Prop firm guide

FTMO rules

FTMO rules set how much you must make and how much you may lose to pass the FTMO Challenge and keep an FTMO Account. As of November 2026, the 2-Step Challenge asks for 10% then 5% profit, with a 5% maximum daily loss and a 10% maximum loss. This is a plain summary; FTMO's own site is the authority.

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From ftmo.com, checked Nov 20262-Step, 1-Step and fundedNot affiliated with FTMO

As of November 2026, the FTMO 2-Step Challenge needs a 10% profit target, then 5% in Verification, with at least 4 trading days, a 5% maximum daily loss and a 10% static maximum loss. The 1-Step needs 10% profit, with a 3% daily loss, a 10% end-of-day trailing loss and a 50% best-day consistency rule.

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Quick answers

What are the FTMO challenge rules?

As of November 2026, the 2-Step Challenge needs 10% profit, then 5% in the Verification phase, with at least 4 trading days in each phase, without losing 5% in a day or 10% in total. The 1-Step needs 10% profit, without a 3% daily loss or a 10% trailing loss, and no single day over 50% of your profit.

What is the FTMO maximum daily loss?

5% of the initial capital on 2-Step accounts and 3% on 1-Step and Instant accounts, as of November 2026. It resets at midnight CE(S)T from that time's balance, and it is measured on equity, so open losses count. On a $100,000 2-Step account, you may not lose more than $5,000 in a day.

Can you trade news on FTMO?

Yes during the Challenge and Verification. As of November 2026, on a Standard funded FTMO Account, FTMO restricts order execution for 2 minutes before and 2 minutes after selected news releases, including stops, targets and pending orders. Swing accounts have no news restriction.

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Objectives

FTMO trading objectives by account size

FTMO sets its objectives as a % of the initial capital. Dollar amounts below are those % worked out for example sizes. FTMO offers accounts up to $200,000; see its site for the sizes on sale.

Account size2-Step target (Challenge / Verification)2-Step max daily loss (5%)1-Step target (10%)1-Step max daily loss (3%)Max loss (10%)
$10,000$1,000 / $500$500$1,000$300$1,000
$25,000$2,500 / $1,250$1,250$2,500$750$2,500
$50,000$5,000 / $2,500$2,500$5,000$1,500$5,000
$100,000$10,000 / $5,000$5,000$10,000$3,000$10,000
$200,000$20,000 / $10,000$10,000$20,000$6,000$20,000
  • Minimum trading days: 4 on each 2-Step phase; none listed for 1-Step. A trading day counts when you open at least one position between 00:00 and 23:59 CE(S)T.
  • Maximum loss: static on 2-Step (a $100,000 account may not go below $90,000). On 1-Step it trails the balance at end of day and can rise but never fall.
  • Time limit: none. FTMO's comparison table lists the trading period as unlimited.
  • Consistency: 1-Step only. Your best day must be no more than 50% of your total profit, to pass and to get a Reward. The Instant Account uses 30%. 2-Step lists no consistency rule. Check yours with the consistency rule calculator.

Once funded

FTMO rules once funded

  • No profit target and no minimum trading days on the FTMO Account. The daily and maximum loss limits still apply.
  • News: on Standard FTMO Accounts, no orders 2 minutes before and 2 minutes after selected news releases. Challenge, Verification and Swing accounts are exempt.
  • Weekend and overnight holding: FTMO restricts holding positions through market breaks longer than 2 hours. Challenge, Verification and Swing accounts can hold over the weekend.
  • Swing account: 2-Step only. No news restriction and weekend holding allowed, with base leverage cut from 1:100 to 1:30.
  • EAs: allowed if the strategy is legitimate and not a Forbidden Trading Practice. FTMO warns that a third-party EA used by many traders can push you over its maximum capital allocation, and it may ask you to change an EA that overloads its servers.
  • Reward split: 90% on 1-Step and Instant accounts; 80% by default on 2-Step, rising to 90% under the Scaling Plan or Premium Programme. You can request a Reward from day 14 after your first trade.

All of this is as of November 2026. FTMO changes its rules from time to time: read the current Trading Objectives before you trade.

