What Is the 2% Rule? The 2% rule is an investing strategy where an investor risks no more than 2% of their available capital on any single trade. To implement the 2% rule, the investor first must calculate what 2% of their available trading account is: Example: $5,000.00 account equals $100.00 risk per trade. Key Takeaways: The 2% rule is an investing strategy where an investor risks no more than 2% of their available capital on any single trade. To apply the 2% rule, an investor must first determine their available capital. Stop-loss orders can be implemented to maintain the 2% rule risk threshold as market conditions change. How the 2% Rule Works The 2% rule is a restriction that investors impose on their trading activities in order to stay within specified risk management parameters. For example, an investor who uses the 2% rule and has a $100,000 trading account, risks no more than $2,000-or 2% of the value of the account-on a particular investment.