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Capital.com's United Arab Emirates (UAE) clients traded $1.06 trillion in the first half of 2026, and 18.3% of their trades had a stop-loss. That was the lowest proportion among the seven markets covered in the broker's H1 2026 Pulse Report, published on 19 October 2026.
UAE activity made up more than two-fifths of Capital.com's $2.45 trillion in client trading between January and June. The total was 27.7% higher than the $1.92 trillion recorded in the second half of 2025, while closed trades increased 48% to 80.9 million.
The Middle East accounted for about half of the broker's $3.42 trillion in 2025 volume. Across the platform, 22.43% of closed trades had a stop-loss set when opened, compared with 22.21% in the preceding six months.
Stop-loss use diverged by market
Germany had the highest rate, at 34.06%, following a rise of 6.83 percentage points from the second half of 2025. The Netherlands recorded 32.81%, with Poland at 32.16%; Poland's increase of 8.34 points was the largest among the seven markets. Italy rose 5.45 points to 26.92%. Australia fell 0.92 points to 27.40%, a change Capital.com linked to new trading during the second-quarter technology rally. The United Kingdom was unchanged at 24.71%, while the UAE rose 1.22 points from 17.08%.
France is not included: Capital.com says French rules require a guaranteed stop on every CFD position. The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) began linking CFD advertising with guaranteed stops and negative balance protection in 2017.
Positions closed after a stop-loss was triggered recorded average losses 39% lower than positions without a stop. The gap ran from 55.2% in Germany to 17.7% in Australia.
Capital.com cautioned that the comparison describes a correlation in one half-year of data and does not establish that stop orders caused the difference. Tarik Chebib, Capital.com's chief executive for the Middle East and North Africa, said the firm was focusing on encouraging traders to choose an exit before opening a trade.
The figures cover January to June
The report draws on more than 80 million closed trades, including about 32.2 million across the seven profiled markets. A separate July update put stop-loss use at 26.6% of second-quarter positions, a different measure from the half-year report's share of closed trades. The quarterly volume figures also changed from earlier updates: April's first-quarter figure was $1.27 trillion, against $1.31 trillion in the new report, while July's second-quarter figure was $1.13 trillion.
Gold Spot led Capital.com's instrument volumes in both half-years. It represented 57% of a $508 billion January, the busiest month, and 54% of UAE volume during the six-month period. Other brokers reported strong metals activity: ACCM said gold represented 91% of its $2.14 trillion in first-quarter CFD activity, while VT Markets reported first-half volume of about $8 trillion, up 212% year on year, with gold and silver among its most traded products. These figures and the broker comparisons were reported by Finance Magnates.
Capital.com's quarterly mix shifted towards technology indices as volume eased to $1.14 trillion in the second quarter from $1.31 trillion in the first. US Tech 100 volume grew 48% in May and 37% in June, ending the quarter at $292.4 billion. A supply disruption associated with the conflict involving Iran coincided with a 700% March rise in US crude volume.
Activity then contracted 10% in April, 5% in May and 37% in June. Christoforos Soutzis, Capital.com's chief executive for Europe, said stops chosen in calmer conditions can be activated by routine price changes when volatility rises.
What this means on the desk
The report measures client behaviour, not a stated change to Capital.com's order handling. For operations and risk teams, the main point is that stop-loss rates depend on the market and on the denominator used: closed trades in the half-year report are not directly comparable with positions in the July update. Any internal comparison should preserve that distinction.
Teams reviewing execution and reporting should check how their own systems record stops set at entry, triggered stops and positions closed without one. The report does not specify how Capital.com's order workflow, reporting or risk controls implement those measures. Operators would need to establish whether the same definitions are used across instruments and markets, and how changes in volatility affect stop-trigger monitoring and client reporting.
