Easy Lot Sizing on All Assets? Meet Sekanas

Mate, I spent 48 hrs coding for you, don't tell me now you have no use for it.....

Even worse, I didn't even download it

There once was a trader named Maaate,
Whose entries were never too laaate.
He sized with finesse,
In Sekanas, no less
And his exits? Pure profit, first raate.

96hrs now,,,,,

But you specifically asked for it to help you with your MA crossover specialised method........

Anyway 102 hrs later....

Hi Erebus,
That's a fantastic and very important question. In fact, you've touched on the very heart of the problem that Sekanas was designed to solve.
You are absolutely right in your first sentence: A standard "Trade Manager EA" will perfectly calculate the position size for your specified $100 risk. This is the first and most crucial step of risk management, and existing tools do a great job at it.
However, Sekanas adds a second, critical layer to this equation that is often overlooked: "risk efficiency" and "opportunity cost".
The problem is this: is risking $100 on any given pair always the same "quality" of risk? Have you ever compared how much of that $100 is actually working for your strategy, versus how much of it instantly goes to the broker as cost?

Answering the "Real-World Example" Request

Just as you asked, let's walk through an example with real-world data. We'll use your scenario:

1. Account: $10,000
2. Risk: 1% ($100)
3. Strategy: To stop the position after a price move of 0.30% (which is 30 Sekanas). (This is important for making a fair comparison between instruments at different price levels.)

Now, let's open positions on three different instruments with these rules ($100 risk, 30 Sk stop) and look at the results and actual costs our "Trade Manager" would give us:
InstrumentRequired Lot SizeTotal Cost of Trade (Spread+Commission)Remaining Risk Capital
BTCUSD0.30 Lot$4.20$95.80
ETHUSD7.80 Lot$9.13$90.87
XRPUSD11.89 Lot$55.88$44.12
E-Tablolar'a aktar
Analysis: As you can see, in all three trades, you are theoretically risking $100. Your Trade Manager did its job correctly. However:

1. The Bitcoin (BTCUSD) trade cost you only $4.20. Nearly all of your risked $100 (specifically, $95.80) is actually in the market, working for your strategy to turn a profit.
2. The Ripple (XRPUSD) trade, on the other hand, cost you a full $55.88! More than half (55%) of the money you risked vanished the moment you opened the position. You only have $44.12 of capital left for your strategy to become profitable.

So, the real question is: For the exact same $100 of risk, which trade gives you a better chance to succeed?

Why the "Fictional Unit" Sekanas?

This is where "Sekanas" comes into play. Sekanas isn't a "fictional" unit; it's a standardized scale of measurement.

1. A "10 pip" stop on one instrument is not the same as a "10 pip" stop on another.
2. However, a "0.30%" (30 Sekanas) stop on one instrument is the exact same proportional distance as a "0.30%" (30 Sekanas) stop on all other instruments.

Sekanas allows you to measure all instruments with different prices and characteristics (Forex, Gold, Crypto) with the same universal ruler. This is how you can perform an "apples-to-apples" cost analysis like the one above.
Breafly: Your Trade Manager tells you how much lot size to enter. Sekanas tells you how smart it is to enter that trade with that lot size. It provides a pre-trade analysis layer that shows you where to deploy your capital most efficiently and with the lowest cost. It's not a distraction; it's an efficiency analysis that takes risk management to the next level.
I hope this real-world example has made the practical advantage of Sekanas clearer.
Cheers.

moodybot this is truly incredible work! You've taken the Sekanas concept and transformed it into its ultimate and most practical form. This new Risk & Cost Dashboard lays all the cards on the table at once, with complete transparency, providing the holistic view a trader needs.


The red circles I've marked on the screenshot perfectly summarize just how powerful this tool is.

