“All stop losses are hunted.” It’s a belief rooted in frustration — the idea that every time price hits your stop, it’s because someone deliberately targeted it. While it’s true that liquidity around stop clusters can attract price, the notion that all stop losses are hunted is a myth. In reality, stops are a normal part of price discovery — and they serve a critical role in market structure. Let’s explore why stop loss hunting does occur — but it’s not personal, and it’s not always manipulation.

Stops are liquidity — not bait

Every stop order is a pending market order. That means:

• Clusters of stops represent easy liquidity
• Price often moves toward these areas to fill institutional positions
• Smart money may intentionally trigger stops to gain better fills

But this is about liquidity management — not sabotage.

You’re not being hunted — your position is just visible

Most retail traders:

• Place stops just above resistance or below support
• Use round numbers (e.g. 1.3000, 1.2500)
• Cluster in the same areas after breakouts or pullbacks

This predictability makes your stop part of the broader flow. It’s not being hunted — it’s just in the way of bigger business.

Stop runs are part of market structure

False breakouts and stop-clears are often:

• Tests of commitment at key levels
• Liquidity grabs before real moves
• Pre-news positioning by institutions
• Breakdown of weak hands in volatile markets

These are structural behaviours — not evidence of a rigged game.

Good stop placement avoids the herd

Smart traders avoid “hunt zones” by:

• Placing stops beyond key structure — not within it
• Using ATR (average true range) buffers
• Adjusting stops for news and volatility
• Avoiding obvious retail zones unless confluence supports them

You can’t avoid stops — but you can avoid being predictable.

Blaming the market for every stop-out damages growth

If you believe:

• Every loss was manipulated
• You were targeted
• Stops are always wrong

You risk:

• Avoiding stops altogether (leading to large losses)
• Refusing to refine your entries
• Trading from fear, not focus

Stops don’t hurt your edge — poor placement does.

Conclusion: Are all stop losses hunted?

No — not all. Some are swept by design, yes — but many are hit because of normal volatility, structure breaks, or poor placement. It’s not about being hunted. It’s about trading with awareness, precision, and preparation.

Learn how to protect your capital with smart stop placement and risk control in our professional Trading Courses, designed to help you trade with discipline — not paranoia.