Most small traders use what is known as a mini account where 1 lot is of 10K units and each pip is worth 1 unit. These mini accounts can be opened with as little money as $250. At the outset, this looks like a boon to small traders as people can get exposed and also make money with as little as $250. If you get a call right, you can make 10-20% of your investment in a single day. Now where else can you get such returns. This mini account with $250 should surely be a boon, we might think. But…Think Again..
Here is where the concept of leverage is very important. Leverage is the ability to control a large amount of something using a small amount of the same thing. Here in a mini account, you control 10K unit using just $250. Here in this case, the leverage is 10,000/250 = 400:1. That is your leverage. It looks great on paper as long as you only think about the profits that such a leverage can bring in. Assume that you bought 1 lot of EURUSD using this money. Lets assume EURUSD was 1.0000 when you bought it. It goes in your favor and rises by 1% and becomes 1.0100. So you make a cool (10000 x 1.0100) – (10000 x 1.0000) = $100 on your trade. This means that you made 40% of your investment in your trade. That sounds fantastic. Absolutely!!
But now consider this. The same trade goes against you and the price falls by 1%. So you lose the same $100. This wipes off your account by 40% while EURUSD has moved just 1 % !! So you lost 40% of your account in a single trade leaving you with next to nothing for your next trade. If your trading and your account is worth only for one trade, then it will not be a very good trading career that you are going to have.
Now consider this. You have $1000 in your mini account and as above, you buy 1 lot of EURUSD. This time the leverage would be 10000/1000 = 10:1. Now if EURUSD falls by 1%, you will lose $100 again but this time, it will be just 1% of your account. You lose 1% of your account when EURUSD moves by 1% which is fair enough and this gives you a lot of leeway for EURUSD to move even further against you. Even if it moves further against you, you still have money in your account to sustain that move. If you chose to close it, again you are left with $900 using which you still survive in the trading business.
Of course, a rise of 1% would fetch only 1% return but the aim of trading is not to become rich overnight but to remain in the game for as long as possible and to make slow, steady and consistent profits.
Always remember to have as low a leverage as possible. Trading 1 mini lot using a $250 account can be done only in dreams. Don’t even think of it. Try and have a minimum of $1000 for a mini account (many professional traders will say that even this is very less). I am sure that there are few success stories around of people who made a lot with just $250 but remember, we are not here in trading to be exceptions and to be a smart ass. We are here to make money against a lot of odds. So be as much leveraged and have as much margin as possible. If you don’t have enough money, just wait till you get the required money as it would be no point starting off with $250 because you are going to lose it anyway.
Here is where the concept of leverage is very important. Leverage is the ability to control a large amount of something using a small amount of the same thing. Here in a mini account, you control 10K unit using just $250. Here in this case, the leverage is 10,000/250 = 400:1. That is your leverage. It looks great on paper as long as you only think about the profits that such a leverage can bring in. Assume that you bought 1 lot of EURUSD using this money. Lets assume EURUSD was 1.0000 when you bought it. It goes in your favor and rises by 1% and becomes 1.0100. So you make a cool (10000 x 1.0100) – (10000 x 1.0000) = $100 on your trade. This means that you made 40% of your investment in your trade. That sounds fantastic. Absolutely!!
But now consider this. The same trade goes against you and the price falls by 1%. So you lose the same $100. This wipes off your account by 40% while EURUSD has moved just 1 % !! So you lost 40% of your account in a single trade leaving you with next to nothing for your next trade. If your trading and your account is worth only for one trade, then it will not be a very good trading career that you are going to have.
Now consider this. You have $1000 in your mini account and as above, you buy 1 lot of EURUSD. This time the leverage would be 10000/1000 = 10:1. Now if EURUSD falls by 1%, you will lose $100 again but this time, it will be just 1% of your account. You lose 1% of your account when EURUSD moves by 1% which is fair enough and this gives you a lot of leeway for EURUSD to move even further against you. Even if it moves further against you, you still have money in your account to sustain that move. If you chose to close it, again you are left with $900 using which you still survive in the trading business.
Of course, a rise of 1% would fetch only 1% return but the aim of trading is not to become rich overnight but to remain in the game for as long as possible and to make slow, steady and consistent profits.
Always remember to have as low a leverage as possible. Trading 1 mini lot using a $250 account can be done only in dreams. Don’t even think of it. Try and have a minimum of $1000 for a mini account (many professional traders will say that even this is very less). I am sure that there are few success stories around of people who made a lot with just $250 but remember, we are not here in trading to be exceptions and to be a smart ass. We are here to make money against a lot of odds. So be as much leveraged and have as much margin as possible. If you don’t have enough money, just wait till you get the required money as it would be no point starting off with $250 because you are going to lose it anyway.
