How to Pass FTMO and Maximize Payouts (2026 Strategy Guide)

FTMO strategy is the act of picking the path and variant whose rules match your edge, then sizing and executing inside that frame. The firm offers two paths (1-Step Challenge and 2-Step Challenge) and two variants on the 2-Step (Standard and Swing). The 1-Step has no Swing option. Each combination has a distinct rule profile: profit target, daily loss limit, max loss type (trailing or static), profit split structure, and news/overnight permissions. The strategy question is not "what is the best FTMO setup." It is "which FTMO rule profile lets my actual trading style breathe." Scalpers fit one combination. News traders fit another. Swing holders fit a third. Discretionary day traders can fit either. Get the path and variant choice right and the rest of the strategy work is normal trading. Get it wrong and the rules grind your edge down regardless of how good the setups are.

That framing is the editorial spine of every serious FTMO conversation. The firm has been operating since 2014 and has paid out over $500M cumulatively to traders across 140+ countries, so the rule profile is real and tested. The 2025 OANDA acquisition (FTMO bought one of the oldest regulated forex brokers and FTMO founders Otakar Suffner and Marek Vasicek became OANDA co-CEOs as of March 2026) is the structural backdrop: FTMO is no longer a startup running an evaluation arcade. It is the parent of a regulated broker, with the 2024 financials showing $329M revenue and $62M net profit. The strategy guide that follows treats FTMO accordingly: a long-tenure firm with stable rules, where strategy means picking the right rule profile and executing inside it.

Paul has traded FTMO for ~4 years and withdrawn $15K+ in real payouts. FTMO was one of his first prop firms as a European trader. He scalps the 1-Step Challenge primarily on Standard $50K and $100K sizes and has run multiple FTMO accounts across the years with recurring payouts. The first-hand material in this guide on the scalper-on-1-Step framing comes from that real trading. The 2-Step and Swing material comes from FTMO's published rules, the 2025-2026 product evolution, and the broader prop firm context where the 2-Step is the path most prop firm comparisons benchmark against.

This guide walks the strategy in order. First, the three axes (path, variant, trading style fit) and how they interact. Then the 1-Step versus 2-Step decision in detail. Then Standard versus Swing and when Swing actually matters. Then concrete pass strategies for each path. Then position sizing as a pipe table across the five FTMO sizes. Then the 1-Step trailing-loss survival framework. Then how to use the Scaling Plan to reach 90% on the 2-Step. Then trading-style fits for scalpers, swing traders, and news traders. Then a hedge on what monthly returns are realistic on a funded FTMO Account. The full firm overview lives in the FTMO main review. The full rule set is in the FTMO rules overview. The cluster on accounts is in the FTMO accounts overview, and the cross-asset and platform mechanics are at FTMO platforms and the FTMO FAQ hub.

What does it actually take to pass FTMO?

Passing FTMO means hitting the profit target inside the evaluation rules without tripping daily loss limit, max loss, or the minimum trading day floor. The mechanical answer differs by path. On the 1-Step you need 10% profit, you cannot lose more than 3% on any single calendar day, you cannot let the account fall more than 10% below the trailing peak end-of-day, and you must trade at least 4 days. On the 2-Step you need 10% in Phase 1 and 5% in Phase 2, both with 5% daily loss and 10% static max loss, and 4 minimum trading days per phase. The strategy answer goes one layer deeper: you pick the path whose rule pressure matches your edge first, and only then optimize sizing and execution.

The three axes that determine the right FTMO setup:

The 1-Step skips Verification and pays 90% from day one when funded. That is the headline appeal. The trade-off is the 3% daily loss limit, which is meaningfully tighter than the 2-Step's 5%, and the 10% trailing max loss, which follows your peak balance up rather than sitting still. The 2-Step is slower (two phases instead of one) and pays 80% base with 90% reached via the Scaling Plan after consistent payouts, but it gives you more daily room and a static max loss that does not lift against you. Most traders' edge fits one path more cleanly than the other once they look honestly at how they take losses on bad days and how they let winners run on good ones.

