Proportional Copying
Also known as: copy sizing, equity-ratio copying, balance-proportional copying, percentage copying
What is it?
Proportional copying is the sizing method a copy-trading platform uses by default: each follower receives the leader's trade scaled to their own account, so everyone takes the same percentage of risk rather than the same lot size. The scaling is a ratio of balances. If the leader trades 1.00 lot on a $50,000 account and you follow with $3,000, your account is 6 percent of theirs, so you receive 0.06 lots.
Each follower takes the same fraction of their own capital. Copying the leader's 1.00 lot on $3,000 would risk over 30% on one trade. Illustrative figures.
Both accounts now have the same fraction of capital exposed. Without this, copying would be meaningless in either direction: matching the leader's 1.00 lot on $3,000 would risk over 30 percent of your balance on a single trade, while a $500,000 follower copying lot-for-lot would barely register the position. Two limits are worth knowing before you rely on it.
Brokers enforce a minimum lot size, usually 0.01, so a small account cannot always receive an exact proportion - a calculated 0.004 lot is either rounded up to 0.01, which over-risks you, or skipped entirely, which means you miss the trade. And proportional copying scales the size, not the strategy: if the leader's approach carries a 40 percent drawdown, your account takes a 40 percent drawdown too, just on a smaller balance. See /risk-warning.
Why it matters: Proportional copying scales a leader's trade to your balance so you take the same percentage risk they do, instead of an unmanageable lot size.
Follower lot = leader lot x (follower balance / leader balance)
It determines the size of every copied position, so it directly sets how much of your capital is exposed on each trade the leader takes.
Real-world example
A leader trading 1.00 lot on $50,000 sends a 0.06-lot position to a $3,000 follower and a 0.20-lot position to a $10,000 follower - all three risk the same percentage.
How SignalBots handles it
SignalBots copy tools size each follower's position from their own balance and risk setting rather than mirroring raw lots, so one leader's trade fits accounts of very different sizes. See /risk-warning.
Pro tip
Check the broker's minimum lot against your balance before subscribing - if your proportional size rounds below 0.01, you will silently miss the smallest trades.
Common pitfalls
Assuming proportional sizing limits your risk. It matches the leader's risk percentage, so a leader who risks 10 percent per trade puts 10 percent of your account on the line too.
Frequently asked questions
How is proportional copying different from a lot multiplier?
Proportional copying is automatic and based on the balance ratio. A lot multiplier is a manual override you set on top of it - 0.5x to take half the proportional size, 2x to take double. The multiplier changes the risk relative to the leader; the proportion keeps it equal.
What happens if my balance changes?
Most platforms recalculate the ratio on each new trade, so a growing account receives larger positions and a shrinking one receives smaller. That is what keeps the percentage risk constant as your equity moves.
What if the calculated lot is below the broker minimum?
The platform either rounds up to 0.01, which risks more than the proportion intended, or skips the trade. Check which behaviour your platform uses, because rounding up on a small account can meaningfully increase exposure.
Does proportional copying protect me from the leader's drawdown?
No. It scales the size, not the strategy. A 40 percent drawdown on the leader's account produces roughly a 40 percent drawdown on yours, and your capital is at risk in exactly the same proportion.
Can I copy proportionally by equity instead of balance?
Some platforms offer it, and it responds faster because it includes floating profit and loss. It can also produce erratic sizing when the leader is holding large open positions, so balance-based scaling is the more common default.
Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Historical and backtested results do not guarantee future performance. Read the full risk warning.
