Risk Management, Trading Psychology, Levels, Reports; Your 4 Expert Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures on July 25th, 2025

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Trading Futures – Risk Management & Trading Psychology

By John Thorpe, Senior Broker

Risk management and trading psychology are two critical aspects of success in the futures and commodities markets. Effective risk management strategies and a solid understanding of trading psychology are essential for traders to navigate the complexities of these markets and achieve long-term profitability. In this comprehensive discussion, we will delve into risk management techniques such as stop-loss orders, position sizing, diversification, and hedging strategies. Additionally, we will explore the psychological aspects of trading, including managing emotions, discipline, patience, and mental resilience.
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Risk Management Strategies

Stop-Loss Orders

Stop-loss orders are one of the most widely used risk management tools in futures trading. A stop-loss order is an order placed with a broker to buy or sell a futures contract once the price reaches a specified level, known as the stop price. The purpose of a stop-loss order is to limit potential losses by automatically closing out a position if the market moves against the trader beyond a certain point.

For a theoretical example, if a trader buys a crude oil futures contract at $60 per barrel, they may set a stop-loss order at $55 per barrel. If the price of crude oil drops to $55, the stop-loss order will trigger, and the trader’s position will be automatically liquidated, limiting their loss to $5 per barrel.

Position Sizing

Position sizing refers to the process of determining the appropriate size of a futures position based on factors such as risk tolerance, account size, and market conditions. Proper position sizing is crucial for managing risk and avoiding overexposure to the market.

Traders often use a percentage-based approach to position sizing, where they risk a certain percentage of their account equity on each trade. For example, a trader may decide to risk 2% of their account equity on any single trade. If they have a $50,000 trading account, they would risk $1,000 on a trade, adjusting the position size based on the distance between the entry price and the stop-loss level.

Diversification

Diversification involves spreading risk across different asset classes, markets, or instruments to reduce overall portfolio risk. In futures trading, diversification can be achieved by trading multiple contracts across various sectors, such as energy, agriculture, metals, and financials.

By diversifying their trading portfolio, traders can potentially offset losses in one market with gains in another, reducing the impact of adverse price movements on their overall profitability. However, it’s essential to note that diversification does not eliminate risk entirely but rather helps manage and spread it.

Hedging Strategies

Hedging is a risk management technique used to protect against adverse price movements in the market. Futures traders often use hedging strategies to offset the risk of their primary positions or to hedge against external factors such as currency fluctuations or geopolitical events.

Common hedging strategies in futures trading include:

  • Short Hedging: Selling futures contracts to offset the risk of a long position in the underlying asset. For example, a farmer may sell corn futures to hedge against price declines in the physical corn they produce.
  • Long Hedging: Buying futures contracts to offset the risk of a short position in the underlying asset. For instance, an airline company may buy crude oil futures to hedge against rising fuel prices.

Trading Psychology

Managing Emotions

Emotions play a significant role in trading decisions, often leading to impulsive actions and irrational behavior. Effective traders learn to manage their emotions, including fear, greed, and euphoria, to make objective and rational trading decisions.

Managing emotions involves:

  • Developing a trading plan with predefined entry and exit criteria.
  • Sticking to the plan and avoiding emotional reactions to market fluctuations.
  • Practicing mindfulness and emotional awareness to identify and control emotional triggers.

Discipline

Discipline is crucial for success in futures trading. It involves following a consistent trading strategy, adhering to risk management rules, and maintaining a structured approach to trading.

Key aspects of discipline include:

  • Following trading rules and strategies without deviation.
  • Avoiding impulsive trades or revenge trading after losses.
  • Accepting losses as part of trading and learning from mistakes.

Patience

Patience is a virtue in futures trading, especially when waiting for favorable trading opportunities and allowing trades to develop according to the plan. Impatience can lead to premature entries or exits, increasing the risk of losses.

Practicing patience involves:

  • Waiting for confirmation signals and setups before entering trades.
  • Avoiding overtrading and chasing the market.
  • Allowing trades sufficient time to reach their targets or stop-loss levels.

