Margin on gold: how "1 lot" can mean ten times your usual risk

[FXS London Scalper]

A common mistake: trading EURUSD at 1 lot and then opening gold at "1 lot" too, without checking what that means.

On most MT5 accounts, 1 lot of XAUUSD is 100 ounces. A $1 move in gold is $100 per lot. A typical 3-dollar scalp stop is $300 per lot, while 1 lot of EURUSD with a 5 pip stop is about $50. Same "1 lot", six times the risk.

Simple protections:

• A position-size calculator with the symbol selected, used every time on a new instrument.
• Default volume per symbol in MT5's one-click panel, set before you trade it.
• A hard cap in an EA or a script that blocks orders above a set volume per symbol.
• Starting any new instrument at minimum size for a week.

Margin is a separate issue. With leverage, the margin requirement may look small enough that the platform happily accepts the order. Margin tells you what the broker needs, not what you can afford to lose.

Has anyone set a per-symbol volume cap, and how?