Static vs trailing drawdown, explained with numbers
Static drawdown fixes your loss floor relative to the starting balance. Trailing drawdown raises the floor every time your equity makes a new high. In our dataset 12 firms use static drawdown on their headline plan and 8 use a trailing type. Futures firms are mostly trailing or end-of-day trailing.
The difference
Worked example, $100K account with 10% max drawdown. Static: the floor is $90,000 forever. Trailing: you run to $106,000, the floor rises to $96,000, and a pullback to $96,000 ends the account even though you are still $6,000 up. End-of-day trailing only moves the floor on the daily close, so an intraday spike to $106,000 that closes at $102,000 moves it to $92,000.
Try your own numbers in the drawdown calculator.
Firms with static drawdown
| Firm | Drawdown | Daily / Max | PA Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakout Prop | static | 3% / 3%-6% by planstatic | 8.1 |
| FTMO | static | 5% / 10%static | 8.1 |
| FundingPips | static | 5% / 10%static | 7.9 |
| FundedNext | static | 5% / 10%static | 7.5 |
| Goat Funded Trader | static | 4% / 10%static | 7.2 |
| Lark Funding | static | 5% / 7%static | 7.1 |
| HyroTrader | static (daily) | 4% / 6%static (daily) | 6.7 |
| Blue Guardian | static | 4% / 8%static | 6.7 |
| Maven Trading | static (2-step/3-step); trailing (1-step/instant) | 4% / 8%static (2-step/3-step); trailing (1-step/instant) | 6.3 |
| Alpha Capital | static (Pro/Swing); trailing (One/Direct) | 3%-5% by plan / 5%-10% by planstatic (Pro/Swing); trailing (One/Direct) | 6.2 |
| Bitfunded | static (fixed % of starting balance) | 5% / 10%static (fixed % of starting balance) | 6.0 |
| Instant Funding | static | none (IF PRO) / 10%static | 5.8 |
Firms with trailing drawdown
| Firm | Drawdown | Daily / Max | PA Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| MyFundedFutures | EOD trailing or intraday trailing | none (most plans) / $1,000-$4,500EOD trailing or intraday trailing | 7.9 |
| Bulenox | intraday trailing or EOD trailing | none (Trailing) / $500-$3,300 (EOD) / $1,500-$4,500intraday trailing or EOD trailing | 7.9 |
| E8 Markets | dynamic (trailing on closed balance) | 4% / 6%dynamic (trailing on closed balance) | 6.9 |
| Apex Trader Funding | intraday trailing or EOD trailing | none (Intraday); $500-$2K (EOD) / $1,000-$4,000intraday trailing or EOD trailing | 6.5 |
| Topstep | EOD trailing (locks at starting balance) | optional (automatic in Live Funded) / $2,000-$4,500EOD trailing (locks at starting balance) | 6.4 |
| Maven Trading | static (2-step/3-step); trailing (1-step/instant) | 4% / 8%static (2-step/3-step); trailing (1-step/instant) | 6.3 |
| Alpha Capital | static (Pro/Swing); trailing (One/Direct) | 3%-5% by plan / 5%-10% by planstatic (Pro/Swing); trailing (One/Direct) | 6.2 |
| Crypto Fund Trader | trailing (1 Phase); overall loss limit (2 Phases/Instant, type not stated) | 4%-5% by plan / 6%-10% by plantrailing (1 Phase); overall loss limit (2 Phases/Instant, type not stated) | 5.6 |
Which suits you
Static drawdown suits swing traders and anyone who lets winners run, because giving back open profit doesn't tighten the limit. Trailing drawdown suits scalpers who bank profit quickly. If you hold trades that swing in and out of profit, a trailing limit will hurt you.
FAQ
Is trailing drawdown bad?
Not always, but it is stricter. Many firms stop trailing once the floor reaches the starting balance, after which it behaves like static.
Do any prop firms use static drawdown?
Yes: Breakout Prop, FTMO, FundingPips, FundedNext, Goat Funded Trader, Lark Funding, HyroTrader and Blue Guardian, among others.
Figures are pulled from our dataset at build time. Scores use the published formula. Changes are logged on rule changes.