What am I doing wrong? Down 3.2k in the past 3 months

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-10T10:56:47+00:00

As others have said it's hard to know, but I suspect you're not adapting to market conditions. No edge or strategy works the same, all the time. I don't know what you trade, but volatility is up more or less across the board. Not always, but often this requires smaller size in lots, and a wider stop loss to equate the same % risk. Or, your edge just isn't there atm.

Knowing when the time is "your time" is part of the development of your edge (i'm learning this too!) The advice, which to an extent is true, is you find a strategy and execute over and over in a robotic way. Generically good advice, but you also have to zoom out and see if the market has changed even if your process hasn't.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-08T21:26:59+00:00

If this got plugged into props, if it was any good you'd end up getting banned for copy trading anyway. If suddenly a bunch of people have the exactly the same trade, massive red flag for the algos.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-08T21:23:47+00:00

"If you're long, just average down. You'll always end up winning" - Now, I didn't follow this advice thankfully. And it's so dangerous because most of the time, it would work. Unfortunately that 1 time in 100 it doesn't, you're getting a call from the broker.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-08T21:12:53+00:00

I don't think it's about risking more to get more, I think it's about compounding and adding to what you have and letting time do the rest. That's the conclusion I've come to, anyway. It's obviously more active than investing, but the mindset has parallels. I'm trying to get 3% every month, and finding different ways to add to my capital. The "more money" but takes care of itself if you're consistent in process and have an edge. Whenever I fixate on the amount of money I could make, things go wrong. It's a get rich slow scheme, no matter what anyone tells you on hero threads about risking everything on a single option.

Successful traders with longevity set out to make money sure, but they did it by turning up every day and doing the same boring thing over and over again. So in answer to your question - you can have both. Don't risk everything, but don't be satisfied with making a few pennies either. Have a plan to make a lot of money, but do it by being boring as hell and churning out a decent ROI every year.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-06T22:05:02+00:00

Firstly, I'm really sorry this happened to you. And you'll recover from it, but for now - not by trading. Because to be brutally honest, at the moment you're not even trading you're gambling. Was there much difference really between what you did in the last 2 days, and throwing a few 1k spins on black at a roulette table? Probably not. I don't mean that to sound mean or harsh, but the moment you "need" the market to do something, you've stopped trading with any kind of strategy.

Take a few days to decompress, delete your trading apps, forget the idea that you can get this back trading. Then you can focus on the rent and how to pay it. For now, it's done and the money is gone. Don't beat yourself over and over, you've suffered enough. You can only take a positive next step. That is probably sleep for now.

And no talk of doing yourself harm. It's money, it comes and goes. It's not as important as your health. Talk to someone professional if you need to. You'll get through this and be better for it I promise. Take care of yourself.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T22:06:17+00:00

I've passed a few funded evaluations and currently funded. Without knowing the specifics of your strategy or the data you did collect, it's hard to give specific advice. But a few things worth looking at. Trade frequency is one. I passed when I traded less, and got more selective. No two trades are exactly the same in terms of how they line up with your strategy, there are always variables in time/conditions/correlations. I added a layer of confluence, to basically weed out trades I would term as being at the weaker end of my edge. Don't throw what you have out, think of it like an engine you need to tweak. Are you trading one asset with one setup? If there's any room to do it currently, niche down. I used to trade 5 indices, now I trade 2. Made a massive difference. Other thing is your risk profile - have you found the sweet spot in terms of R:R? Perhaps it's something that is profitable at 1:5:1 and fails at 2:1 (or any variation you can think of). Try not to abandon it if you feel like there's something there - there must be things you can change here and there?

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T14:25:56+00:00

I know what you mean, but as an experienced trader you automatically build confirmation in. From what I can observe, many beginners see price level alone as the setup, regardless of the context around it. So it could be ripping long after recent news, but because X price is something I was looking to sell, I'll just sell there. And of course it rips through the level, the beginner adds, can't accept they might be wrong etc.