Use your real numbers

Check your days against FTMO's limits

Dusk Analyst shows your P&L by day, your best day and your win rate from your real trades, so you can compare them with FTMO's limits. It does not track FTMO's rules or warn you before a breach: FTMO's dashboard is the place for that. Calculate this from your real trades: import your MT4/MT5 history on the Free plan, or auto-sync MT4, MT5, cTrader or NinjaTrader 8 on Pro.

Dusk Analyst is not affiliated with FTMO. Related: FTMO trading journal, consistency rule calculator, risk of ruin calculator, XAUUSD pip calculator.

Sources

Where these numbers come from

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10%Challenge profit target
5% / 3%max daily loss, 2-Step / 1-Step
10%maximum loss

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FAQ

FTMO rules questions, answered.

Does FTMO have a consistency rule?

On 1-Step and Instant accounts, yes. As of November 2026, the 1-Step best day must be no more than 50% of total profit, and the Instant Account's no more than 30%. FTMO's Trading Objectives page lists no consistency rule for the 2-Step Challenge.

Does FTMO count open trades in the daily loss?

Yes. FTMO measures the daily loss on equity: balance plus open positions' profit or loss, minus swaps and commissions. A floating loss can breach the limit even before you close the trade.

Can I hold trades over the weekend on FTMO?

In the Challenge and Verification, yes. On a Standard funded FTMO Account, no: you must close before market breaks longer than 2 hours. Swing accounts may hold over the weekend.

Is there a time limit on the FTMO Challenge?

No. As of November 2026, FTMO's comparison table lists the trading period as unlimited for both 2-Step and 1-Step.

Are EAs allowed on FTMO?

Yes, if your strategy is legitimate and not a Forbidden Trading Practice. FTMO warns that copying a popular third-party EA can breach its maximum capital allocation rule.

Is Dusk Analyst really free?

Yes. The free tier costs $0 forever and includes two accounts, manual trade entry and CSV import - enough to journal a live account properly, with win rate, P&L and equity curve all calculated for you. There is no credit card required to start. Pro ($25/month flat) adds unlimited accounts, MT4/MT5/cTrader/NinjaTrader auto-sync, AI insights on your trading (1,000 trade-analyses a month), monthly reports and full export, and every new account gets Pro free for 5 trading days with no card. The pricing is deliberately simple: one plan, one price, no per-feature upsells.

Is there a free trial?

Yes, and it needs no card. Every new Dusk Analyst account gets Pro free for 5 trading days from sign-up: auto-sync from MT4, MT5, cTrader and NinjaTrader 8, AI Insights with 1,000 credits, monthly reports and unlimited accounts. After that Pro is $25/month, and you can cancel anytime from Billing in the app. If you skip it, the account moves to Free with every trade kept.

Can I import my existing trade history?

Yes - CSV import is available on every plan, including free. If you've been tracking trades in a spreadsheet, broker export or another journal, export the CSV from wherever it lives and import it into Dusk Analyst; the journal matches it against your accounts and keeps your history continuous. Import is also the fallback for platforms that don't run MT4, MT5, cTrader or NinjaTrader 8. For MT4/MT5/cTrader/NinjaTrader terminals, Pro auto-syncs going forward and the EA backfills any trades your terminal missed while it was off. Any platform that exports a CSV of your trade history works. Dusk Analyst recognises TradingView, Tradovate, cTrader, MT4 and MT5 exports on sight; for anything else you map your columns once and that parser is saved for next time. Comma, semicolon and tab files are all handled, day-first and month-first dates are detected from the file itself, and any row that cannot be read is listed for you rather than dropped quietly.

How many AI credits do I get with Dusk Analyst Pro?

Pro includes 1,000 AI trade-analyses every month. One credit covers one trade, so asking a question about a 40-trade week costs 40 credits and you can keep asking. The allowance resets on the 1st of each month and the counter sits in the top bar of the app, so you always know where you stand. Narrowing a question to one account or a shorter date range makes the same allowance go much further. Free accounts get a small number of AI credits to try AI Insights, alongside the full journal, analytics and weekly reports, and the free Pro week (5 trading days, no card) includes the full monthly allowance.

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