FTMO Phase 1: 2-Step Objectives, Daily Equity and Rollover

“FTMO Phase 1” normally refers to the Challenge phase of the 2-Step product. Start with that exact product's objectives, not a mix of 1-Step, Instant, futures and older account rules. A checklist can prevent calculation mistakes; it cannot supply a strategy that guarantees a pass.

Use the Actual 2-Step Phase 1 Objectives

The official objectives, checked 16 October 2026, describe a 10% Challenge profit target, 5% Maximum Daily Loss Amount and a static 10% Maximum Loss Amount, measured from Initial Simulated Capital. Each evaluation phase requires at least four trading days, defined by opening a position on the stated CE(S)T day. Verification is the separate second phase with a 5% profit target.

The profit target requires the stated balance with all positions closed and the other objectives satisfied. A $100,000 Challenge therefore has a $10,000 target and $110,000 target balance. These 2-Step conditions do not establish the rules of a 1-Step or Instant account. There is no guaranteed four-to-six-week completion schedule.

Calculate the Daily Equity Floor Correctly

For this 2-Step account, the Daily Loss Amount is 5% of initial capital. The daily floor is the balance recorded at 00:00 CE(S)T minus that amount. Equity, including open-position results and applicable charges, must respect the floor. It is not simply the sum of closed losing trades or a trailing percentage of the day's highest equity.

If equity is $97,500 on the second day, its distance above that daily floor is $500. That is an observation before further price changes and charges, not guaranteed remaining trade risk. The separate static total-loss floor in this example is $90,000.

Check Rollover and Open Positions

FTMO's day resets at midnight Central European Time, with the applicable CET/CEST seasonal offset. Do not equate that rule with a universal 5 PM Eastern broker rollover. A reset changes the daily reference; it does not erase an open loss or guarantee that an account survives.

For example, after $2,000 of closed profit the balance might be $102,000 while a floating loss of $6,000 leaves equity $96,000, ignoring separate charges for illustration. A $95,000 daily floor before the reset differs from the $97,000 floor based on a $102,000 midnight balance. The unchanged equity can be below the new floor. Use the account's current objectives and figures, not a generic server-time rule.

Use Loss Scenarios Without Prescribing a Universal Trade Size

A voluntary $2,500 daily limit on a hypothetical $100,000 account is 2.5% of initial capital and half a $5,000 allowance. The remaining $2,500 is not a guarantee against gaps, fees or execution differences. Three fixed $750 losses total $2,250; four total $3,000 and exceed that chosen $2,500 limit.

Consider aggregate exposure, correlated instruments, open positions, costs and stop execution. A stop price is not a guaranteed fill. Neither 0.5–1% per trade, a maximum number of positions nor two-to-five trades per day is established here as suitable for every trader or account. Use position-size calculations only within their stated instrument and currency assumptions.

Keep a Reproducible Account Checklist

• Record the exact account product, initial capital and current objective version.
• Reconcile the provider's balance, equity, open positions, charges and CE(S)T day boundary.
• Check both current daily and static total-loss floors, plus trading-day and profit-target requirements.
• Keep news, holding-period, instrument and prohibited-practice restrictions separate from loss arithmetic.
• Use a practice environment to investigate specific scenarios without assuming that twenty days proves statistical significance or readiness.

Practice results do not establish identical fills, future profitability or eventual completion. A win rate alone is also insufficient: at an assumed 55% win rate with wins of one unit and losses of two units, expectancy before costs is 0.55 × 1 − 0.45 × 2 = −0.35 units per trade.

Use MyVeridex as Analytics, Not FTMO Certification

MyVeridex offers supported MT4/MT5 connections and available-record analytics. Check the actual account and reconcile returned history, costs and currency. It does not certify every FTMO platform or guarantee a complete record from a directory entry.

Closed records grouped by UTC cannot reconstruct all intraday floating equity or certify the CE(S)T daily-loss rule. A MyVeridex badge is not an independent audit or proof of an evaluation pass. Read the badge limits and drawdown definitions before using a displayed figure for a provider decision.