One of Sun Tzu’s most famous quotes is: “Every battle is won before it is fought.” The phrase implies that it is planning and strategy that wins wars and not the battles themselves. Similarly, successful traders commonly quote the phrase: “Plan the trade and trade the plan.” Just like in war, planning ahead can often mean the difference between success and failure.
Stop-loss (S/L) and take-profit (T/P) points represent two key ways in which traders can plan ahead when trading. Successful traders know what price they are willing to pay and at...