Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath’s warning for stock traders trying to make a quick buck

In a series of tweets, Kamath on Monday said money management, which most traders don’t focus on, is exponentially more important than buy or sell signals and strategies.

Kamath’s tweet came amid a rout in the domestic stock market. At Monday’s low of 56,612, the BSE Sensex had tumbled 2,448 points over Thursday’s high of 59,060, making jittery investors wonder whether it is time to sell stocks.

In the last 20 years, Kamath said he has not seen anyone who has kept profits from trading, without good risk management.

“I know many who’ve lost quickly. The fastest was a client, who turned Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 crore in two days buying deep out of the money (OTM) Puts in 2008 but gave it all back in the next 12 months,” he said.

There is no quick money that can be made and kept, Kamath said.

“The most important aspect of trading is to never be in a situation where a trade can cause more than a 1 to 5 per cent loss of capital. Lesser the better. That is when greed & fear will lead to the least stupidity as well,” he said.