Trading from a phone
You will work out the money value of one pip on EUR/USD in shillings, then see why a six-inch screen can hide the wider move that decides whether a stop is hit.
Compare a desktop chart with a phone chart before you order
Two people open the same EUR/USD price. One uses a desktop screen, the other a phone. The desktop shows five days of candles at once, so the price path from Monday to Friday is visible in one glance. The phone shows the last few hours, so the same price looks like the whole story when it is only the last page.
The desktop view lets you see where price stopped and turned over several days. The phone view hides those turning points unless you pinch out. That difference is not about skill. It is about how many candles fit on the glass in front of you.
A trader who checks the wide view first sees the recent high and low before tapping buy or sell. A trader who does not may place a stop inside a swing that already happened twice this week. The order can be identical. The information behind it is not.
Calculate what the small screen costs you in shillings
On EUR/USD, one pip on a standard lot is about KSh 1,295 at an example rate of 1.0850. Your broker may round the exchange rate, add a spread, or charge a commission, so the figure on your account will differ. Use the number here only to practise the arithmetic.
If you trade 0.10 lots, the pip value is 0.10 times 1,295, which is KSh 129.50. If you trade 0.01 lots, it is 0.01 times 1,295, which is KSh 12.95. The lot size you choose sets the shilling value of every pip before the market moves at all.
A phone chart that shows six hours might contain a 40 pip range. A five-day chart often contains a wider range because it covers many more hours. The exact width depends on the market, so check the chart rather than assume. If your stop sits 30 pips away and the five-day range is 90 pips, the stop is inside normal movement you did not see.
Decide when a phone trade cannot be fully checked
Some apps let you pinch out to a daily or weekly view. Others cap the history on the small screen. If your app cannot show the last few days, you cannot see the high and low that a wider chart would reveal. That is a limit of the tool, not a reason to guess.
Treat a trade you cannot fully check as one to leave alone. Waiting is a decision, and it costs nothing. Placing an order you cannot inspect costs the spread and whatever the hidden swing takes.
A phone is useful for closing a position, watching an open trade, or checking a price. It is weaker for deciding where a stop belongs, because that decision needs the widest view available. Match the tool to the task rather than forcing one screen to do both.
One pip on EUR/USD at 1.0850
| Step | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Standard lot size | 100,000 units | the contract size for one standard lot of EUR/USD |
| One pip in price | 0.0001 | the fourth decimal place on EUR/USD |
| Pip value in quote currency | 10 units | 100,000 x 0.0001 |
| Exchange rate used | KES 129.50 per unit | this rate varies between brokers and changes daily |
| Pip value in shillings | KSh 1,295 | 10 x 129.50 |
Your broker may round the exchange rate, add a spread, or charge a commission on top. The rate used here is an example only and will differ from the rate on your account.
Doing it once, step by step
Work through these steps once on your own phone, using EUR/USD and the example rate of 1.0850, so the arithmetic and the chart check become familiar.
- 01
Open the chart and pinch out
Load EUR/USD on your app and pinch out until the chart stops zooming. Note the number of hours or days now visible. Write that figure down, because it is the limit of what the screen will show you.
- 02
Record the recent high and low
Find the highest and lowest price in the visible range and write both numbers beside the current price. If the app cannot show several days, note that the check is incomplete. Do not place an order until you know which case you are in.
- 03
Work out the pip value in shillings
Take one pip on a standard lot as KSh 1,295 at the example rate. Multiply by your lot size. At 0.10 lots that is 0.10 times 1,295, which is KSh 129.50. Your broker may round the rate, add a spread, or charge a commission, so confirm the figure on your own account.
- 04
Measure the distance to your stop
Count the pips between your entry and your stop, then multiply by the pip value you just calculated. If the stop is 30 pips away at 0.10 lots, the risk is 30 times 129.50, which is KSh 3,885. Compare that with the high and low you recorded.
- 05
Compare the stop with the visible range
If the five-day range is wider than the distance to your stop, the stop sits inside normal movement. A six-hour view can hide that. Widen the chart or leave the trade until the range is visible.
- 06
Check the payment route before you fund
Deposits and withdrawals in Kenya commonly run through M-Pesa or a bank transfer, and the timing and fees vary between brokers. Confirm the route, the fee, and the expected delay on your own account before sending money. Check that the broker is registered with the CMA, and treat any figure here as an example that will differ from your statement.
