Quitting a session while green: harder than it sounds
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2026 7:41 am
After a good start, the sensible move is often to stop. Yet many traders carry on, and give back the profit.
Several forces are at work. A sense that the market is cooperating and more should be taken. A fear of missing the next good setup. And a feeling that stopping early wastes the day.
The cost shows up in the daily results. A profitable morning followed by a few careless afternoon trades turns a good day into an average one.
Some traders set a daily profit target and stop when reached. Others use a trailing rule, such as stopping if the day's profit falls by a third from its peak. Both create a clear exit.
The right rule depends on the strategy, since some work best in streaks and others do not. But the journal can reveal whether trades after reaching a certain profit tend to add or subtract.
What rule, if any, do you use to decide that a green day is finished?
Several forces are at work. A sense that the market is cooperating and more should be taken. A fear of missing the next good setup. And a feeling that stopping early wastes the day.
The cost shows up in the daily results. A profitable morning followed by a few careless afternoon trades turns a good day into an average one.
Some traders set a daily profit target and stop when reached. Others use a trailing rule, such as stopping if the day's profit falls by a third from its peak. Both create a clear exit.
The right rule depends on the strategy, since some work best in streaks and others do not. But the journal can reveal whether trades after reaching a certain profit tend to add or subtract.
What rule, if any, do you use to decide that a green day is finished?