Pick your terminal
Lesson 16 of 16 in the course “Futures from Zero”. Free, with animations and a quiz.
Crypto or gold and currencies
You know everything you need to try it hands-on. Now pick a market. Crypto futures mean bitcoin and other coins, a 24/7 market and sharp moves, trading in an exchange terminal. Gold, oil and currencies mean a weekday market, usually smoother moves, trading in MetaTrader at a broker. There’s no right answer: pick what interests you more. You can always open the other terminal later.
The second question is about money
Next the simulator asks how much you plan to start with: under $1,000 or more. That sets the practice account: $500 or $2,000. That way the numbers look like your future ones, and you get used to counting risk in your own dollars. For your budget we picked a terminal styled after one of the platforms: WEEX or BloFin for crypto, Vantage or FxPro for gold and currencies. It’s a practice copy: the money isn’t real, and everything is explained step by step.
Come back whenever you like
The simulator isn’t a one-off lesson. You can always come back to test your strategy or your knowledge. Got a new entry rule? Run it over 20–30 trades. Haven’t traded in a while? Warm up before a real trade. The account, journal and strategy note are saved on this device, and you can reset the account and start with another amount.
Before real money
If you ever decide to move to a real platform, run through a short checklist. Trading is legal for you in your country. You’ve done 20–30 simulator trades by your rules, and the journal shows they work. Every trade has 1% risk, a stop and a take. And the amount is one you can afford to lose. Futures and leveraged CFDs are complex instruments, and most retail accounts lose money. This is education, not investment advice.
Check yourself
- Nika wants to trade gold and plans to start with $700. Which practice account will the simulator open?
Correct answer: MetaTrader with $500. Gold means MetaTrader, and under $1,000 gives a $500 practice account. - Why come back to the simulator after the course?
Correct answer: To test a new strategy and refresh knowledge with no risk. The simulator is where mistakes are free. The account and journal are saved, so you can test a strategy as long as you like. - Which of these must be in place before real money?
Correct answer: Rules tested over 20–30 trades and an amount you can afford to lose. Go to real money with tested rules and an amount whose loss won’t change your life. Leverage and loans only speed up losses.