Leading online brokerage group Capital.com has published its H1 2026 Pulse Report, examining whether traders in some markets are more risk-aware than others, and what that means for outcomes.

Analysis of more than 80 million closed trades on Capital.com’s global platform between January and June 2026, around 32.2 million of them in seven key markets, finds persistent and measurable differences in how traders approach a fundamental risk management decision, whether to define their maximum potential loss before a position is placed, rather than leaving exit decisions to real-time judgement under market pressure.

Capital.com trading volumes

While we already reported back in July that trading activity slowed at Capital.com during Q2 2026, overall the first half of the year was a fairly good period for the broker. Capital.com’s global platform generated $2.45T in trading volume in H1 2026 — a 27.7% increase on H2 2025’s $1.92T. The increase was driven by a shift in activity intensity, rather than a significant expansion in the trader base. Monthly active traders grew modestly from ~87,679 average in H2 2025 to ~96,115 in H1 2026, while closed trade count grew 48% to 80.9 million. Traders were more active per head, placing more positions, at higher frequency, particularly during the volatility-heavy months of Q1 2026.

Stop-loss orders

The report focuses on the use of automated exit controls, known in trading as stop-loss orders, which close a position automatically when the market reaches a predefined price level set by the trader at entry. A standard stop-loss does not guarantee execution at that level, as in fast-moving or gapping markets the position may be closed at a less favourable price.

Capital.com’s analysis treats the proportion of trades carrying one of these controls as a measure of risk awareness, since traders who set an exit level before they open a position are making a deliberate decision about acceptable risk, rather than responding to market conditions as they develop. Supporting traders with the tools to make that kind of decision, rather than simply enabling more of them, is central to how Capital.com designs its platform.

A persistent gap between markets

The findings show a persistent gap between markets. The analysis covers seven markets where the use of automated exit controls is voluntary; France, where such controls (Guaranteed Stop Loss order) are mandatory for any position, is not included (see Notes to editors).

Among these seven, Germany was the most risk-aware, posting the highest stop-loss adoption rate of any market in H1 2026 at 34.06%. The Netherlands (32.81%) and Poland (32.16%) also attached automated exit controls to nearly one in three trades. In the United Arab Emirates, which accounts for the largest share of platform activity of any market in the analysis, fewer than one in five trades (18.30%) carried one. The United Kingdom ranked sixth of the seven markets, just under one in four (24.71%).

The gap is narrowing, slowly

This is a longstanding gap, and it is changing. Compared with H2 2025 (July to December 2025), five of seven markets increased their use of these controls, with Germany up 6.83 percentage points and Poland recording the largest single-market increase at 8.34 percentage points. Italy improved by 5.45 percentage points to 26.92%, and the Netherlands was up 3.87 percentage points. The UK stayed essentially flat, while Australia recorded a marginal decline, attributed to a higher volume of trades in the second quarter that outpaced the pace of control attachment. The UAE improved by 1.22 percentage points.

Commenting on risk management differences across markets in H1 2026, Rupert Osborne, CEO UK, Capital.com, said,

“The data across H1 2026 shows that markets differ in how consistently traders define their exit conditions before a position is opened. That difference matters. A trader who has set an automated exit level in advance is operating with a defined boundary on what they can lose, while a trader who hasn’t is relying on real-time judgement in conditions that are often difficult to assess clearly. Both approaches exist across our platform, and the gap between the markets where pre-defined exits are most common and those where they are least common is one of the most consistent findings in our analysis.”

UAE and Europe: where the gap is most visible

The contrast is most visible in the UAE. UAE traders placed more trades and more volume than any other market in this analysis, 17.5 million trades and $1.06 trillion in H1 2026, yet were the least likely to use automated exit controls, attaching them to 18.30% of trades. The report does not attribute this to a lack of market sophistication. Gold accounted for 54% of UAE trading volume, which is likely to reflect a long-standing regional preference for gold as an asset. The report also notes that March’s oil supply shock produced intraday price ranges beyond what most traders’ risk settings were calibrated for, a reminder that conditions can change quickly.

Commenting on risk management behavior among UAE traders, Tarik Chebib, CEO MENA, Capital.com, said,

“What stands out is that UAE trader behaviour is shifting. Stop-loss adoption rose to 18.30% in H1 2026, up from 17.08% in H2 2025, moving in the same direction as every other market we track. Our focus now is on helping more UAE traders build the practices that support good trading decisions, whether that’s setting an exit level before a position is opened or having the right tools in place to do it easily. That’s where we’re putting our attention as we move into the second half of the year.”

Commenting on risk management patterns across European markets, Christoforos Soutzis, CEO Europe, Capital.com, said,

“The European picture in H1 2026 is one of improvement, but with significant variation. Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands are operating at a different level of risk management than Italy, and certainly than the UK. Timing, instrument mix, and the specific market conditions of H1 2026 all play a role, rather than culture or habit alone. What it does show is that the gap between European markets is real, measurable, and not closing quickly. That is worth paying attention to as we move through the second half of the year.”

Other key insights

The report also found the following:

• H1 also showed a shift in what traders were responding to. In Q1, activity was shaped by gold’s safe-haven demand, crypto market dislocation and an oil supply shock. In Q2, technology became more prominent with the US Tech 100 becoming the second-largest instrument on the platform in Q2 at $292.4 billion and, in the UK, the top instrument by volume across H1 (33% of UK volume). According to the report, this was driven by a combination of AI-driven earnings upgrades, resolution of trade tariff uncertainty, and an easing of the macro risk premium that had weighed on growth assets through Q1.
• News-driven oil activity shows how quickly themes can reverse. US Crude Oil Spot volume rose 700% in March during the oil supply shock, then declined 10% in April, 5% in May and 37% in June as the risk premium unwound.
• Crypto was the exception to the volatility rule. BTC (Bitcoin) / USD (U.S. Dollar) volatility reached 17.9%, its highest level of H1 2026, a step below oil’s platform-wide peak of 36.1% in March. Traders still reduced activity, as counterparty uncertainty and a broader retreat from risk assets made conditions harder to read

The full Capital.com H1 2026 Pulse Report, including per-market instrument data, trading volume by country, and detailed behavioral profiles, is available here (pdf).

About Capital.com

Capital.com is a global, regulated financial group established in 2016. It operates a technology-led platform providing access to financial markets, designed to support deliberate and informed decision-making.

The company’s operating model is structured around regulatory compliance, governance, and operational discipline. Platform design emphasises clarity, information sequencing, and risk awareness, with features intended to limit unnecessary urgency and support considered market participation.

Capital.com operates across multiple jurisdictions under established regulatory frameworks. The company’s focus is on long-term consistency, resilience, and stability across market conditions, including periods of heightened volatility.

Capital.com maintains operational offices in major financial and business centres, including London, Dubai, Warsaw, Milan, Nassau, Sofia, Limassol, and Melbourne.