Reward-to-Risk Ratio In Forex Trading (2024)

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To increase your chances of profitability, you want to trade when you have the potential to make 3 times more than you are risking.

If you give yourself a 3:1 reward-to-risk ratio, you have a significantly greater chance of ending up profitable in the long run.

Take a look at the chart below as an example:

10 TradesLossWin
1$1,000
2$3,000
3$1,000
4$3,000
5$1,000
6$3,000
7$1,000
8$3,000
9$1,000
10$3,000
Total$5,000$15,000

In this example, you can see that even if you only won 50% of your trades, you would still make a profit of $10,000.

Just remember that whenever you trade with a good risk to reward ratio, your chances of being profitable are much greater even if you have a lower win percentage.

BUT…

And this is a big one.. setting a large reward-to-risk ratio comes at a price.

Reward-to-Risk Ratio In Forex Trading (1)

On the very surface, the concept of putting a high reward-to-risk ratio sounds good, but think about how it applies in actual trade scenarios.

Let’s say you are a scalper and you only wish to risk 3 pips.

Using a 3:1 reward to risk ratio, means you need to get 9 pips. Right off the bat, the odds are against you because you have to pay the spread.

If your broker offered a 2 pip spread on EUR/USD, you’ll have to gain 11 pips instead, forcing you to take a difficult 4:1 reward to risk ratio.

Considering the exchange rate of EUR/USD could move 3 pips up and down within a few seconds, you would be stopped out faster than you can say “Uncle!”

If you were to reduce your position size, then you could widen your stop to maintain your desired reward/risk ratio.

Now, if you increased the pips you wanted to risk to 50, you would need to gain 153 pips.

By doing this, you are able to bring your reward-to-risk ratio somewhere nearer to your desired 3:1. Not so bad anymore, right?

In the real world, reward-to-risk ratios aren’t set in stone. They must be adjusted depending on the time frame, tradingenvironment, and your entry/exit points.

A position trade could have a reward-to-risk ratio as high as 10:1 while a scalper could go for as little as 0.7:1.

Reward-to-Risk Ratio In Forex Trading (2024)

FAQs

Reward-to-Risk Ratio In Forex Trading? ›

Usually, Forex traders take trades with 1:2, 1:3 risk to reward ratios or higher. However, it is also possible to make money even when your risk to reward ratio is just 1:1. How is that even possible? Well, as we've already mentioned, one more important aspect to take into account is the Success rate.

What is the RRR in forex trading? ›

The reward-to-risk ratio (RRR) measures a trade's potential returns against its predetermined risk of loss. The ratio is computed by dividing the profit that a trade is expected to yield by the loss that the trade may incur. For example, let's say that you expect to make $100 by buying EUR/USD.

What is a good risk percentage in forex? ›

Risk Per Trade

A good starting percentage could be 2% of your available trading capital. So, for example, if you have $5000 in your account, the maximum loss allowable should be no more than 2%. With these parameters, your maximum loss would be $100 per trade.

Is 1.1 risk-reward good? ›

A 1:1 ratio means that you're risking as much money if you're wrong about a trade as you stand to gain if you're right. This is the same risk/reward ratio that you can get in casino games like roulette, so it's essentially gambling. Most experienced traders target a risk/reward ratio of 1:3 or higher.

What is the best risk-reward ratio for scalping? ›

For any stock you plan to scalp, you must understand the price supports, resistances and the set-up. From there, you can calculate the share sizing and the probabilities versus the risk. In scalping, a 3:1 risk to reward ratio is common (although, lower risk/reward is always more favorable).

What is the 531 rule of forex trading? ›

The 5-3-1 strategy is especially helpful for new traders who may be overwhelmed by the dozens of currency pairs available and the 24-7 nature of the market. The numbers five, three, and one stand for: Five currency pairs to learn and trade. Three strategies to become an expert on and use with your trades.

What is the best RRR for trading? ›

To increase your chances of profitability, you want to trade when you have the potential to make 3 times more than you are risking. If you give yourself a 3:1 reward-to-risk ratio, you have a significantly greater chance of ending up profitable in the long run.

What is the 5% rule forex? ›

Most professional traders consider the 5% rule when managing their trading positions. This rule implies that if all open positions are closed the TOTAL loss to an account would not exceed 5% of their account balance. Below you will find using a basic calculation using the 5% rule on a $10,000 account.

What is 90% rule in forex? ›

This rule states that 90% of inexperienced traders will suffer significant losses within the first 90 days of trading, resulting in a staggering 90% loss of their initial investment. While this may seem like an alarming statistic, it serves as a harsh reminder of the high risk and volatility involved in trading.

What is the 2% rule in forex? ›

The 2% rule is a risk management principle that advises investors to limit the amount of capital they risk on any single trade or investment to no more than 2% of their total trading capital. This means that if a trade goes against them, the maximum loss incurred would be 2% of their total trading capital.

What is the safest risk-reward ratio? ›

In many cases, market strategists find the ideal risk/reward ratio for their investments to be approximately 1:3, or three units of expected return for every one unit of additional risk. Investors can manage risk/reward more directly through the use of stop-loss orders and derivatives such as put options.

Is 2 a good risk-reward ratio? ›

A reasonable risk-to-reward ratio is 1:2, which indicates the profit or reward is higher than the loss. The trader has assured a substantial break-even profit margin when the trading suffers any loss.

What is a 1.5 risk-reward ratio? ›

The 1.5 Risk-Reward Ratio: Balancing Risk and Reward

A commonly cited benchmark in trading is the 1.5 risk-reward ratio. This ratio suggests that for every unit of risk taken (usually measured as a percentage or dollar amount), an investor should aim for a potential reward that is one and a half times greater.

How many pips is good for scalping? ›

Forex scalpers usually aim to scalp between 5-10 pips from each position, aiming to make a more significant profit by the end of the day. Forex scalping is a form of arbitrage trading​​. Get tight spreads, no hidden fees and access to 10,000+ instruments.

What is the most successful scalping indicator? ›

Best Indicators For Scalping
  • Bollinger Bands. ...
  • Parabolic SAR (Stop and Reverse) ...
  • Relative Strength Index (RSI) ...
  • Parabola. ...
  • Moving Average. ...
  • Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) ...
  • Exponential Smoothing. ...
  • Volume-Weighted Average Price (VWAP)
Nov 28, 2023

What is the 1 minute scalping strategy? ›

The 1 Minute Scalping Strategy is a precise trading style, focusing on a 1-minute time frame. It depends on market volatility to capitalize on rapid price movements within a 60-second window, aiming for quick, small profits. The charts and indicators used in this strategy are tailored for swift decision-making.

What is the RRR strategy in trading? ›

The risk/reward ratio helps investors manage their risk of losing money on trades. Even if a trader has some profitable trades, they will lose money over time if their win rate is below 50%. The risk/reward ratio measures the difference between a trade entry point to a stop-loss and a sell or take-profit order.

What is so special about RRR? ›

RRR received universal critical acclaim for its direction, screenwriting, cast performances, cinematography, soundtrack, action sequences and VFX.

What do you mean by RRR? ›

For the unaware, RRR has two full forms - Roudram Ranam Rudhiram in Telugu and Rise Roar Revolt in Hindi and English. Director SS Rajamouli, along with Ram Charan, Jr NTR and Alia Bhatt made an appearance on The Kapil Sharma Show in December 2021. That's where Kapil asked Rajamouli why he named his film RRR….

What does R stand for in forex? ›

'R' stands for the amount of risk you take during a trade. Technically, it is just another way of looking at a profit and loss ratio. Look at the following examples to understand the ‘R’ concept of trading.

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