The mistake most people make here
The common mistake is to place the same order on a phone that you would place on a desktop, without checking how much of the chart the small screen is hiding. On a six-inch screen you might see only the last few hours, so a stop that looked safe on a desktop chart can sit inside a normal swing you never saw. Before you tap buy or sell, pinch out to the widest view the app allows and note the highest and lowest price of the last few days. If the app cannot show that, treat the trade as one you cannot fully check and wait.Check yourself
If one pip on a standard lot is KSh 1,295, what is the pip value on 0.10 lots?
0.10 x 1,295 = KSh 129.50.
A phone chart shows only the last 6 hours. The price moved 40 pips in that time. How many pips would a desktop chart showing 5 days likely reveal?
More than 40 pips. A 5-day view covers many more hours, so the total range is usually wider. The exact number depends on the market, so check the chart.
Questions that come up next
Why does a phone chart show fewer candles than a desktop chart?
The screen is smaller, so each candle takes up more of the glass. The app fits fewer candles into the same space. A desktop screen can show five days at once because it has more room. The phone shows the last few hours unless you pinch out. The candles are the same; the window is narrower.
How do I know if my app can show the last few days?
Open the chart and pinch outwards with two fingers. If the view widens to daily or weekly candles, the history is there. If it stops after a few hours, the app caps the history on the small screen. Try the widest setting your app allows before you place any order. If the last few days never appear, treat the trade as one you cannot fully check.
Does a smaller screen change the pip value?
No. The pip value depends on the lot size and the exchange rate, not on the device. One pip on a standard lot is about KSh 1,295 at an example rate of 1.0850. On 0.10 lots it is KSh 129.50. On 0.01 lots it is KSh 12.95. The phone shows the number on a smaller screen, but the arithmetic is the same.
What should I check before tapping buy or sell on a phone?
Pinch out to the widest view the app allows. Note the highest and lowest price of the last few days. Compare that range with the distance to your stop. If the stop sits inside the range, normal movement can reach it. If the app cannot show the range, wait.
Is it safe to close a trade from a phone?
Closing a position needs less chart than opening one. You already know why you entered, and you are acting on a decision you made earlier. The small screen is enough to tap close. The risk is in opening a new trade without the wide view. Use the phone to manage, and check the wide chart before you start something new.
What does the CMA do for someone trading on a phone?
The CMA regulates firms that offer these products in Kenya. It sets rules on how they hold client money and what they must disclose. It does not check whether your stop sits inside a swing. That part is yours. A regulated firm can still offer an app with a limited chart.
In Kenya
- Regulator
- The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) licenses and supervises investment firms in Kenya.
- Money
- The shilling is written KSh (KES).
- Payment methods
- M-Pesa and bank transfer are common ways to move money to and from a trading account.
- Instrument example
- EUR/USD traded around 1.0850 in this lesson.
- Pip value
- On one standard lot of EUR/USD, one pip is 10 units of the quote currency, converted at the current rate.
The words used on this page
- pip
- The smallest standard step in a currency price. On EUR/USD it is the fourth decimal place, so a move from 1.0850 to 1.0851 is one pip. The shilling value of a pip depends on your lot size.
- lot
- The size of the position you open. A standard lot is the full size, and smaller lots are fractions of it. Your lot size sets the shilling value of every pip before the market moves.
- stop
- An order that closes your position at a price you set in advance. It limits how much you can lose if the market moves against you. A stop placed inside normal movement can be hit before your view is proved right or wrong.
- swing
- A normal up-and-down move in price over hours or days. Swings happen without any news. A stop inside a recent swing can be reached by ordinary movement you did not see on a small screen.
- spread
- The gap between the price you can buy at and the price you can sell at. It is a cost you pay on every trade. Brokers set it differently, so the figure varies between accounts.
- candle
- A bar on the chart that shows the open, close, high and low for one period of time. Each candle covers a set number of minutes or hours. Fewer candles fit on a phone screen, so less history is visible at once.
What to take away
- A phone places the same order as a desktop but shows less of the chart.
- Pinch out to the widest view and note the recent high and low before you order.
- One pip on a standard lot is about KSh 1,295 at an example rate of 1.0850, so 0.10 lots gives KSh 129.50.
- If the app cannot show the last few days, treat the trade as one you cannot fully check and wait.