Understanding how to trade foreign currencies requires detailed knowledge about the economies and political situations of individual countries, global macroeconomics, and the impact of volatility on specific markets. But the truth is, it isn’t usually economics or global finance that trip up first-time forex traders. Instead, a basic lack of knowledge on how to use leverage is often at the root of trading losses.
Data disclosed by the largest foreign exchange brokerages as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act indicates that a majority of retail forex customers lose money. The misuse of leverage is often viewed as the reason for these losses. This article explains the risks of high leverage in the forex markets, outlines ways to offset risky leverage levels, and educates readers on ways to pick the right level of exposure for their comfort.
Key Takeaways
- Leverage is the use of borrowed funds to increase one's trading position beyond what would be available from their cash balance alone.
- Forex traders often use leverage to profit from relatively small price changes in currency pairs.
- Since leverage, can amplify both profits as well as losses, choosing the right amount is a key risk determination for traders.
- Leverage in the forex markets can be 50:1 to 100:1 or more, which is significantly larger than the 2:1 leverage commonly provided on equities and the 15:1 leverage provided in the futures market.
The Risks of High Leverage
Leverage is a process in which an investor borrows money in order to invest in or purchase something. In forex trading, capital is typically acquired from a broker. While forex traders are able to borrow significant amounts of capital on initial margin requirements, they can gain even more from successful trades.
In the past, many brokers had the ability to offer significant leverage ratios as high as 400:1. This means, that with only a $250 deposit, a trader could control roughly $100,000 in currency on the global forex markets. However, financial regulations in 2010 limited the leverage ratio that brokers could offer to U.S.-based traders to 50:1 (still a rather large amount). This means that with the same $250 deposit, traders can control $12,500 in currency.
So should a new currency trader select a low level of leverage such as 5:1 or roll the dice and ratchet the ratio up to 50:1? Before answering, it’s important to take a look at examples showing the amount of money that can be gained or lost with various levels of leverage.
Example Using Maximum Leverage
Imagine Trader A has an account with $10,000 cash. They decide to use the 50:1 leverage, which means that they can trade up to $500,000. In the world of forex, this represents five standard lots. There are three basic trade sizes in forex: a standard lot (100,000 units of quote currency), a mini lot (10,000 units of the base currency), and a micro lot (1,000 units of quote currency). Movements are measured in pips. Each one-pip movement in a standard lot is a 10 unit change.
Assuming the trader purchased five standard lots with the U.S. Dollar as the quote currency, then each one-pip movement will cost $50. If the trade goes against the investor by 50 pips, the investor would lose 50 pips x $50 = $2,500. This is 25% of the total $10,000 trading account.
Example Using Less Leverage
Let’s move on to Trader B. Instead of maxing out leverage at 50:1, they choose a more conservative leverage of 5:1. If Trader B has an account with $10,000 cash, they will be able to trade $50,000 of currency. Each mini-lot would cost $10,000.In a mini lot, each pip is a $1 change. Since Trader B has 5 mini lots, each pip is a $5 change.
Should the investment fall that same amount, by 50 pips, then the trader would lose 50 pips x $5 = $250. This is just 2.5% of the total position.
How to Pick the Right Leverage Level
There are widely accepted rules that investors should review before selecting a leverage level. The easiest three rules of leverage are as follows:
- Maintain low levels of leverage.
- Use trailing stops to reduce downside and protect capital.
- Limit capital to 1% to 2% of total trading capital on each position taken.
Forex traders should choose the level of leverage that makes them most comfortable. If you are conservative and don’t like taking many risks, or if you’re still learning how to trade currencies, a lower level of leverage like 5:1 or 10:1 might be more appropriate.
Trailing or limit stops provide investors with a reliable way to reduce their losses when a trade goes in the wrong direction. By using limit stops, investors can ensure that they can continue to learn how to trade currencies but limit potential losses if a trade fails. These stops are also important because they help reduce the emotion of trading and allow individuals to pull themselves away from their trading desks without emotion.
The Bottom Line
Selecting the right forex leverage level depends on a trader’s experience, risk tolerance, and comfort when operating in the global currency markets. New traders should familiarize themselves with the terminology and remain conservative as they learn how to trade and build experience. Using trailing stops, keeping positions small, and limiting the amount of capital for each position is a good start to learning the proper way to manage leverage.
FAQs
Forex traders should choose the level of leverage that makes them most comfortable. If you are conservative and don't like taking many risks, or if you're still learning how to trade currencies, a lower level of leverage like 5:1 or 10:1 might be more appropriate.
What leverage is good for $100 forex? ›
For traders with $100 in capital, it is advisable to use low leverage, such as 1:10 or 1:20, to manage risk effectively. Using high leverage with a small account can be extremely risky.
