My Live Trading Results (2025)

Trading Results & Takeaways from 2025

Key Concepts: Momentum Trading, Mean Reversion Trading, Systematic Trend Following (STF), Risk-Adjusted Returns, Trading System Automation, Drawdown, Position Sizing, Risk Management.

I. Performance Overview – 2025 Trading Results

The speaker details his trading performance for 2025, managing two primary accounts. The first account, employing a momentum trading strategy (defined as capitalizing on the strength of trends), achieved a gain of approximately 45-46% for the year. The second account, utilizing a mean reversion trading strategy (defined as profiting from price movements back towards their average), saw a 20% increase in value. These results are visualized using an equity curve chart familiar to Interactive Brokers users. A free 54-minute training course covering these strategies, including trading rules, backtest data, and the full system, is available at tradingwithra.com/go.

II. Four Key Takeaways from 2025

The speaker outlines four crucial lessons learned in 2025 that significantly improved his trading performance. These lessons are presented as foundational beliefs about the market.

A. More Markets, More Opportunities

The most profitable market in 2025 wasn’t the US stock market, but gold. A weekly chart of gold demonstrates a strong uptrend beginning around June 2024, a position the speaker entered and continues to hold. The rationale is that trading across multiple markets expands the number of potential setups and increases the probability of capturing profitable trends, particularly with momentum or trend-following strategies. This is analogized to dating – limiting oneself to one location reduces the chances of finding suitable opportunities. The speaker plans to expand into the crypto markets in 2026.

B. The Holy Grail of Trading: Diversification of Systems

The speaker argues against the pursuit of a single “holy grail” trading system. He presents data comparing Systematic Trend Following (STF) and Mean Reversion Trading (MRT). Both systems experienced losing years (2020, 2019, 2018, 2012, and 2023), demonstrating that no single system consistently profits in all market conditions. The key to reducing losing years and improving risk-adjusted returns is combining multiple trading systems. A 50/50 allocation between STF and MRT consistently generated profits across the analyzed period. This diversification mitigated losses during the April 2025 market pullback triggered by Trump’s tariffs, as other systems performed well while the S&P 500 declined more sharply. The analogy used is having multiple children – even if one disappoints, others provide support.

C. If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail

Proactive planning was crucial for the speaker’s peace of mind during 2025, particularly in anticipation of market volatility caused by Trump’s tariff announcements. He prepared for three scenarios: 1) visualizing a potential 30% portfolio drawdown, 2) preparing systems to move to cash during a downturn, and 3) identifying quality companies to invest in if prices declined. While the severe correction didn’t materialize, the planning process was invaluable. The speaker emphasizes the importance of preparing for downside risk during good times and identifying opportunities during bad times. This allows for consistent execution of trading system rules, even during stressful periods.

D. Everything Can Be Figured Out: Trading Automation

The speaker achieved full trading automation after years of attempting to automate his systems. He credits programmer Elvin for his assistance. The automation encompasses automatic trade execution, position sizing, and risk management. The key to success was breaking down the complex goal of automation into a series of smaller, manageable steps and then linking those steps together. This is likened to teaching a child to clean a room – providing specific instructions (picking up toys, putting clothes away) is more effective than a general command. This automation allowed the speaker to achieve the reported results for six months without manually executing any trades.

III. Resources & Further Learning

The speaker reiterates the availability of his free training course at tradingwithra.com/go, which covers mean reversion, momentum, and trend-following trading systems, complete with data and rules.

Conclusion:

The speaker’s 2025 trading results demonstrate the effectiveness of both momentum and mean reversion strategies, as well as the power of diversification and proactive planning. The successful automation of his trading systems highlights the importance of breaking down complex goals into manageable steps. The core message is that consistent profitability requires a combination of strategic market exposure, system diversification, thorough preparation, and a willingness to embrace technological solutions.