You should do some reading on this subject. One book I am getting some good insight from is Van Tharp - Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom. It focuses on just this very subject. Large book to read - but pretty decent. It's very difficult for anyone to advise how much you should put into any one trade. Not only that - you need to know your risk tolerance. If you make your trades based on an expected GAIN, that is just not the right mental mind set. You need to make trades knowing a loss CAN happen - and know your tolerance for such a loss such that it will not create an emotional reaction if it should go that way. A positive close also should not generate a euphoric reaction either. Although the mechanicals are all up nicely at the moment, they can, and have been known to totally reverse and close at a loss. Others here may have some different insight - this is just my personal 2 cents.