How do you handle losing your first deposit?

Most traders lose their first deposit, and the way it feels surprises everyone: shame, anger, the urge to deposit again immediately. How you handle that moment matters more than the loss itself.

How do you handle losing your first deposit? — drawdown and recovery diagram
An equity curve during a drawdown and its recovery

If it happened to you:

  • how long you stopped, if you stopped
  • what you did with the feelings before touching the platform again
  • what you changed when you came back
How do you handle losing your first deposit? — risk-reward diagram
A risk-reward ratio of 1 to 2

The drawdown guide covers the maths; this thread covers the human part.

Background: Drawdown and recovery: why a 50% loss needs a 100% gain

Losses and gains aren't symmetrical. See how much you need to recover from a drawdown, what losing streaks do at different risk levels and how to set limits.

How much do you need to gain to recover from a 50% loss?

100%. The gain needed is the loss divided by one minus the loss, so larger drawdowns need disproportionately larger gains.

What is maximum drawdown?

The largest fall in account value from a peak to a later low, before a new peak is reached, usually expressed as a percentage.

Read the full guide

Comments

Log in to join the discussion. Comments follow the community guidelines.

Log in to comment

Loading comments…