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Beginner 5 min read

Paper trading: how to practise properly

Practise with simulated money and real prices, then step up deliberately.

Paper → Demo → Live: earn each stepPAPERSimulated money, realprices. Learn the toolsand your rules.›DEMOBroker demo account. Learnreal order handling andfills.›LIVESmall real size first.Same rules, same risk %.Move up only after 50+ trades with positive expectancy at the current step.
Illustration for education. Prices are schematic, not real market data.

What it is

Paper trading uses real prices with simulated money. It is the safest way to learn the tools and test a strategy. Treat it like real money: same size rules, same stops, a journal. Costs (fees and slippage) must be simulated or your results will be too good.

Move to a demo account to test real order handling, then to live with very small size.

How to use it

  1. Define your strategy and risk rules first.
  2. Take at least 50 paper trades.
  3. Check expectancy after costs.
  4. Only then move to demo, then small live.
Practise like it is real, because it will be.

Common mistakes

  • Using huge size “because it is not real”.
  • Changing the rules mid-test.
  • Moving to live after a lucky week.

Practise it in TradeDesk X

TradeDesk X starts in PAPER, with DEMO and LIVE available as separate, opt-in steps. Micro is paper-only.

Open TradeDesk X Open Micro

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Keeping a trade journal

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Pre-trade checklist

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Educational content only. Nothing here is financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell anything. Trading leveraged products can lose more than you deposit. Practise with paper trading first and never risk money you cannot afford to lose.