What is the golden rule of taking profits?
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For trading stocks, futures, or forex, taking profits is also part of the trading process. For investors, taking profits and adhering to it during a trade is effective. When to take profits? Where is the best position for stop loss and take profit? Which strategy is more profitable? Taking profits and stop loss is one of the most important aspects of trading. If not handled properly, it could lead to losses. In previous articles, we have discussed the rule of stop loss. This chapter will discuss the rule of taking profits.
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Methods of taking profits
Taking profits means closing the position and securing profits when the trading goal is achieved to prevent market reversal. Taking profits can be divided into static and dynamic methods.
Static taking profits means setting a target for taking profits and closing the position when the target is reached. For example, if the profit expectation is 100 points and the price has risen 100 points, the position is closed to take profits. The target for taking profits is fixed and static.
Dynamic taking profits means the profit target is dynamic and is held until the price meets a dynamic standard before closing the position. For example, when holding a long position and floating profits, close the position when the market price breaks the bearish level. Traders cannot know in advance where the bearish level will appear and need to monitor the market dynamics.
Next, we will discuss five methods of taking profits.
Method 1: Fixed point profit taking
This is the simplest method of static taking profits. After entering the position, set a fixed profit space. This profit-taking method is more suitable for intraday and short-term trading. For example, after entering an intraday trading position, set a fixed profit-taking point of 50 points.
Intraday trading has a relatively obvious characteristic of fluctuating trends, and market prices tend to rebound and even fluctuate repeatedly. The profits from holding positions during market rebound may be given back, so setting a fixed profit-taking point can be more advantageous during trading.
In practical trading, the number of fixed stop-loss points should be set according to the volatility of different products. For products with high volatility, set a larger number of fixed stop-loss points, and for products with low volatility, set a smaller number of fixed stop-loss points.
Please note that this method should not be underestimated simply because it is simple. Whether this method is useful or not depends on the specific usage environment.
Method 2: Fixed profit and loss ratio take profit. This is a commonly used static take profit method in medium and short-term trading. First, let's talk about the profit and loss ratio. The ratio of the profit space of an order to the stop loss space is the profit and loss ratio. For example, if the profit is 100 points and the stop loss is 50 points, the profit and loss ratio is 2:1. Fixed profit and loss ratio means that the take profit is set according to a fixed ratio based on the stop loss space. For example, if the stop loss of an order is 100 points, setting the take profit at 100 points results in a profit and loss ratio of 1:1. Setting the take profit at 150 points results in a profit and loss ratio of 1.5:1. Setting the take profit at 200 points results in a profit and loss ratio of 2:1, and so on. The fixed profit and loss ratio method is easy to operate and highly executable. Moreover, when the market fluctuates and the stop loss space expands, the take profit space will also expand accordingly, making it very flexible.
Method 3: Take profit combined with technical indicators. This is also a static take profit method. After entering an order, the take profit is set based on technical indicators. For example, setting the take profit at the level of previous highs and lows, or at the support and resistance levels of the Bollinger Bands or important moving averages, is feasible. In addition, in practical trading, it is common to enter and exit at small time frames while looking at the support and resistance levels of larger time frames. For example, entering at the 5-minute level and setting the take profit at the support and resistance level of the 1-hour chart, or entering at the hourly level and setting the take profit at the Bollinger upper and lower bands of the daily chart, is essentially a logic of "going small and looking big".
Method 4: Take profit following the trend. This is a dynamic take profit mode and a trend-based take profit strategy. After entering an order, the position is held following the trend indicator, and the position is held until a reversal signal is issued, at which point the take profit is closed. Tracking with trend lines, channel lines, and turning points in the market are all common practices in daily trading.
Method 5: Combination of multiple methods, batch-wise profit taking.
The above four methods are the most mainstream and commonly used methods, but each method has its pros and cons.
For example, the fixed profit and loss ratio method cannot hold onto trend profits, and the trend tracking method cannot make profits in volatile markets. Therefore, some clever traders combine these methods and take profits in batches.
For example, after the order is entered, when the profit and loss ratio reaches 1:1, part of the position is closed, and the remaining position is exited using the trend tracking method to achieve greater profits.
In practical trading, traders can combine the above profit-taking methods in different ways, such as combining the support and resistance levels of the previous high with the fixed profit and loss ratio, or combining the support and resistance levels of the previous high with the trend tracking method.
After discussing these five profit-taking methods, it is only providing traders with an idea, and the specific results of practical trading must be reviewed and analyzed in combination with their own trading systems.
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