If you are saying that at certain times your individual strategies could be in opposite directions, then your best approach would be to use the "sub" account approach and monitor each independently.

If you are long and short because it is easier for you "emotionally / psychologically" than just being Flat, you probably should reevaluate your trading methodology. Being Long and Short the same market in the same month is the same thing as being out, except that instead of having no positions to manage, you have two to manage (and mess up).

Ah cool, as a means of establishing a position in an illiquid market! Thanks, that makes sense, I hadn't thought of that. I really appreciate you taking my question as it was intended, I honestly could not think of a scenario but this maker total sense.

It depends on the strategies involved, but you could just use a summer:

GoLong=0
If strategy1 should be long then GoLong=1
If strategy2 should be long then GoLong=GoLong+1
If strategy3 should be long then GoLong=GoLong+1

then just be long GoLong number of contracts

To exit, you could do the same if you used market orders

If strategy1=Long and should exit then GoLong=GoLong-1
If strategy2=Long and should exit then GoLong=GoLong-1
If strategy3=Long and should exit then GoLong=GoLong-1

Then GoLong will tell you how many contracts you should still be long.


You can get really involved with limit and stop orders, but that is just a basic example.

The logic takes a while to get correct, but the benefitrs are worth it in the end.

Thanks for the response. You make a good point. There is a chance to mess up, but there is also a chance to profit.

I'm long and short the same market the same time because different strategies may be doing opposite things. Sometimes it makes the most sense from a risk perspective, to simply exit the market. Other times, it makes the most sense from a risk perspective, to add off-setting contracts.

From an emotional / psychological standpoint the latter (adding off-setting contracts) appeals to me more because there is added opportunity from this method. Using off-setting contracts can also reduce the profit sucking effect of whipsaws. But, as you mention, there are also more chances of messing up.

It seems there are other benefits to using off-setting contracts?

@Big Mike: Why do you allow this thread, and threads like it, to perpetuate? It's a source of embarrassment to the forum, and serves no purpose other than to stand testament to dunning and krueger's thesis.