Glossaire · Comment trader le forex ?Stop loss
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A stop loss is an order that closes your trade at a set price to cap the loss. It turns into a market order when price reaches it, so in a fast market or a gap it can fill at a worse price.
Every trade needs an exit for the case where you are wrong. A stop loss writes that exit down in advance. If price reaches the level, the position closes on its own, whether or not you are watching.
How a stop loss triggers
A stop loss on a buy position sits below the entry and is checked against the bid, because closing a buy means selling. On a sell position it sits above the entry and is checked against the ask.
That detail matters for short trades. When spreads widen at the daily rollover, the ask can jump and trigger a short's stop even though the bid line on your chart never reached it.
A stop loss is a stop order. Once triggered it becomes a market order and fills at the next available price. In a fast move or a weekend gap, that can be several pips past your level.
A trailing stop moves the stop loss behind price as the trade gains. In MetaTrader it runs in your terminal, not on the server, so it stops trailing when the terminal is closed.
Sizing a trade from the stop
The stop also tells you how big the trade can be. Decide how much money you accept losing, then divide it by the stop distance times the pip value of one lot.
An example with illustrative numbers: a $2,000 account risks 1%, which is $20. The stop is 25 pips away on EUR/USD, where one pip on a standard lot is worth $10.
Lots = $20 ÷ (25 × $10) = 0.08 lot. On 0.08 lot a pip is worth $0.80, so if the stop fills at its level the loss is 25 × $0.80 = $20.
The lot size calculator runs this sum for any pair and account currency. Many traders pair the stop with a take profit, which closes the trade at a target instead.
Questions fréquentes
Is a stop loss guaranteed?
Not normally. A standard stop fills at the next available price, so a gap can push the fill past your level; some brokers offer guaranteed stops for an extra charge.
Where should I put my stop loss?
Put it where your trade idea is proven wrong, such as beyond a recent swing high or low. Then size the position so that distance costs a small, fixed share of your account.
Leverage multiplies losses as well as gains; only trade money you can afford to lose.
Autres termes de ce chapitre
Bid priceThe bid price is the price at which you can sell a currency pair right now. It is the lower of the two prices in every forex quote. You open a sell trade at the bid, and you close a buy trade at the bid.
Ask priceThe ask, or offer, is the price at which you can buy a currency pair right now. It is the higher of the two prices in every forex quote. You open a buy trade at the ask, and you close a sell trade at the ask.
PipA pip is the standard unit for measuring a change in a forex price. On most currency pairs it is 0.0001, the fourth decimal place, and on pairs quoted in Japanese yen it is 0.01. One tenth of a pip is called a pipette.
PipetteA pipette is one tenth of a pip, shown as the extra last digit of most forex quotes. On EUR/USD it is 0.00001, the fifth decimal, and on yen pairs such as USD/JPY it is 0.001. Traders also call it a fractional pip.
LotA lot is the standard unit of trade size in forex. One standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency, a mini lot is 10,000 and a micro lot is 1,000. MetaTrader shows these sizes as volumes of 1.00, 0.10 and 0.01.
Market orderA market order is an instruction to buy or sell straight away at the best price available. A buy fills at the ask and a sell at the bid. You get a fast fill but not a guaranteed price, so in a fast market the fill can slip.
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