The VSA rules for protective stop placement: for longs, place the stop below the last reaction low (the most recent swing low or, on a spring/shake-out entry, below the spring low); for shorts, place the stop above the last reaction high (or above the up-thrust/UTAD high). Use odd, irregular numbers (e.g., $48.37 or $99.83) rather than round numbers ($50.00, $100.00) because market-makers routinely hunt the clustered stops at round levels. Trail stops as the position moves into profit to lock in gains while letting winners run.