Trader of the Month (June 2025): Ricardo – €8,100 in 30 Days with Systematic Trading

In the world of online trading, challenges never stop coming and June 2025 was no exception. Volatile markets, unpredictable moves, and the constant need to adapt put traders to the test. In this environment, one of our students, Ricardo, stood out with a strong and well-balanced performance thanks not only to a solid method but also to his resilience and strategic awareness.

The turning point in Ricardo’s journey came with a significant drawdown triggered by the announcement of new tariffs imposed by Donald Trump. That moment marked a clear break in his trajectory, forcing him to completely restructure his portfolio. From that crisis, Ricardo emerged with greater clarity and a more robust trading setup.

The result? A nearly 18% return in June, with over €8,100 in profits and a maximum drawdown under 4%.

 

The Turning Point: Trump’s Tariffs and a Portfolio Overhaul

Ricardo joined Unger Academy® in April 2024 and started live trading in January 2025. After a promising start, he faced a challenging period, partly due to what may have been an excessive use of leverage.

The real stress test came with the announcement of new U.S. tariffs, a market event that led to a sharp drawdown in his trading performance. Yet, this setback sparked a critical moment of reflection.

Ricardo used the opportunity to restructure his portfolio from the ground up: he removed underperforming strategies and replaced them with more solid, diversified systems, including one trading Silver. What started as a three-system portfolio has now evolved into a diversified lineup of 14 live trading strategies.

 

The June Stats: Performance, Risk, and Strategy

Here’s a quick look at Ricardo’s results in June:

• +17.70% return
• 3.85% max drawdown
• $8,102 net profit

His portfolio currently includes strategies operating on DAX, Crude Oil, Mini S&P 500, Gold, Nasdaq, Natural Gas, and Silver. Ricardo primarily trades micro contracts, except for Natural Gas, for which he uses the standard contract.

A cornerstone of his approach is the analysis of system interactions and asset correlations. For Ricardo, real diversification is not a theory, it’s a practical necessity for stability and long-term consistency.

 

Honorable Mention: Filippo

Among the other standout traders in June was Filippo, who delivered a remarkable +37.79% return with a drawdown of 10.73%. A strong result that once again speaks to the high level of preparation within the Unger Academy community.

 

Ricardo’s Advice for New Live Traders

For those just starting out in live trading, Ricardo has a key piece of advice:

“Don’t be fooled by the numbers. Past performance, without a clear and logical rationale, could just be the result of randomness. Every system must make sense, don’t rely on lucky combinations of patterns.”

This insight reflects one of the core principles of the Unger Method: using logic and good sense to evaluate trading system performance. This is how traders can avoid common pitfalls like overfitting, where systems are too optimized for historical data and fail to adapt to real future conditions.

 

A Story of Awareness and Adaptation

Ricardo’s journey is a clear example of how to face market challenges with clarity, structure, and a systematic mindset. His ability to respond to a tough phase, rethink his strategy, and come back stronger proves the potential of systematic trading as a long-term approach.

His success is built on resilience, knowledge, and adaptability – essential traits for anyone who wants to grow in the world of algorithmic trading.

 

Want to Know More About the “Trader of the Month” Contest?

Curious about our “Trader of the Month” contest? This exciting monthly competition is open exclusively to Unger Academy students and rewards the top performer with a €1,000 Amazon gift card for achieving the best live trading results using the Unger Method. Interested? Click here to learn more!

Want to see the champions from previous months? Click here to check them out! to check them out!