What's the worst mistake you made with position size?

Position sizing errors are the most expensive beginner mistakes: a decimal point wrong, a lot size from habit rather than calculation, or confidence-based sizing that ignores the stop distance.

What's the worst mistake you made with position size? — risk-reward diagram
A risk-reward ratio of 1 to 2

Share yours:

  • what you intended and what you actually traded
  • how you found out
  • the check you do now before every entry
What's the worst mistake you made with position size? — candlestick anatomy diagram
The parts of a candlestick: wick, body, open and close

The position sizing guide gives a checklist to prevent the classic errors.

Background: Position sizing: how to risk a fixed percentage per trade

How much you trade matters more than where you enter. A step-by-step method for sizing positions from your stop-loss and the amount you are willing to lose.

How do I calculate lot size from risk?

Divide the amount you are willing to lose by the stop distance in pips multiplied by the pip value per lot. For $50 risk, a 25-pip stop and $10 per pip per lot, that is 0.20 lots.

What is the 1% rule in trading?

A guideline to risk no more than 1% of the account on any single trade, so a losing streak doesn't cause a drawdown you can't recover from. It is a starting point, not a guarantee.

Read the full guide

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