Strategy styles · Trend following
Can a trend-following strategy pass FTMO?
Yes, on most rule sets. On FTMO 1-Step Challenge, our sample trend follower passed 76% of attempts and went on to a first payout in 65%. That ranks FTMO 10th of 46 firms with a challenge for this style; the middle challenge across all firms is 67%. The sample has a real edge built in, so read this as how FTMO's rules treat the style, not as your own odds.
FTMO accounts with a trend-following strategy
| Account | Type | Pass chance | Pass and get paid | Best risk a trade | Days | Most common way it failed | Target | Daily loss | Max loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Step Challenge | 2-step | 73% | 67% | 1% | 90 | Hit the maximum loss | 10% / 5% | 5% | 10% static |
| 1-Step Challenge | 1-step | 76% | 65% | 0.75% | 77 | Hit the maximum loss | 10% | 3% | 10% trailing |
| Instant Account | Instant funding | No challenge | 77% | 0.75% | 39 | Hit the maximum loss | None | 3% | 10% trailing |
"Pass and get paid" is the share of attempts that passed every phase and then reached a first payout without breaking a rule. Days are trading days. Rules checked 8 Nov 2026; full rules on the FTMO page.
FTMO's rules suit this style better than most. When the sample failed on FTMO 1-Step Challenge, it was most often because it hit the maximum loss.
The sample trend follower
Our sample wins 34.3% of its trades, each winner is 2.5 times the risk, each loser is the full risk, and it takes about one trade every two days: an average of 0.2R profit per trade, where R is the amount risked. The lowest win rate here and the biggest winners. Long flat or losing spells are part of the method. More on the sample and how it does across all firms.
FTMO rules to watch with a trend-following strategy
We have not recorded FTMO's rules on holding over the weekend yet, and they are not in the pass figures above. Check FTMO's own rules before you buy.
- Weekend and overnight rules
- Trades held for days run into rules against holding over the weekend, and into swap charges on accounts that have them.
- Time limits
- With one trade every two days, a 30-day limit leaves room for about 15 trades. That is too few for a low win rate to even out.
- Consistency rules
- One long runner can be most of the profit, which is what a best-day rule is written to stop.
Other styles at FTMO
| Style | Best account | Pass chance | Pass and get paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakout | 1-Step Challenge | 66% | 56% |
| Trend following (this one) | 1-Step Challenge | 76% | 65% |
| Mean reversion | 2-Step Challenge | 69% | 65% |
| Scalping | 1-Step Challenge | 57% | 44% |
| Swing trading | 2-Step Challenge | 88% | 85% |
| Opening range breakout | 1-Step Challenge | 80% | 75% |
| Day trading | 1-Step Challenge | 54% | 39% |
| High win rate | 2-Step Challenge | 86% | 83% |
| Low win rate | 1-Step Challenge | 62% | 44% |
| Position trading | 1-Step Challenge | 87% | 67% |
| Grid and martingale | 2-Step Challenge | 33% | 29% |
Firms whose rules suit this style better
- FTUK Flex Challenge: 85% passed
- Bullwaves Prime 1-Step 100K: 81% passed Caution
- FundingPips 2 Step Standard: 80% passed
Ranked on the rules alone. It says nothing about how reliably a firm pays: see payout reports and each firm's page.
How this was worked out
Each style is a made-up sample trader, not a real track record. We set the figures so that every sample makes the same average profit: 0.1 times its risk per trading day, about 2R a month. They differ only in shape: how often they win, how big the winners are and how many trades they take. That way a difference between two styles comes from how the rules treat the shape, not from one sample simply being better. The exception is the grid and martingale sample, which has no edge at all: adding to losing trades changes the shape of the results but cannot create an edge.
Each sample was run 1,000 times against each account's published rules, at nine trade sizes from 0.13% to 1% of the account, and we show the size that did best. It is the same engine as the test centre. How the simulation works.
What this leaves out. Every sample but that one has a real edge and never breaks its own rules, which is why these figures are far higher than the share of real traders who pass. There are no spreads, commissions, swaps or slippage. Every winner and loser is the same size. And it only tests the rules in the table: profit targets, loss limits, trading days, time limits, consistency and payout terms, not rules on news, weekends or hold times. A strategy with no edge fails everywhere, whatever its style.
Questions
Can a trend-following strategy pass FTMO?
Yes, on most rule sets. On FTMO 1-Step Challenge, our sample trend follower passed 76% of attempts and went on to a first payout in 65%. That ranks FTMO 10th of 46 firms with a challenge for this style; the middle challenge across all firms is 67%. The sample has a real edge built in; a strategy without one fails at any firm.
Which FTMO account is best for a trend-following strategy?
FTMO 1-Step Challenge did best in our runs (76% passed). FTMO 2-Step Challenge: 73% passed. FTMO Instant Account: 77% reached a first payout.
How much should I risk per trade at FTMO with a trend-following strategy?
For our sample the best size on FTMO 1-Step Challenge was 0.75% of the account per trade, and a typical pass took 77 trading days. Your own best size depends on your win rate and losing runs, so test your own trades.
Test your own trades
These are samples. Your strategy has its own win rate, its own losing runs and its own costs. Upload a backtest or trade history and PropPassCheck replays it 2,000 times against each FTMO account and every other firm, and shows your own chance of passing and of a first payout. It runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.