Why Are Position Sizes Large When Buying One NQ Contract in TradersPost Paper Accounts?
Large position sizes when trading NQ contracts in TradersPost paper accounts typically occur due to missing entry and exit prices. Sending accurate price data with each order helps ensure realistic position sizes and P&L calculations.
Marketing
Reviewed by Mike Christensen
Fact-checked by Mike Christensen
A common question from TradersPost users involves seeing unusually large position sizes when buying just one NQ (Nasdaq-100) contract in the paper trading account. This issue arises primarily due to how price data is handled within the platform.
Missing Entry and Exit Prices
In many cases, the user fails to send both entry and exit prices along with the trading order. These prices are essential for accurate P&L calculations. Since TradersPost’s paper trading system, especially when connected to platforms like Tradeovate, does not automatically fetch live market data, it relies on the user to send the correct prices. Without this information, the system defaults to inaccurate assumptions, resulting in abnormally large or distorted position sizes.
Importance of Market Data
For platforms like Tradeovate, TradersPost doesn’t have direct access to live market data for calculating current positions. This means that every order sent to TradersPost from platforms like TradingView must include the entry price, which is typically pulled from the current chart price on TradingView. Without this, the system cannot accurately track position values or calculate potential profit and loss, which results in discrepancies in position size.
Conclusion
To avoid large or inaccurate position sizes when trading in TradersPost’s paper account, always ensure that entry and exit prices are included in your orders. These prices allow TradersPost to make accurate calculations and provide a realistic representation of your position and its performance.
