Pre-Trade Plan: Check Before You Click
Enter your entry, stop and target. Get the lot size, dollars at risk, reward-to-risk and margin, plus a live check against upcoming news, gold's normal movement and the session, and save the plan.
- Dollars at risk
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- Reward to risk
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- Margin used
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- Win rate needed to break even
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Live conditions check
Before you click
Saved plans stay in this browser only and appear on My Gold Desk and in the Sunday Gold Plan. When the trade closes, log the result in the trade journal.
Your saved plans
- No saved plans yet.
Market context on this page was built at : events from our economic calendar; ATR(14) and the 20-day average daily range from COMEX gold futures (GC=F) daily data via Yahoo Finance; hourly ranges from two years of 1-hour bars (when gold moves most).
Why plan every gold trade before you click
Most losses that hurt come from three things: a lot size that is too big, a stop that sits inside gold's normal noise, and a trade opened just before big news. This page checks all three in one place. You type your entry, stop and target; it works out the lot size that keeps your loss at your chosen risk, and then compares your stop with how much gold usually moves and with the events coming up.
Worked example
A $5,000 account risks 1% ($50) on a buy at 4,100 with a stop at 4,092 ($8 away). Lot size = $50 ÷ ($8 × 100) = 0.0625, rounded down to 0.06 lot, so the real risk is 0.06 × 100 × $8 = $48. With the target at 4,116 the trade is 2R, so you need to win more than 1 in 3 such trades to break even. If gold's average range for the current hour is $15, an $8 stop can be hit by ordinary noise, and the check says so.
What the checks mean
- Event in the next few hours: spreads widen and price can jump past your stop. See why the spread widens on news.
- Stop smaller than normal movement: compared with the average range of the current hour and with ATR(14). Read ATR stop-loss calculator.
- Session: gold is quietest in the late Asian hours and busiest in the London–New York overlap. See market hours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate lot size for a gold trade?
Lot size = (balance × risk %) ÷ (stop distance in dollars × ounces per lot). With $5,000, 1% risk and an $8 stop: $50 ÷ ($8 × 100) = 0.06 lot after rounding down.
How much should I risk per trade?
Many traders keep it between 0.5% and 1% of the account per trade, so a losing streak does not break the account. Use the risk of ruin calculator to see what different levels do.
Why does the tool warn that my stop is too tight?
Because your stop is smaller than the average range gold has had in this hour, or much smaller than its daily ATR. Ordinary movement can then hit the stop before your idea plays out.
Where is my plan saved?
Only in your browser’s local storage on this device. Nothing is sent to us. Clearing your browser data deletes it.
Does it tell me whether to buy or sell?
No. It checks the size, risk and timing of the trade you have already decided on.
Educational tool only. Not financial advice and not a signal. Check your own broker's contract specification, margin rules and costs. Past data does not predict future prices. See our risk disclaimer.