Pip Value & Contract Specifications
US30 (Dow Jones Industrial Average, also called DJIA or Wall Street 30) is an index CFD. The contract specification gives a point value of approximately $1.00 per index point per standard lot at most CFD brokers including FxPro. At USD/ZAR 18.50 that equals R18.50 per point per lot — the same basis as NAS100, but the Dow's lower daily range means tighter stops and more manageable swings.
Always verify in MT4/MT5: right-click the US30 symbol → Specification → check contract size and tick value for your account type.
| Lot Size | Point value (USD) | Point value (ZAR @ 18.50) | 50-point stop | 150-point stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.01 (micro) | ~$0.01 | ~R0.185 | ~R9.25 | ~R27.75 |
| 0.10 (mini) | ~$0.10 | ~R1.85 | ~R92.50 | ~R277.50 |
| 0.50 | ~$0.50 | ~R9.25 | ~R462 | ~R1,387 |
| 1.00 (standard) | ~$1.00 | ~R18.50 | ~R925 | ~R2,775 |
All values indicative at USD/ZAR 18.50. Verify contract specifications with your broker before trading.
| Instrument class | Index CFD |
|---|---|
| One point | 1 |
| Standard lot | 1 index unit |
| Value of one point per lot | $1.00 |
| Typical spread | 0.5 points — · FxPro verified |
| Notional value of one lot | — |
| Margin on one lot at 1:30 / 1:100 / 1:500 | — |
The last two rows move with the market and are filled in from the live rate; everything above them is fixed by the contract. Leverage available to you depends on your regulator and account type — check it in the platform before you size a position.
Position Sizing Example
Suppose you have a R50,000 account and risk 1% per trade (R500). You set a 100-point stop loss on US30 (appropriate for a 1-hour chart trade).
At USD/ZAR 18.50, each point per lot = R18.50. The formula:
Lots = Risk ÷ (Stop points × Point value in ZAR)
Lots = R500 ÷ (100 × R18.50) = R500 ÷ R1,850 ≈ 0.27 lots
Round down to 0.25 lots. On a daily-chart trade with a 200-point stop, the same R500 risk allows: R500 ÷ (200 × R18.50) ≈ 0.13 lots. The Dow's lower volatility versus NAS100 often permits slightly larger position sizes for the same stop distance.
| Currency | Central bank | Policy rate | What moves it |
|---|---|---|---|
| US30 | Dow Jones Industrial Average | No policy rate | earnings · FOMC · real US yields |
About US30 — Key Drivers & Trading Hours
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is the world's most famous stock index, comprising 30 blue-chip US companies including Goldman Sachs, Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, Caterpillar, and JPMorgan Chase. Trading near 42,000 points in current conditions, with a typical daily ATR of 100–300 points. This is lower than NAS100's 200–400 points because the Dow is price-weighted and dominated by traditional industries rather than high-growth tech.
Key drivers: Federal Reserve rate decisions, US economic data (ISM Manufacturing, Consumer Confidence, Non-Farm Payrolls), earnings from Dow component companies (especially financial stocks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan), oil prices (Chevron is a component), and broader risk sentiment. The Dow is more defensive than NAS100 — it tends to fall less during tech sell-offs but also captures less of tech rallies.
Active trading hours in SAST: 14:30–21:00 SAST for the full US cash session. The highest-volatility window is around the US open (14:30–15:30 SAST) and into the close (20:00–21:00 SAST). Non-Farm Payrolls (first Friday of each month at 14:30 SAST) is consistently the highest single-event volatility trigger for US30. On FOMC days (8 times per year), expect 200–400 point moves within minutes of the 20:00 SAST announcement.
Spreads are tightest when two sessions are open at once and widest when one desk has gone home and the next has not arrived. The shaded band is the overlap.
Pip values sourced from ECB reference data (Frankfurter API). All values are indicative and for educational purposes — not live trading quotes. See full pip value table →
