YRM Prop Allowed Trading Times 2026

YRM Prop permits trading activity exclusively within the futures market hours window of 6:00 PM EST to 4:15 PM EST the following day, creating a 22-hour and 15-minute daily trading window that spans the overnight session through regular market hours.

All positions must be closed before the 4:15 PM EST mandatory flat deadline, with any positions remaining open at market close resulting in automatic account breach regardless of profit/loss status. This timing structure accommodates both overnight session traders targeting Asian and European market opens and regular session traders focusing on US market hours, but strictly prohibits weekend position holding or trading outside the designated window.

Understanding YRM Prop's timing rules prevents unnecessary violations and helps traders structure strategies around the firm's mandatory close requirements. The trading hours policy intersects with critical risk management parameters including the EOD drawdown calculation that occurs at 4:15 PM EST close, the news trading restrictions that prohibit positions during major economic releases, and the overnight holding rules that distinguish YRM Prop from swing trading-focused firms.

Many traders accustomed to holding futures positions 24/5 must adapt their approach when trading YRM Prop accounts. The mandatory daily close requirement eliminates true swing trading strategies but accommodates day trading, overnight session scalping, and multi-session intraday strategies as long as all positions flatten before 4:15 PM EST cutoff. This structure protects the firm from weekend gap risk while providing flexibility for traders operating across global market sessions.

Why I trade with YRM Prop: I’ve tested YRM Prop accounts personally, analyzed their rule structure, and examined how their evaluation model works in real trading conditions. This breakdown is based on hands-on experience and direct platform testing — not recycled marketing copy.

That said, no prop firm is flawless. YRM Prop has advantages (clear account structures, competitive pricing, straightforward evaluation path) and trade-offs that serious traders should understand before buying a challenge. For a full breakdown of rules, pricing, account types, and risk mechanics, read my complete YRM Prop review . For the most up-to-date information, always verify details directly on YRM Prop’s official website or their help center .

Permitted Trading Window

Primary Trading Hours: 6:00 PM - 4:15 PM EST

YRM Prop's allowed trading times mirror the CME Globex futures market schedule which reopens Sunday evening and runs continuously through Friday afternoon. The 6:00 PM EST start time corresponds to the futures market open for most contracts including ES, NQ, YM, and RTY.

Sunday through Thursday:

• Trading opens: 6:00 PM EST (start of overnight session)
• Trading closes: 4:15 PM EST next day (mandatory flat)
• Available hours: 22 hours 15 minutes

Friday:

• Trading opens: 6:00 PM EST Thursday (as Thursday night session)
• Trading closes: 4:15 PM EST Friday (mandatory flat before weekend)
• Available hours: 22 hours 15 minutes

This window provides access to major trading sessions across global markets including Asian session (6:00 PM - 3:00 AM EST), European session (3:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST), and US session (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM EST). Traders can operate during any or all of these periods as long as positions close by 4:15 PM EST.

Overnight Session Trading

The overnight session from 6:00 PM to 9:30 AM EST offers significant volatility during Asian and European market hours when economic data releases occur in those regions. YRM Prop fully permits overnight session trading with no restrictions beyond standard rules like maximum contracts limits and drawdown management.

Advantages of overnight trading:

• Lower liquidity means wider stop placement may be necessary
• Less competition from retail day traders
• Major data releases from China, Japan, UK, and Eurozone
• Ability to react to overnight news before US markets open

Challenges:

• Wider bid-ask spreads on some contracts
• Potentially faster moves due to lower liquidity
• Must still close positions by 4:15 PM EST same day

Overnight traders should recognize that positions opened at 8:00 PM EST still must close before 4:15 PM EST the next day — a roughly 18-hour maximum hold time if entering at session open.

Regular Session Trading

The US regular session from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM EST represents the highest volume and liquidity period for equity index futures. Most retail traders focus exclusively on this window which YRM Prop fully supports.

Regular session traders enjoy tighter spreads, faster execution, and more predictable price action compared to overnight sessions. However, they must still observe the 4:15 PM EST mandatory close, giving them approximately 6.5 hours of trading time per day if they only trade during US regular hours.

The prohibited news trading window of 2 minutes before and after major economic releases primarily impacts regular session traders since high-impact US data typically releases at 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM EST, or immediately following FOMC meetings at 2:00 PM EST.

