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138
Prop Firm Scalping & News-Trading Rules at a Glance: A Thorough Comparison of 18 Firms
An 18-firm comparison of prop firm scalping hold-time minimums and news-trading restrictions (window length, hard/soft breach), organized into a 3-axis matrix. Includes strategy for NFP/FOMC days.
What's SuperFunded's Expected Value? Running a 1-Year Simulation of 1 Step and 2 Step Shows 2 Step Wins at 1% Risk or More (September 2026)
A one-year Monte Carlo simulation of SuperFunded's (a TradeLocker prop firm) 1 Step and 2 Step plans, run exactly to the official rules. Covers the annual take-home at 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% risk per trade and win rates of 50-58%, 1 Step's trailing max loss, the 5% profit cap on the first three payouts, and 2 Step's 70% โ 80% โ 90% profit split.
![What's The5ers' Expected Value? A 1-Year Simulation of High Stakes vs. Pro Growth Shows Pro Growth Slightly Ahead, Thanks to No Payout Cap [September 2026]](/og/en/the5ers-expected-value-2026-09.png)
What's The5ers' Expected Value? A 1-Year Simulation of High Stakes vs. Pro Growth Shows Pro Growth Slightly Ahead, Thanks to No Payout Cap [September 2026]
We ran The5ers' High Stakes (Classic / New) and Pro Growth through a 1-year Monte Carlo simulation using the official rules. Covers annual take-home at 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% risk per trade and 50โ58% win rates, and how the 3-way fee refund, the $4,000 payout cap on $100K, and Pro Growth's 75% split all play out.
![What's ThinkCapital's Expected Value? | Simulating Lightning, Dual Step, and Nexus for a Year โ Dual Step Comes Out on Top [September 2026]](/og/en/thinkcapital-expected-value-2026-09.png)
What's ThinkCapital's Expected Value? | Simulating Lightning, Dual Step, and Nexus for a Year โ Dual Step Comes Out on Top [September 2026]
I calculated ThinkCapital's Lightning (1-step), Dual Step Intraday (2-step), and Nexus (3-step) with a year-long Monte Carlo simulation following their official rules exactly. Covers annual take-home at 0.5%/1%/1.5% risk per trade and 50โ58% win rates, the fee refund on the 3rd payout, Lightning's trailing max loss, and Dual Step's max loss (7% during evaluation, 8% funded).
![What's TradingCult's Expected Value? A 1-Year Simulation of 2-Step and 2 Add-Ons: the 90% Split Add-On Wins If You Have Edge [September 2026]](/og/en/tradingcult-expected-value-2026-09.png)
What's TradingCult's Expected Value? A 1-Year Simulation of 2-Step and 2 Add-Ons: the 90% Split Add-On Wins If You Have Edge [September 2026]
A 1-year Monte Carlo simulation of TradingCult's 2-Step ($100K, $459) and its 90%-split / 15%-max-loss add-ons, run exactly to the official rules. Covers annual take-home at 0.5%/1%/1.5% risk per trade and 50-58% win rates, the 40% consistency rule at payout, and why the 1-Step plan (which has a payout cap) was excluded from the simulation.
When Should You Change Your Prop Account Settings? Don't Touch It During Evaluation โ Always Change It the Moment You Get Funded
When a challenge isn't going the way you'd hoped, you want to raise your lot size. You want to change your trading hours. But that judgment call has no statistical basis. Telling a 40% pass-rate method apart from a 25% one needs 150 accounts per method, and most people only have one or two. Meanwhile, the moment you reach a funded account, rules that didn't exist during evaluation kick in all at once โ Hola Prime caps risk per trade at 2%, Hantec treats the 3 minutes around a news release as a violation even to close a position. These are cases where you must change something. We sorted out what to keep fixed, what to change, and how to treat an account that's already deep in drawdown, using 40,000 Monte Carlo runs. As of September 18, 2026.
