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Ok thanks, my stop is at least 2x the spread but never much more than that. Slightly different question but does the spread that applies when you open a trade then stick or if the spread then changes while your position is open this new spread applies to your open trade? If the latter that seems unfair.

Hi all, if you rely on a tight stop to minimise losses is slippage a bigger issue. And how big can slips be in pips/points? The issue with guaranteed stops is the min stop is higher and it obviously costs you more but perhaps its worth it if slippage is common?

Hi all, I'm struggling to find a page on the site where it gives an example of how the maintenance margin would be calculated for Forex. My understanding is you calculate the margin at position open, then if it moved against 5 points you calculate this new margin the same as if it was the open price. Then the difference between the two values is the additional margin requirement. As an equation would look something like this: position size £30 x 13400.0 (US/GBP value) = £402000 x 0.033 = £13266 initial margin if market moves against 5 pips then calculate this new margin position size £30 x 13395.0 (US/GBP value) = £401850 x 0.033 = £13261.05 new margin The additional maintenance margin is the difference between the two £13266-£13261.05 = £4.95 So becomes £13266+£4.95 = £13270.95 It just doesn't seem like enough money to me! So must be calculating wrong, i think this is how indices work but not sure about Forex. Thanks for the help

Thanks guys, these look like great resources!

No I haven't read any books, but I am a fan of heiken ashi candles. Maybe I might actually get somewhere if I actually read some actual books. The internet is 75% **** on this subject.

Well that's an answer at least Its like if you want to compare the rate of price change between markets do i just have to measure between two for a set period of time. In the longer term there will be differences. Haven't looked for a while but the DAX had crazy price jumps over last few months. 40-50 points in an hour wouldn't be uncommon.

I'm trying to decide what makes me pick a market to trade on. I've been sticking to GBP/US dollar more out of habit than anything but there are markets with considerably lower margin requirement so if the price is moving sufficiently on those why wouldn't i trade those instead.. Thanks

Hi all, What indicators do you use to gauge price action? I basically want to know which markets generally have bigger price swings. This must be partly dependent on the popularity of the market and how many traders trading. An overview that doesn't involve measuring the size of individual candles would be useful. Thanks

Hi all, Do certain markets on average have higher price action and volume? And if so which ones? I've been trading GBP/US dollar and now i'm reluctant to change purely through habit. Also does the margin requirement for each market influence which ones you trade? It makes a big difference in what you can afford if a rate is 13000 vs 7000 for example if your position size is large. Thanks

Ok thanks for that. When the position is open I still think they prevent you from moving the stop any closer to the current market level than the min stop set on the order/deal ticket. I have a tendancy to think any restrictions put in place on these platforms is to put you at a disadvantage but that is obviously not the case here.

Hi all, Different markets have different minimum stop distances and these change depending on market conditions. Why is there no restrictions on the limit but there is a minimum on the stop? Either it is helpful because there is no point in a smaller stop or they don't want you to set a smaller stop for some reason. Thanks

Makes for stark reading. How do you factor in risk/reward into this given it will affect your win rate? And this is data from trading your system presumably?

Ok assume you know nothing and you have a 1:1 risk/reward. Now is it 50/50? It's as simple as win or lose in the end per trade but can you say that an individual's probability of winning is skewed by their system hopefully to the good. This is surely evidence based e.g. profitable or not. Anyway it's got a lot more complicated. It was merely a poll of the max number of losing trades. Like is 10 highly unusual? It is when all outcomes are unknown statistically but not once each trade plays out.

Yes i have that paranoia too, but thats all it is

I just wonder if a large proportion of people would do as well trading randomly one way or the other compared to trading with what they think they know is happening. The markets are so random hence might as well flip a coin on short term.

So you think its more or less?

Hi all, Easy question of the day. Just wondered what the stats were from people who know a lot more than me. As i keep reading every trade is 50/50 so interesting to know how this looks in reality. It makes me laugh how many tools there are out there and yet it still seems easier to win on flipping a fair coin than to trade on a daily basis. Thanks

Thanks for the info, certainly any order i have out there is in a sea of other orders so using an actual stop loss vs a mental stop seems irrelevant.

Hi all, Is this true and if so can some institutions? Go around basically trying to work against at least retail traders? I'm thinking of things like high frequency trading? Would this happen on a demo account as well? Just trying to judge if this is something to take into account in the differences between demo/real. I think i have paranoia sometimes when i see the market reverse literally as i enter or it reverses hits my stop and then turns back at that point! I've basically stopped looking until positions close themselves because i feel like others are watching and purposefully moving the market against me ha ha. Of course even if this is true its not a move against me personally as an individual trader but often it feels like it.

Yeah i guess time will tell for me

Everyone has to lose first and i'm sure that's what happens to 100% of people initially

Yeah got you, i think i though i was comfortable with the potential loss per trade but actually when thats several trades its really stacks up I'm just glad i managed to put a mental stop on it now, the worry was i wasn't going to be able to stop

Point taken, but right now i've put a mental stop on losing any more money. I had a shot and it didn't work out i want to prove that technically something can work and in the mean time i can earn back some of what i lost through the day job. I was constantly thinking its 50/50 i'll claw what i lost back but it wasn't happening and just got further away, then if you're not careful and you don't break from that mentality you could see it all gone, was concerned it was going to become an addiction and i'm sure it could. I started too big and scared myself basically. Given the climate right now, not the best time to throw some money away if 've got my sensible head on.

I had considered that approach but the problem for me is that trading small sizes psychology wise is like trading demo so my mind doesn't take it as seriously as when the sizes are bigger, so for example i'm much more likely to put a wider perhaps more realistic stop on a low bet size vs something that could lose me a lot if it goes belly up and hence that's part of the problem. But generally i think you're right small sizes, build up and hope your psychology evolves with the size.

Interesting, i'm not sure what the answer is but its perhaps telling that SB's aren't taxed because the tax man clearly knows most won't actually make any money anyway. I just went back to demo, and took the rest of my live account with me and of course i'm making some money again Ahhhhhhhh! Stick with demo stick with demo.. if this is consistently profitable i guess i know my issue is the pychology of real money.