Mandatory Flat Requirement

4:15 PM EST Hard Deadline

All positions MUST be closed by 4:15 PM EST each trading day. This is not a suggestion or recommendation — it is an absolute rule with instant termination consequences for violation.

What "mandatory flat" means:

• Zero open positions of any kind
• No long positions, no short positions
• All contracts closed, account completely flat
• Working orders (limit orders, stop orders) must be canceled

Timing precision:At 4:15 PM EST and 1 second, YRM Prop's systems check account status. If any position remains open at that instant, the account is immediately breached and terminated. There is no grace period, no warning, no opportunity to exit positions after the deadline.

Why the 4:15 PM EST Cutoff

The 4:15 PM EST deadline corresponds with the futures market close for most contracts. While some futures markets technically close at 5:00 PM EST, YRM Prop uses 4:15 PM to provide a 45-minute buffer before official close, giving traders time to exit positions before extremely low liquidity conditions in the final minutes of trading.

Protecting against weekend gap risk: Futures markets close Friday afternoon and don't reopen until Sunday evening. Major news events, geopolitical developments, or economic crises occurring over the weekend can cause massive price gaps between Friday's close and Sunday's open. A position that closes Friday at ES 5800.00 might reopen Sunday at ES 5650.00 if significant negative news breaks over the weekend.

YRM Prop's simulated environment cannot accurately model weekend gap behavior including slippage, order filling, and stop-loss execution during gap events. The mandatory flat requirement protects firm capital from unpredictable weekend scenarios while also preventing traders from gambling on weekend gap movements with firm capital.

Enforcement and Detection

YRM Prop uses automated systems to scan all accounts at 4:15:00 PM EST daily. The check is instantaneous and binary — either the account is flat or it isn't. There are no human reviews, no explanations accepted, no technical difficulties exemptions.

Common violation scenarios:

Forgotten position: Trader opens position at 2:00 PM, steps away from desk, forgets to close before deadline. Account breached.

Technical issues: Trader's internet connection fails at 4:10 PM, cannot access platform to close position. Account breached. YRM Prop does not make exceptions for technical difficulties.

Time zone confusion: Trader in California sees 1:15 PM PST on their clock and doesn't realize it's 4:15 PM EST. Account breached.

Working order triggers: Trader cancels open position at 4:00 PM but forgets about a working stop-loss order that remains active. If that stop would trigger at 4:16 PM, the working order existing at 4:15 PM constitutes a violation even though no position is open. All working orders must be canceled.

Consequences of Missing Deadline

Instant breach: Account immediately disabled at 4:15:01 PM EST if position detected.

No recovery option: Unlike drawdown violations that might be reviewed, the mandatory flat requirement has zero flexibility. The system doesn't care if the position is profitable, if the trader was only 10 seconds late, or if the violation stems from genuine technical emergency.

Challenge accounts: Evaluation progress lost. Must purchase new Challenge account to restart.

Funded accounts: All accumulated profits forfeited including pending payout requests. Funded account terminated permanently.

Weekend Holding Prohibition

No Friday-to-Monday Positions

YRM Prop strictly prohibits holding any positions from Friday afternoon through Monday morning across the weekend gap. This rule exists in addition to the daily 4:15 PM mandatory flat requirement.

Enforcement: All positions must close Friday before 4:15 PM EST. When markets reopen Sunday 6:00 PM EST, accounts must start the new week completely flat. Traders cannot open Friday positions with intent to hold through weekend.

This eliminates pure swing trading strategies that rely on multi-day position holds. Traders who typically enter Wednesday and exit Monday cannot execute this approach with YRM Prop capital.

Weekend Gap Risk Rationale

Weekend gaps in futures markets can be substantial during major events:

Historical gap examples:

• 9/11 attacks: ES gapped down ~100 points Sunday open
• COVID-19 WHO pandemic declaration: ES gapped down ~140 points Sunday open
• Russian Ukraine invasion: ES gapped down ~80 points Sunday open
• OPEC surprise cut announcement: CL crude gapped up ~12 points Sunday open

These gaps occur while markets are closed, making stop-loss orders ineffective. A trader long ES with a 50-point stop-loss could suffer a 140-point loss if a weekend crisis triggers massive gap down. YRM Prop's simulated environment cannot guarantee realistic order fills during gap scenarios, exposing the firm to potentially unlimited losses if traders could hold over weekends.

