Lot sizes in practice
- Standard lot (1.00): 100,000 units. At EUR/USD, a 1 pip move = $10.
- Mini lot (0.10): 10,000 units. 1 pip = $1.
- Micro lot (0.01): 1,000 units. 1 pip = $0.10.
Most retail EAs are configured to trade micro lots (0.01) by default, appropriate for accounts of $500-$5,000 depending on strategy risk.
Minimum deposit calculations
To trade 0.01 lots with a 50-pip stop-loss at 1:30 leverage: margin required is approximately $37; risk per trade is $5.00. A $500 account can absorb 100 such trades before losing half its value.
Broker minimum lot requirement
Some brokers impose a minimum lot size of 0.01; a small number still require 0.10. Always verify minimum lot before deployment — EAs configured below the broker minimum will throw errors.