The variant choice only exists on the 2-Step. Standard is the default and assumes flat-by-Friday and no news trading on the live FTMO Account (the evaluation phases have no news restriction). Swing lets you hold overnight, over weekends, and through news releases. There is no Swing variant on the 1-Step. If your edge requires holding through FOMC or running a multi-day position, you are structurally on the 2-Step Swing path and the 1-Step is not a candidate. If you flat by close and avoid named-tier news anyway, Standard works on either path.

For the deep-dive on each path's pass mechanics see FTMO 1-Step pass strategy and FTMO 2-Step pass strategy. The full account ladder by size and variant is at FTMO accounts overview.

1-Step vs 2-Step — which is faster?

The 1-Step is faster on paper. One phase to clear, then funded. Verification is gone. The 90% split is active from the first day of the live FTMO Account, which means a single payout cycle on the 1-Step pays you 12.5% more per dollar of profit than the 2-Step's 80% base split before scaling. For a scalper or short-cycle trader who wants to compress the time from challenge purchase to first real payout, the 1-Step is the obvious structural choice.

The catch is rule pressure. The 1-Step daily loss limit is 3% versus 5% on the 2-Step. On a $50K account that is $1,500 of daily room versus $2,500. On a $100K account it is $3,000 versus $5,000. The 1-Step trader who runs the same risk-per-trade as a 2-Step trader will hit the daily floor 40% sooner on a bad day. That has to translate into smaller per-trade risk on the 1-Step, which slows the 10% target back up even though the path is structurally one phase shorter. The net speed advantage is real but smaller than the headline suggests.

The 1-Step trailing max loss is the second pressure point. The line begins 10% below the starting balance and follows the closing balance up daily until the account crosses starting balance plus 10%, at which point the floor locks at starting balance. So on a $50K 1-Step the trailing starts at $45,000, lifts every day you close green, and locks once you cross $55,000. The pressure is concentrated in the early phase: a green day followed by a red day moves the floor against you cumulatively because the trailing only goes up. The 2-Step's 10% static max loss does not move at all. Whatever the floor is on day one, it is still that on day forty.

The path comparison side by side:

The decision is rarely about which is "easier." It is about which rule profile lines up with how you trade. Scalpers and momentum day traders who close fast and rarely sit on big unrealized peaks fit the 1-Step. Wider-stop discretionary traders, swing holders, and news traders fit the 2-Step. The 90%-from-day-one advantage is real for the first six months of funded life. After that the Scaling Plan brings the 2-Step trader to 90% as well, and the question becomes which path lets you survive long enough to reach the Scaling Plan threshold.

Standard vs Swing — when does Swing make sense?

Swing exists only on the 2-Step. There is no 1-Step Swing. The Swing variant strips two restrictions off the live FTMO Account: news trading is allowed and overnight or weekend positions are permitted. Pricing is the same as 2-Step Standard, so the only cost of Swing is the slight execution-style difference (Swing accounts may have wider spreads on certain symbols during major releases) and the operational discipline of managing positions across sessions.

The case for Swing is concrete and narrow. If your edge requires holding through FOMC, NFP, CPI, ECB rate decisions, or other named-tier releases, you cannot run that strategy on Standard because the live FTMO Account requires flat status 1 minute before, during, and after those releases. If you hold positions over the weekend (e.g., gold swings, USD/JPY momentum carries, or position trades on indices), Standard forbids that on the live account. Swing lifts both. The 2-Step Swing is mandatory, not optional, for those edges.

The case against Swing is also narrow. If you are a day trader who flats by 5 PM ET out of habit and avoids news windows because you do not have a news-fade edge anyway, Swing buys you nothing operationally. The pricing is the same so there is no fee penalty for picking it as a precaution, but the Standard variant fits the actual trading day cleanly and there is no operational reason to pick Swing if you do not use the lifted permissions.

