Daily loss limits: rules I actually share
Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2026 11:27 pm
People ask me about daily loss limits often enough that I wrote down the version I share. Nothing on the list is theoretical; I use every line.
1. The limit is written in two forms: as R and as money. R keeps it consistent across position sizes. The money figure is what makes it feel real.
2. There is a soft stop before the hard stop. Mine is at 2R of a 3R daily limit. At the soft stop, I stop opening new trades and only manage what is already open.
3. News losses count. If a spike takes me out during a release, that loss goes against the limit like any other.
4. A winner does not reset anything. If I am down 2R, win 1R, and am down 1R overall, I still have only the original limit, not a fresh start.
5. When the hard limit is hit, the platform gets closed, not minimised. Reviewing charts "for learning" afterwards usually leads to one more trade.
6. The limit changes only on weekends, in writing, with a reason.
That is all. None of it is clever. The hard part is not the rules but following rule four and five on the days you most want to break them. Every exception I have made was on a bad day, and almost every one made the day worse.
1. The limit is written in two forms: as R and as money. R keeps it consistent across position sizes. The money figure is what makes it feel real.
2. There is a soft stop before the hard stop. Mine is at 2R of a 3R daily limit. At the soft stop, I stop opening new trades and only manage what is already open.
3. News losses count. If a spike takes me out during a release, that loss goes against the limit like any other.
4. A winner does not reset anything. If I am down 2R, win 1R, and am down 1R overall, I still have only the original limit, not a fresh start.
5. When the hard limit is hit, the platform gets closed, not minimised. Reviewing charts "for learning" afterwards usually leads to one more trade.
6. The limit changes only on weekends, in writing, with a reason.
That is all. None of it is clever. The hard part is not the rules but following rule four and five on the days you most want to break them. Every exception I have made was on a bad day, and almost every one made the day worse.