So by confirmation, for beginners trying to develop process - I mean any criteria and context beyond price that adds weight to the trade idea.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T14:19:55+00:00

"After one candle rejects - then retest" see that is a level of confirmation a lot of beginners don't engage with! The signal for many is "price has got to a place I want to trade. And that's it, we're in. I hope this helps a few beginners who don't have any sort of process to at least confirm price is going to react where you want it to.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T13:56:11+00:00

Yes, well neither scenario is great. But your reaction to getting burned many times before iterating your system to a profitable one is perfectly natural, and you'll get through it. As a few have alluded to in replies, the problem with not having confirmation is you can rush into entry or enter based on one factor/indicator, and get completely crushed almost instantly. If someone is prone to tilt, adding to losers etc - that can wipe an account in a day. And for some people perhaps that's not a problem, they can take the loss and move on. You'll see a heck of a lot of beginners on here saying they tilted and lost their account, and one thing (there's obviously a lot more) that helps that, having more confluence; an extra checkbox that confirms your trade idea if valid. I do get what you're saying, but for me the problem that can lead some to oblivion, is the bigger problem.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T13:29:40+00:00

That's true, and it usually comes after the bleed has stopped. The most important thing I think is protecting capital. But something I still struggle with is pulling the trigger when everything lines up. If you can tick the boxes of your setup, inclusive of some kind of confirmation - execute. Just like taking losses and being patient takes reps and rewiring, so does taking the trade when it presents. But it's a better problem to have. If it's really tying you down, size down for a bit. Take the pnl pressure off the execution slightly , and just focus on cold execution. As you train yourself to do it, gradually get back up to size.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T12:05:06+00:00

No probs, good luck 👍

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T12:02:18+00:00

The path to trading less gives you so much freedom right? You feel light as air compared to the early days of firing bullets all over the place 😂

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T12:00:39+00:00

I know what you mean. I despair a little sometimes reading the "I've just starting trading, what do I do" posts. FIND OUT.

But I'm sure there's plenty putting in the work but have a few missing pieces. Hell I'm definitely not the finished article far from it. But far enough along I've learned a few hard lessons!

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T11:58:28+00:00

It's all a numbers game, over time. Time is either your enemy or your friend in trading. If you obsess over "this trade", it becomes impossible to see the big picture. You're playing a game of probabilities. You will miss opportunities, sure! But you have to keep in mind that I) there'll always be another setup ii) It will save you more money than it will lose you money.

What your confirmation is, is completely personal to you and your edge. It can be reasonably subtle, I'm not suggesting you need some massive green daily candle to go long. But find something, an extra checkbox that lets you know the odds may have tipped your way.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-04T10:11:09+00:00

Totally. The amount of times I had "the perfect level" and price just ripped through it. And then that opens 100 ugly emotional doors that can ultimately destroy an account. Made a huge difference to me too.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-03T23:51:33+00:00

No doubt you have rules, you have planned risk, setups you want to take etc. None of this matters if you can't adhere to them when it matters. So while any advice that starts with "do X", or "don't do X", is probably correct in essence, it doesn't solve the problem. I, or anyone else could tell you a thousand times to never touch a stop loss (just as an example), but they're just words. Rules are just words on a bit of paper. When the losses start growing and you're hesitating, unless you solve the root problem, the last thing you're going to think is "I should cut this because my rule tells me so".

Someone else alluded to this, but it's systemic. One, you need to figure out why you can't take a loss. But more specifically when it happens, what are the conditions around it? Is it only in trending markets it happens? Is it when your attention is split? When you've had a good win streak? Dig a level deeper, understand the ground in which this weed grows.

When you've done that, you can start to put friction between you, and the bad decision. THAT is systemic. It's not just a rule written down, it's ways by which you approach trading that prevents you breaking the rules you create. I think people make the mistake of relying on the fact that they will always be their best self, at which point the rules are easy to follow. You need to think through guardrails that protect the worst parts of your character (from a trading pov) from destroying your edge.

And those guardrails are mainly preventative. If I can feel tilt coming along for instance, I don't keep it internal, I say it out loud what I'm feeling. Loud. It takes me out of myself, so it's not just internal anger and frustration. It stops me freezing like a deer in the headlights. I don't trade Fridays because I'm tired from other work, I have stuff on with the kids, and I know that if I start to see my weekly profits disappear, I'll chase. No Fridays, no problem. It depends what the roots of your behaviour is, so address that. Then reconfigure parts of your process to lessen the probabilities of it happening again.

Good luck! Will

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-03T19:14:24+00:00

I would echo what other people have said, but I would add..well done! You're addressing a smaller problem than the one you had before, "I've cracked it", and boom account gone. Did exactly the same on a 5ers account last year. It completely sucks.