The most common mistake is picking Swing because it sounds more flexible, then trading it like Standard because that is how you actually trade. The flexibility is unused, the rule profile is the same on the evaluation phases, and you spend zero of the operational headroom you paid for. Pick Swing if you actually hold through news or hold overnight. Pick Standard otherwise.

The deep dive on Swing-specific tactics is at FTMO swing strategy. The news trading mechanics on Standard versus Swing are at FTMO news trading.

How do you pass the 1-Step Challenge?

The 1-Step pass strategy rests on three rules: keep daily PnL contained inside the 3% floor, do not let the trailing peak run away from you, and distribute wins so a single big day does not over-tilt the trailing line. The 10% target on $50K is $5,000. On $100K it is $10,000. On $200K it is $20,000. The path to those numbers without breaching is steadier than aggressive traders expect.

The first failure mode is breaching the 3% daily loss. On a $50K 1-Step that is $1,500 of intraday loss. A scalper running 0.5 to 1 lot on EURUSD with a 20-pip stop is risking $100 to $200 per trade, which is 7 to 15 trades of room before the daily floor activates. That sounds spacious until you compound a string of three losing trades into adding size to recover. The discipline is to keep size flat regardless of intraday PnL. The 3% floor exists precisely to punish revenge sizing.

The second failure mode is letting the trailing run away on a hot day. The 1-Step trailing follows the closing balance up. If you close a $50K account at $52,000 on day three after a hot session, the trailing line moves to $46,800. A bad next day that takes the closing balance back to $51,500 leaves you only $4,700 above the trailing floor with the target ($55,000) still $3,500 away. Hot days are not free. Each one moves the floor against tomorrow's drawdown room. The strategic answer is to pace the daily ambition: aim for $400 to $700 per day on a $50K rather than swinging for $1,500 in one session, because the smaller days lift the trailing line less while still adding up to the 10% target across two weeks.

The third failure mode is hitting the 4-day minimum at exactly 4 days with all the gains concentrated in two of them. Even though FTMO does not enforce a Best Day consistency rule on the 2-Step (and the rule on the 1-Step is the Best Day Rule limiting any single profitable day to 50% of total positive days' profit), the practical answer is to spread profit across at least 6 to 8 trading days. That keeps the rule comfortable and keeps the trailing line manageable.

The full 1-Step pass tactical breakdown by setup type is at FTMO 1-Step pass strategy.

How do you pass the 2-Step Challenge?

The 2-Step pass strategy is two strategies stacked. Phase 1 is the same 10% target as the 1-Step but with 5% daily loss room (more forgiving) and 10% static max loss (does not trail). Phase 2 is half the target (5%) on the same account with the same rule set carried forward. Time to funded is longer, but the per-phase rule pressure is meaningfully lighter than the 1-Step.

Phase 1 is the harder of the two phases mathematically. 10% in one phase with 5% daily loss room is a tighter ratio than the 1-Step (which has 10% target with 3% daily loss but a trailing max loss). Most traders close Phase 1 in 8 to 14 trading days at moderate sizing. The static max loss is the relief: a hot streak that takes the account to +$3,000 on a $50K does not lift the floor against you. The floor sits at $45,000 from day one to forever.

Phase 2 (Verification) is structurally easier because the target is half. 5% on $50K is $2,500, which a normal-sized trader can clear in 5 to 10 days at 0.5% to 1% risk per trade with a positive expectancy. The rule set is identical: 5% daily loss, 10% static max loss, 4 minimum trading days. Most pass failures in Phase 2 come from over-confidence after Phase 1: traders who clear Phase 1 in 10 days try to clear Phase 2 in 5 by oversizing. The clean path is to size down slightly in Phase 2 because the target is smaller and the same setup quality clears it without size pressure.

