“Cut your losses, let your profits run,”

According to Ed Seykota, elements of good trading include, “(1) cutting losses, (2) cutting losses and (3) cutting losses. If you can follow these three rules, you may have a chance.” Few non-trend-following traders realize that Seykota is talking about three different kinds of losses. The first two of them are offered above – reducing the largest loss by strictly limiting position size and reducing the overall number of trades. Only trend followers know about the third. To quote John W. Henry again, “The desire to have close stops to preserve open trade equity has tremendous costs over decades.” In essence, he is referring to cutting the exit stops that would turn trades into losses in volatile markets and greatly reduce eventual gains. This once again draws attention to the fact that trend followers, while trading in the same markets as everyone else, are living and working in profoundly different and more detailed worlds.

Does this make taking a loss easier? Yes and no. Yes, trend followers know they can’t know the future, that there are statistical opportunities for those who know how to exploit them, that they must respond to every opportunity, and that they must preserve capital to continue trading. They backtest this until they are convinced it’s the case. Then they set up their systems and take the trades that the system calls.

And no, trend followers are human and hate to part with something of value. The need for the adage “Cut your losses, let your profits run,” is much like the need for the Ten Commandments. We do not have to be told what is in our nature. In going against our nature, instinct and a lifetime of cultural conditioning, trend followers really earn their money.