'll risk on any single trade, regardless of the ATR reading. Helps prevent getting blown out on extreme moves.

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