best leverage For a $5 account
Choosing the best leverage for a $5 account size might seem like a straightforward decision, however, there are several different options. At a small account size, many traders are inclined to maximize risk and therefore aim for a higher ratio such as 1:100 leverage.
In general, there are two things to consider when you choose leverage for a 5 dollar account:
- How much risk are you willing to take?
- What is your average holding time?
Knowing these two factors the decision will come easier since each trading style has its own characteristics. It’s typically recommended for beginners to start out at a lower ratio.
What is the best leverage for a $5 account?
The best leverage for $5 is between 1:10 – 1:100.
Below is a table to help you choose easier.
| Scalping | Day trading | Swing trading | |
| Low risk | 1:30 | 1:20 | 1:10 |
| Medium risk | 1:50 | 1:40 | 1:20 |
| High risk | 1:100 | 1:85 | 1:30 |
As you increase the time with an open position, your risk increases as well. With a shorter time frame, you are allowed to increase your leverage ratio.
An aggressive scalping trader looking for high risk is able to use 100x leverage and still be within risk limits. Since the duration in the market is very short, the added risk is justified.
Is it possible to leverage a $5 account?
Leveraging a 5 USD account is definitely possible and is in most cases recommended unless you are in practice mode. Trading $5 without leverage can be a tough assignment even for a seasoned trader.
In order to get started with a small account size you need to find a leverage broker that offers very low deposit limits. Many leverage trading platforms offer mini accounts or even micro accounts which allow for very small initial investments.
If there is no limit on how little you are allowed to deposit into your trading account, there are also no limits on the size of your leveraged positions.
How to leverage $5
If you have decided to leverage $5, your first step would be to find a broker that offers leveraged products such as forex, stocks, or crypto. From here, create an account and proceed to fund the account with your $5.
From here it’s your job to select the proper leverage ratio, you can use our table above to get it right. If your broker doesn’t allow you to change the leverage ratio, I would recommend finding another trading platform.
For crypto traders, most popular crypto leverage exchanges offer low deposit limits which allow for $5 deposits or less. Stock and forex traders are better off using a CFD broker.
How to Choose Leverage for $5
As mentioned above, the main factor for choosing leverage ratios for $5 is to consider your risk tolerance and leverage trading strategy. For most beginner traders, choosing a low leverage such as 1:10 will be a good way to start out.
This means that for every $1 you deposit into your trading account, your broker will give you $10 of extra buying power when you enter the market. With time and experience, you can start increasing the leverage ratio.
See our table above to pick the best leverage for 5 dollars.
It is quite similar to choosing the best leverage for a $10 account.
Selecting position size
Your position size is the total value of your trade. In leverage trading, it’s important to remember that for each position size, there are two factors that play together, leverage and margin.
Margin is your own money that you have deposited in your account, in this case, $5, and leverage is the borrowed funds that you receive from the broker.
It is typically recommended to now risk more than 1% of your account size to avoid large drawdowns. However, with good leverage risk management such as a stop loss, you can more freely add more margin to your positions.
When leveraging a $5 account, it’s then wise to not risk more than $0,05 per trade to stay within risk limits.
How leverage affects losses and profits for $5
It’s true that leveraged losses are amplified when compared to trading without leverage. For example, if you open a position with $5 and 1:1 leverage, your losses will be the same as if you were trading without borrowed money.
However, if you increase to 1:2 leverage, your losses will be 100% larger or two times as big. As you trade with higher ratios, your losses will keep increasing.
The same thing goes for profits. If you trade a $5 account with 1:5 leverage, your profits will be 500% as big as if you would trade without borrowed funds. A 20% increase that would normally yield a profit of $1 will instead result in a $5 gain.
Where to leverage trade 5 dollars
Below are some great brokers and exchanges where you can leverage trade with $5:
- Libertex
- AvaTrade
- BYDFi
- Binance
Nowadays there are several low-deposit brokers that offer leverage to traders with small account sizes. One important factor when choosing a broker is the leveraged commission that they charge you.
At higher ratios, your fees will increase at the same rate which can cause your account balance to suffer if you are not being careful.
Strategies when leveraging $5
The most popular strategy for leveraging $5 would be scalping. Scalping is a way of trading the markets at very short time frames from a few seconds up to a few minutes.
Day trading is also a common way to trade the markets and a top crypto leverage trading strategy among many beginners and advanced traders.
Swing trading is a possible alternative for those who want to take a more conservative approach. Swing trading is typically less risky than the other strategies.
Comparing account sizes
Looking at different account sizes the obvious factor is the lack of margin capital. The best leverage for $5 is not the same as the best leverage for $500.
Bigger account sizes are more flexible and you can typically trade with a lower leverage ratio while still making good profits.
Not all traders are able to invest thousands or even hundreds of dollars into their trading account and the best leverage for a beginner with a small account size tends to be higher to compensate for the lack of their own funding.
Margin risk and liquidations
When trading with leverage, your margin capital is always used as risk capital. This means that if you lose money on a leveraged trade, this money is deducted from your margin balance.
Another big risk factor is the margin call and liquidation. A margin call simply means that your broker will send you a notification saying that your margin requirement has fallen below the safety limit due to outsized losses.
A liquidation from leverage means that you have ignored your initial margin call and the market has continued against you causing your account to go bankrupt. This means that you have lost all the money in your account.
When choosing leverage for a $5 account size, it is important to stay alert to your margin limits and always be aware of the increased risk.
Things to consider
The most important things to consider when leveraging a $5 account are the type of broker your choose, and your underlying asset.
You should select a leverage broker that is reputable with low commissions. If you are a short-term scalper, the market you pick should have high volatility which will enable you to enter the market several times per day.
Crypto leverage trading is a great market to try for scalping traders who are looking for volatile assets.
What to expect when leveraging 5 dollars
You should have realistic expectations when trading $5 with leverage. The potential upside is not going to be huge and it’s going to be tough to make significant gains.
However, using a small account size will liberate you from worrying too much about losing larger sums of money.
One thing to keep in mind is not to trade recklessly with a 5-dollar account size, if you treat it like a larger account you could potentially grow it into something larger.
Pros and cons
The main advantage of leveraging an account of $5 is that your maximum loss is limited to $5 if the broker you are trading with offers negative balance protection.
On top of that, another benefit is that you will pay smaller fees since your position sizes will typically stay smaller than a few hundred dollars.
The obvious downside is that your profit potential is limited. It is not going to be possible for you to make larger gains straight out. You need to build up your trading capital first.
FAQ
It can be suitable for beginners to trade a small account size with leverage as long as strict risk management is followed and sound position sizing.
Overleveraging is probably the most common mistake among beginners. This can cause unwanted margin calls and even full liquidations.
Forex is a great way to start out if you are looking for a more calm market to trade. Crypto and stocks are for traders who want a more volatile asset that can generate bigger movements.
The best way to maximize profits with a $5 account size is to trade breakouts with high leverage and a tight stop loss.
In most cases, it is not possible to change the leverage when the trade is already opened. In order to change the leverage ratio you need to first close out the trade.
Conclusion
Leverage trading with $5 is very common and many traders with small account sizes can benefit greatly from increased buying power. When selecting a leverage ratio for a $5 account size you need to consider your risk tolerance and your time frame.
By following strict risk management and using a good strategy it is possible to make money with $5. Finally, picking a good broker is going to be essential to avoid high commissions. With practice, your trading account could grow bigger which is a very rewarding experience.
