Static vs trailing drawdown (2026)

The single biggest difference between prop firms is whether your maximum-loss floor moves. It changes how much room you actually have.

Trailing drawdown (most futures firms)

The floor rises as your balance climbs, then locks once you've banked enough. That's why you can be up on the day and still breach — you gave profit back and the floor came up with you. Apex, Topstep, Tradeify, MFFU and most futures firms use trailing. Whether it moves intraday or end-of-day matters a lot.

Static drawdown

A static floor is fixed from your original balance and never moves. On a 50K with a 10% static max, your floor sits at $45,000 permanently — every dollar of profit is permanent headroom. FundingPips and QT Funded use static drawdown (they're primarily forex/CFD firms). The math is simpler: you always know your one hard line.

Which is easier?

Static is more forgiving once you're profitable, because banked gains can't be clawed back by a rising floor. Trailing is stricter but standard in futures. The trap isn't which one — it's assuming static behavior on a trailing account. Know which you have and size for it.

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