Why working on yourself is so important

We know we cannot change the past - what's done is done.

We also know that we don't know what will happen in the future - it doesn't exist, and anything (or anyone) can do something which may influence what will occur in the future.

So, what are we left with? We can only react and respond to the moment of now.

Trend following, absolute returns and controlling open risk

At its core, trend following is an 'absolute returns' approach. You only have to look at the high-octane monthly performance generated by the Turtles back in the 1980's to see that. But to achieve that, you generally cannot impose too tight a control over the levels of volatility you have to endure. That is the other side of the coin.

Recency bias, and labelling markets as easy or hard

I've seen it said that one of the goals you should have as a trader is to try and make money when things are easy, and that you should be more defensive and protect what you have when things are hard.

That is all very laudable, but from a trend follower's perspective there is a problem with that.

My biggest loss in 4 years

So, let's not beat around the bush. This morning I suffered my largest loss on a single trade since the summer of 2013.

As of yesterday's close, the position was +1.13R in profit. Within a few seconds of the market open, I was stopped out for a -1.95R loss.

S*@t happens. Let's look at the chart:

Time for a rant

It's been a while since I had a rant, but I'm always astonished when I come across some articles like I've read over the last few days relating to the market drop since the turn of the year.

You get the usual comments from people who have lost money - ban short selling, ban hedge funds, the brokers are working in cahoots with the hedge funds, the market's rigged etc...

If it works - do it!

If you have found a trading methodology that generates positive returns, suits your personality and risk profile, then you have found your own trading holy grail.

Pitfalls when bumping up your equity

One thing I have found is that, when starting out using a new system or approach, people will generally only risk a small level of equity until they get comfortable with that method.