Step 1 of 4
What revenge trading looks like
Revenge trading is any trade taken to win back a loss rather than because the setup is there. It rarely feels like revenge from the inside. It feels like “the market owes me this one” or “one good trade and I am flat for the day”.
Watch for these signs:
- Entering within minutes of a stop-out, on a setup you would normally skip.
- Raising size after a loss.
- Moving or removing a stop because “it will come back”.
- Switching to a market you do not normally trade.
Any one of them means you are no longer trading your plan.
The cause is rarely the loss itself. It is the story you tell about it: that the loss was unfair, or that today must end green. A day that ends red inside your plan is still a good day of trading.
Step 2 of 4
The arithmetic of chasing
Revenge trading is dangerous because the limits are fixed and the size is not. Compare two traders on a $10,000 1-Step account:
| Risk per trade | Full losses that fit under the daily limit | Full losses that fit under the max-loss limit |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | 10 | 20 |
| 1% | 5 | 10 |
| 2% | 2 | 5 |
Now add the revenge pattern: 0.5%, then 1% to recover, then 2%. Three losses in a row cost 3.5% of the account, most of a 5% daily limit, in what started as an ordinary losing morning. Doubling after losses is a martingale, and martingale strategies are prohibited on MyFundedCapital accounts.
Step 3 of 4
Three circuit breakers
- A personal daily stop. Set it at about half the daily limit. On the account above that is roughly half of $500. When it is reached you close everything and stop for the day.
- A cooldown. After two losses in a row, step away for at least 30 minutes. Write the next trade’s plan before you return.
- Fixed size. Size never goes up after a loss. If anything, it goes down to half until you have a winning trade.
Write all three on a card next to the screen. In the moment you only have to read, not decide. Some traders add a short list of stop signals, such as a missed news time or feeling rushed, and treat any one of them as the end of the session.
Step 4 of 4
After the urge passes
Revenge trading leaves a pattern in your journal. When you review the week, mark every trade taken within a few minutes of a loss and compare its results with the rest. For most traders the difference is large enough to make the cooldown feel obvious.
If you notice the urge often, cut your trading window. Fewer hours at the screen mean fewer moments to react. A missed afternoon costs nothing; a breached account costs the fee and the progress you made. Protecting the account today is what keeps the next payout cycle possible.
Recap
- Revenge trading is raising risk to recover a loss; it turns a bad day into a breach.
- Use three circuit breakers: a personal daily stop, a cooldown, and fixed size.
- At 0.5% risk you can absorb many losses; at 2% only a couple fit under the daily limit.
Check yourself
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