How can I copy trades to accounts of different sizes?

The Ratio copy method in Replikanto lets you scale a follower account's contract quantity relative to the leader account, so accounts of different sizes can all trade the same strategy proportionally. You define a ratio for each follower, from -100 to 100 — a positive ratio copies orders in the same direction as the leader, while a negative ratio reverses them.

How the Ratio copy method works

Positive ratio

• A ratio of 2.0: if the leader trades 2 contracts, the follower trades 4 contracts.
• A ratio of 5.0: if the leader trades 1 contract, the follower trades 5 contracts.
• Ratios can also be less than 1 (e.g. 0.5), and the resulting quantity is rounded down: 3 × 0.5 copies 1 contract, and 1 × 0.5 rounds down to 0, so that trade is not copied.

Negative ratio (hedging)

• A negative ratio reverses the trade direction. For example, a ratio of -1 creates a 1:1 hedge — a buy order on the leader becomes a sell order on the follower with the same quantity of contracts.
• The ratio is applied to each trade as it happens: if the leader's strategy dynamically changes its order size from 1 contract to 2, a follower with a -1 ratio automatically trades 2 contracts in the opposite direction.

See How do I reverse order direction on a follower? (Hedge) for more on hedging with a negative ratio.

The examples above in the Ratio column: 1 = 2.00 (the leader trades 2 contracts, the follower trades 4), 2 = 0.50 (half the leader's quantity, rounded down), 3 = -1.00 (same quantity, opposite direction: a 1:1 hedge).

Setting the ratio for a follower account

1. In the main Replikanto window, use the Method dropdown on the left side and select Ratio.
2. Turn the follower account On in the Follower Accounts grid — every account connected in NinjaTrader is already listed there. The Ratio is a column in the follower grid, edited directly in that follower's row (not in the Properties window), and it only appears when the Method is set to Ratio — if the window is still set to Exact Quantity or another mode, switch it first.
3. Enter a value between -100 and 100 in that follower's Ratio cell — positive to copy in the same direction, negative to reverse it. Starting with Replikanto 1.7.0.0, the Ratio cannot be edited while that follower has an open position or a working order (the cell is dimmed); flatten the follower or wait for the trade to close first. See Why can't I change follower settings during a trade?
4. Repeat for each follower that should use the Ratio method. To combine Ratio with Exact Quantity or Pre Allocation for other followers, open a separate Replikanto window or tab per method — each tab applies a single copy method to all the followers configured in it.

Step 1: Method > Ratio. The Ratio column only appears in the Follower Accounts grid after you pick this method.

Steps 2 and 3, with the leader long 2 contracts: 1 = followers turned On, 2 = their Ratio cells, dimmed while the follower has an open position or a working order, 3 = what each ratio produced: 2.00 gives Long 4, 0.50 gives Long 1, -1.00 gives Short 2.

Important considerations

• ATM Copy: Use the Ratio copy method together with the ATM Copy feature so follower accounts manage exit orders with their own ATM strategy instead of copying them from the leader.
• Contract quantity: With the Ratio method, the follower's contract quantity is rounded down.
• Slippage and order rejections: Especially with a negative ratio, order rejections can occur if the leader's order fills close to the bid/ask price, since the reversed follower order can end up on the wrong side of the market. Using market orders to open positions, and placing stop-loss and take-profit orders a little farther from the bid/ask price, helps minimize this — the ATM Copy feature is recommended here too.
• Cross Order: Combining the Ratio method with the Cross Order feature can increase the chance of an order filling on only one side, since the two instruments may not move exactly in sync — especially during high volatility.
• Spreadsheet: Use this spreadsheet to check Replikanto's follower-quantity calculation.
• Multiple instruments: If your strategy trades more than one instrument, open a separate Replikanto window or tab for each one.

Synchronization and PnL differences

Replikanto doesn't guarantee perfect synchronization of positions or orders between leader and follower accounts. Execution timing (network latency, broker processing), slippage, and broker differences (fees, spreads, execution policies) can all cause PnL to differ between accounts, even when they're running the same ratio. For a full breakdown of causes and how to investigate them, see PnL difference between leader and follower accounts in Replikanto.

Choosing account sizes

It's generally better to have fewer accounts with larger balances than many accounts with smaller balances — for example, two 50k accounts are preferable to four 25k accounts.

When using a trade copier like Replikanto, monitor all follower accounts to make sure positions are closed and orders are canceled as expected. Replikanto uses parallel processing to copy trades to multiple followers simultaneously and minimize delays; latency is typically between 10ms and 200ms for local accounts, though it can increase with more follower accounts, slower CPUs, and network connection speeds.

Related copy methods

Ratio is one of several copy methods Replikanto supports. If a follower should trade the exact same quantity as the leader, use the Exact Quantity method (the leader trades 2 contracts, the follower trades 2). If it should trade a fixed quantity regardless of the leader's order size, use the Pre Allocation method, where you set that fixed quantity for each follower.