The 2-Step pass tactical breakdown is at FTMO 2-Step pass strategy. The Phase 1 to Phase 2 transition mechanics are documented in FTMO accounts overview. The static max loss specifics are at FTMO max loss. The daily loss floor mechanics are at FTMO daily loss.

What's the right position-sizing approach?

Position sizing on FTMO scales with account size and rule profile. The principle is risk per trade as a percentage of starting balance, not raw lot size. The clean range is 0.5% to 1% per trade on Standard, slightly tighter on the 1-Step because the trailing floor punishes peak swings. Below that the math compounds too slowly to clear the 10% target inside reasonable time. Above that the daily loss floor activates faster on bad days and the trailing on the 1-Step lifts harder on hot days.

The pipe table maps risk-per-trade to lot sizes across the five FTMO sizes. EURUSD assumes a 20-pip stop ($200 per standard lot risk). GBPJPY assumes a 30-pip stop ($300 per standard lot, approximately). US30 (Wall Street index CFD) assumes a 50-point stop. Gold (XAUUSD) assumes a $5 stop per oz.

The table is a starting point, not a prescription. Specific stops vary by setup, and a 10-pip stop on EURUSD doubles the lot count for the same dollar risk. The constraint to respect is the daily loss floor: at 1% risk per trade and three losing trades in a row, you are at 3% of account drawdown. On the 1-Step that is at the daily limit. On the 2-Step it is well inside the 5% room. The 1-Step trader running 1% per trade with a 50% win rate will tag the daily floor regularly. The 1-Step trader running 0.5% per trade has 6 losing trades of room and rarely tags it. That is the structural reason most experienced 1-Step traders sit at 0.5% to 0.7% per trade rather than the upper 1% bound.

The deep-dive on size-by-size sizing math is at FTMO position sizing. The interplay with daily loss is at FTMO daily loss.

How do you survive the trailing max loss on 1-Step?

The 1-Step trailing max loss is the structural rule that separates 1-Step survivors from blowups. The mechanic: the floor starts at 10% below starting balance, lifts to 10% below the highest closing balance daily, and locks at starting balance once the account crosses starting balance plus 10%. So on a $50K, the floor begins at $45,000, lifts as the account closes higher day by day, and freezes at $50,000 once the account closes at $55,000 or above for the first time.

The peak-locks-down framework: every closing balance you set is permanent on the way up. If you close at $52,000 on day three, the floor moves to $46,800 forever (until starting balance plus 10% locks it). A bad day on day four does not reset the floor downward. So the rational path is to think of the floor as a ratchet: it only goes up, and every uptick is a permanent reduction in available drawdown room until the lock activates.

Three rules that survive the trailing:

Rule one: pace the daily ambition. The 1-Step target is 10%. Spreading that over 8 to 12 trading days means roughly 0.8% to 1.25% closing-balance growth per day. Each daily move lifts the floor, but in small increments that the next day's normal variance can absorb. A single 5% day lifts the floor by 4.5% in one move and leaves the next day's losing range thin. The discipline is to not chase the target. Steady beats fast on the trailing.

Rule two: lock the lock as soon as possible. Once the closing balance crosses starting balance plus 10%, the floor locks at starting balance. On a $50K that is $55,000 closing balance to lock the floor at $50,000. The first thing to do after passing the target intra-evaluation is to keep the account above starting balance plus 10% on closing. Once the lock activates, the trailing pressure is gone and you trade against a static floor for the rest of the live phase.

Rule three: do not run hot through the lock. A trader who hits +$5,000 on day five and pushes to +$8,000 by day seven has lifted the floor to $42,800 on a $50K and locked nothing because the lock requires the closing balance to actually cross starting balance plus 10%. The smart play after hitting the target inside the evaluation is to defend the close above $55,000 rather than push for $58,000 the same week. The lock matters more than the extra $3,000 of buffer.

The full trailing-loss survival cluster is at FTMO max loss.

What strategy unlocks the Scaling Plan to 90%?

