The rules for determining how large each trade should be (e.g. number of lots or volume). Position sizing logic is a subset of money management: it might use fixed lots, fixed fractional risk, martingale (doubling after a loss), or other algorithms. Correct position sizing is crucial – as Investopedia notes, “the single most important factor… is the size of the position you take” and position sizing “will account for the quickest and most magnified returns”.
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Definition: Calculation of trade volume (lot size) based on strategy parameters, account equity, or risk per trade. For example, a bot might use “2% of equity per trade” or “fixed 0.1 lots.”
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Context: Usually coded by reading account information (balance or equity) and dividing by required margin or risk. In MQL one might use
AccountBalance()
orAccountFreeMargin()
, in cAlgoAccount.Equity
, and in NinjaScriptAccount.GetAccountValue()
. The logic applies whichever money-management rule the EA specifies. -
Example Code:
These examples show different sizing approaches. Note that CFI’s tutorial mentions position size “determined according to risk appetite”, underscoring that sizing logic should match the trader’s risk tolerance.