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Risk sizing

Most order forms ask how big a position you want. That is the wrong question. What a trader actually decides is how much they are willing to lose if the trade is wrong.

taker lets you say that directly:

long eth, risk $200, stop at 1800

taker computes the size such that being stopped out costs approximately $200 — not that the position is $200.

With ETH near 1900 and a stop at 1800, the distance is $100 per ETH. Risking $200 over a $100 move means a position of 2 ETH — roughly $3,800 notional, which at 5× uses about $760 of margin.

You saytaker computes
risk $200, stop 1800, price 19002 ETH ≈ $3,800 notional
risk $200, stop 1850, price 19004 ETH ≈ $7,600 notional
risk $200, stop 1700, price 19001 ETH ≈ $1,900 notional

Notice the pattern: a tighter stop buys a larger position for the same risk. That relationship is the whole point, and it is invisible in an interface that only asks for size.

In chat, name a risk amount and a stop:

short btc, risk $100, stop at 66000

On the trade page, set the size unit to Risk $ and enter the stop price in the field that appears.

  • Risk is an estimate, not a guarantee. A stop becomes a market order when it triggers, so a gapping market can cost more than the number you named. See Order types.
  • Fees and funding are on top. The calculation covers price movement to your stop; the round-trip fee and any funding paid are additional.
  • The stop has to make sense. A stop above the entry on a long is refused — that is not a stop, and taker will say so rather than sizing something absurd.
  • Your risk limits still apply. A tight stop can imply a position larger than your max order size, in which case the order is refused and taker tells you what would fit.

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