Trading Performance

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Yesman23

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Hi,

I've been day trading the FTSE 100 via IG Index since August 2011. I started off with £200 and am now on £58,126. I started in January 2012 on £14,086, so am up over 400% so far this year. I trade £25 per point and have significantly reduced the risk so am feeling more confident.

2 questions;

1/ Should I give up my day job (which is from home) which I have absolutely no interest in and is draining my will to live every day?
2/ I'm by no means a genius, just very determined and focussed. If I can make 400% so far this year, then why haven't hedge funds worked out a way to make that kind of return since they employ seriously clever Cambridge graduates etc?

Any thoughts/comments/experiences are welcome!

:)
 
I don't want to sound arrogant, but why would I want to make figures up to impress complete strangers that I don't even know. Believe me or not, but that's what I've achieved.
 
I just want to know what is a typical annual return for a trader, and how this compares. As you know, trading's a lonely business.
 
hedge funds are moving hundreds of millions about and dont put all there eggs in one basket ala ftse 100.
if you hate your job give it up and trade, although i dont think your risk management is excellent
 
eighteen said:
hedge funds are moving hundreds of millions about and dont put all there eggs in one basket ala ftse 100.
if you hate your job give it up and trade, although i dont think your risk management is excellent
Click to expand...

OK thanks for the feedback.
 
Really can be anything mate, millions, thousands hundreds, or have a losing year... if youve made 56k ytd and you would be happy with that, dont worry about what others make.
 
I'd be more than happy with that, it's tax free after all as it's Spread Betting. I was thinking more of percentage returns than monetary, just to get an idea of what's typical annual return. Cheers.
 
There is no typical, thats the point, everyones variables are different.
 
In the six months following March 2009 low-point I made 3000% return by position trading very small stakes in two spread betting accounts. Of the £18,000 profit (I told you it was small stakes) I have since lost something like £1000 positioning myself for the next big push ;-) My aim is always to make a lot (relatively) when I'm winning and lose a little when I'm losing, to supplement my "day job" as a writer and publisher.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
LOTONtech said:
In the six months following March 2009 low-point I made 3000% return by position trading very small stakes in two spread betting accounts. Of the £18,000 profit (I told you it was small stakes) I have since lost something like £1000 positioning myself for the next big push ;-) My aim is always to make a lot (relatively) when I'm winning and lose a little when I'm losing, to supplement my "day job" as a writer and publisher.
Click to expand...

So funny, good post mate!
 
Yesman23 said:
Hi,

I've been day trading the FTSE 100 via IG Index since August 2011. I started off with £200 and am now on £58,126. I started in January 2012 on £14,086, so am up over 400% so far this year. I trade £25 per point and have significantly reduced the risk so am feeling more confident.

2 questions;

1/ Should I give up my day job (which is from home) which I have absolutely no interest in and is draining my will to live every day?
2/ I'm by no means a genius, just very determined and focussed. If I can make 400% so far this year, then why haven't hedge funds worked out a way to make that kind of return since they employ seriously clever Cambridge graduates etc?

Any thoughts/comments/experiences are welcome!

:)
Click to expand...

If you've turned £200 into £58k while also working a day job at home, you must be a genius, so it's obvious you should trade full time, starting ASAP. All I ask for this valuable advice is a 10% share of the £17m you have in the kitty next August.
 
£200 to £58k? Impressive. Not 'trader Dante' impressive, but impressive nonetheless.....
 
If you slap on a vendor badge and pimp out your services you'd make way more than that.
 
Yesman23 said:
Hi,

I've been day trading the FTSE 100 via IG Index since August 2011. I started off with £200 and am now on £58,126. I started in January 2012 on £14,086, so am up over 400% so far this year. I trade £25 per point and have significantly reduced the risk so am feeling more confident.

2 questions;

1/ Should I give up my day job (which is from home) which I have absolutely no interest in and is draining my will to live every day?
2/ I'm by no means a genius, just very determined and focussed. If I can make 400% so far this year, then why haven't hedge funds worked out a way to make that kind of return since they employ seriously clever Cambridge graduates etc?

Any thoughts/comments/experiences are welcome!

:)
Click to expand...

Hi yesman,

If you love trading , hate your job and have been as successful as you have been why wouldn't you quit your job and trade full time. The only cautionary advice I would give is as follows;
Firstly, it has only been a year since you started which is by no means a long time in trading. Anything made in a year can be lost in a day when we ate talking about the markets.
Secondly, Can you be sure that you will be able to trade your strategy with the added pressure of it being your only source of income?
Thirdly, does your strategy work because you have a job to do and are not staring at the charts all the time. I know lots of guys and girls who have profitably traded part time but have been unable to full time because they fall into the trap of over trading. Only you know how disciplined you will be.
Finally, just to give you an idea of how others in your position approached similar quandaries....I traded successfully part time but didn't want the pressure of trading full time. Because I knew I loved trading though, I went to a trading firm with my P/L statement and they hired me as a trader and technical analyst. That was 5 and half years ago.
I have been trading my own account full time for the past 6 months but I don't have the pressure of it being my only source of income because I have saved enough money from working at my old firm that I am comfortable. Based on my experiences at my old firm we would only risk 1% of our account per trade and would aim for 10% returns per month with a sharpe ratio of 1.25 or better. That is my aim with my personal account as well.
In the 6 months since I quit work my personal account is up 64% so I have already gotten to my yearly target, having said that, we have had very good market conditions for trading the past year or so. It may become harder in the future. I also find it quite boring being on my own all day, that's why I am thinking of returning to my old firm as mentor to new graduates. You say you work from home already so the last point might not bother you.

In summary, I'd advice you go to a trading firm with your results...trust me, they will hire you. You will then know if you really want to trade full time without risking your own bucks. It'll also be good for you to work out of the house for a while!

Hope this helps
 
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