How do contract sizes differ for gold, indices and crypto?
Quick answer
Contract sizes vary by instrument: one lot of gold is commonly 100 ounces, so a $1 move is worth $100 per lot; index CFDs are often priced per point per contract; and crypto lots are often one coin. Traders must know each size to calculate risk correctly, especially when moving from forex.
Detailed answer
Traders who only trade forex are used to 100,000-unit lots. Other instruments behave very differently, and the same lot size can mean very different risk.
Gold and silver
- Gold: 1 lot = 100 ounces. A move from 2,350.00 to 2,351.00 is $100 per lot.
- Silver: often 5,000 ounces per lot, so a $0.10 move is $500 per lot.
Indices
- Typically 1 contract = 1 unit of the index, so each point is worth one unit of the index's currency per contract.
- US500 at 1 contract: a 10-point move is $10.
- GER40: points are in euros, so profit is converted to dollars.
- JP225: points are in yen.
Energies
- WTI or Brent: often 100 barrels per lot, so a $0.50 move is $50 per lot.
Crypto
- Bitcoin or Ether: often 1 lot = 1 coin. A $500 Bitcoin move is $500 per lot.
Why this matters for rule design
A single lot limit applied across all instruments allows very different risk on each. Firms often use risk-based or asset-class rules instead.
PropExecutor uses the broker's real specification for each instrument and offers leverage caps by asset class (forex, metals, indices, energy and crypto) plus a maximum risk per trade rule, so limits reflect real exposure rather than raw lot counts.
PropExecutor team · Updated
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