Minimum deposit myths vs realistic capital for cost-efficient scalping

[FXS London Scalper]

Brokers advertise low minimum deposits, sometimes $10 or $100. The deposit needed to open an account and the capital needed to scalp sensibly are two very different numbers.

Some practical constraints:

- Minimum lot size. At 0.01 lots on EURUSD, a pip is worth about $0.10. With a 5-pip stop and 1% risk per trade, the account needs to be at least $50. Fine. But commission minimums on some raw accounts make 0.01-lot trades expensive relative to the move.
- Position size flexibility. With a small account, you can't size precisely. If your rules say 0.013 lots, you trade 0.01 or 0.02, so risk per trade jumps around.
- Cost per trade in percentage terms. A fixed minimum commission eats a larger share of small trades.
- Psychological weight. Very small accounts invite overtrading because each trade "doesn't matter".

A rough way to find your own minimum: decide your risk per trade (e.g. 0.5%), typical stop, and the smallest lot step. The account needs to be large enough that your normal trade is at least 3–5 lot steps, so sizing can vary sensibly.

What account size did you start with, and was it enough for your rules to work?