David Jenyns and Stuart McPhee, well known, experienced traders, discuss the merits of keeping part of one’s trading float back from active trading.

David: We have a question: do you recommend having all your trading capital in active trades or should some be kept as cash, and if so what percent?

Stuart: Good question, but it all depends. For example, my super fund I always have roughly ten percent in cash because, and this is probably more specific to Australian taxation law, during the year you have an obligation to pay tax, pay as you go. So I’ve always got that account with about ten percent of my capital – it’s cash, it’s secure, nothing will happen to it. It allows me to fulfill those tax obligations throughout the year as I have to pay as you go. But having said that, if that isn’t a requirement for you and trading opportunities present themselves, there’s no reason to keep some cash set aside. Using nearly everything in active trading is a great idea.

David: I’m in a like frame of mind about that. If you’re looking to trade the markets and you’ve set aside your trading float that’s your intended purpose for the money assuming you have appropriate trading candidates. My gut feeling would be you should have, whenever possible, all your money invested. Obviously, it comes back to your system, making sure you are getting the signals. You don’t want to put your money in just for the sake of having all your money in.

But I don’t see any reason to limit, oh, I’ll keep ten percent of the trading float just sitting in the account, just accruing interest, not involved in active trading. It’s part of how you structure your wealth creation; you’ll have a certain amount allocated for your trading float, you’ll have a certain amount allocated for your real estate, you’ll have a certain amount for cash in the bank. I see that separate from my trading float. Also with regard to backtesting you can see the utilization of your trading float. You can enter your trading float in before. You can see over a set period of time whether you’re fully utilizing or partially utilizing your cash and I always try to get as close to the top of that band as possible. So I’m as close to being maxed out as possible without being maxed out all the time.

If you are maxed out all the time and new trading opportunities pop up and you don’t have any capital available, it’s going to throw out your backtesting a little bit because with trading opportunities you may not have been able to open.

Depending on which trade you ended up taking could really affect the ultimate end of your testing as to whether you made a profit or not because of whether or not you took a particular trade. So that’s why if you are going to trade a particular type of system where you are constantly maxed out, where you look at Monte Carlo testing, where you look at what is the standard deviation of my trading system. How far is it between my backtesting results? What is the least profitable scenario and the most profitable scenario and you find that gap widens the more you fully utilize your cash.

You do not want to be maxed out as possible when you are doing backtesting. But definitely the major part of your float should be used for active trading.

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You may be having great success with your short term trading portfolio and have become comfortable with investment strategies. Now you may wonder if you should apply your successful methods to your superannuation fund. Can you treat your super fund and your trading fund the same? What about calculating stops?

Actually those two types of funds are totally different from each other. They represent different aspects of investment trading. One difference is usually the amount of money in the funds. Your super fund probably is much larger than your trading fund. The purpose of the funds is also different.

My investment trading fund, as much as I don’t want to, I could afford to lose it tomorrow. It wouldn’t ruin me. The last thing I want to do is lose all the money in my super fund. I am so conservative and so defensive and thinking much longer term in my super fund than I am in my day to day trading fund. So completely different purposes and to me they require completely different approaches. The size of a trading fund does affect your whole approach to trading. Whilst all the same rules of effective trading apply, most notable nipping losses in the bud and letting your profits run; you have adapt the way in which you apply those rules for maximum benefits and profits.

Your super fund should be allowed to grow over the years so when you are allowed to cash in on it, you will have a nice sum available to provide financial security.

As far as setting your stops goes, you want to nip your losses in the bud and let your profits run no matter what you are trading, but when it comes to your superfund, the way you handle your stops is going to be very different. One method does not work for both types of investing.

Another thing to consider is the method of calculation; would you use the same method on your super fund as you would on your CFD trading fund? You know the width would be different, but what about the method, is it the same?

Again, the two accounts are handled differently. Short term trading does well using a technical stop but you should use a volatility base for your super fund. They need different methods for both to be profitable. It is important you do not lock into a single method of investing. You need to be adaptable in order to maximize profits and meet your individual goals.

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Why does one Forex traders succeed and another fail? What sets the winners apart from the losers? Well, you won`t be surprised to know that there are certain characteristics that all successful Forex traders share. While many investors take actions that aren`t in their best self interest, such as making trading based on emotions, rather than on logic, or holding on to a losing position so they won`t have to admit they made a bad trade, successful Forex traders don`t do these things. But there are some actions that they take regularly, so regularly that they become habits. Learning about these characteristics and habits will help make you into a successful trader as well.

Successful Forex traders are goal oriented. Setting a clear goal helps you to perform your best. There are three qualities to a clear goal. It must be realistic. You may want to double your money every day but it is hardly realistic. When you set an unrealistic goal it can undermine your confidence because you just set yourself up to fail. Your goal must also be attainable. Not only must your goal be realistic, it must also be within your abilities to achieve. The best way to set goals is to start with short term goals. Start with small ones that are fairly easy to achieve and continue to grow your goals as you gain confidence and greater abilities.

The third trait is measurability. Goals that aren`t precise and can`t be quantified or measured, aren`t goals at all. If your goal is to be wealthy, you need to specify what wealthy means. My guess is that your definition of wealth will change as your net worth increases. If you can`t define your goal, and measure your progress towards it, then you have no way of assessing your progress. It becomes impossible to make any changes to your techniques and strategies that may help you reach your goal. Successful Forex traders set goals, and they also are confident they can reach their goals. Confidence is the key to staying rational, logical, and disciplined while you are trading. Starting with small, realistic goals will help build your confidence in yourself and your abilities.

Successful forex traders rely on logic and skill to guide them when making trading decisions. They study the market and learn all they can about trading so when the time comes to place a trade, they back it with knowledge and intelligent choices. They don’t fret over missing out on the next big thing to come along. Instead they focus on making one solid trade after the other. Many people who try Forex trading make the mistake of letting their emotions take over. They make trades because they can’t pass up a trade that they have a hunch on. When you make trades based upon hunches or hopes, you are gambling and not trading. Even so, most investors are familiar with that rush they get when they make a trade based solely on a hunch and feel lucky they got in on a sure thing. Such trades are rarely a sure thing and successful Forex traders do not get drawn in to such thinking. They stay logical and disciplined when it comes to trading.

While these Forex traders know their market, it`s simply not possible to understand and stay in touch with everything that occurs in all the types of investment vehicles and markets across the world. While some Forex traders have developed systems that allow them to trade in multiple venues, for instance, in different stock markets around the world, most Forex traders specialize in a particular type of investment, and in a particular market. If you enjoy trading in commodities futures, that enjoyment will help you to focus and stay in touch with events in the commodities futures market.

If you aren`t interested in currency trading, don`t trade in it. Your lack of knowledge and motivation will cause you to lose focus and make mistakes. Successful Forex traders tend to specialize; they pick an area to study and they follow it closely, learning from past trends and patterns, and from their own trades. If you`re a beginning trader, I recommend focusing on one investment vehicle and it`s market. Learn all you can, about the market and about yourself, before you move into other investment types.

Whether you`re a beginning trader, a trader with some experience, or someone who makes his or her living strictly from trading, you can be successful. Many people think they have to have significant capital, or years of experience, to trade successfully. That`s not true. It`s also true that if you don`t stay disciplined, focused, and rational, you`ll end up as a losing trader, regardless of your level of expertise. All successful Forex traders started as small investors; they didn`t trade more than they could safely risk, they learned from their mistakes, and they developed systems that worked for them and that fit their personal styles. There aren`t different strategies for different levels of Forex traders because the principles are the same for everyone in the markets: logical, focused, disciplined trading creates success.

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