What Happens If You Try

Some traders attempt to circumvent weekend holding prohibition by:

Attempting Friday late entry: Opening position at 4:14 PM hoping to hold over weekend. System breaches account at 4:15 PM.

Re-entering Sunday: Closing Friday at 4:14 PM, then immediately re-entering identical position Sunday 6:01 PM. While technically permitted (the position is separate), this pattern may trigger review if consistently executed as it appears designed to circumvent the spirit of weekend prohibition.

The safest approach is treating each trading day as independent with fresh evaluation of whether to enter positions rather than attempting to maintain "continuous" exposure through creative timing.

How Timing Rules Impact Trading Strategies

Day Trading: Fully Compatible

Pure day trading strategies that enter and exit all positions within single sessions work perfectly within YRM Prop's timing framework. Whether trading the overnight session or US regular hours, day traders naturally close all positions before moving to the next day.

Strategy examples:

• Opening range breakout (9:30-10:00 AM entries, exit by noon)
• Power hour scalping (3:00-4:00 PM volatility)
• Overnight economic data trades (enter on Asia data, exit before European open)

Day traders should still set alerts for 4:00 PM EST as a safety check to ensure all positions closed with 15-minute buffer before mandatory deadline.

Scalping: Fully Compatible

Scalpers executing dozens or hundreds of trades per day naturally operate well within the allowed window. Whether scalping ES during market open volatility or trading MES during overnight sessions, scalpers never intend to hold positions longer than minutes or hours, making the 4:15 PM deadline irrelevant to their strategy structure.

The firm's minimum trading days requirement of 2 days for Challenge and 10 days for funded accounts means even the most aggressive scalpers must spread their trading across multiple days rather than attempting to pass evaluation or qualify for payout in single marathon sessions.

Swing Trading: Incompatible

Traditional swing trading that holds positions 2-5 days waiting for larger moves is fundamentally incompatible with YRM Prop's daily mandatory flat requirement. Traders cannot enter Monday and hold through Friday as would be standard practice with personal accounts or brokerages.

Work-arounds:

• Intraday swing style: Enter positions at market open, hold for 6-8 hours targeting larger moves, close before 4:15 PM same day. This "compressed swing" approach captures directional moves without overnight holding.
• Multi-session day trading: Enter during overnight session, hold through overnight and US regular session, close before 4:15 PM. This provides up to 22 hours of hold time while still complying with mandatory flat.
• Reconstitute positions daily: Close entire position before 4:15 PM, re-enter identical position at 6:01 PM when markets reopen. While tedious and generating additional commission costs, this technically complies with rules while maintaining directional exposure.

Traders primarily focused on swing trading strategies should consider firms like Topstep which allow overnight and weekend holding for those positions.

Position Trading: Completely Incompatible

Position trading that holds for weeks or months is impossible at YRM Prop. The daily mandatory flat requirement eliminates this entire strategy category from consideration.

Timezone Considerations

Converting to Your Local Time

YRM Prop enforces all timing rules in Eastern Standard Time (EST) or Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) depending on the time of year. Traders in other time zones must convert these times to local time to avoid violations from timezone confusion.

PST/PDT (West Coast US):

• 6:00 PM EST = 3:00 PM PST (previous day)
• 4:15 PM EST = 1:15 PM PST

CST/CDT (Central US):

• 6:00 PM EST = 5:00 PM CST
• 4:15 PM EST = 3:15 PM CST

GMT/BST (UK):

• 6:00 PM EST = 11:00 PM GMT (same day)
• 4:15 PM EST = 9:15 PM GMT

CET/CEST (Europe):

• 6:00 PM EST = 12:00 AM CET (next day)
• 4:15 PM EST = 10:15 PM CET

AEST (Australia East Coast):

• 6:00 PM EST = 10:00 AM AEST (next day)
• 4:15 PM EST = 8:15 AM AEST (next day)

Daylight Saving Time Complications

The United States observes Daylight Saving Time from the second Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November, shifting from EST to EDT (one hour forward). This creates coordination challenges with regions that don't observe DST or observe it on different schedules.

