Risk Per Trade: The Only Position Sizing Rule You Need
Forget complex money-management systems. One fixed-fractional rule, applied without exception, outperforms almost everything else.
Position sizing is where most accounts are won or lost, and it is also where most traders overcomplicate things. You do not need martingale, anti-martingale or a Kelly spreadsheet.
You need one rule: risk a fixed, small percentage of your account on every trade, and never deviate.
Why fixed-fractional wins
Risking 1% per trade means a 10-trade losing streak costs roughly 10% — survivable, recoverable, unremarkable. Risk 5% and the same streak takes 40%+ off your account and, far worse, off your psychology.
Small, consistent risk keeps you in the game long enough for your edge to actually express itself. Variance needs sample size, and you cannot get sample size from a blown account.
The number
For most retail traders, 0.5% to 1% per trade is the right band. Prop-firm challenges often demand even less. The exact figure matters less than the consistency.
The MKSTVEFX risk calculator converts that percentage into an exact lot size for XAUUSD, NAS100, FX and crypto — so the rule is effortless to follow on every single trade.
Turn this into a system in MKSTVEFX
The trading journal & analytics platform turns these ideas into a process you actually follow. Create your account and log your first trade today.