1. The Spread (Sk) column in the first circle puts the spread costs of different instruments into a fair, "apples-to-apples" comparison for the first time. We can now clearly see how much cheaper EURUSD's 0.26 Sk spread is compared to USDCAD's 3.83 Sk. This standardization allows us to see the first layer of cost with the naked eye.
2. The genius of the dashboard lies in its ability to show the required "lot equivalency" for a fixed risk (e.g., $100). For instance, to take on the same $100 of risk with a 10 Sekanas stop, we need:
   1. Only 0.85 Lots of EURUSD,
   2. but 1.69 Lots of NZDUSD,
   3. and a massive 10.00 Lots of ETHUSD! This reveals how different the risk characteristics of each instrument are and what different position sizes are required to achieve the same risk.

   
   

3. The Entry $ columns in the second circle deliver the final blow. These columns combine the standardized spread cost with the required "lot equivalency" to give us the total cost of the transaction. This final figure shows the "hidden" price of entering a trade with brutal clarity. This is precisely why the cost to enter a trade with the same risk profile is only $7.65 for EURUSD, while it skyrockets to $72.67 for NZDUSD!

Professional features like the sorting (SortBy) inside the code and this clean interface make this tool a true masterpiece. Thank you so much for this immense contribution; this is truly a "Pro" level work!

Babypips Lot size calculator, easy. Base lot sizing on account balance and instrument. Create simple rules: Max 1% per trade/ max 2% for the day.

The concept for this thread is critical. Managing your risk (amount willing to lose, including spread and commission) is key to survival and profitability.

MB, bloody good piece of coding this. I've used it as a template for something tangentially related, you mind if I post it?
OP, I won't derail your thread with it, as it doesn't involve Sekanas but it has your DNA at the heart.

Crack on mate, all yours.

The ZigZag_ATR_Sekanas.mq5 indicator visualizes market structure with a Sekanas-based approach. This innovative tool determines the wave direction based on either a fixed Sekanas value or the Sekanas equivalent of the volatility-sensitive ATR, aligning price movements with the market's true percentage changes. As a result, it provides a more meaningful and noise-free zigzag line. This helps traders understand price dynamics on a deeper level.

Idea: Sekanas-Based Market Structure Break (MSB) Indicator

The potential of this Sekanas-based ZigZag indicator is huge! Using the existing structure, we can develop an indicator that automatically identifies and visualizes "Market Structure Breaks" (MSB).
How It Would Work:

1. Swing Points: The ZigZag creates swing highs and swing lows based on Sekanas.
2. Tracking Highs/Lows: The indicator tracks the most recent higher high (HH), lower low (LL), higher low (HL), and lower high (LH) points.
3. MSB Identification:
   1. Bullish MSB: When the last swing low formed during an uptrend is broken by the next downward move. (i.e., when a "higher low" is expected, but the price instead moves below that level).
   2. Bearish MSB: When the last swing high formed during a downtrend is broken by the next upward move. (i.e., when a "lower high" is expected, but the price instead moves above that level).

4. Visualization: We could mark these break points on the chart with an arrow or a symbol (e.g., "MSB " or "MSB ").

Using the Sekanas unit, the Common SL/TP EA is a powerful trading assistant that allows you to manage Stop Loss (SL) and Take Profit (TP) levels for all your open positions and pending orders from a single place on your chart. This EA is a lifesaver, especially when you have multiple and hedged (both buy and sell) positions on the same instrument. Thanks to the interactive lines, which are created separately for buy and sell trades and can be adjusted simply by dragging them with the mouse, you can easily synchronize all your orders in seconds. By doing so, it simplifies complex position management and increases your trading efficiency.

Use this version, running better on strat tester,

Hello Moodybot,
This ZigZag_ATR_Sekanas_MT4 indicator is truly a magnificent tool – excellent work! Its ability to visualize price movements so clearly with a Sekanas-based approach makes understanding market structure much easier. As you can see in the chart, I've tried to manually draw trend lines and channels using the swing points identified by the indicator

A thought came to mind: would it be possible to integrate these dynamic trend lines or a trend channel automatically onto this zigzag structure? A feature like this, based on Sekanas waves, would greatly enhance the indicator's power by more clearly showing the direction of price movement and potential breakouts.
Thank you again for your fantastic work!

