Position Sizing: How Follower Multipliers Work

MimikTrader sizes every follower order using a single mechanism: a per-follower sizing multiplier. There is no separate “fixed quantity” mode and no per-order contract cap — the multiplier is the only sizing control, and it is configured on the follower's settings within your copy group.

The Multiplier Formula

When the leader opens or adds to a position, the follower's order quantity is calculated as:

followerQty = max(1, ceil(leaderQty × multiplier))

Two things matter here. First, the result is rounded up to the nearest whole contract (ceiling, not nearest or floor) — a follower never receives a fractional contract, and a small multiplier never rounds down to zero. Second, the minimum result is always 1 contract. If the multiplier math produces less than 1, the follower still opens with exactly 1 contract rather than being skipped.

Worked Examples

Multiplier = 1.0 (mirror the leader)

A multiplier of 1.0 means the follower trades the same size as the leader on every opening trade.

• Leader buys 1 → ceil(1 × 1.0) = 1 → Follower buys 1
• Leader buys 3 → ceil(3 × 1.0) = 3 → Follower buys 3
• Leader buys 10 → ceil(10 × 1.0) = 10 → Follower buys 10

Multiplier = 0.5 (half size)

A multiplier below 1.0 scales the follower down. Because the result rounds up, small leader quantities do not disappear.

• Leader buys 1 → ceil(1 × 0.5) = ceil(0.5) = 1 → Follower buys 1
• Leader buys 2 → ceil(2 × 0.5) = ceil(1.0) = 1 → Follower buys 1
• Leader buys 3 → ceil(3 × 0.5) = ceil(1.5) = 2 → Follower buys 2
• Leader buys 6 → ceil(6 × 0.5) = ceil(3.0) = 3 → Follower buys 3

Notice that leader quantities of 1 and 2 both round up to a follower quantity of 1 — the ceiling rounds any fractional result up, so the follower is never left with a zero-size order because of a small multiplier.

Multiplier = 2.0 (double size)

A multiplier above 1.0 scales the follower up, uncapped.

• Leader buys 1 → ceil(1 × 2.0) = 2 → Follower buys 2
• Leader buys 3 → ceil(3 × 2.0) = 6 → Follower buys 6
• Leader buys 5 → ceil(5 × 2.0) = 10 → Follower buys 10

Rounding-Up Behavior

MimikTrader always rounds the multiplier result up to the next whole contract (ceiling), never to the nearest whole number and never down. This means a fractional result like 1.1 becomes 2, and 0.2 becomes 1. It also guarantees the floor: even the smallest allowed multiplier (0.1) still produces at least 1 contract on the follower, because the formula's outer max(1, …) enforces a minimum of 1.

Where to Configure It

The sizing multiplier is set per follower account from the Risk Management page — each follower can use a different multiplier, so you can run a full-size leader alongside a half-size follower and a double-size follower in the same group. Multipliers accept decimals from 0.1 to 100 in 0.1 steps (for example 0.5, 1.5, or 2.5).

Micro/Mini Cross-Contract Sizing

The multiplier controls quantity only — it does not automatically adjust for a symbol swap. If a follower is configured for cross-contract copying (trading MNQ when the leader trades NQ, or MES when the leader trades ES), the multiplier still applies to the raw contract count, not the dollar exposure.

Since a micro contract is typically 1/10th the point value of its mini/full-size counterpart, a multiplier of 1.0 on a cross-contract follower will copy the same number of contracts but at roughly 1/10th the dollar exposure. To approximate equivalent exposure on a micro follower, you generally want a larger multiplier (for example, around 10.0 to offset a 10:1 point-value ratio) rather than 1.0. See the Cross-Contract Copying article for the full list of supported micro/mini pairs (including NQ/MNQ and ES/MES) and their point-value ratios.

How Sizing Interacts with Close Operations

The multiplier only applies to opening and adding trades. When the leader closes or reduces a position, MimikTrader does not re-run the multiplier formula — it uses proportional ratio math against the follower's actual current position instead. This is a critical distinction: closing behavior always matches the follower's real position, not a recalculated multiplier value.

Proportional Close

When the leader reduces a position (but is not yet flat), the follower closes the same proportion of its own position. When the leader's position reaches zero, the follower's entire remaining position in that contract is closed — no proportional math is needed, the follower is simply flattened to match the leader's flat state.