The Macro Trader and Risk
May 2nd, 2009 by admin
While many traders only focus on making money and have huge drawdowns due to excessive risk taking, the global macro trader instead focuses on risk first and reward second. If you have to risk 50% in order to make 10% you are taking on far too much risk.
The macro trader will instead focus on the best risk adjusted opportunities. Even if your gain is small relative to another potential trade it may be a good one if the risk is far smaller. This is because if the risk is small enough then you can just lever up and make a greater gain and still control your risk. remember that leverage is not what blows traders up, but instead the misapplication of leverage. If the macro trader knows his or her downside and knows the upside then they can apply leverage to maximize the gains.
When properly applied, risk management can be one of the most powerful tools in the macro trader arsenal allowing you to maximize your gain but even more importantly minimize your losses. Any trader that focuses on anything else is far more likely to blow up then the risk focused macro trader.
If you would like to learn and have a guide along your way to becoming a macro trader then we recommend that you try out The Macro Trader, a global macro trading and research firm that publishes a weekly newsletter aimed at those interested in macro trading.
Good Luck,
Team Macro Investor
