Understanding Lots in CFD Trading
When trading CFDs, position sizes are based on ‘lots’. A ‘lot’ is the standard number of units of the underlying asset which is being traded. Lots vary depending on the markets that a trader wishes to be involved in.
The value of a lot is set out by the broker and is the minimum number of units that you can buy of any given financial instrument.
You can check the number of units within MT4 by:
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Right clicking on the instrument within the ‘Market Watch’
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Go to ‘Specification’
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See ‘Contract Size’
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A lot refers to any financial instrument or tradeable asset on the xxxxx platform, however, the ultimate size and value of a lot will vary between markets.
Micro lot trading allows traders on LonghornFX to trade with a fraction of the contract size also known as micro lots which start at 0.01. The maximum lot size at xxxx is 1,000.
The standard contract size for assets in units:
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Forex 100,000
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Metals 5,000
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Oil 1,000
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Stocks 100
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Crypto 10
What is 1 Lot in Forex and how does leverage impact its calculation?
If we use AUD/USD currency pair as a case study, this instrument would contain a contract size of 100,000 units.
1 lot would be equal to $100,000
By using a leverage setting of 1:500 a trader would need $200 in their account to open a position. This is calculated as follows:
100,000 contract size / 500 leverage = $200 required balance to trade 1 lot
If we were to lower the leverage setting to 1:100 for the same pair AUD/USD the calculation would change:
100,000 / 100 = $1,000 required balance to trade 1 lot
Lot Size
Units of
Base Currency
Volume
Pip Value
(base: USD)
1 Standard Lot
100,000 units
1.1
1 pip = $10
1 Mini Lot
10,000 units
0.1
1 pip = $1
1 Micro Lot
1,000 units
0.01
1 pip = $0.10
1 Nano Lot
100 units
0.001
1 pip = $0.01
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