🥇#Gold futures
3 articles
[September 2026] Calculating FTMO Futures Challenge Expected Value: Pro $50K Maxing Out the Daily Limit Is Best, and Skill Only Changes How You Withdraw
For all 6 FTMO Futures plans (Growth and Pro × $50K, $100K, $150K), I ran a 1-year Monte Carlo covering evaluation, resets, Sim-Funded, and payouts to calculate expected value. Prices, reset fees, and payout conditions for every plan were re-verified against the official rules page on September 23, 2026. Covers why Pro $50K comes out at +$4,836/year even at zero edge, why it stays positive even with a negative edge, the mechanism by which Pro can kill your account if you withdraw too aggressively, and why changing lot size between evaluation and funded is a rule violation.
[Beginner's Guide] Futures Prop Rules Explained From Scratch: Contracts, Trailing DD, Consistency, Activation Fees, and Trading Hours
A table-based breakdown of US futures prop rules (Topstep, FTMO Futures, The5ers Futures, and others), aimed at FX traders. Covers how contracts map to lots, the difference between EOD trailing and intraday trailing, consistency rules, monthly fees and activation fees, all forced-close times in JST, and contract counts for gold futures (GC/MGC).
[September 2026] I calculated Topstep's expected value — it loses to FTMO Futures at the same lot size; you only win by sizing up big with no daily loss limit
Ran a full year of Monte Carlo simulation from Topstep's Trading Combine through the Express Funded Account to payouts. Confirmed the monthly fee, resets, activation fee, max loss, and withdrawal conditions on the official help center on September 23, 2026. At $50K and 0.30 lots, zero edge comes out to +$2,519/year — about half of FTMO Futures Pro. Without a daily loss limit you can size up to 0.50 lots and flip the result, but that needs 25–39 resets a year. Also compares with/without the activation fee, Standard vs. Consistency, and with/without a daily loss limit.