The Scaling Plan is the 2-Step's path to 90% profit split and a 25% account size increase every 4 months. The qualifying conditions are 10% net profit over the 4-month window with at least 2 processed payouts, and consistent risk discipline through the period. The strategy implication is structural: the Scaling Plan rewards a steady payout cadence and a moderate monthly return profile, not aggressive single-month profits.

10% over 4 months is roughly 2.5% per month. That is a slow target by aggressive prop firm standards but a sustainable one for traders running 0.5% to 1% per trade with a positive expectancy. Two processed payouts means two bi-weekly payout cycles cleared, which on FTMO's 14-day cadence is achievable inside a single month if the trader is in profit. The strategic move is to take the early payouts even if they are small. A $400 payout on week 2 and a $600 payout on week 4 of the funded life starts the Scaling Plan clock and signals to FTMO that the trader is operating in a real-money cadence rather than building toward one big extraction.

The 90% split unlock is the headline reward, but the size upgrade is structurally more impactful. A $50K account that scales to $62,500 after 4 months scales again to $78,125 after 8 months and $97,656 after 12 months. The 25% per 4-month compounding turns the $50K into nearly $100K inside a year if the trader keeps qualifying. The 80% to 90% split upgrade, while real, is a 12.5% margin improvement on per-dollar profit. The size compounding is the bigger lever for serious 2-Step traders.

The Scaling Plan deep-dive is at FTMO scaling plan strategy.

How does scalping fit at FTMO?

Scalping fits FTMO well, and it fits the 1-Step Standard particularly well. Paul scalps the 1-Step on $50K and $100K Standard. The structural reason: scalping closes trades fast, which keeps unrealized peaks small, which keeps the trailing floor closer to where it started. A scalper who closes every trade inside 5 minutes never runs an unrealized peak that lifts the daily closing balance dramatically. The 90% split from day one rewards this style because each closed scalp pays 90 cents on the dollar in real money rather than 80 cents until the Scaling Plan upgrades.

Tactical points for scalping on FTMO:

Platform choice matters. cTrader and MT5 handle fast execution cleanly. MT4 is slower on tick scalping but still permitted. Scalpers running automated entry tools should verify the execution quality on the FTMO server before depending on a setup that needs sub-second fills. Tick scalping with sub-second holding times is fine if the platform fills.

Asset choice matters. EURUSD is the cleanest scalp on FTMO because spreads are tight and liquidity is deep. Gold (XAUUSD) is a popular scalp because intraday volatility is high but the spread cost can eat scalp edges if size is large. Indices (US30, NAS100) work well for momentum scalps but the spread on FTMO's CFD pricing is meaningfully wider than the underlying futures, so a US-futures scalper transitioning to FTMO needs to recalibrate.

Daily loss management is the hard part for scalpers. A scalper running 20 trades a day at 0.5% risk each can take 6 losses in a row in 30 minutes and be at the 3% daily floor on the 1-Step. The discipline is to walk away after 3 consecutive losses. Re-engaging on the same day is the single most common 1-Step scalper failure mode. The walk-away rule is mechanical: 3 in a row, close the platform until tomorrow.

Time-of-day fits. The London session open and the US session open are the two cleanest scalping windows on FTMO's forex symbols. The Asian session is thinner and the spreads are wider relative to the move. Most experienced FTMO scalpers concentrate sessions around the 03:00 to 11:00 ET window for European pairs and 08:00 to 14:00 ET for US-driven pairs.

The scalp-specific cluster is at FTMO scalp strategy.

How does swing trading fit at FTMO?

Swing trading fits FTMO via the 2-Step Swing variant exclusively. There is no 1-Step Swing. A swing trader who wants to hold positions overnight, over weekends, and through major news releases is structurally on the 2-Step Swing path. The pricing is the same as 2-Step Standard, so there is no fee penalty for the path. The trade-off is the slower path to funded (Challenge plus Verification rather than the 1-Step's single phase) and the 80% base split until the Scaling Plan brings it to 90%.

