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Prop Trading Glossary

Every industry term, defined in plain English. Bookmark this page — you'll come back to it.

Drawdown

The maximum loss allowed on an account before it's terminated. Measured daily or overall.

Evaluation

A paid test where you prove you can trade profitably within the firm's rules. Pass it to get funded.

Funded Account

A live account where you trade the firm's capital and split profits.

Payout Ratio

The percentage of profits you keep. Ranges from 70% to 100% depending on the firm.

Profit Target

The percentage gain you must reach to pass an evaluation phase — usually 8–10%.

Scaling Plan

A structured path to grow your funded account size after consistent profitable months.

One-Step Challenge

A single evaluation phase, faster but usually stricter.

Two-Step Challenge

Two evaluation phases with lower daily targets — slower but more forgiving.

Instant Funding

Skip the evaluation and trade a funded account immediately, usually with tighter drawdowns.

Consistency Rule

A rule that caps how much of your total profit can come from a single day or trade.

News Trading Rule

A restriction on holding positions through high-impact economic news events.

EA / Expert Advisor

An automated trading algorithm. Some firms allow them, some don't.