Is 1 500 leverage good for forex? ›
Increased potential profits: With 1:500 leverage, even small price movements can lead to significant profits. For example, if a trader has $1000 in their account, they can control a position worth $500,000. If the currency pair moves by just 1%, the trader can potentially make $5000 in profits.
What is the best leverage for a $500 account? ›
Best leverage for a small account: $5, $10, $30, $50, $100, $200, $500, and $1000
| Low risk | High risk |
|---|
| $100 | 1:8 | 1:25 |
| $200 | 1:5 | 1:20 |
| $500 | 1:3 | 1:15 |
| $1000 | 1:2 | 1:12 |
4 more rowsMay 8, 2022
For instance, traders who have limited capital and are just starting may find it difficult to trade with 1:30 leverage as they would need a substantial amount of margin to open trades. In contrast, 1:500 leverage may allow them to take larger positions with a lower amount of capital.
How much can you make with $1000 in forex? ›
You can see that starting with a $1,000 deposit will give you more trading flexibility and produce more income than starting at $100. Of course, these figures are all hypothetical and most traders who start with $1,000 will likely be making only $10 to around $30 a day with any regularity.
What leverage should a beginner use? ›
This would mean you have 100,000 units to trade with, but you will have magnified your chances of losing money. Therefore, the best leverage for a beginner is 1:10, or if you want to be safer, choose a leverage of 1:1, depending on the amount you are starting with.
How much leverage is safe in forex? ›
The best leverage in forex markets depends on the investor. For conservative investors, or new ones, a low leverage ratio of 5:1/10:1 may be good. For seasoned investors, who are more risk-friendly, leverages may be as high as 50:1 or even 100:1 plus.
What leverage is best in forex? ›
As a new trader, you should consider limiting your leverage to a maximum of 10:1. Or to be really safe, 1:1. Trading with too high a leverage ratio is one of the most common errors made by new forex traders. Until you become more experienced, we strongly recommend that you trade with a lower ratio.
What leverage do professional traders use? ›
Many professional traders say that the best leverage for $100 is 1:100. This means that your broker will offer $100 for every $100, meaning you can trade up to $100,000. However, this does not mean that with a 1:100 leverage ratio, you will not be exposed to risk.
The optimal risk of $30 a trade will allow you to trade 0.1 lots with an SL of 300 points. The potential growth will be $90. Depending on the percentage of your account you want to assign for a trade, there may be different combinations and the size of stop-loss in points you need for your trade may differ.
What lot size is good for a $200 forex account? ›
The best lot size to start with in Forex trading with a $ 200 account would be 0.01 lot , which is equivalent to 1,000 units of the base currency . This lot size allows for a lower risk and more manageable losses , especially for beginner traders .
What is a safe amount of leverage? ›
The easiest three rules of leverage are as follows: Maintain low levels of leverage. Use trailing stops to reduce downside and protect capital. Limit capital to 1% to 2% of total trading capital on each position taken.
How much leverage do day traders use? ›
Additionally, the amount you need to have in your account is updated constantly. Your broker determines how much leverage you can receive based on the size of your account and is typically 2 to 1 for standard margin and 4 to 1 for day trading buying power.
How many lots can I trade with $10,000? ›
Thus, a stop-loss of 30 pips could represent a potential loss of $30 for a single mini lot, $300 for 10 mini lots, and $3,000 for 100 mini lots. Therefore, with a $10,000 account and a 3% maximum risk per trade, you should leverage only up to 30 mini lots even though you may have the ability to trade more.
How risky is 1 500 leverage? ›
Using 1:500 leverage on a $ 10 Forex account can be extremely risky and may result in a blown account . This means that if the trade goes against you , the loss will be magnified by 500 times , potentially wiping out your entire account balance .
What lot size is good for $100 forex? ›
Professional traders' earnings can exceed 500% a year. When you trade forex with $100, it's recommended to open trades of no more than 0.01-0.05 lots so that risks should not exceed 5% of the deposit amount. To trade forex with $100, you will need the maximum leverage to lower the margin amount blocked by the broker.
What is 100 dollars 10x leverage? ›
Let's look at an example of using 10x leverage: Let's say you deposit $100 of margin to your margin account, and you would like to buy Bitcoin. With your $100 margin, you can buy up to $1000 of BTC using 10x leverage. If BTC's price rises by 10%, your leveraged position would increase from $1,000 to $1,100.
Is 1 400 leverage good in forex? ›
1:400 Forex Leverage Ratio
1:400 leverage comes with high risk, and your account can be automatically wiped out, especially if you deposit a small amount like $500.
Is 100 1 leverage risky? ›
Although 100:1 leverage may seem extremely risky, the risk is significantly less when you consider that currency prices usually change by less than 1% during intraday trading (trading within one day).
