Lot sizes in copy trading: equity, multiplier, fixed or risk %
The question every copy trader asks first: if the master opens 1 lot, how big should the copy be? The answer depends on the sizes of the two accounts and on how much risk you want each one to carry.
Match equity (the safe default)
The copy uses the same share of its money as the master.
copy lot = master lot × (copy equity ÷ master equity)
| Master | Copy | Master trade | Copy trade | |---|---|---|---| | $10,000 | $2,000 | 1.00 lot | 0.20 lot | | $10,000 | $50,000 | 0.50 lot | 2.50 lots | | $5,000 | $5,000 | 0.30 lot | 0.30 lot |
Equity includes open profit and loss, so if the copy is already down on other trades, new copies come out a little smaller. That's usually what you want.
Match balance works the same way but ignores open trades, so sizes don't move while trades are running.
Multiplier
The copy uses the master lot times a number. 1 copies the same lot, 0.5 copies half, 2 copies double. You can also combine it with equity matching: equity matching first, then the multiplier on top, which is how you run one account a little more carefully than the others.
Fixed lot
Every copied trade uses the same lot no matter what the master does. Useful for a small test account, but it ignores how big the master's trade was, so a master that scales in from 0.10 to 2.00 will look the same on the copy.
Risk %
The copy sizes each trade so that hitting the stop loss costs a set percentage of the copy's equity. If the master opens a trade without a stop loss, there's nothing to measure, so Vuxcopy falls back to equity matching for that trade.
When accounts use different currencies or contract sizes
Lot sizes only make sense if a lot means the same thing on both accounts. It often doesn't:
- Cent accounts show balances in cents. 1,000 ¢ is $10. A copier that reads the balance as $1,000 will open copies 100 times too big.
- Contract sizes differ. One broker's gold lot is 100 ounces, another's is 10.
- Account currency differs. A €5,000 account is not the same as a $5,000 one.
Vuxcopy compares the value of a price move on each account rather than the raw lot number, converts cents and currencies to dollars, and then sizes the copy. The result is rounded to the broker's lot step and kept between its minimum and maximum.
Rounding and the minimum lot
Brokers only accept lots in steps, usually 0.01. A very small copy account will often get the minimum lot, which can be more risk than the exact number. If the calculation comes out below the minimum, you can choose to skip the trade or open the minimum.
Caps
Whatever mode you choose, set a max lot and max open trades on each copy. They're the safety net if the master ever opens something much bigger than usual.