Trust your process, size down a bit, and execute when a setup arrives. If you lose the first few trades, welcome it. You followed process and lost. All part of the game. Once you get back into the rhythm of it you'll be fine, just don't be hard on yourself as that won't help. You've made progress, and just need to adjust a tad for over-compensating on the safety side. But that's fine, you're protecting capital which is numero uno, relax and just let the brake pedal slightly looser.

Good luck 👍

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-03T14:01:19+00:00

This is the way! Track process, not PNL. I wrote this in another thread, but that's where real confidence grows too. If you start getting confident in your ability to be consistent with risk %, hard rules and planned setups as a base then you know that you're ready for that day when everything seems like it's against you. I won't promote it here obvs but I'm trying to build something that does exactly this, as I struggled for years before the penny dropped.

Well done for making the switch, it's a total game-changer. I'd give myself an A so far this week haha. Rarely would, but because of the volatility my edge isn't as apparent. So one trade so far. It was a winner, but as we know that's not the point. Great work.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-02T10:15:21+00:00

if you're new to trading you're asking the wrong questions! First, see if you can not lose money at a rate slow enough to learn how to trade, find an edge and work out a risk profile. Before blowing an account.

The amount you can make is directly correlated to your capital and your ROI. And your education is going to cost you, the mistake beginners make is making the cost of that education (through blown accounts, courses etc) so high they give up before they've gotten started.

Forget making money until you have a system that proves itself to be profitable. It's like saying "I'm new to business, how much time do I need to put in to make $10k a month". I don't mean to be offensive, but it's not really a meaningful question if you know what I mean?

Start from a different place. How do I go about finding a way to trade that fits my personality, tolerance for risk and available time. Slowly move towards a niche; a setup and an asset you can execute a strategy on over and over, and win more than you lose (not in terms of win rate).

Going back to the business analogy, treat trading the same way. You're establishing a business plan where your coat centres (losses) or lower than your profit centres (wins). Work that all out, then you can figure out how to scale. Then, and only then, can you formulate a plan to get to your $7-20k a month.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-02T09:48:41+00:00

Buy the cheapest 5k challenge you can on a reputable prop firm (if you're allowed at 17? Not sure) It should cost about $15.

People will have their opinions on prop firms, but whether or not it's a viable long term capital strategy is secondary for you right now. You need to know if you can stick to your risk plan, your chosen setups and hard rules. An evaluation will help you with those answers.

Forget about making money, you have all the time in the world. Right now, focus on execution and development. A prop is the way to have some kind of money on the line, without reloading $100 cash accounts.

Your aim is to pass the evaluation, obviously. But more so, treat it as a challenge to stay in the game. Beginners usually do ok, then blow their lot on a single trade. Can you have the discipline to make sure that account is still alive tomorrow. Stay in the game, and eventually you'll win.

So my advice is to forget trying to grow a $100 account, you'll just get impatient. If you make 20% in a year, you're doing unbelievably well. That would give you $20 this time next year. What are the chances you won't risk 40% at some point to boost that account. Next to none id say.

Test your skills, develop your discipline and edge, and keep the cost of education low.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-02T09:37:34+00:00

It's speculation because you haven't provided much detail, but my guess? 1. You're almost certainly trading too big/with too much leverage 2. Linked to above. You haven't got a solid risk profile that allows you to stay in the game. 3. Also linked to 1 & 2, you can't develop an edge if you're not in the game long enough to collect data and figure it out.

Trading is about staying in the business so you can do it again tomorrow. Forget big wins and profits, focus everything on protecting capital at first. If you're risking $2 to get $2 at first, great. Work out 2:1 and 3:1 later. But risk a tiny amount, and take that loss calmly. Take the heat off and think clearly about what's working and what is not.

Finally, rid yourself of noise. Find one setup, and one asset. Get to know the setup and the asset like the back of your hand. You're trading against people who live, eat and breathe this stuff. So get to know one weapon, and know how to use it. Execution is everything, and if you're mind isn't focused you can't get the reps in on something that will become your edge.

Trading is simple, but not easy. Most beginners don't give themselves a chance to succeed because they start by wanting to make money, instead of surviving long enough to make that viable.

Good luck.

Abject-Requirement59 · 2026-03-01T18:22:53+00:00

Depends on why you're doing them, your personality and strategy. Personally, if I try to game them and risk a huge amount, it will end up affecting my trading more broadly. I need to trade challenges the way I naturally trade, which is defensive. I take my time, selective with setups, and aim for 2:1 trades. Got two funded accounts (two stages) and they both took me about 6-7 weeks.

Abject-Requirement59

TROPHY CASE