Examining Draw Downs With Third Party Forex Signal Providers

By Tom K Kearns

So, you are in the market for a third party signal provider. The maximum draw down of the trader is your first step in the selection process. To define the maximum draw down - this is the gap between the ultimate amount of loss between the absolute top and the absolute bottom. Included in this number is also the open positions, but not included is the account margin necessary to keep you away from a margin call. How much is too much of a draw down you may well ask. Of course, like many answers to many questions, it is - That depends. Many, many issues need to be examined when coming up with an answer to this very important question. It goes without saying that a person with an account in the high thousands of dollars can stand more of a draw down than a person with a much smaller account. So, that being said, what are some other things to consider?

Besides the size of the draw down number are the events that formulated it. A trader with a draw down of a size so high it makes you nervous but otherwise seems a successful one, you need to take a look at the number of positions he has open at one time. If he opens 5 trades on whatever pair at one time; you can immediately reduce his record of draw downs by 5. The trader who limits the number of open trades can sizably cut down the overall draw down.

A trader can often have an excellent historical track record except for one single mega-meltdown, where the trader simply zoned out and let a trade run amok on him and unmonitored for days on end. This will reflect badly on him but really should not overly affect the scope of the trader's abilities. What if the trader simply can't tell when a trade has a snowball's chance in hell of making a comeback to even? What if, heaven forbid, his internet connection lost it at the most inauspicious times? In either case, avoid this problem by setting your own stops for the trader. Don't though, stop those trades that are reasonable, stop only those that are beyond the outer rim of a realistic (to you) trading range.

At this point, we are going to visit again our original question. Now that you have accomplished all you can to limit draw down, I will caution you by saying any amount over 35% of your total account equity is way overdoing it. If you let yourself become in a situation where a 50% plus loss is incurred, coming back from it would involve some extremely risky behavior. A 50% loss demands a 100% gain just to get back on the level.

Historical information on the trader is another important consideration to take into account. A lengthy history being available can illustrate to you just how the trader handles rough seas in the trading arena. You want to know this because there will be rough seas in your trading future and you want a steady captain at the helm.

Also remember to constantly monitor your traders on both a live and demo account. If their draw down gets out of hand it may be time to reevaluate or completely remove that trader from your portfolio. - 23217

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