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Automated trading (bots)

Automated Trading / Algo / EA

Trading

Definition

Trading where software opens and closes trades according to rules, without the trader clicking on each order. In prop firms, the answer varies widely: some firms allow bots, while others prohibit all automated trading.

Detailed explanation

Even when a bot is allowed, there are red lines that apply almost everywhere: HFT, exploiting simulation latencies and fills, order flooding, and trading performed by a third party on your behalf. You are responsible for every order the bot sends, including malfunctions. Before connecting an algorithm to an account, check two things separately on the firm's page: whether automated trading is allowed at all, and at what stage (evaluation, funded, live).

An example from the prop world

A trader who built an automated strategy in NinjaTrader can run it in FTMO Futures, which allows EAs. The exact same strategy would violate the rules at Funded Futures Family, which prohibits automated trading at any stage.

How it works at the firms on this site

Based on the rules listed on our firm pages. Rules get updated, so check the firm's page before buying.

Prop firm comparison

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High-frequency trading

Automated trading that sends a large number of orders within seconds or milliseconds. Almost every prop firm prohibits it.

Micro-scalping

Very short trades, often just a few seconds, that try to catch tiny price moves. Prop firms restrict it because in a simulation such fills don't reflect a real market.

Trade copying

Automatically duplicating every trade from a lead account to follower accounts, so you trade once across several accounts. It's done with software such as TradeSyncer or Replikanto, or with a copy tool built into the platform.

NinjaTrader platform

A trading and charting platform for futures, one of the most common among prop firm traders. The desktop version runs on Windows only and connects to the account via Rithmic or Tradovate, depending on what the firm provided.

News trading policy

This is a risk management rule in funded trading accounts that prohibits traders from opening, closing or modifying active positions within a set time window (usually a few minutes) before, during and after the release of major high-impact economic events (Tier One).

Hedging

Opening opposite positions, long and short, on the same underlying asset or on correlated assets at the same time, in the same account or across accounts. At most prop firms this is prohibited.