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How to Set Stop Loss and Target Levels in Intraday Trading: A Practical Guide for 2025

Writer
Nidhi Thakur
timer
November 1, 2025
How to Set Stop Loss and Target Levels in Intraday Trading: A Practical Guide for 2025blog thumbnail

Key Takeaways

  • A Stop Loss (SL) limits downside risk; a Target (TP) secures profit.
  • Use a Risk–Reward Ratio (1:2 or 1:3) to balance trades.
  • ATR, support/resistance, and VWAP help find logical SL/TP zones.
  • Avoid emotional exits   follow data and discipline.
  • Swastika Investmart provides tools & research-backed alerts for smart intraday traders.

Introduction: Why Stop Loss and Target Levels Matter

In intraday trading, profitability isn’t about how many trades you win   it’s about how much you lose when you’re wrong.
That’s why professional traders swear by two golden tools:

  • Stop Loss (SL)   the price level where you’ll exit if the trade goes against you.
  • Target (TP)   the price level where you’ll lock in profit when your analysis plays out.

Setting them wisely protects you from emotional trading and ensures consistent returns.
Let’s explore how to calculate and execute stop loss and target levels using both data and discipline.

1. What Is Stop Loss in Intraday Trading?

A Stop Loss is a pre-decided exit price that limits your potential loss.
It ensures that one bad trade doesn’t wipe out your capital.

Example:
You buy Infosys at ₹1,500 expecting a rise to ₹1,530.
If your Stop Loss is ₹1,490, your maximum loss = ₹10 per share.

Stop Loss is your safety shield, not a weakness.

Key Benefits:

✅ Protects capital in volatile markets.
✅ Removes emotional decision-making.
✅ Builds discipline and consistency.

2. What Is a Target Price (Take Profit)?

A Target Price (TP) is the level at which you plan to book profit.
It’s usually based on your risk–reward ratio or technical resistance levels.

Example:
If you risk ₹10 per share and aim for ₹20 gain, your target is ₹1,520 (2× your risk).

That’s a 1:2 risk–reward ratio   the benchmark for sustainable trading.

3. The Risk–Reward Ratio: Your Secret Formula

The Risk–Reward Ratio (RRR) compares how much you could gain to how much you’re risking.

Risk–Reward Ratio = (Target – Entry) ÷ (Entry – Stop Loss)

Entry Price Stop Loss Target Risk–Reward Ratio
₹1,500 ₹1,490 ₹1,520 1:2
₹1,000 ₹990 ₹1,030 1:3
₹800 ₹790 ₹810 1:1

Pro Tip:
Never take trades below 1:1.5 risk–reward. Professionals aim for 1:2 or higher, ensuring small losses, big wins.

4. How to Set Stop Loss: Proven Techniques

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” stop loss   it depends on your strategy and volatility.

(a) Technical Stop Loss (Chart-Based)

Use support or resistance zones on charts:

  • For long positions, place SL just below support.
  • For short positions, place SL just above resistance.
(b) ATR-Based Stop Loss (Volatility Method)

Use Average True Range (ATR) to set SL dynamically.

Stop Loss = Entry – (1.5 × ATR) for buy trades.
Stop Loss = Entry + (1.5 × ATR) for sell trades.

ATR adapts your stop to market volatility   tighter when calm, wider when volatile.

(c) Percentage-Based Stop Loss

Decide risk per trade as a % of your capital (e.g., 1%).
If your capital = ₹1,00,000, you can risk ₹1,000 per trade.
If stock = ₹500, lot size = 100 shares → ₹10 per share risk = ₹1,000 total.

5. How to Set Target Levels

Targets should always align with market structure   not just your wish list.

(a) Fixed Risk–Reward Method

Use ratios like 1:2 or 1:3 (risk ₹10 → aim ₹20–₹30 profit).

(b) Swing High/Low Method

Identify the next resistance (for buy) or support (for sell) on charts as your target.

(c) VWAP or Pivot Levels

These dynamic indicators show where price may pause or reverse   perfect for setting smart targets in intraday trades.

6. Stop Loss & Target Example

Let’s put it all together 👇

Trade Type Entry Price Stop Loss Target Outcome
BUY (Reliance) ₹2,400 ₹2,380 ₹2,440 1:2 Reward, Trade Hits Target
SELL (HDFC Bank) ₹1,600 ₹1,615 ₹1,570 1:2 Reward, Trade Profitable

This approach lets you plan the trade before placing it, ensuring emotion-free decision-making.

7. Common Mistakes to Avoid

🚫 Moving Stop Loss after entry   discipline first!
🚫Setting tight SL in volatile stocks   allow breathing room.
🚫 No defined target   leads to greed-based exits.
🚫 Ignoring trailing stop loss   use it to lock in profits as price moves in your favor.

8. How SEBI and Brokers Help You Stay Disciplined

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) mandates robust risk systems for intraday traders.
Modern brokers like Swastika Investmart enhance this with:

  • AI-driven trade alerts for price breaches.
  • Margin tracking dashboards for capital safety.
  • Auto Stop Loss & Bracket Order (BO) features for risk control.
  • Educational webinars to teach retail traders smart risk strategies.

Trading with a SEBI-regulated broker ensures your trades are secure, transparent, and compliant.

9. AI + Stop Loss: The Future of Risk Control

AI now plays a big role in intraday trading.
AI-powered systems track your trade history, volatility patterns, and win-loss ratios to suggest personalized stop loss and target levels.

Swastika Investmart’s next-gen platforms are integrating machine learning analytics that automatically recommend stop levels based on past volatility and trader behavior   a big leap toward smarter, emotion-free trading.

FAQs

1. What is the ideal risk–reward ratio for intraday traders?
A minimum of 1:2 ensures your average profits outweigh occasional losses.

2. How to choose between fixed and dynamic stop loss?
Use fixed SL for stable stocks and ATR-based SL for volatile ones like Bank NIFTY or crude oil.

3. Should I always place a stop loss?
Yes   skipping SL is the number one reason traders lose money. Always protect your downside.

4. What is a trailing stop loss?
A trailing SL moves up as the price moves in your favor   locking profits without exiting too early.

5. How does Swastika Investmart help in stop loss management?
Swastika provides auto SL order types, AI alerts, and risk calculators, making trade management easy, even for beginners.

Conclusion

In intraday trading, success doesn’t come from predicting   it comes from protecting.
Your stop loss defines how much you can lose; your target defines how much you can earn.

By applying a disciplined risk–reward strategy, aligning trades with support/resistance or ATR levels, and using AI-powered broker tools like those from Swastika Investmart, you can trade confidently and sustainably.

Because in the long run, traders who control risk   control success.

👉 Open your account with Swastika Investmart today.

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