NAS100 Lot Size Calculator
Indices
NAS100 is an index — this calculator uses its own real contract size and point value rather than a one-size-fits-all forex formula, since point value and typical price steps vary a lot between instrument types.
How do I calculate lot size for NAS100?
Say a trader has a $10,000 account and decides to risk 2% of it on a NAS100 short (sell) at 29,615.06, with a stop 178 points away at 29,793.06.
Rounded to a size a broker will actually accept, that's 0.11 lots — a $195.80 loss if the stop is hit.
Using the same 178-point stop, here's how that scales at two common risk levels on a $10,000 account:
- Conservative (1% risk): $100.00 at risk, 0.06 lots
- Balanced (2% risk): $200.00 at risk, 0.11 lots
These are illustrative figures at a fixed example balance and stop — the calculator above uses live prices and your own real inputs. The percentage-risk model itself follows the position-sizing approach popularized by Van Tharp in Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom, among the most widely cited references for treating position sizing as its own risk-management discipline.
What is a standard, mini, and micro lot on NAS100?
At NAS100's stored contract size (10 units per lot), a "mini" position (0.1 lots) and "micro" position (0.01 lots) scale the point value down by the same factor — $1.00 and $0.10 per point respectively. Useful for sizing a position precisely rather than rounding to a full lot.
When should I adjust my lot size for NAS100?
Consider sizing down around high-impact news events or major session overlaps, when volatility and slippage risk increase — a stop that normally holds can be jumped past entirely in a fast move. That risk is higher for an index like this one, which can gap on economic data releases than for a typically calmer major forex pair.
What drives NAS100 and how that shapes your lot size
The Nasdaq 100 tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange and is heavily weighted toward technology. Earnings from a small number of very large technology companies, interest-rate expectations, and US data drive it. It is most active from the New York open, and it reacts quickly to earnings releases from its biggest members.
On this site's defaults one lot is 10 index units, so one index point is worth 10 dollars per lot, and a "small" 0.1 lot still moves 1 dollar per point. Intraday stops of 50 to 150 points are common, and fast markets can move that far in minutes.
Worked example: sizing a NAS100 buy on a $10,000 account
The figures below are invented for illustration and use a rounded reference price, not a live quote. Assume a $10,000 account risking 1% on one buy trade with a stop 100 points below the entry.
- Risk amount: $10,000 × 1% = $100.00.
- Entry 30,000.0, stop 29,900.0: the distance is 100.0 in price, which is 100 points (distance ÷ 1).
- Value of one point: 1 × 10 = $10.00 per point for 1 lot, already in US dollars.
- Risk per 1.00 lot: 100 × $10.00 = $1,000.00.
- Lots before rounding: $100.00 ÷ $1,000.00 = 0.1000.
- Rounded down to the 0.01 lot step: 0.10 lots.
- Check: 0.10 × 100 × $10.00 = $100.00, inside the $100 budget.
If price reaches the stop, the loss is $100.00, about 1% of the account. A target twice as far away, at 30,200.0 (200 points), would pay 0.10 × 200 × $10.00 = $200.00. If you widen the stop to 200 points, the same $100 budget gives 0.05 lots, because lot size shrinks as the stop widens.
Margin check and effective leverage for this NAS100 trade
- Position value: 0.10 lot × 10 contract × 30,000.0 = $30,000.
- Margin at 1:200 (0.5%): $30,000 × 0.5% = $150.00.
- Effective leverage: $30,000 ÷ $10,000 = 3.0×.
The leverage ceiling your broker allows did not enter the lot-size calculation at all. The risk amount and the stop distance set the size, and leverage only decides how much margin that size locks up. The NAS100 margin calculator shows how that requirement changes with your own leverage.
Common NAS100 sizing mistakes
- Copying a lot size from another instrument. One point on NAS100 is worth $10.00 per lot here, so a 100 point stop risks $1,000.00 per lot; a pair or index with a different value per point would risk a different amount for the same count.
- Miscounting the point. On this site's defaults one lot is 10 index units, so one index point is worth 10 dollars per lot, and a "small" 0.1 lot still moves 1 dollar per point.
- Ignoring the spread. Spreads are quoted in points and widen around the cash open and data releases.
- Rounding up. Adding even one 0.01 lot step (0.11 lots) would risk $110.00, above the $100 you set.
Verify NAS100 against your broker before trading
This page starts from a contract size of 10 and a value of $10.00 per point per lot, which are reference values. Brokers differ, so open the contract specification for NAS100 in your platform and confirm the contract size, the minimum and maximum volume, and the lot step before you rely on any lot size. A wrong contract size is the most common reason a calculated size is rejected or risks more than expected. For background on the instrument, see the Nasdaq-100 on Wikipedia, and for the leverage concept see leverage in finance.
More tools for NAS100
- See how much margin that position ties up with the NAS100 margin calculator.
- Check what one point is worth per lot with the NAS100 pip value calculator.
- Work out the result of a finished trade with the NAS100 profit and loss calculator.
- Compare risk and reward before entering with the NAS100 risk reward ratio calculator.
- Mark support and resistance from yesterday's range with the NAS100 pivot points calculator.
- Compare a similar instrument: SP500 lot size calculator.
- Compare a similar instrument: DJ30 lot size calculator.
Conclusion
This math only holds if 10 units per lot and $10.00 per point are actually your own broker's real numbers for NAS100 — every broker can quote contract specifications slightly differently. Always confirm your own platform's NAS100 specification (right-click the symbol in Market Watch, then Specification) before trusting a suggested lot size for a real trade. See how lot size is calculated step-by-step for the general method, Wikipedia's entry on contracts for difference for how brokers structure these contracts, and real MT4 order-ticket screenshots at different leverage settings for further reading.
Contract specification
Point value and minimum lot step for NAS100 vary by broker — a mismatch here is a common, avoidable cause of an unexpectedly large loss. Confirm the NAS100 contract specification in your own platform before sizing a real trade.
Frequently asked questions
Can I risk the same percentage on every instrument?
Yes, the risk percentage itself is a decision about your account and stays consistent — what changes between instruments is point value and typical volatility.
Is lot size the same as position size?
Yes — on this site the two terms are used interchangeably; both mean the number of lots to trade.
Does leverage change the NAS100 lot size I should trade?
No. Position size comes from your risk amount and your stop distance; leverage only caps how large a position you are allowed to open. In the example above a 1:200 account locks up $150.00 of margin for a $30,000 NAS100 position, an effective leverage of 3.0×, while the lot size was set entirely by the $100 risk and the 100 point stop.
How many lots of NAS100 can I trade with $1,000 and 2% risk?
With a $1,000 account risking 2% ($20) and the same 100 point stop, the risk per lot is $1,000.00, so $20.00 ÷ $1,000.00 = 0.0200 lots, which rounds down to 0.02 lots.
What stop distance is typical for NAS100?
Intraday stops of 50 to 150 points are common, and fast markets can move that far in minutes. At $10.00 per point per lot, each extra point of stop distance adds that amount of risk for every lot you trade, which is why a wider stop always means a smaller lot size.