Why invent a new word "Sekanas"? There is already a perfectly good word for a 0.01% change in price: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basis_point. If you find the word "point" confusing the context of trading, you could alternatively use "centi-percent". Immediately understandable for anyone using the metric system (~92% of the world population).


For USD based symbols perhaps, but for many Forex symbols this doesn't work (e.g. AUDCAD, EURNZD, GBPJPY, etc.) and you will have to look up the pip value anyway.

Thank you very much for your comment and constructive criticism! I'd like to elaborate on why the term "Sekanas" came about and my approach to position sizing.
The Term "Sekanas" and Its Relationship to Basis Points:I am certainly aware of the "Basis Point" concept and appreciate its place in the financial markets. However, there are a few key reasons why I chose to use the name

"Sekanas":

1. Eliminating Contextual Confusion: As noted in the Wikipedia article you linked (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basis_point), "basis point" is generally used in specific financial contexts like interest rates or bond yields. For me, in trading, it had a high potential for confusion with terms like "pip" or "point." With "Sekanas," I wanted to create a new term, exclusive to trading, that specifically refers to a 0.01% price change. This provides a unique unit of measure, particularly focused on price movements on charts and volatility analysis.
   For example, consider the difference:
   
   
2. A More Comprehensive and Functional Approach: Sekanas is more than just a "unit of change"; it forms the core of my risk management and position sizing system. The tools I've developed (such as the Sekanas Risk & Cost Dashboard) use Sekanas as a standard reference for volatility measurement (ATR-Sekanas), stop distances, and target profit levels. This integrated approach offers a functional integrity that terms like "basis point" or "centi-percent" alone cannot provide. While "centi-percent" is logically correct, I believe it doesn't offer the memorable and practical systemic completeness in trading that "Sekanas" does.
3. A Unique Identity for My System: Creating a distinct name and terminology for my self-developed system and toolset allows users to adopt this new concept more easily and ensures consistent language across the system's different components.

Effortless and Consistent Position Sizing:
I understand your concern on this point, and it's a valid one. Yes, you are right, in non-USD cross pairs (where the $/pip value isn't a direct multiplication by 1), this indeed creates complexity. However, my system completely abstracts this complexity from the user.
When calculating position sizing with "Sekanas," you don't need to manually look up "pip value" or "contract size." My EA automatically retrieves the actual contract size, pip value, and current price of each symbol using MQL5's built-in SymbolInfoDouble(_Symbol, SYMBOL_TRADE_CONTRACT_SIZE) and other relevant functions. So, when you set your stop distance to, say, 10 Sekanas, the system correctly performs all necessary conversions in the background, even for cross pairs like AUDCAD or EURNZD, and precisely calculates the lot size corresponding to your defined $100 risk.
In short, as a user, all you need to do is define your risk in dollars and express your stop distance in Sekanas; the system automatically handles the rest for you. This is what makes the "effortless and consistent" experience I refer to possible.
I hope these explanations have clarified your questions. Your feedback is invaluable for me to further develop and improve my system.

https://www.forexfactory.com/attachm...w?_=1757790415
The Sekanas_Cost_Real_Analysis.ex5 offers a unique tool for comparing trading costs across different brokers. When run simultaneously for BTCUSD on two separate brokers (in H1 and M15 timeframes), it clearly displays all cost components such as spread, commission, and swap, all denominated in Sekanas. For instance, it immediately highlights that the broker on the left has a spread of 1.73 Sekanas, while the one on the right shows 1.21 Sekanas. This allows traders, instead of just focusing on price action, to objectively understand which broker genuinely offers them a more "cost-efficient" trading environment.

Attached Image (click to enlarge)

SekanasTrack Analysis Indicator
This indicator is a powerful tool designed to measure potential short-term price movements across various timeframes, from one minute to daily. It calculates the potential upward (Bull) and downward (Bear) movements from the current price to recent highs and lows in "Sekanas" units. The main panel on the chart provides an at-a-glance, easy-to-understand summary of this volatility. This allows you to quickly compare momentum across different timeframes. Essentially, it provides a clear snapshot of market energy without cluttering your main chart.
Here are some strategy suggestions that can be used with the data provided by this indicator:


Multi-Timeframe Momentum Confirmation:

1. Concept: To take a position in the direction of the main trend on a higher timeframe (e.g., H1) and confirm the entry signal with momentum on lower timeframes (e.g., M5, M15).
2. Application: In an uptrend, when a price pullback occurs, an increase in the "Bear" values on timeframes like M5 and M15 is expected. This indicates that the price is moving away from the lows and that momentum in the direction of the main trend is regaining strength.

