Targets Matter TooIt may not seem like it is very critical, but let's use two traders as an example.
Trader #1 on the left uses targets. They know the move may be way bigger than what they target, but every time they close a position, they can re-enter again, keeping a small risk for consistent reward.
Trader #2 on the right wants a home run every trade, and they do not use targets. They know big moves happen and they want it (greed) If they risk small, evetually they will get the home run trade, but at what cost?
Trader #1 had a great day. They took 7 trades and lost two. Final results +135 points (150 won from 5 x 30, -15 from 2 lost) They had a consistent hit rate, closed several winners, and never had to stress about the charts because their move was over in a few minutes. No grey hairs today.
Trader #2 however sees how trader #1 does things, and thinks, "that's no good. All those tiny trades and short targets, they could just make one trade and make HUGE! that's what I'll do...."
They see a possible entry, and it works. Price gets jumpy and they get excited "This just has to go forever! I'm rich! Beat that other trader!" They have to go to sleep eventually and let the trade run. When they wake in the morning, they find they were stopped out. How? It left with so much momentum there's no way it would come back! :(
Now trader 2 wakes up to a bad trade, which makes the rest of the day terrible. Why couldn't they catch that and close it? It's ok, I'll try again. Set another trade, watch for hours, walk away and same result. Constantly getting stressed and worrying about the stop being hit, because they don't have a target that makes sense. Maybe they do put targets in eventually, but then the "This is a home run!" sets in, and they remove the target, because hey, one trade for 300 pips is better than 10 for 30, it's just logical, right?
Stop hit after stop hit, and eventually, the account goes kaput.
Had trader#2 copied the target mentality, And set even a slightly beyond reason target, they still have more chance of success than the "Home run hunter"
Yes, the 100 r trade is awesome, I'd like to have one.
The only problem with hunting that massive winner is it will cost you a lot more than just some money. It will cost you time, stress, sanity, and make your head grey before it's time. So is the home run really worth this?
I'll leave that decision to the individual, but numbers don't lie. The trader with targets is doing well. They can even raise their lot sizes with confidence, and know that when they lose 4 times, it's a bad day (Because of R:R) and stop to keep the account healthy.
The trader without a target just keeps losing trades, deals with constant excitement and doubt, can't leave the charts, and can never be confident enough to trade beyond a minimum size, because they have been stopped out so many times, what if they take the risk and it (likely) fails, like all the other trades..... And they never grow the account, even if they do all the other things right. They may get profitable, but they won't ever grow exponentially, because the confidence will never agree with the trade, and they won't be able to hold it long enough to be worth it.
Targets are where consistency comes from. This is especially true about scalping. DON'T BE GREEDY! Set a target and take the money. Stop letting a fast candle delete your target. Often times, price will run, you remove the target, and u-turn right to the stop loss (probably reaching the target you had). Don't delete a winner and get knocked out by a stop run over volatility. They also can not get a solid statistic for trades, and never gain the certainty in putting the risk on the line.
Trader #1 can do whatever they want. They know how often they win, how well the system they use works, and they know about what to expect for a return on a good day, so they can trade any amount and let it run to the target without panic. They know out of 10 trades, they lose 4 times. Because of the R ratio, If they use the same value for the lot stops, they will make money no matter the trades play out..... Comfortable, no greed, certain, and highly profitable to a point of exponential account growth. That's how they do it....
So, pick a R ratio, 1:2-3-4. Use it consistently, and then tally the results. After some practice, you can find a good ratio that works for your trading style. The larger the ratio, the less you will win. The math is on your side though, because 1:3 only needs to win 4 out of 10 times to make money... Pick one that fits your strategy/style/level of patience, and you may find a big difference in your trading consistency.
Consistency is what really makes or breaks an account. Consistently hit targets, account will grow.
Consistently enter, wait days, and stop out will surely ruin the account over time.
Stop the account demise with targets, and ALWAYS have a target if you find yourself breakeven or stopped out often.
