Introduction

Trade management is one of the most overlooked parts of trading. Most people spend all their energy on finding entries, but what you do after you’re in a trade matters just as much. Knowing when to take partials, how to move your stop, and when to step aside can be the difference between a sustainable career and endless frustration.

Building a System

The first thing you need is a written system. Without one, you’ll make emotional decisions in the heat of the moment. My system looks like this:

• Take 80% off at 2R.

• Hold 20% for a potential runner.

• Never take less than 70% off at 2R.

Through backtesting, I’ve found this is far more sustainable than taking only 50% off and leaving the rest at break-even. Some of those “lottery runners” might work, but over time the math doesn’t favor it.

Trade Example: ES Long

Earlier this week, I went long ES at a breaker setup with a clear draw on liquidity at Asia highs. NQ wasn’t giving me a clean setup, but ES was. I told everyone in Discord to take partials at those Asia highs. Here’s why:

• ES and NQ are correlated assets.

• ES reached its draw on liquidity first.

• Price rejected hard immediately after.

If I hadn’t taken partials there, I would’ve been stopped out. Instead, I locked in profits and avoided turning a winner into a loser.

Trade Example: ES Short

Another setup came from a bearish breaker late in the session. My entry was at the breaker, stop at the lowest of the two PD arrays (breaker and fair value gap). Price respected the breaker and ran higher before eventually hitting break-even. The key here was respecting the structure and using the lowest valid stop placement without destroying risk-to-reward.

Stop-Loss Placement

Stop-loss placement is just as important as partials. I like to use:

• The lower of the two PD arrays (breaker vs. fair value gap).

• A level that still makes sense with my risk-to-reward.

If the placement makes the trade invalid from a risk perspective, I pass. Protecting capital comes before forcing a setup.

Key Takeaways

• Have a written system for partials and stick to it.

• Take at least 70% off at 2R (I prefer 80%).

• Respect candle closes more than wicks.

• Place stops at the lowest/highest PD array that keeps risk-to-reward intact.

Trade management won’t turn a bad system into a winning one, but it will keep a good system consistent and profitable. It’s not glamorous, but it’s where professionals separate themselves from amateurs.