Over-Extension and Mean Reversion:

1. Concept: To catch moments on a lower timeframe when the price makes an extreme move to reach support/resistance levels and momentum is exhausted.
2. Application: When the price approaches a significant support level, very low (near zero) "Bear" values on multiple timeframes can signal that the downward momentum is exhausted. This increases the probability of an upward correction or pullback in price.

Volatility Breakout:

1. Concept: To identify moments when market volatility decreases and the price is consolidating into a narrow range, in order to catch the subsequent sharp move (the breakout).
2. Application: A simultaneous drop in both "Bull" and "Bear" values to very low levels across multiple timeframes indicates the market is in a consolidation phase. The first large "Bull" or "Bear" value that appears after this squeeze can provide a clue about the direction of the breakout.
   
   

Sekanas Norm 1H (Sk-N1H) Optimization Guideline

When performing Sequence calculations in MQL5, the "Sequence Norm 1H" (Sk-N1H) optimization directive is now considered the standard, replacing the old and processor-intensive "Tick-Based" instantaneous method.
The main goal of this new approach is to maximize processor efficiency (CPU Load) by eliminating the excessive load created by instantaneous price calculations on the OnTick() and OnCalculate() functions.

The Sk-N1H system maximizes performance by fixing the cost norm once an hour instead of recalculating it every tick.
Conceptually, this method filters instantaneous tick fluctuations and provides a stabilized cost unit by referencing the opening price of each 1-hour (H1) candle.
The first mathematical calculation step is to find "1 Sk-N1H Price Movement" by dividing the H1 opening price of the relevant asset by 10000. Multiplying this fundamental price movement by the contract size yields the net "Monetary Value ($) of 1 Sk-N1H," which forms the backbone of the system. One of the most critical requirements of this system in the coding architecture is the use of "Global Caching," which allows calculations to be stored in memory. To avoid unnecessarily burdening the processor, the "IsNewBar" logic, which ensures the calculation is triggered only when a new H1 candle opens, is integrated into the system. Due to this structural requirement, the calculation result and the opening time of the last H1 candle are defined as global variables. When a new hour is detected, the opening price of the new H1 candle and the contract size of the symbol are retrieved, and the current monetary value is written to the global cache. The helper function written to find the value of any cost in Sk-N1H must include a safety check to prevent division by zero errors.

The Sekanas Norm 1H (Sk-N1H) mathematical calculation formula basically consists of two steps.

1. 1 SK-N1H Price Movement = H1 Open Price * (1 / 10000)
2. Monetary Value ($) of 1 Sk-N1H = Price Movement of 1 Sk-N1H * Contract Size

Furthermore, when you want to convert a cost in dollars to Sekanas, the calculation is done as follows.:
Cost in Sk-N1H = Cost in Dollars / Monetary Value of 1 Sk-N1H

Lot sizing is one of those things that sounds simple until you actually try to do it consistently across different pairs. The pip value difference between EURUSD and USDJPY alone can throw off your risk if you are just using a flat lot size.

I run 8 pairs simultaneously and the formula I settled on is straightforward: (Account Balance x Risk%) / (Stop Loss in pips x Pip Value per lot). The key detail most people miss is recalculating pip value in your account currency, especially on cross pairs like EURGBP where the quote currency is neither USD nor your base.

One habit that saved me a lot of pain early on: I cap max lot size regardless of what the formula says. Even if the math says I can trade 2.0 lots, I never go above a hard ceiling. Protects against those rare sessions where 3-4 correlated trades all hit stops at once.

You could try using the lot size calculator here. You can google it - hope it helps:

https://propfirmscan.com/tools/position-size-calculator