Been copying a few traders on eToro and ZuluTrade for about two months now.
Results are mixed but the transparency is interesting. You can actually see their full trading history and drawdowns.
Anyone else notice how differently people trade when they know others are watching?
Traders act differently when they know they are watched.
Performance data can be misleading. Many successful traders on these platforms have only been trading for 6-12 months. That is not enough time to see how they handle major market changes or tough losing streaks.
I have seen traders with 80% win rates that looked great until they faced losses. Their risk management fell apart because they did not learn to deal with drawdowns properly.
Check how long they have been trading and their performance during volatile periods. A trader who survived 2020’s chaos deserves more attention than someone who started in 2023.
Used to follow a few traders on both platforms. The psychology shift is real - some get more conservative because they don’t want to look bad, others get reckless trying to show off.
Found that traders with steady 5-10% monthly gains usually perform better long term than the flashy ones posting 50% monthly returns. Those high performers almost always blow up eventually.
eToro’s copy trading worked better for me than ZuluTrade. The interface made it easier to track what was happening with my copied positions.
Just remember these platforms make money from your trading volume, not your profits. So take their trader rankings with a grain of salt.
I tried both platforms too. The successful traders I copied started getting cautious after gaining followers which killed their edge.
The whole transparency thing cuts both ways though. Some traders dial back their risk when followers are watching their every move, which can actually hurt their natural trading style.
I noticed the top performers on these platforms often stop taking trades they normally would because they worry about how it looks to copiers.
You might learn more by just studying their past trades instead of copying them live.