Hedging mode versus netting: not a cosmetic difference

[Shadow Trader]

Some account types let a trader hold a buy and a sell on the same pair at the same time. Others combine them into a single net position. Both get called "normal" by the people used to them, and neither is.

On a hedging account, each trade has its own ticket, stop and target. That's convenient for scalpers who layer entries and manage them separately. It also means margin and swap can be charged on both sides, depending on the broker.

On a netting account, a new sell against an existing buy reduces or flips the position. Stops and targets attach to the net position, not to individual trades. Strategies built around many small independent tickets can behave very differently.

An expert advisor written for one mode often misbehaves on the other. A script that opens a hedge to "lock" a position, for example, simply closes the position on a netting account.

Before switching brokers or platform versions, the account mode is worth checking first. It's one of those details that takes thirty seconds to read and weeks to debug later.

Which mode has worked better for scalping, and was it a deliberate choice or just whatever the broker offered?