Trailing Stop Order

When it comes time to exit the position your profits are staring you directly in the face, but perhaps you are tempted to ride the tide a little longer, or in the unthinkable case of paper losses, your heart tells you to hold tight, to wait until your losses reverse.

They are unscientific and undisciplined. Many overarching systems of trading have their own techniques for determining the best time to exit a trade. But there some general techniques that will help you identify the optimal moment of exit, which ensures acceptable profits while guarding against unacceptable losses.

Momentum-Based Trailing Stop

The most basic technique for establishing an appropriate exit point is the trailing-stop technique. Very simply, the trailing stop maintains a stop-loss order at a precise percentage below the market price (or above, in the case of a short position). The stop-loss order is adjusted continually based on fluctuations in the market price, always maintaining the same percentage below (or above) the market price. The general rule we used is 10% trailing stop loss.

The trader is then "guaranteed" to know the exact minimum profit that his or her position will garner. This level of profitability the trader will have previously determined based on his or her predilection toward aggressive or conservative trading.