Tactical points for swing trading on FTMO Swing:

Position sizing is more conservative than scalping. A 1% risk per trade rule on a 5-day swing means accepting that the position is on through five sessions of variance. The intraday peaks and troughs do not move the static max loss (which is the 2-Step's max loss type, not trailing), but the daily loss limit does still apply on a per-day basis. A swing position open through a 3% adverse move on a single day will tag the 5% daily floor. The discipline is to size such that adverse session moves stay inside the daily limit even while the position is held through.

Asset choice favors gold, indices, and major forex pairs for swing. Gold's multi-day momentum cycles fit a Swing variant well. Indices like S&P 500 and Nasdaq carry overnight risk that Standard cannot accommodate but Swing can. EUR/USD and GBP/USD are tradeable as swings but multi-day forex moves are smaller in percentage terms, so the per-trade R is lower than gold or indices.

News fades and event holds are the structural Swing edge. A trader who holds gold through FOMC because the post-release move is the actual edge cannot run that strategy on Standard. On Swing, the position can be held through the release. The risk management is the embargo-window stop: most Swing news traders set a wide stop pre-release to prevent the spike from blowing the position, then manage post-release with a tighter stop once the move resolves.

Weekend gaps are the hidden risk. A Swing position carried into Friday close opens to Sunday's pricing, which can gap 1% to 3% on major weekend events. The 5% daily loss floor counts the gap as part of Sunday's daily loss. Swing traders need to size such that a worst-case 3% weekend gap stays inside the 5% daily room, which means roughly 1.5% to 2% per position rather than the scalp's 0.5% to 1%.

The swing-specific cluster is at FTMO swing strategy.

What's a realistic monthly target on Funded?

A realistic monthly target on a funded FTMO Account is 2% to 4% of starting balance for consistent traders, which compounds into the Scaling Plan threshold (10% over 4 months) without requiring outlier months. That number is conservative compared to prop firm marketing and aligned with what the rule profile actually rewards.

The Scaling Plan threshold is the anchor. 10% over 4 months is 2.5% per month at simple compounding. Two payouts processed in the window (the second qualifying condition) means at least one payout cycle clearing meaningful profit. A trader who hits 2.5% per month on a $50K account is making $1,250 per month, paying roughly $1,000 to themselves per month at the 80% split and $1,125 at the 90% split. That is real but not dramatic. The drama comes from compounding: the $50K becomes $62,500 after 4 months, and the next 4 months at 2.5% on the bigger account makes more. The path is steady, not viral.

The aggressive monthly target trap: traders who push 8% to 10% in a single month often hit the trailing or daily floor in month two as the variance compounds. The 1-Step trailing punishes hot months because the floor lifts permanently with the closing balance. The 2-Step's 80% base split means each dollar of aggressive profit pays less than the 90% scaled split would, so aggressive months underprice their own work. The math says steady wins.

The realistic-monthly-target cluster is at FTMO realistic returns and the Scaling Plan strategy ties together at FTMO scaling plan strategy. For broader context on how FTMO compares to alternative paths, see the FundingPips vs FTMO comparison and the FundingPips main reference. For the pure FAQ-as-trust hub answering common questions across all paths, see FTMO FAQ.

The bottom line

FTMO strategy is the choice of path, variant, and trading-style fit, executed inside whichever rule profile the choice produces. The 1-Step is faster and pays 90% from day one but runs a 3% daily loss limit and a 10% trailing max loss that punishes hot days. The 2-Step is slower and pays 80% to 90% via the Scaling Plan but runs a 5% daily loss and a 10% static max loss. Standard fits day traders who flat by close. Swing (2-Step only) fits news traders and overnight holders. Scalpers fit the 1-Step Standard well because closing fast keeps the trailing floor manageable. Position sizing at 0.5% to 1% per trade is the executional anchor across all paths, and a 2% to 4% monthly return on a funded account compounds into the Scaling Plan without requiring outlier months. Pick the path whose rule profile matches your edge first. Optimize execution second. The OANDA acquisition (FTMO bought one of the oldest regulated forex brokers in December 2025, with FTMO founders becoming OANDA co-CEOs) is the structural backdrop: this is a long-tenure firm with stable rules, not a startup arcade, and the strategy framework above is built to last beyond the next product cycle.

