Trader Lab · Technical analysis
FxPro. UAE
Lot size: decide what you can lose first
Position size should come from your stop distance and the amount you accept losing on one trade, not from instinct. At FxPro one standard forex lot is 100,000 units, and a gold lot is usually 100 ounces.
75%+ of retail investor accounts lose money trading CFDs.
What one lot is
| Size | Units | EURUSD pip value |
|---|---|---|
| 1.00 lot | 100,000 | 10 dollars |
| 0.10 (mini) | 10,000 | 1 dollar |
| 0.01 (micro) | 1,000 | 10 cents |
The dirham is pegged at about 3.67 to the dollar, so one pip on a full EURUSD lot is about 36.7 dirhams.
The formula
Lots = amount at risk ÷ (stop distance in pips × pip value per lot)
Example: a 20,000-dirham account risking 1%, i.e. 200 dirhams (about 54.5 dollars), with a 25-pip stop on EURUSD: 54.5 ÷ (25 × 10) = about 0.21 lots. Widen the stop to 50 pips and the size falls to 0.10. Stop and size are always set together.
Lot size on gold
With a 100-ounce lot, every dollar gold moves is 100 dollars on a full lot and 1 dollar on 0.01 lot. Check the contract size in the MT5 symbol specification.
Same 54.5-dollar risk, stop 5 dollars from entry: a full lot would lose 500 dollars, so size = 54.5 ÷ 500 = about 0.10 lots. That is why many beginners trade gold in much smaller sizes than currencies.
Pips on gold are counted differently
Some platforms count a gold pip as 0.01 dollars, others 0.1, so "a 50-pip stop" can mean two distances ten times apart. Always work in dollars of price movement.
Required margin and margin level
Required margin = units × price ÷ leverage. One lot of EURUSD at 1.10 with 1:100 needs about 1,100 dollars. Margin level = equity ÷ used margin × 100; at the level set in your account terms you get margin warnings, and lower still positions close automatically. Leverage at FxPro depends on the entity, account and instrument.
A practical rule
Keep the combined loss of all open trades at their stops within 1 to 2% of the account. Automatic close-out is the last safety net, not a substitute for a stop-loss.
Questions
How much do I need to open 0.01 lot?
On EURUSD at 1.10 with 1:100 leverage, 0.01 lot needs about 11 dollars of margin. Your available leverage depends on your account terms.
What lot size suits a 1,000-dollar account?
It depends on the stop. Risking 1% (10 dollars) with a 20-pip EURUSD stop gives 0.05 lots. Size from the stop, not from the balance alone.
Do I need a lot size calculator?
The formula works on any calculator. If you use a tool, check how many units it assumes per lot and how it counts gold pips.