How do you keep your cool during drawdowns?

Drawdowns are statistically guaranteed; the emotional response is optional. The traders who stay calm have usually prepared for the drawdown before it arrived.

How do you keep your cool during drawdowns? — drawdown and recovery diagram
An equity curve during a drawdown and its recovery

What's your drawdown mindset?

  • what you tell yourself while it's happening
  • the routines that keep you steady
  • how you know when to step back
How do you keep your cool during drawdowns? — risk-reward diagram
A risk-reward ratio of 1 to 2

The drawdown guide gives the maths; this thread gives the mindset.

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

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