The first element of any trading plan is the amount of capital you intend to invest. This is up to you, but you should understand that there is a direct relationship between the amount of capital you commit and your probability of success. The more you invest, the greater is the likelihood that you will make money.
What is the minimum advisable amount to start with? Most professionals agree that it takes a minimum of Rs 50,000. If you try to trade with anything less, what happens to you will be luck. You won't have the capital necessary to apply proper risk management principles.
An important thing to keep in mind when deciding how much to commit initially to commodity trading is that the amount you invest must be "risk capital." Risk capital is defined as money you can afford to lose without affecting your standard of living.
It should also be money that you feel comfortable risking. Think of your commodity account as an investment in a business. Many businesses fail. That's life. Make sure you won't be so afraid of losing money that it will affect your ability to make correct trading decisions.
The next part of your trading plan involves how you will make your actual buying and selling decisions. Under what conditions will you enter trades? When will you exit your trades? What markets will you trade?
There are four cardinal principles which should be part of every trading strategy.
They are:
1) Trade with the trend,
2) Cut losses short,
3) Let profits run, and
4) Manage risk.
These building blocks are so basic and important that I have written a whole book about them. You should make sure your strategy includes each of these requirements for success.
