How do I get forex trading guidelines as a PDF?

Open this One-Page Rulebook and press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac), then choose "Save as PDF". All 19 rules, the risk tables and formulas print on a single page.

How much should I risk per trade on a $500 account?

At 1% risk: $5 per trade, with a $15 daily cap and $25 weekly cap. With a 50-pip stop on EURUSD that means 0.01 lots — the minimum size.

What are the golden rules of forex trading?

The golden rules: risk small and fixed per trade (0.5-2%), stop loss on every trade, daily and weekly loss caps, minimum 1:2 risk-reward, journal everything, avoid martingale, and trade only regulated brokers.

What is the rule of 3-5-7 in trading?

The 3-5-7 rule caps losses at three levels: 3% of equity at risk across open positions, 5% maximum daily loss, and 7% maximum weekly loss. Halve each for a conservative account.

One-Page Forex Trading Rulebook

All 19 guidelines on a single page. Print it, pin it next to your screen, or download it as .txt. This is the "guidelines PDF" version of the full forex trading guidelines.

Forex Trading Guidelines — The One-Page Rulebook

Risk capital warning: 70–90% of retail forex accounts lose money. Trade only what you can afford to lose.

The 19 Rules

#	Rule
1	Risk 0.5–2% of account per trade (1% default). Risk $ = balance x %.
2	Stop loss on every trade, placed where the setup is invalidated — never moved closer.
3	Daily loss cap 1–3%; weekly cap 5–6%. Hit the cap = close the platform.
4	Minimum risk-reward 1:2. No 1:2, no trade.
5	3-5-7 rule: 3% open positions, 5% daily, 7% weekly. Conservative: 1.5/2.5/3.5.
6	90% rule: assume you start in the losing majority. Prove edge on demo (100+ trades) before scaling.
7	0.01 lot = micro = $0.10/pip on EURUSD (100 oz gold: $0.01/pip). Size starts here.
8	Leverage: treat regulator caps as maximums (30:1 ESMA majors, 20:1 gold). Notional risk ≤ 10–20x equity.
9	News blackout: no new trades 30 min before/after high-impact releases. Check the calendar first.
10	Demo = live: same size, same leverage, same risk %, same journaling.
11	A strategy defines 9 parts: market, timeframe, context, setup, trigger, stop, target, risk, no-trade conditions.
12	Journal every trade (pair, size, entry, stop, exit, result in R, emotions, broken rules). Review weekly.
13	Regulated broker only — verify on the regulator's own register (CFTC/NFA, FCA, ESMA, ASIC, SBP/SECP).
14	Never martingale, grid or average down. Losing streaks are survived by size, not grown by size.
15	Trade liquid sessions only (London–NY overlap for majors). Skip opens, closes, lunch, weekends.
16	Size = risk $ ÷ (stop pips x pip value per lot). Round down, always.
17	Withdraw monthly profits; halve size after 5–6% drawdown until recovery; level up only on new highs.
18	EAs must encode the same rules: hard stops, risk sizing, daily loss shutdown, news blackout, no martingale.
19	Verify forex legality in your country (SBP/SECP in Pakistan, CFTC/NFA in the US, etc.) before depositing.

Risk Money by Account Size (Guidelines 1, 3, 5)

Account	1% per trade	0.5% per trade	Daily cap 3%	Weekly cap 5%	3-5-7 max open (3%)
$500	$5.00	$2.50	$15	$25	$15
$1,000	$10.00	$5.00	$30	$50	$30
$2,000	$20.00	$10.00	$60	$100	$60
$5,000	$50.00	$25.00	$150	$250	$150
$10,000	$100.00	$50.00	$300	$500	$300
$25,000	$250.00	$125.00	$750	$1,250	$750
$50,000	$500.00	$250.00	$1,500	$2,500	$1,500
$100,000	$1,000.00	$500.00	$3,000	$5,000	$3,000

Max Lots by Stop Distance (EURUSD, $10/pip/lot, 1% risk)

Account	Stop 20 pips	Stop 50 pips	Stop 100 pips	Stop 200 pips
$500	0.02	0.01	0.00	0.00
$1,000	0.05	0.02	0.01	0.00
$2,000	0.10	0.04	0.02	0.01
$5,000	0.25	0.10	0.05	0.02
$10,000	0.50	0.20	0.10	0.05
$25,000	1.25	0.50	0.25	0.12
$50,000	2.50	1.00	0.50	0.25
$100,000	5.00	2.00	1.00	0.50

Lots = risk $ ÷ (stop pips x $10), rounded down. Gold (100 oz/lot): pip value $1.00, so divide all numbers by 10. Use the Lot Size Calculator for exact symbols.

Formulas

Risk $	= balance x risk% / 100
Lot size	= risk $ ÷ (stop pips x pip value per lot)
Margin per lot	= contract size (100,000) ÷ leverage
Blow-up distance	= 100 ÷ risk% (consecutive full losses at fixed risk)
Pip value EURUSD	= 0.0001 x 100,000 = $10 per lot

Risk warning: Forex trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Between 70% and 90% of retail traders lose money. The guidelines above are educational, not financial advice. Source: algospecial.com/guidelines/

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