Critical timing change: When US shifts to EDT in March, the 4:15 PM mandatory close happens one hour earlier in GMT/BST terms. Traders in London must close by 8:15 PM GMT in winter but 9:15 PM BST in summer. Missing this shift can cause accidental violations.

Setting Platform Time Correctly

Most trading platforms allow customizable time zone displays. Traders should configure their platform to show EST/EDT rather than local time to match YRM Prop's enforcement timing. This eliminates mental conversion errors that cause violations.

Alternatively, set clock alerts on phone or computer for 4:00 PM EST (converted to local time) as a 15-minute warning to begin closing all positions.

Best Practices for Compliance

Set Multiple Reminders

4:00 PM EST alert: Begin closing positions, cancel working orders

4:10 PM EST alert: Final check - verify account completely flat

4:14 PM EST alert: Last-second emergency check before deadline

These layered alerts prevent both forgotten positions and technical difficulties from causing violations. The 15-minute buffer between first alert and deadline provides adequate time to close positions even if platform is running slowly or markets are experiencing volatility.

Close Positions Early on Fridays

Weekend mandatory flat makes Friday the highest-risk day for violations as traders rush to close positions before weekly close. Consider closing all positions by 3:30 PM EST on Fridays to avoid last-minute execution issues.

Friday afternoons often see reduced liquidity and wider spreads as institutional traders wind down their weeks. Exiting earlier ensures better fills and eliminates the stress of racing against the 4:15 PM deadline.

Avoid New Entries After 3:00 PM

Opening new positions after 3:00 PM leaves only 1 hour 15 minutes before mandatory close. This compressed timeframe limits profit potential while maintaining full risk exposure. If a trade moves against you after 3:30 PM entry, there's insufficient time for recovery attempts before forced exit.

Traders focused on the US session should treat 3:00 PM as the "no new positions" cutoff, using the final 1.25 hours only to manage or exit existing trades.

Use Automated Close Orders

Program trading platforms with automated close-all-positions orders set to execute at 4:13 PM EST as a failsafe. If you're away from the desk or experience technical issues, the automated order closes positions before deadline.

This safety mechanism prevents violations from forgotten positions, internet outages, power failures, or emergency situations that prevent manual position management.

Allowed Trading Times FAQ

Can I trade overnight sessions?

Yes, YRM Prop fully permits trading from 6:00 PM EST through 4:15 PM EST the next day. Overnight session trading is allowed with no restrictions beyond standard rules.

What if I forget to close a position before 4:15 PM?

Your account will be immediately breached and terminated at 4:15:00 PM EST if any position remains open. There are no exceptions, warnings, or grace periods.

Can I hold positions over the weekend?

No. All positions must close before 4:15 PM EST on Friday. Weekend position holding is strictly prohibited to avoid gap risk.

Do news trading restrictions affect my available trading times?

Yes. The 2-minute buffer before and after major economic releases creates short windows where you cannot open new positions or hold open positions, but this doesn't affect your overall 6:00 PM - 4:15 PM EST daily window.

What happens if I'm in a trade at 4:10 PM and it's moving against me?

You must exit before 4:15 PM regardless of profit/loss. Take the loss rather than risk account termination from missing the mandatory flat deadline.

Can I enter a position at 4:14 PM?

Technically yes, but you would need to close it before 4:15 PM, giving you less than 1 minute to manage the trade. This is extremely risky and not recommended.

What if my internet goes down at 4:10 PM?

You will be breached if you cannot close positions before 4:15 PM. YRM Prop does not make exceptions for technical difficulties. This is why automated close orders set for 4:13 PM are highly recommended as a failsafe.

Does the 4:15 PM deadline apply to Challenge accounts or only funded accounts?

The mandatory flat requirement applies equally to all account types including Starter Challenge, Prime, and Instant Prime accounts.

Can I trade during pre-market hours before 9:30 AM?

Yes. The 6:00 PM - 4:15 PM window includes all pre-market hours. ES and other futures contracts are actively traded from 6:00 PM EST through 9:30 AM EST market open.

Are there any exceptions to the mandatory flat rule?

No. The rule is absolute with no exceptions granted under any circumstances including technical difficulties, emergency situations, or profitable trades that need "just a few more minutes."