Learning path · Lesson 3 of 8
Lesson 3 of 8
In this lesson
- Identify the amount at stake
- Explain direction and expiry
- Check the recorded entry price
The stake is the amount exposed to the result
The stake is the amount committed to an order. In demo mode, it comes from virtual funds. A losing standard trade loses that virtual stake; it does not just lose the profit shown on the order ticket.
Choose a small, consistent virtual amount while learning the controls. Changing the amount changes the size of a result, not the likelihood that a direction will be correct. Check the amount and account label before confirming.
Up and Down compare entry with settlement
For a standard platform trade, Up wins when the closing price is strictly above its recorded entry price. Down wins when the closing price is strictly below entry. The direction is not a purchase of the underlying share, currency or commodity.
An equal closing price is not a win under the standard platform settlement rule. Do not assume an unchanged price returns the stake. Provider-routed contracts can have their own terms; check the contract details.
Read the expiry setting carefully
A countdown selects a duration; an exact-time setting selects a closing time. Understand which mode is active before submitting a practice order. Short durations leave little time to observe a move and do not make an outcome easier to predict.
Price can move in the selected direction during a trade and still finish on the other side at expiry. Review the settlement at the closing time rather than treating an intermediate favourable price as a completed win.
Use the order’s recorded prices
The recorded entry belongs to the actual opening of an order. For a pending order, that opening occurs when the activation condition is met, not when you first schedule it.
After an example finishes, find its account type, direction, entry, expiry, closing price and result in trade history. If an order remains pending or open, wait for its final status before recording a settled result.
Your demo exercise
Try this at your own pace
- On Demo Account, read the stake and timing controls without submitting.
- Write down what would count as a winning Up and Down outcome.
- If you choose to place a virtual order, compare its recorded entry and closing prices after expiry.
Select Demo Account before following any trading exercise.
Independent reading
Put it into words
Check your understanding
Answer all 3 questions to check the lesson. You can review your answers and try again.