Putting Losses in Perspective - Structuring a Trading Plan to include the Edge

In the previous post we talked about what an edge is and how do we know if we have one?

If you are beyond that, it means you have crossed a big milestone, as most (90%) of people that I know, can't get past that.

But knowing about an edge is hardly sufficient to make it work. You also need to know how and when to execute trades in the context of that edge. We will not get much into all aspects of execution today, but focus more on the “Rules” for execution i.e the Trading Plan

Think of the following questions before you create a trade plan

1. What are the prerequisites for you to enter the trade - Meaning what are the the confirmatory elements that you need. It could be defined in terms of factors like - Price Range, Time of the Day, volume levels etc. any measurable variable

2. Would you wait for a confirmation on all variables or there is a prioritization among them, or weightage.

3. Would you enter all at once or would you scale in / pyramid into the position?

   1. How much would go in the first tranche and the subsequent?

So you put the trade - and next

1. What would you do if

   1. You don't get a fill

   2. You get a partial fill

2. Where would you Stop Loss be?

   1. Is it going to be dynamic or static?

3. Are you going to Exit in full size or you would scale out in parts?

   1. How would you determine the scale out ratio?

   2. What if the price reaches 90% to your target and does not move beyond? Would you wait for up your Stop loss or Cover?

   3. What would be the buffer/variance where you will cover your trade even if it does not hit the target precisely.

      1. On what basis would you cover or hold?

Having answers for all these questions, answers informed by data i.e. - ought to be your next milestone

Putting Losses in Perspective - Do you have an Edge?

One of the fundamental reasons for losses in trading can be traced to lack of an “Edge”. But then you would ask me what is an Edge?

To me a trading edge is -

An ability to isolate a condition or a set of conditions among a market variable or a set of market variables - that has a non random way to evolve over a specific period of time.

I remember reading somewhere, but I cannot place it where - it said - “If you can’t explain your trading edge, you don’t have one” - Let me take it to the next level

If you do not know the statistical a) probability of the set of (prerequisite) condition/s that need to occur b) the probability distribution of the outcomes once the conditions (a) occur.

If you cannot articulate both then in my world you do not have an edge.

It’s quite possible that you are a veteran and even though you cannot articulate your edge, you have internalized it over a long period of time. But that according to me is a long winded route and I would personally prefer to be in the know of my edge.

So coming back to losses, the reason we need to be able to articulate our edge is - in the event of a loss, we need to know if its a part of our larger probabilistic framework or is it something which is beyond that. We need some objective reference. For example if you have a loss streak of 5 days, you need to know its statistically “normal” in your trading system or is it an anomaly.

In other words, your understanding of the variables of your edge helps you put your trading outcomes in a measurable context.

In the same breadth, it also helps us understand if the market regime itself is changing, and helps us adapt better.

So the next time you make a loss you know who to catch first?

Putting Losses in Perspective | Introduction

“I just want to breakeven”

“I just need to recover my last loss”

“I just need one move in my direction and I will be in profit”

“Let me widen my stop loss I’m sure the price will turn in my favor”

How about these lines?

“I should have stuck to my strategy/my rules”

“I should to have got out earlier with little losses and instead I stuck around”

“I should have closed my trades than choosing to go positional…big mistake”

Sounds familiar? The ongoing chatter in a loss making mind. Sometimes it’s there during the trade and more often, after a loss making day!

As much as we credit ourselves as rational beings capable of making sound decisions, literature proves otherwise. We are just a Rider on the Elephant, and if and when there is a disagreement the Elephant usually wins.

But then in the real world, sometimes it's not just the rider and the elephant, it could also be the terrain, the skills of the rider, or the elephant itself, and a whole lot of other factors.

This is an introductory post of our month long exploration on dealing with losses, we will look at the genesis of losses and what is it that we can do manage, minimize and make peace with it.

Losses in trading can happen due to a lot of reasons, sometimes they can be point one specific focus area like emotions etc? but most often they are combinatorial. It could be emotions plus an infra issue. or execution plus a trading strategy issue.

To look at losses, and to be really at peace with it, you need to isolate the causes, you can make peace with your losses only and only if you are damn sure that it’s a part of your system, and adheres to your trading system’s win/loss rate and size.

Its like this, you have a headache, and you wonder why do I have this headache - on a spectrum of causes, on one end it could be dehydration and on the other extreme it could be a brain tumor. Now for you to be at peace and ignore the headache you need to be damn sure it’s only dehydration and not a malignant brain tumor. (Sorry if that sounds morbid, losses can be equally bad)

Dehydration in trading will be a “loss that is part of the trading plan” and Brain tumor will be everything else.

In the coming weeks Kavitha and I will spend some time on strategies, methods and models to manage losses both behaviorally and financially.

Note to Self - Learning from Losses

There are three things I learned from loosing, ie. taking losses, sometimes large losses. 

1. Personality Fit - I realized what kind of trading style fits my personality, to what extent am I comfortable taking losses. That is when I became damn sure, that it has to be scalping/Intraday trading for me. I cannot think of overnight positions and managing those positions first thing in the morning. I also realized I do not like taking losses once the trade moves in my favor.

2. High Probability Set-ups - Now this one, is learnt better when losses happen consistently in certain set ups, for me it was Mean Reversion Trades + Scaling-in which used to cause disasters.  I thought about it and found quite a few solutions to the problem. Usually if a set up is consistently failing, the reverse of that should be profitable, and that worked for me. I also realized the potential risks of averaging down, and the context in which it works. 

3. Money/Profits are fungible - This one becomes relevant when you make up the losses that you made. The whole process of loosing and then making it up, gives you a sense of confidence, it also helps you compare and contrast your own approach to trading then and now. Lastly, It makes you more open to taking defined risks.

So here's my thank you to 'Losses' that I made. I am glad you came.