Prop firm rules
Every rule, firm by firm
11 rules that can cost you an account, each with the firms that allow it, the ones that restrict it, the ones that forbid it. And the ones that say nothing, by name. Measured across 102 firms.
- allow it
- with conditions
- forbid it
- speak, but not to this
- our census contradicts itself
- not verified
- Hedging within the same account55 of 102Opening opposite positions at once. Some firms allow it inside one account but forbid it across accounts, and that distinction is rarely in the brochure.
- Hedging split across your own accounts45 of 102Long on one account, short on another. Firms that allow hedging inside a single account can still ban this one, and each account looks clean on its own.
- Holding positions overnight42 of 102The rule that separates swing from intraday. Many futures firms close your position at the cutoff, and some charge an add-on to lift it. Here is what each one publishes for its funded account.
- News trading, firm by firm38 of 102If you trade NFP, CPI or rate decisions, this is the rule that disqualifies you without warning. Many firms apply it only during evaluation and lift it on funded accounts. Or the other way round.
- Trading through a VPN34 of 102It is used by people who travel, people with a bad connection and people trying to get around a country ban. Firms do not distinguish between the three.
- Hosting your trading on a VPS29 of 102If your robot has to be running at three in the morning, you need a remote server. It is the sibling rule to the VPN one and it is not the same rule. Some firms ban one and recommend the other.
- Bots and expert advisors21 of 102If you trade with an EA, a bot or any automation, this decides whether you can use the account. And it is one of the worst-published rules in the sector. Almost no firm writes it on a page you can cite.
- Holding positions over the weekend18 of 102The rule that kills most accounts at ten on a Friday night. Some firms close your positions automatically; others disqualify you for leaving them open.
- Mirroring trades across your own accounts18 of 102Anyone running several accounts at once mirrors the same trade across all of them. Almost every firm allows it as long as the accounts are yours and in your name; the catch is usually the word “legally”.
- Copying another person’s trades16 of 102Signal groups, trade copiers and third-party account management. It is the most widely banned of the 11. Copying across your own accounts and copying someone else are two different questions.
- Hedging against an outside account8 of 102The hedge that cannot be seen from inside. The other leg sits at your broker, or at another prop firm. It is the least published of the three and the one that carries the harshest penalties when it is caught.
2 rules that need more than one axis
The template above measures one axis. Allowed, restricted, forbidden. These two do not fit in it, so they have their own page instead of being flattened into a tick.