Risk per trade
Risk per trade is the amount you lose if your stop loss is hit. Professional traders usually keep it between 0.5% and 2% of the account.
| Risk per trade | Account left after 10 losses in a row | Gain needed to recover |
|---|---|---|
| 1% | about 90% | about +11% |
| 2% | about 82% | about +22% |
| 5% | about 60% | about +67% |
| 10% | about 35% | about +187% |
Losing streaks of 5 to 10 trades happen even with good strategies. Small risk makes them survivable. See the loss recovery calculator.
Questions people ask
Is 1% risk too small to grow an account?
It feels slow, but it lets you survive the learning phase. Growth comes from a positive expectancy repeated over many trades, not from big bets.
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Educational content only, not financial, investment or tax advice. Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money. Look up any term in the trading glossary.