Intraday Trailing Drawdown
The strictest model: every intraday equity peak instantly drags the loss floor higher.
Applies to 3 firms • Risk Management • Evaluation + Funded
Prev: End-of-Day Drawdown ModelNext: Drawdown Reset & Server TimeDeep Dive
Why this rule exists
Intraday trailing tracks balance plus open profit tick by tick. A $2,000 floating winner on a $100K account immediately lifts the floor by $2,000. If price reverses before you bank it, you can breach while the closed balance still shows a profit. Apex uses this on futures intraday accounts, and it caps at the starting balance plus a small buffer once profitable. This is the number one killer of runners and add-to-winner styles.
How traders get caught
Risk floors are enforced tick by tick against live equity including spread and swaps. Server-time resets and intraday peaks shrink usable room far below what the headline percent suggests.
How to stay safe
Check the Source Inspector for the exact FAQ excerpt, test your equity distance in the simulator, and keep a 20% buffer above the nearest floor.
The Formula
How it is calculated
Real Dollar Example
On a $100K Apex-style account with $2,500 intraday allowance, equity spikes to $102,500 mid-trade so the floor jumps to $100,000. Price pulls back to $99,950 before you exit — breach, even though closed balance never printed above $100,800.
Common Traps & Mistakes
Letting a big runner float back, assuming only closed profit moves the floor.
Adding size into a floating winner, which lifts the floor faster than the new position can sustain.
Holding through spread-widening events with a tight intraday buffer.
Firms using this rule
Rule FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions: Intraday Trailing Drawdown
What is the Intraday Trailing Drawdown?
The strictest model: every intraday equity peak instantly drags the loss floor higher.
How is Intraday Trailing Drawdown calculated across prop firms?
Intraday Floor = min(Highest Intraday Equity - Allowance, Start + Buffer)
What are the most common mistakes traders make with Intraday Trailing Drawdown?
Letting a big runner float back, assuming only closed profit moves the floor. Adding size into a floating winner, which lifts the floor faster than the new position can sustain. Holding through spread-widening events with a tight intraday buffer.
Related guides
Keep learning this cluster
Trailing Drawdown vs Static Drawdown
A loss floor that ratchets higher as your peak equity rises, locking in risk levels.
End-of-Day Drawdown Model
Trailing floor set from the highest end-of-day balance, but enforced live against intraday equity.
Static Max Drawdown Explained
A fixed loss floor set once at purchase that never moves, no matter how much profit you make.
Hard vs Soft Breach Types
Hard breach kills the account instantly; soft breach closes trades or blocks payouts but lets you continue.
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