Reviewing Trades That Hit Stop Losses

Reviewing Trades That Hit Stop Losses

When you are starting in crypto trading, hitting a stop loss is an expected part of the learning process, not a failure of the entire strategy. A stop loss is a risk management tool designed to limit potential losses on a trade, whether in the Spot market or when trading a Futures contract. This article focuses on how to review these stopped-out trades constructively, balance your existing Spot market assets using simple futures techniques like partial hedging, and use basic technical analysis to refine future entries. The main takeaway for a beginner is to treat every stopped-out trade as data that informs your next decision, rather than an emotional setback.

Balancing Spot Holdings with Simple Futures Hedges

Many beginners start by holding assets in the Spot market. If you are concerned about a short-term price drop but do not want to sell your long-term holdings, you can use Futures contract positions to hedge.

A partial hedge involves opening a short futures position that covers only a fraction of your spot holdings. This reduces downside risk while still allowing you to benefit partially if the market moves up. This is often preferable to a full hedge when you believe the downturn might be temporary. Partial hedging reduces variance but does not eliminate risk.

Steps for reviewing a stopped-out trade while considering hedging:

1. **Review the Stop Loss Trigger**: Confirm the exact price level where your stop loss activated. Was this level based on technical structure (like a key support level) or an arbitrary percentage? Reviewing The Role of Stop-Loss Orders in Futures Trading Strategies is crucial here. 2. **Analyze the Exit**: If you were hedging, did the stop loss trigger on the spot position, the hedge, or both? If you were using leverage (see The Concept of Trade Leverage Explained), check your liquidation price relative to the stop loss. 3. **Assess Sizing**: Look back at your trade sizing. Did you risk too much capital on that single trade? Beginners should focus on low leverage options. 4. **Consider Reversal**: If the market immediately reversed sharply after hitting your stop loss, review your entry strategy. Did you miss a signal for strength? You might look at - Explore strategies for entering trades when price breaks through key support or resistance levels in BTC/USDT futures. If you decide to reverse your hedge, review Reversing a Simple Futures Hedge Position.

Remember that futures trading involves costs. Be aware of Funding Rates and trading fees, as these erode profits and can contribute to losses, especially on trades that move sideways or trigger frequently.

Using Indicators for Entry and Exit Timing

Technical indicators can help confirm trade ideas, but they should rarely be used in isolation. When reviewing a loss, check if the indicator signals that suggested the entry were still valid immediately after the stop was hit.

RSI (Relative Strength Index)

The RSI measures the speed and change of price movements. A common mistake is selling purely because the RSI shows "overbought" (typically above 70) or buying because it shows "oversold" (typically below 30).

• **Review Caveat**: In a strong uptrend, the RSI can remain overbought for extended periods. A stop loss triggered when the RSI was high might have been premature if the trend was exceptionally strong. Reviewing Spot Exit Timing Using RSI Levels can help here.

MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence)

The MACD helps identify momentum shifts. Crossovers between the MACD line and the signal line, or movement above/below the zero line, suggest momentum changes.

• **Review Caveat**: MACD is a lagging indicator. If your stop loss was based on a rapid price rejection, the MACD crossover might have confirmed the reversal too late, meaning your stop loss was placed appropriately based on immediate price action, despite the indicator lag.

Bollinger Bands

Bollinger Bands consist of a middle simple moving average and two outer bands representing standard deviations from that average. They measure volatility.

• **Review Caveat**: A price touching or breaking outside the bands indicates high volatility, but not necessarily a reversal. If your stop loss was just outside a band, and the price quickly snapped back inside, the volatility spike may have triggered you out prematurely. Look for confluence with other signals.

The best approach involves Confluence Trading with Multiple Indicators, where multiple indicators point to the same conclusion, increasing confidence in the entry or exit point.

Psychological Pitfalls After a Loss

Emotional reactions are the most common cause of amplified losses following a stop-out.

1. **Revenge Trading**: This is the urge to immediately re-enter the market, often with a larger position or higher leverage, to try and win back the money lost on the stopped-out trade. This bypasses your initial, rational analysis and violates Setting Initial Risk Limits for New Traders. 2. **Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)**: If the price immediately moves in your favor after you were stopped out, you might jump back in late, often at a poor entry point, simply because you fear missing the move. 3. **Over-Leveraging**: A stopped-out trade might tempt you to increase leverage on the next trade to recover the loss faster. This dramatically increases your margin requirements and proximity to liquidation. Always follow strict Risk Reward Ratio for Beginner Trades guidelines.

When reviewing a loss, step away from the charts for a defined period. Do not place a new trade until you have completed a full, unemotional review of the stopped-out position size and entry rationale.

Practical Examples of Sizing and Risk

Effective sizing is key to surviving stop-loss events. Suppose you have $1000 in total trading capital and decide that any single trade should risk no more than 2% of capital ($20).

Example Scenario: You buy $1000 worth of Asset X on the Spot market. You decide to use a Futures contract to hedge 50% of this holding ($500 notional value) using 5x leverage.

Your entry price for the short hedge is $100. You set a stop loss at $105 (a $5 adverse move).

Parameter	Value
Total Capital	$1000
Max Risk Per Trade	$20 (2%)
Hedge Size (Notional)	$500
Leverage Used	5x
Stop Loss Distance	$5

If the stop loss hits at $105, the loss on the futures contract is calculated based on the notional size ($500) times the price difference ($5), divided by the leverage (5).

Loss Calculation: ($500 * $5) / 5 = $500 / 5 = $100 loss on the futures position.

Wait, this calculation shows a $100 loss, which is 10% of your total capital, violating your 2% rule! This highlights why beginners must be extremely careful with futures sizing even when hedging.

If you strictly adhere to the 2% risk limit ($20), you must calculate the correct notional size for a $5 stop loss distance at 5x leverage:

Required Notional Size = (Max Risk / Stop Distance) * Leverage Required Notional Size = ($20 / $5) * 5 = 4 * 5 = $200

Therefore, to risk only $20 with 5x leverage and a $5 stop loss, your short hedge should only be $200 notional value, covering only 20% of your $1000 spot holding—a very conservative partial hedge. This exercise shows how Stop-Loss and Position Sizing must be calculated *before* setting the trade, especially when leverage is involved.

See also (on this site)

• Spot Holdings and Futures Balancing Basics
• Simple Partial Hedging Strategies Explained
• Setting Initial Risk Limits for New Traders
• Understanding Your Total Portfolio Exposure
• First Steps Combining Spot and Derivatives
• Using Futures to Protect Existing Spot Assets
• Calculating Required Futures Contract Size
• When to Use a Full Versus a Partial Hedge
• Reversing a Simple Futures Hedge Position
• Spot Market Versus Futures Contract Differences
• Beginner Entry Points for the Spot Market
• When to Consider Your First Futures Trade

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• How Support and Resistance Levels Guide Futures Trades
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• - Learn how to determine the optimal capital allocation per trade and set stop-loss levels to control risk in volatile crypto futures markets

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