Mental Resilience

Mental resilience is the ability to bounce back from losses, setbacks, and challenges in trading. It involves maintaining a positive mindset, learning from failures, and staying focused on long-term goals.

Building mental resilience includes:

  • Developing a growth mindset and embracing failures as learning opportunities.
  • Staying adaptable and flexible in response to changing market conditions.
  • Seeking support from mentors, peers, or trading communities during challenging times.

Risk management strategies and trading psychology are integral components of successful futures trading. Traders must implement effective risk management techniques such as stop-loss orders, position sizing, diversification, and hedging to protect their capital and manage market risk. Additionally, understanding and mastering trading psychology, including managing emotions, discipline, patience, and mental resilience, are crucial for making rational decisions and maintaining consistent profitability in the dynamic and competitive futures and commodities markets. By combining robust risk management practices with a disciplined and resilient trading mindset, traders can enhance their trading performance and achieve their financial goals.

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October Hogs

October hogs recently satisfied the second downside PriceCount objective and corrected higher. A further recovery above the July reactionary high would formally negate the remaining unmet downside counts.

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The PriceCount study is a tool that can help to project the distance of a move in price. The counts are not intended to be an ‘exact’ science but rather offer a target area for the four objectives which are based off the first leg of a move with each subsequent count having a smaller percentage of being achieved.

It is normal for the chart to react by correcting or consolidating at an objective and then either resuming its move or reversing trend. Best utilized in conjunction with other technical tools, PriceCounts offer one more way to analyze charts and help to manage your positions and risk. Learn more at www.qtchartoftheday.com

Trading in futures, options, securities, derivatives or OTC products entails significant risks which must be understood prior to trading and may not be appropriate for all investors.

Past performance of actual trades or strategies is not necessarily indicative of future results.

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Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time.

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Weekly Newsletter1070: Get An Edge With the Trading Psychology Course + Levels for the Trading Week Ahead 10.11.2021

Cannon Futures Weekly Letter Issue # 1070

Dear Traders,

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Get An Edge With the Trading Psychology Course

“You Must Understand That There Is More Than One Path To The Top Of The Mountain.”- Miyamoto Musashi, A Book Of Five Rings: The Classic Guide To Strategy
Many experienced traders say that the stiffest challenge you’ll face in becoming a futures trader is conquering your own psyche. Why? Because losing is part of trading, and people hate to lose.
In this “Trading Psychology” Course you will learn:
  • How to examine your patterns and behaviors and recognize when they are holding you back
  • Maintaining self-confidence as a trader even in the face of inexperience
  • The mathematical expectation model and how it can decrease your losses
  • Determining the trading plan that is right for your trading personality
  • Understanding and using Motivation – Risk – Reward to its full advantage
  • Creating effective trading technique strategies
  • Qualities of Successful Traders

Good Trading

Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.  You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.

 

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This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading

Trading Psychology from a Futures Broker 5.14.2015

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Hello Traders,

For 2015 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

Hello Traders,

Today I must share an observation that may help many of you.

So many times as a broker I see clients who know how to make money…I see it in the daily statements, good winning %, consistent profits UNTIL….something happens. Either the client who is normally a day-trader decides to carry his/hers losing position and make it into a swing trade…..OR the trader is down and refuses to accept the fact it may be a losing day and decides to double down and get more aggressive because if this trade is a winner he will have another winning day….the examples go on and no I am not referring to anyone specific although many of you probably think I am talking about them.

Continue reading “Trading Psychology from a Futures Broker 5.14.2015”

Futures Trading Levels, Trading Psychology

Cannon Trading / E-Futures.com

Below is a daily chart of the mini SP 500 for your review.

