Most blown accounts are not caused by bad entries. They are caused by inconsistent sizing. Use the calculator to size every trade to a fixed risk, then track whether you actually did it.
The Idea
A stop loss only protects you if the position behind it is the right size.
Position sizing is the process of choosing how big a trade should be so that, if your stop is hit, you lose a fixed, pre-decided amount of your account and nothing more.
You decide the risk first, usually a small fixed percentage of your balance. That sets a dollar amount you are willing to lose. The distance to your stop then determines how large the position can be while keeping the loss equal to that amount.
It is the single most important risk control in trading because it is the only one that works the same way on every trade, in every market condition, regardless of how the trade turns out.
Free Calculator
Enter your balance, the risk you accept, your entry and your stop. Get the exact size that keeps the loss at your planned risk.
Position Size Calculator
Works for any market - stocks, crypto and forex. Enter the entry and stop as prices in the same units. How to read the result is explained right below.
Position size = (Balance x Risk%) / Stop Distance. Forex: divide units by 100,000 for standard lots (shown above). Ignore the lots figure if you do not trade forex.
Which Market Is This For?
The maths is identical everywhere. Only what the number represents changes with what you trade.
The position size is the number of shares or contracts to trade. Profit and loss is size times the price move, so the figure is ready to use as is. Ignore the lots line.
The size is the number of coins or contracts, for example 0.05 BTC. Enter the entry and stop exactly as the prices appear on the exchange. Ignore the lots line.
The size is units of the base currency. The second result converts it to standard lots for you (100,000 units = 1 lot). A 50 pip stop on a 4 decimal pair is a 0.0050 stop distance.
Why It Matters
The maths of survival is brutal and most traders never run it. The deeper the hole, the harder it is to climb out.
A 50% loss needs a 100% gain to recover. A 20% loss needs 25%. Oversizing once can undo months of disciplined trading in a single afternoon.
Even a strong system has losing runs. Fixed fractional sizing means each loss is smaller than the last in dollar terms, so a streak cannot end the account.
When size is a formula and not a feeling, conviction stops inflating positions. The trades you feel best about are exactly the ones that need a fixed size.
The Real Problem
Sizing on a calculator is easy. Sizing the same way on every trade, especially after a loss, is where it breaks.
Sizing by feel
The percentage that quietly drifts.
Tracker Fx
The risk you really took, measured.
Supported Platforms
Connect your account and Tracker Fx calculates the risk you actually took on every closed trade. No imports, no CSV files.
cTrader
Connects via the official cTrader API. Full history imports on connection and real risk is calculated on every new trade.
Learn about cTrader → 14-day free trial included
Bybit
Connects via read-only API key (Bybit Global). Risk per trade calculated on Perpetuals and Spot, synced every 2 hours.
Learn about Bybit → 14-day free trial included
OANDA
Connects via the OANDA API. Forex, indices, commodities and metals with real risk on every trade.
Learn about OANDA → 14-day free trial included
MetaTrader 4 & MT5
Connects via API to any MT4 or MT5 broker. No plugins and no CSV exports - real risk per trade synced automatically.
Learn about MetaTrader → Requires a paid planTraders on Tracker Fx
What changes when you can see the size you actually took, not the size you intended.
"I always said I risked 1%. The data showed my losing days averaged closer to 3% because I sized up to get even. Seeing it was the only thing that finally stopped it."
"My strategy was fine. My sizing was not. Two oversized trades a month were eating everything the other forty earned. I had no idea until I could see risk per trade."
"The calculator got me sizing right. The journal kept me honest about whether I actually stuck to it. Both mattered."
FAQ
Multiply your account balance by the percentage you will risk to get a risk amount. Divide that risk amount by the distance between your entry and your stop loss. The result is the position size that keeps your loss equal to your planned risk if the stop is hit.
Most consistent traders risk a small fixed percentage, commonly between 0.5% and 2% of account equity. The exact number matters less than keeping it constant across every trade regardless of how confident you feel.
Your entry decides whether a single trade wins. Your position size decides whether a losing streak ends your account. Inconsistent sizing is one of the most common reasons a profitable strategy still loses money over time.
The calculator plans the trade. Tracker Fx shows what you actually did: it calculates the real risk taken on every closed trade from synced broker data, so you can see whether you sized consistently or quietly risked more on some trades than others.
Yes. Tracker Fx includes a 14-day free trial with full access to all journaling and analytics features. The free trial is available for all platforms except MetaTrader, which requires a paid plan.
Start Today
Connect cTrader, Bybit or OANDA and Tracker Fx calculates the real risk you took on every trade, so you can see whether your sizing is as disciplined as your plan.
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Real Risk Per Trade14-Day Free TrialRead-Only AccessAll Platforms Except MetaTrader