Define which money is at risk
For a linear instrument, let q be the positive quantity, s be +1 for a long and -1 for a short, p the reference price, S the active stop, V the settlement-currency value of one price point per unit, F account-currency units per settlement-currency unit, and c the remaining exit-cost allowance in account currency. Planned risk is R = max(0, s × (p - S)) × q × V × F + c. Portfolio heat is 100 × sum(R) / E, with E the current marked account equity, including open P&L and liabilities.
- A long entered at 100, now marked at 110, with a stop at 105 has zero adverse entry-to-stop price risk, but 5 per unit of mark-to-stop risk. Using abs(entry - stop) would wrongly label locked-in profit as an entry loss. Costs can still be positive.
- The examples use the same $100,000 current-equity denominator for both heat measures. Comparing original risk fractions that used different historical equity values does not produce a consistent current total.
- Check that the active stop is below the current mark for a long and above it for a short. A crossed or already triggered stop requires an execution-status review, not a reassuring zero-risk result. Partial stop coverage requires separate covered and uncovered quantities.
| Measure | Reference p | What the result means |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-to-current-stop heat | Actual entry price | Remaining adverse outcome relative to entry, using the current stop; profitable stop outcomes do not offset other risks |
| Mark-to-stop heat | Current executable mark | Potential decline from the current position valuation to its stop, before execution beyond the allowance |
| Original entry risk | Original entry and original stop | A saved decision-time budget; store it separately when stops or quantities change |