For the full firm overview see the FTMO main review. For the full rule set see the FTMO rules overview. For accounts and platforms see FTMO accounts overview and FTMO platforms. For the FAQ-as-trust hub see FTMO FAQ.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best FTMO strategy?

There is no single best FTMO strategy. The right strategy depends on three choices: path (1-Step or 2-Step), variant (Standard or Swing on 2-Step), and trading style fit. Scalpers typically fit the 1-Step Standard because the 90% split activates from day one and the structural pressure is on the trailing max loss rather than overnight rules. Swing traders and news traders fit the 2-Step Swing because that is the only variant that allows news trading and overnight holds on the live FTMO Account. Discretionary day traders fit either path. Match the rule profile to your edge first, then optimize within it.

How do you pass FTMO?

You pass FTMO by hitting the profit target without breaching daily loss limit, max loss, or the minimum trading day requirement. On the 1-Step Challenge that means 10% profit, 3% daily loss floor, 10% trailing max loss, 4 minimum trading days. On the 2-Step Challenge it means 10% profit in Phase 1 and 5% in Phase 2, 5% daily loss, 10% static max loss, 4 minimum trading days per phase. The path you pick determines the rule pressure. The strategy is then position sizing, win distribution, and not running into the trailing or daily floor.

Is the FTMO 1-Step or 2-Step easier?

The 1-Step is faster but tighter. You skip the Verification phase, and the 90% profit split kicks in from day one when funded. The trade-off is a 3% daily loss limit (vs 5% on 2-Step) and a 10% trailing max loss that follows your peak balance up before locking. The 2-Step is slower (two phases, then funded) but more forgiving: 5% daily loss, 10% static max loss that does not trail, and Scaling Plan to 90% via consistent payouts. Tight scalpers and momentum traders often prefer 1-Step. Wider stops, news trading, and swing fit 2-Step better.

What is the difference between FTMO Standard and Swing?

Standard is the default variant on the 2-Step Challenge. News trading is restricted on the live FTMO Account (not during evaluation), and overnight or weekend positions must be closed. Swing removes both restrictions: you can hold through FOMC, NFP, CPI, and similar releases, and you can hold positions overnight and over weekends. Swing is only available on the 2-Step. The 1-Step Challenge has no Swing variant. If your edge depends on news catalysts or multi-day holds, Swing is mandatory and 2-Step is the only path.

How do you survive the trailing max loss on the 1-Step Challenge?

The 1-Step trailing max loss follows your end-of-day balance up at 10% below the peak. Once your account crosses starting balance plus 10%, the floor locks at starting balance. Until then, every winning day raises the floor with you. Survival means three things. Cap the daily PnL ambition so a winning day does not lift the floor against future losing days. Lock realized profits with payouts as soon as eligible so peak does not creep above what you can defend. Treat the 3% daily loss as the inner stop and the trailing max loss as the structural stop, sized so you never touch either in a normal week.

What is the right position sizing on FTMO?

Position sizing on FTMO scales with account size and rule profile. A practical rule is 0.5% to 1% of account risk per trade on Standard, and slightly tighter on the 1-Step because the trailing floor punishes peak swings. On a $50K account that is $250 to $500 per trade. On a $100K it is $500 to $1,000. On a $200K it is $1,000 to $2,000. The pipe table earlier in this guide maps risk-per-trade to lot sizes on EURUSD, GBPJPY, US30, and gold across the five FTMO sizes. Smaller risk per trade buys you more daily-loss room and more trailing buffer.

