Copy Trading
Do you want to understand what copy trading is? How it will benefit you? What should you look for in a broker?
This guide brings together all the basics in one easy-to-read article.
It will get you up-to-speed with this exciting social phenomenon which really is as simple as it sounds
What is copy trading?
It’s all in the name! Copy trading allows you to directly copy the positions taken by another trader. You decide the amount you wish to invest and simply copy everything they do automatically in real-time – when that trader makes a trade, your account will make that same trade as well.
You do not need to have any input on the trades, and you get the identical returns on each trade as your chosen trader.
Copy trading is one of the easiest ways to use another trader’s expert knowledge. It also means that you don’t lose any control over the outcome. You still have the ability to close trades, and open new ones when you want.
But by copying another trader, you could potentially make money based on their skills.
In fact, no advanced knowledge of the financial market is required to take part!
The Story of 'copy trading'
The history of copy trading goes back to 2005 when traders used to copy specific algorithms that were developed through automated trading. Brokers recognised the potential of having systems where any linked to that trader could automatically copy their trading account. There was no need to constantly monitor email signals or trading ‘chat’ rooms.
According to a recent survey…
- 1 in 3 say a traditional stock market approach is over-complex and this can be simplified by automatically following traders
- 1 in 4 investors said they were considering Social trading last year
- Social trading platforms are expected to grow to €40bn in 2020 (annual growth of 96%) and €70bn in 2025 (annual growth of 48%)
How does copy trading work?
Select a trader who best matches your goals to follow, by using the tools provided by the platform Margin Fx Markets Invest to filter the available traders. What is important to you? Perhaps it’s their number of followers, or profitability, risk level, the total amount of funds they manage or their return on investment. You might choose a combination of these – it’s completely up to you based on whatever you think is important.
Decide your investment amount, and how you will share it among different managers. Be balanced and don’t put all your eggs in one basket, so choose how much to allocate to each chosen trader if you have selected more than one person to copy. For further guidance, watch our short video guides.
The copy trading platform will then automatically replicate all the selected trader’s positions in your trading account.
Add more funds if you like how the trader is performing. Or, reduce your exposure to one trader and keep your portfolio diversified by not investing too much in a single trader. You can replace your existing ones at any time, just keep in mind that you’ll need a separate Invest account for each trader you decide to follow.
There are no special fees to use the copy trading function, apart from the ones you pay the Strategy Manager whenever they make a profit. Any brokerage fees that would apply to a normal trade will be applied to copy trades.
What markets are most suited to copy trading?
You can copy trade across all markets, including: FX, indices, stocks and Commodity markets.
If you want to enter the FX market but are short of time, copy trading allows you to get involved without having to learn advanced technical skills. This can be very time-consuming.
It is very simple to trade in and out of different markets if you want more exposure in one over another. Perhaps you are less familiar with technology stocks but have always wanted to trade Apple or Netflix?
Let’s remind ourselves about the FX market, which is by some distance the biggest traded global market:
- The global FX market is worth $1,934,500,000,000
- This is 27x larger than the equities market
- FX trading daily volume is 53x more than the NYSE
- Over 85% of FX transactions take place solely on the majors i.e. EURUSD, USDJPY, GBPUSD, USDCAD, AUDUSD, NZDUSD and USDCHF.
- Find out more about FX and how it works
The benefits and risks of copy trading
Benefits
The advantages of copy trading are the reason it has become so popular.
What is the goal? To find traders that have a strong track record and trading style that you want to emulate.
Or you can spread your risk across your portfolio which will enable you to ride the ups and downs in markets so that you can trade over the long-term.
Accessibility
copy trading offers an interesting and reachable route into trading. Huge advances in social trading and the multiple social trading networks means this is now freely available.
Upskill your own trading knowledge
copy trading allows you to follow the trading activity of experienced traders, some of whom have years of expertise and know-how. You can learn from watching by replicating their success and developing your own trading.
Diversification
with the huge variety of trade strategies on offer, you can now allocate your portfolio to numerous providers across different assets. By spreading the risks associated with individual decisions, you can offset losses if one trader performs poorly. You could also potentially make money in several types of market environments.
Ask yourself…
do you want some oil exposure as Saudi Arabia becomes prone to more acts of sabotage? Do you want to take advantage of intraday moves during Jerome Powell’s press conference? Or perhaps you are content with a quieter life, lower volatility, green investing perhaps? You can get whatever exposure you want, on your terms by tapping into a wealth of global expertise.
Free time
you can continue to trade in the markets throughout the day as someone you have chosen is monitoring them and trading. This means you can spend time on your other hobbies!
Risks
The main risk with copy trading is an obvious one – you are taking part in some risk with financial implications. Trading by its nature is a high risk, high reward endeavour.
Accessibility
copy trading offers an interesting and reachable route into trading. Huge advances in social trading and the multiple social trading networks means this is now freely available.
Upskill your own trading knowledge
copy trading allows you to follow the trading activity of experienced traders, some of whom have years of expertise and know-how. You can learn from watching by replicating their success and developing your own trading.
Diversification
with the huge variety of trade strategies on offer, you can now allocate your portfolio to numerous providers across different assets. By spreading the risks associated with individual decisions, you can offset losses if one trader performs poorly. You could also potentially make money in several types of market environments.
Ask yourself…
do you want some oil exposure as Saudi Arabia becomes prone to more acts of sabotage? Do you want to take advantage of intraday moves during Jerome Powell’s press conference? Or perhaps you are content with a quieter life, lower volatility, green investing perhaps? You can get whatever exposure you want, on your terms by tapping into a wealth of global expertise.
Free time
you can continue to trade in the markets throughout the day as someone you have chosen is monitoring them and trading. This means you can spend time on your other hobbies!
Copy trading platform
Most software will have the option of three types of copy trading functionality – automated, semi-automated and manual.
Margin Fx Markets offers the industry’s leading FX trading platforms MT4 directly on your PC, MAC, mobile or tablet so that you can trade at your convenience whenever and wherever you like.
The advanced technology of MetaTrader combined with Margin Fx Markets unparalleled trading services, offers a high quality experience for the user.
- Manual is most similar to ‘normal’ trading where you decide who to follow and which trades to copy. Many people refer to this as social trading too.
- Semi-Automated trading lets you view all the positions of your chosen trader. You can then choose which to copy and trade yourself or which to automatically follow which means your chosen trader takes the lead.
- Automated is the full package and the one that Margin Fx Markets Invest offers – you choose your traders and the strategies which best suit your risk profile. All positions and subsequent trading are replicated automatically.
