Signals, robots and copy trading
What you learn in 3 minutesA signal service, a trading robot and a copy-trading link all do the same thing at heart: they take the decision away from you and leave the money on the table. On USD/INR, one pip on one standard lot is ₹10, so a copied trade that moves 20 pips against you costs ₹200 before any fee. This lesson shows what each of the three actually copies, and which part of the risk never leaves your account.
Three ways to follow someone else, and the ₹200 that stays yours
| Step | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Signal service | ₹10 per pip on one standard lot | You receive a message and place the trade yourself. One pip on one standard lot of USD/INR is ₹10 (100,000 x 0.0001). |
| Trading robot | ₹10 per pip, same lot | The software places the order. The pip value does not change because a machine pressed the button. |
| Copy trading | ₹10 per pip, same lot | Your account mirrors another account's trades in proportion to the funds you allocate. |
| A 20-pip move against you | ₹200 | 20 pips x ₹10 per pip = ₹200. This is the same for all three methods. |
| Two such trades | ₹400 | 2 x ₹200 = ₹400, still before any commission or spread. |
Your broker may round pip values, charge a commission per lot, or quote a wider spread on USD/INR. These charges vary between brokers, so check the fee schedule before you copy anything.
The mistake people make here
The common mistake is to treat a signal, a robot or a copy link as a transfer of responsibility. It is not. The order still sits in your account, the margin is still your money, and the loss is still yours. People also copy a track record without checking the lot size behind it, so a result that looks small may have been made with far larger positions than theirs. Before following anything, write down the pip value for your own lot size and decide the maximum loss you will accept on one copied trade.Check yourself
You copy a trade on USD/INR with one standard lot. It moves 15 pips in your favour. What is the gross gain, and what if it had moved 15 pips against you?
One pip on one standard lot is ₹10, so 15 pips is 15 x ₹10 = ₹150. The same ₹150 is the loss if the move goes the other way. Commission and spread are separate.
A signal provider shows a profit of ₹5,000 on a trade. You copy it with half their lot size. What happens to your result, before costs?
Your result is roughly half: about ₹2,500. Copy trading mirrors in proportion to the funds you allocate, so your pip value, not theirs, decides your money.