Guide · drawdown

Trailing vs End-of-Day vs Static Drawdown

The drawdown type decides more prop firm accounts than any strategy does. Here's how each one works, the same trade run through all three, and which one I buy after losing accounts to the wrong one.

Updated October 2026Written by a funded trader

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Short answer: static is the most forgiving, end-of-day trailing is next, and intraday trailing is the hardest. On futures, buy end-of-day trailing; static is rarely offered. On CFD firms, buy static.

One trade, three drawdown types

Take a 50K account with a $2,000 drawdown, so the floor starts at $48,000. You open a trade that runs to +$1,500 in open profit, then comes back, and you close it at +$200. Balance: $50,200.

Drawdown type	Floor after the trade	Room left	What happened
Intraday trailing	$49,500	$700	The floor followed your open-profit peak ($51,500 − $2,000). A winning trade cost you $1,300 of room.
End-of-day trailing	$48,200	$2,000	The floor only moves at the close, to $50,200 − $2,000. The swing inside the trade didn't matter.
Static	$48,000	$2,200	The floor never moves. You just gained room.

Illustrative example. Exact mechanics vary by firm, and most trailing drawdowns stop trailing once the floor reaches your starting balance.

Why end-of-day still ends profitable accounts

End-of-day is much better than intraday, but it still trails. Say you build an account up to +$3,000 over a week. Your floor has risen with each close, so a few red days can take you back to it, and the account is gone even though you were "in profit" for most of it. That's how I've lost funded accounts on end-of-day drawdown. The fix is the lock: most firms stop trailing once the floor reaches your starting balance, so get there and protect it.

Which firms use which

End-of-day trailing (futures)

Topstep (only option)
Lucid Trading
Take Profit Trader
Alpha Futures
FTMO Futures (freezes at starting balance, even in the evaluation)
Apex, Bulenox, TradeDay (you choose; pick this)

Static (mostly CFD)

FTMO 2-Step (10%)
FundedNext 2-Step (10%), code LEDGER
FXIFY two-phase (10%)
TradeDay (a rare futures firm offering static)

Watch for intraday trailing

Apex's intraday option
My Funded Futures' Rapid funded account
Earn2Trade's live accounts
1-Step CFD challenges often trail too (FTMO, FXIFY)

As reported in October 2026. Rules vary by plan, so check the drawdown type on the exact plan you buy.

Rules I follow

Never intradayUnless you only scalp tiny targets and never let a trade run.
Futures: end-of-dayThe best option futures firms offer.
CFD: static onlyA floor that never moves is worth a higher target.
Reach the lockOnce trailing stops at your starting balance, trade to protect it.

Risk warning: most traders fail prop firm evaluations, and drawdown rules are the most common reason. Nothing here is financial advice.