A regular stop loss is set at a specific price and usually remains at its original position unless the user actively modifies it. Trailing stop loss will move in a favorable direction according to the set distance, and the stop loss position will also be adjusted when the price continues to expand the floating profit; When the market is reversed, stop losses that have already moved up or down will not return to their original positions.

Therefore, trailing stop loss is more suitable for scenarios where there is already a certain floating profit and one wishes to maintain market space.

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The trading rules involve price distance requirements for pending orders, take profit stop loss, and trailing stop loss, and under normal circumstances, the corresponding minimum distance must be met.

How does a regular stop loss functionAssuming a London gold buy position is established at $4300 and a stop loss is set at $4290.

As long as the user does not make any modifications, this $4290 will usually remain in its original location.

After gold rose to $4320, the stop loss remained at $4290.

If you want to increase the stop loss to $4305, you need to readjust it yourself.

The benefits of regular stop loss are very direct: clear positioning, pre written trading plans, and no need to adjust with every market change.

How does trailing stop loss work

Tracking stop loss focuses on "distance".

For example, if the user sets a certain tracking distance and the market moves in a favorable direction for the position, the stop loss will follow up according to that distance.

The official explanation for Trailing Stop in Metatrader 5 follows the same logic: when the position profit reaches the set distance, the system moves the stop loss; The market continues to move in a favorable direction, and stop loss continues to follow; When the market is reversed, stop loss should be maintained at the position it has already moved to.

The purpose of doing this is very intuitive.

The market continues to move, leaving room for improvement.

The sudden reversal of the market and the already rising stop loss can help control profit loss.

Let me give you a simple example

Assuming a gold purchase of $4300.

Subsequently, it rose to $4320.

The normal stop loss is still set at $4290.

If a trailing stop loss is used and the stop loss has risen to around $4310 with the market, then when the market falls from $4320, the exit position of the order also increases accordingly.

This is just an example of the principle.

The tracking distance set in real trading needs to be combined with the degree of gold volatility and trading terminal rules.

If the distance is too close, ordinary intraday fluctuations may trigger stop loss.

If the distance is too far, it may cause a lot of profits that have already appeared to be lost.

Will tracking stop loss follow the price back

Usually not.

It only adjusts in the direction favorable to the position.

The buying position price continues to rise, and there is a chance for the stop loss to move upwards.

The price starts to fall, and the stop loss will not be relaxed further due to the market downturn.

Selling positions leads to the opposite direction.

This mechanism is exactly the meaning of the word 'tracking'.

There is another detail that is easily overlooked when using MT5

If users use Trailing Stop Loss through MT5, the official statement of Metatrader clearly states that Trailing Stop is executed locally by the trading terminal and works differently from the normal Stop Loss on the server.

After the terminal is closed, the tracking action itself will not continue to update; The last stop loss price previously set on the server can still be effective.

This is often overlooked by beginners.

If other trading terminals are used, the specific execution logic should be based on the corresponding software rules.

Is trailing stop necessarily better than regular stop loss

The two tools are suitable for different trading plans.

If you already know clearly how much loss you are willing to bear before opening a position, ordinary stop loss is more direct.

If the market has entered a floating profit state and you want profits to continue running, you can study trailing stop losses.

The real factor that affects the effectiveness is still the stop loss distance.

When gold is moving very fast, mechanically setting the trailing distance very small makes it easy for a brief price pullback to trigger an exit.

The tool itself does not judge market conditions for the user.

Risk warning: Stop-loss and trailing stop can help manage risk, but during gaps, rapid price movements or insufficient liquidity, the actual execution price may differ from the price you set.

距离太近，普通的日内波动就可能触发止损。

距离太远，又可能让已经出现的利润回吐很多。

追踪止损会不会跟着价格往回走

一般不会。

它只沿着对持仓有利的方向调整。

买入仓价格继续上涨，止损有机会向上移动。

价格开始下跌，止损不会因为行情回落再向下放宽。

卖出仓则方向相反。

这种机制正是“追踪”两个字的含义。

使用MT5时还有一个容易忽略的细节

如果用户通过MT5使用追踪止损，MetaTrader官方明确说明，Trailing Stop由交易终端本地执行，和服务器端普通Stop Loss的工作方式不同。

终端关闭后，追踪动作本身不会继续更新；此前已经设置到服务器上的最后一个止损价仍可继续发挥作用。

这一点经常被新手忽略。

如果使用其他交易终端，具体执行逻辑应以对应软件规则为准。

追踪止损是不是一定比普通止损好

两种工具适合的交易计划不同。

如果开仓前已经明确知道自己最多愿意承担多少亏损，普通止损更直接。

如果行情已经进入浮盈状态，又希望让利润继续运行，可以研究追踪止损。

真正影响效果的仍然是止损距离。

黄金行情波动很快时，机械地把追踪距离设得很小，很容易遇到价格短暂回撤就触发离场。

工具本身不会替用户判断行情。

风险提示：止损和追踪止损可以帮助管理风险，但在跳空、快速波动或流动性不足时，实际成交价可能与设定价格存在差异。