![The Same Strategy Can Take 3x Longer Depending on Where You Run It: Testing 8 Firms' Rules Against a Mechanical Strategy [Analysis]](/og/en/which-prop-firm-for-systematic-strategy-2026.png)
The Same Strategy Can Take 3x Longer Depending on Where You Run It: Testing 8 Firms' Rules Against a Mechanical Strategy [Analysis]
Profit targets and max DD line up almost identically across firms, yet running the same strategy through their rules stretches the cycle time from 17.2 days to 59.6 days โ a 3.5x spread. The cause is the '1% risk per trade' rule. Pass rates barely differ (33.7โ38.7%), while firms with a 10% Phase 1 target are 5 points worse off at the first stage, and a 60% profit split cuts expected funded-stage income by 40%. Also checks Hantec's 3-minute rule, which is actually a ratio condition โ 'net profit from trades closed under 3 minutes is 30% or more of total' โ against 3,826 real trades' holding-time distribution.
ELDRA ร AI Agents for Beginners: From Chatting to Setup, Safety Guards, and Backtesting
A beginner-friendly, step-by-step guide to using the semi-discretionary EA 'ELDRA' with an AI agent (Claude Code) and prop-memo's MCP. Covers connecting, checking whether your strategy can be built, safety guards matched to prop firm rules, creating a .set file, automating backtests, and optimization pitfalls.
![[September 2026] We Calculated BluSky's Expected Value: The 3-Stage Model Favors Propel (30OFF), +$2,988/Year at Zero Edge](/og/en/blusky-expected-value-2026-09.png)
[September 2026] We Calculated BluSky's Expected Value: The 3-Stage Model Favors Propel (30OFF), +$2,988/Year at Zero Edge
We compared the three plans (Launch, Propel, Orbit) at futures prop BluSky Trading using a Monte Carlo simulation run for one year, from evaluation through payout. Verified pricing, reset fees, the Buffer Zone, and payout terms on the official help center and pricing page on September 25, 2026. It's a 3-stage model โ Evaluation โ Buffer Zone โ Sim Funded โ and failing the Buffer Zone doesn't send you back to redo the evaluation. At 0.30 lots and zero edge, Propel $50K (code 30OFF brings it to $112/month) is best at +$2,988/year. Orbit's 30-day deadline is a heavy burden, and it comes out negative at zero edge.
Bulenox Complete Guide (2026 Edition): A Deep Dive Into the Futures Prop Firm With Fully Free EA and Automated Trading
A complete breakdown of Bulenox, Trustpilot 4.8 stars and one of the only futures prop firms with fully free EA/bot/copier trading. Covers the Qualification โ Master Account (Option 1/2) structure, trailing drawdown, the 40% consistency rule, Wednesday payouts, and the KEP91 coupon for up to 91% off โ written for Japanese traders.
![[September 2026] Calculating Bulenox's Expected Value: Every Plan Is Now One-Time Payment. At Zero Edge, End-of-Day Momentum Wins; With an Edge, Qualification Wins](/og/en/bulenox-expected-value-2026-09.png)
[September 2026] Calculating Bulenox's Expected Value: Every Plan Is Now One-Time Payment. At Zero Edge, End-of-Day Momentum Wins; With an Edge, Qualification Wins
A Monte Carlo comparing futures prop firm Bulenox's $50K plans (Qualification and Momentum, each available in trailing and end-of-day variants) over a full year from evaluation through payouts. Confirmed on the official pricing page, help center, and fee schedule on September 25, 2026. The monthly subscription model is gone โ every plan is now a one-time payment. At 0.30 lots and zero edge, Momentum (end-of-day) comes out best at +$2,047/year; with 'medium' edge, Qualification leads at +$25,529. Automated trading is allowed only for self-built tools โ commercial or shared tools are banned.
![[September 2026] We Calculated Funded Futures Network (FFN)'s Expected Value: Both Plans Negative at Zero Edge, STEADY Wins With Edge Thanks to Faster Payouts](/og/en/ffn-expected-value-2026-09.png)
[September 2026] We Calculated Funded Futures Network (FFN)'s Expected Value: Both Plans Negative at Zero Edge, STEADY Wins With Edge Thanks to Faster Payouts
We compared futures prop firm Funded Futures Network (FFN)'s two plans (Standard MAX and STEADY) with a 1-year Monte Carlo simulation running from evaluation through payout. Pricing, reset fees, buffer requirements, and payout conditions confirmed on the official help center and pricing page on September 25, 2026. At 0.30 lots and zero edge, both are negative: Standard MAX at โ$312/year, STEADY at โ$516/year. The requirement to build a $2,000 + $500 buffer on the funded account before any payout is the biggest drag. With edge, STEADY pulls ahead since it drops the consistency rule after passing and allows daily payouts.