Brokers advertise 1:30, 1:100, 1:500 as if bigger were kinder. Leverage is a multiplier on the move. It helps when you are right. It empties the account when you are wrong — or when gold gaps through a stop.
Margin is not a fee you “get back” as profit
Margin is collateral the firm holds so the position can exist. Free margin shrinks when the trade goes against you. Stop-out is the point the book starts closing you. Those numbers sit on the entity’s specification sheet, not on a YouTube thumbnail.
Retail caps exist for a reason
Some licences cap retail leverage. An offshore arm of the same brand may offer more. More is not safer. Confirm which entity you are actually opening — how to read the licence.
Size the trade in money, not in “mini lots”
A 0.01 lot on XAUUSD is not automatically small. Use position size tools and the gold account checklist if that is the ticket you want. Then put a stop you will honour.
NBP does not make max leverage smart
Negative balance protection may stop a gap from taking more than you deposited. It does not save the deposit. Beginners: what to check first.
Peak Pips does not set your leverage. We do not place trades. Risk disclaimer: you can lose all capital you send.
Common question
Should I use the maximum leverage the broker allows? Usually no. Allowed is not recommended. If a small everyday range can stop you out, the size is too large — even if the form still says “you have margin”.