Can you scalp on FTMO?

Yes. FTMO permits scalping across all variants and platforms. There is no minimum holding-time rule. Scalping fits the 1-Step Standard well because the trailing max loss rewards traders who do not let unrealized gains build a tall peak. Tick scalping on EURUSD, gold, and indices is common. MT5 and cTrader handle fast execution cleanly. The structural constraints to watch on the 1-Step are the 3% daily loss limit (which a scalper can hit faster than a swing trader) and the 10% trailing that lifts every day you close green. Paul scalps the 1-Step on $50K and $100K Standard.

Can you swing trade on FTMO?

Yes, but only via the 2-Step Swing variant. The 2-Step Standard requires positions flat by Friday close and forbids overnight holds beyond a session. The 2-Step Swing removes both constraints: hold positions overnight, over weekends, through news. The 1-Step has no Swing variant, so a swing trader is structurally on the 2-Step path. Pricing is the same as 2-Step Standard. The trade-off is the slower path to funded (Challenge plus Verification) and the 80% base split until the Scaling Plan upgrades you to 90%.

What unlocks the FTMO Scaling Plan?

The Scaling Plan grants a 25% account size increase every 4 months and upgrades the profit split from 80% to 90%. The qualifying conditions are 10% net profit over the 4-month window with at least 2 processed payouts, and consistent risk discipline over the period. The plan applies to 2-Step Challenge accounts. The 1-Step starts at 90% from day one, so the scaling-related upgrade is purely on the size dimension rather than the split. The strategic implication: if 90% from day one matters more than account size, take 1-Step. If size growth and the 4-month cadence matter more, take 2-Step.

Can you trade news on FTMO?

News trading is unrestricted during the evaluation phases on both 1-Step and 2-Step. The restriction only activates on the live FTMO Account stage on Standard variants. There you must be flat 1 minute before, during, and after FOMC, NFP, CPI, and other named-tier releases. The 2-Step Swing variant lifts the restriction entirely. If your edge is news catalysts (NFP fades, FOMC reactions, CPI scalps), the 2-Step Swing is mandatory. Standard works fine for traders who avoid those windows by default.

What is a realistic monthly return on a funded FTMO Account?

Realistic is harder to define than aggressive. The Scaling Plan rewards a 10% net profit over 4 months, which is roughly 2.5% per month, as the threshold for size and split upgrades. That is a realistic target band for consistent funded traders. Trying to push 10% in a single month is the failure pattern: the 10% trailing on 1-Step or the 80%/90% split discount on 2-Step both penalize aggressive monthly cadence. Steady 2% to 4% per month with bi-weekly payouts (FTMO pays every 14 days) compounds into the Scaling Plan more reliably than chasing big single-month numbers.

How does FTMO compare to FundingPips on strategy fit?

FTMO and FundingPips both run forex/CFD evaluations with similar drawdown profiles. FTMO offers MT4, MT5, and cTrader with the 1-Step at 90% from day one and the 2-Step on 80% to 90% via Scaling Plan. FundingPips runs a different rule profile and pricing structure. The FTMO advantage in 2026 is the OANDA acquisition (regulated broker now under FTMO ownership) and the relaunched US access via OANDA on MT5. The strategy fit question turns on which rule profile matches your edge. The full comparison is in the FundingPips comparison cluster.

Should you trade the $200K size on FTMO?

The $200K is the largest single-account FTMO size. The pricing is highest (around 1,080 EUR on 2-Step Standard) and the dollar drawdown buffer is the largest in absolute terms. The relative difficulty is the same: 10% target on 10% trailing or 10% static is the same percentage. The case for $200K is faster scaling: 10% on $200K is $20K of profit in a 4-month Scaling Plan window, which then upgrades to a $250K account. The case against is the larger upfront fee and the larger psychological pressure on every dollar of risk. Most traders work up the size ladder rather than starting at $200K.