Trailing drawdown explained: end-of-day vs intraday, with prop firm examples
How the trailing maximum loss works at futures prop firms, with real figures from each firm's published rules.
What a trailing drawdown is
A trailing drawdown is the maximum-loss level of a prop firm account that moves up behind the balance. Touch it and the account fails. There are three kinds:
- End-of-day trailing — the level rises only from closing balances, so profit that is open during the day does not raise it.
- Intraday trailing — the level follows the highest balance reached during the day, open profit included.
- Static — the level never moves.
Of the 225 evaluation packages in PropPass's researched rule files, 182 use end-of-day trailing, 25 intraday trailing and 14 static.
Example: Topstep Trading Combine (XFA Consistency) 50K
The maximum loss is $2,000: the account fails if the balance falls to $48,000 at the start, and that level rises with each higher end-of-day balance; it no longer rises once it reaches $50,000. (As of 2026-10-03.)
Example arithmetic: the account starts at $50,000 with the floor at $48,000. If a day closes at $51,000, the floor moves to $49,000 for the next day. Once a day closes at $52,000 or higher, the floor reaches $50,000 and no longer moves.
With an intraday trailing drawdown the same $2,000 would follow the highest balance during the day — including open profit — so giving back open profit can bring the floor closer even on a winning day.
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Trailing drawdown by prop firm
| Prop firm | Drawdown types in its evaluations | Example package | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Futures | End-of-day trailing | Advanced 50K: $1,750 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| Apex Trader Funding | End-of-day trailing; Intraday trailing (follows open profit) | Apex EOD Trail 50K: $2,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-09-11 |
| BluSky Trading | End-of-day trailing; Static (does not move) | Orbit 50K: $2,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-22 |
| Blue Guardian Futures | End-of-day trailing | Express 25K: $1,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| Bulenox | End-of-day trailing; Intraday trailing (follows open profit) | Momentum-EOD 25K: $1,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| E8 Futures (E8 Markets) | End-of-day trailing | Signature 25K: $1,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| Earn2Trade | End-of-day trailing | GAU100 100K: $3,500 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| Elite Trader Funding | End-of-day trailing; Intraday trailing (follows open profit); Static (does not move) | 1-Step-100K 100K: $3,000 · Intraday trailing (follows open profit) | 2026-10-31 |
| FTMO Futures | End-of-day trailing | Growth-100K 100K: $3,500 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| Funded Futures Network | End-of-day trailing | MAX-Standard 25K: $1,500 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| FundedNext Futures | End-of-day trailing | Rapid Pro 50K: $2,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-09-11 |
| Legends Trading | End-of-day trailing | Apprentice 50K: $2,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| Lucid Trading | End-of-day trailing; Not published as trailing or static | LucidPro 50K: $2,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-09-11 |
| My Funded Futures | End-of-day trailing | Builder 25K: $1,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-03 |
| Take Profit Trader | End-of-day trailing | Test-PRO 25K: $1,500 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-03 |
| The5ers Futures | End-of-day trailing | Day Trade 25K: $1,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| Top One Futures | End-of-day trailing; Static (does not move) | Elite ACCESS 25K: $1,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| Topstep | End-of-day trailing; Static (does not move) | Trading Combine (XFA Standard) 100K: $3,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-03 |
| TradeDay | End-of-day trailing; Intraday trailing (follows open profit) | FastPass-EOD 25K: $1,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-31 |
| Tradeify | End-of-day trailing | Growth 50K: $2,000 · End-of-day trailing | 2026-10-03 |
Each firm name links to that firm's rules explained.