Daily E-Mini S&P 500 futures trading chart screenshot from today March 22th 2011

Stock futures trading chart levels Tuesday March 22th 2011

Also few “Mental pointers” as refreshers. These pointers are taken from a 23 page guide I recently finished which serves as a guide to the daily chart service I offer:

Quick Pointers on the Vast Subject of Trading Psychology
Trading is SO MUCH MENTAL, once you have a concept you believe in, have confidence in it. After that there is a lot of psychological work….

Some examples:

  1. Ability to take losses and know not every trade will be a winner and not every day will be a winner
  2. Ability to stay patient and NOT feel that if you are NOT trading, you are NOT doing your job….
  3. The confidence to stay in winning trades and the discipline to get out of losing trades
  4. Allowing trades some time to work
  5. Not getting down on yourself for “could have should have etc”

Being a hard worker and keeping a journal after certain trading days can only be beneficial for yourself. Being a hard worker, putting in the time and effort to learn new approaches and set ups before deciding if it’s worthy or not.

To get this 23 page guide along with a free trial to my daily chart service where I share set ups for mini SP500, Crude oil and Euro currency please visit our website. Continue reading “Futures Trading Levels, Trading Psychology”

Trading Psychology Stage 1 Blissful Unawareness, January 24, 2011

by RealityTrader on Jan 10, 2011

As we mentioned in the previous article, first stage is usually the one where a newer trader doesn’t acknowledge the role of psyhcology in his trading. It happens out of ignorance or arrogance.

In a former case (ignorance) it’s simply lack of knowledge and mistaken notion that one can trade succeffully if given “right” system or indicator ot tip or whatever causes one to enter and exit his/her positions. It usually takes a while before a trader starts seeing how his mindset influences his trading and how his personal traits shine through his trading decisions. It comes as a surprize realization that different traders will get different results while trying to apply the same system. It is counter-intuitive, isn’t it?

In a latter case (arrogance), a trader shows some kind of denial – it’s “not me” attitude, thinking that goes along the lines “maybe it’s a problem for some but I am in control of myself,” “this stuff is for weak-minded” etc. Needless to say, it’s rarely the case… and even more importantly, it’s not so much about weak vs. strong mind as it is about influence one’s personality has over one’s trading.

In any case, the important thing at this stage is to come to appreciate this aspect of trading. It happens when one sees how much truth there is in saying “everyone gets what they want out of market” (Ed Seykota I think?) Again, seems counter-intuitive, right? After all, don’t we all want to succeed, to make winning trades, to make money? Sure… but it’s not about what our conscious mind wants, it’s about what our inner core dictates, and that is not always easy to realize and control.*

Simple example to illustrate the idea: do you know people who repeat certain behavior patterns harmful to themselves? Getting themselves into relationships with the types that make them miserable, over and over again? Repeating the same mistakes in their interaction with others, obviously not learning from the past? I bet you do (although you personally never act like this, right?) So, why do we do it even though we see (or could see if we looked) that these behavioral patterns hurt us? Because those patterns are not just some easy to break habits; rather they are a part of our personality, of who we are, and it takes much more than simple decision not to do that anymore to change our ways. Pretty much the same thing happens in trading – we know what not to do yet we continue doing it.

As soon as one realizes all this, the first stage is completed. The role of psychology in trading is acknowledged, denial is over – and this forms the foundation for a change.

*My favorite example of this phenomenon is the Russian movie Stalker. The plot line briefly: there is a certain machine granting wishes (stalkers in the movie are the people who take clients to it through the many dangerous traps). The machine grants wishes alright but there is catch: it’s not a wish that you stand in front of the machine and announce that will be granted… it’s a wish that constitutes your essence, your core, your deep desire – and it’s not necessary the one you realize and announce to yourself and to the world. Pretty much what happens in trading and pretty much what the author of that saying (everyone gets what they want in trading) meant.

Vadym Graifer is an author of the unique A Taoist Trader course devoted to trading philosophy and psychology

To read the rest of the articles in this series go to: http://www.traderplanet.com/profile/RealityTrader

GOOD TRADING!

TRADING LEVELS!

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Monday, January 24, 2011

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This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Company, Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading!