1) Do not risk more than 1% of your capital on each trade
This means that if you are stopped out of your stock, the total value of your account drops by 1%. It does not mean sell your stock once it falls by 1%.
For example, if you start off with $10,000 of equity in your account, get stopped out of a losing trade, then your account should be worth no less than $9,900.
I am currently using a 0.50% risk on each trade, which allows me to enter more positions. And having more positions exposes my portfolio to what is known as positive optionality.
If your win rate is 50% and you bet much more than this amount, it is a mathematical certainty that you will go bankrupt eventually, which is why this is rule #1
2) Do not average down on a losing trade
Doubling down on a stock will inevitably lead you down the path to bankruptcy.
One of my favourite trading movies is "Rogue Trader". In it, the actor who plays rogue trader Nick Leeson comments, "If you keep doubling up, you're bound to come out ahead". He ended up losing over $1 billion.
Every blow up that has occurred in the investment world has involved averaging down, and this is one of the lessons taught in the excellent book, What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars
3) Do not buy stocks trading beneath their 50 day moving average
This is a very flexible rule that can be combined with other forms of trading, even fundamental analysis. For example, if you love Apple's products or balance sheet (or whatever), wait until the stock clears its 50 day. Following this simple rule would have resulted in you sidestepping that stock's recent 50% correction.
4) Do not buy a stock because it is "too low" or sell a stock because it is "too high"
It's hard for new traders to accept, but often what seems too high just keeps going higher, and what appears too low keeps going lower. It's also equally difficult to let winners run.
5) Do not make a trade based solely on news or fundamentals
It's okay to have opinions based on fundamentals, but I think it is a mistake to trade off that alone. If you do incorporate fundamentals in your trading, wait until they line up with the technicals before getting in. React rather than predict.
6) Do not trade against the long term trend
If silver goes from $50 to $30, it may be tempting to jump in, just because it is on sale, but this is a losing strategy in the long run. Once a long term trend is in motion, it tends to stay in motion, so do not attempt to pick tops or pick bottoms.
7) Do not experience large losses
While you cannot control whether a stock goes up or down, you can control how much you are willing to lose on a trade. Unless a stock gaps down massively, it is completely in your control to cut small losses before they become large losses
8) Do not fight the trend of the general stock market
The stock market has been in a massive bull market since 2009, and yet I've seen so many instances of traders resisting this, and trying to short individual stocks. A rising tide lifts all boats, so do not short individual stocks in a bull market
9) Do not buy stocks that are illiquid or rising on light volume
A stock should do more than 250,000 shares a day of volume for me to consider it. It is important to be able to get in or out of a stock quickly without slippage. Also, a stock rising should be doing so on above average volume; trading with an increase in volume generally puts you on the same side as the smart money
10) Do not invest all of your money in one asset class or sector
A trend following stock trader should not be loyal to just one sector. I personally trade whatever is making new highs - it does not matter what it is. If gold is making new all time highs, then I'll buy gold. If junk bonds are making new all time highs, then I'll buy junk bonds.
With over 10,000 stocks to choose from and over 1,000 different ETFs, it is easier now than ever before to become truly diversified.
