Prop Firm Account Restrictions: What You Can Trade

Two things decide what you can trade on a prop firm account: the symbol list your platform actually offers, and the strategy rules of the programme you bought. A trade can be on the list and still break a rule, for example when it is opened inside a news window on a funded account. This guide shows how both layers work, using examples from official help pages checked on 17 October 2026.

Why tradable instruments differ between prop firms

Most retail prop programmes run simulated accounts on a platform such as MetaTrader 5, and the tradable universe is whatever symbols that server is set up with. FTMO says so directly: you can trade the instruments available in your trading platform, and the full list is on its Symbols page (see its instruments and strategies FAQ). Futures programmes work differently: they offer exchange-traded contracts from a published product list.

So the useful question is not what prop firms allow in general, but what this programme, on this platform, lists today. Lists change, and one firm can run several products with different rules. Treat any "complete list for the year" with caution, including old versions of this page.

Forex, indices, metals and energies on CFD programmes

These markets form the core of most CFD-style programmes. Examples checked on 17 October 2026:

• FTMO names forex, indices, commodities, stocks and crypto as examples of what can be traded on its platforms.
• FundedNext Stellar accounts list 45 forex pairs (including exotics such as USDMXN and USDZAR), metals such as XAUUSD and XAGUSD, Brent and US crude oil, and indices such as GER30, US30, SPX500 and JP225 (FundedNext tradable assets).
• The5ers High Stakes lists FX, metals, indices, oil and crypto on MT5 (High Stakes programme page).

Being listed does not mean a symbol trades around the clock. Index and commodity CFDs follow their own sessions, and FTMO notes that hours can differ by platform. Open the symbol specification in your terminal (right-click the symbol in Market Watch) and note trading hours, contract size and minimum lot before you build a plan around it.

Crypto, stocks, ETFs and options: check the symbol list

A common claim is that prop firms ban crypto. The official pages say otherwise. FTMO names crypto among its tradable asset classes, FundedNext lists nine USD crypto pairs including BTCUSD and ETHUSD, The5ers High Stakes includes crypto, and Topstep's product list includes Micro Bitcoin and Micro Ether futures (Topstep permitted products). FTMO adds that weekend hours for crypto can vary by platform because of scheduled maintenance.

Stocks appear as CFDs on some programmes: FundedNext lists 14 US and 6 European shares. Penny stocks, OTC shares, leveraged ETFs and listed options are a different matter. They do not appear in the FundedNext asset list, The5ers High Stakes asset line or Topstep's product list that we checked, and for FTMO the answer is in its Symbols page and your platform. If a symbol is not on your server, you cannot open it on that account.

The practical rule: search the exact ticker in Market Watch (with "Show all") or in the firm's published list before you buy a programme for a specific market.

Futures programmes trade exchange contracts instead

Futures prop firms publish a product list rather than a CFD symbol set. Topstep, for example, describes itself as futures only and states "No Forex". Its list covers CME Group equity index, currency, energy, metals and agricultural futures, plus interest rate futures such as the 2-year, 5-year and 10-year notes and the 30-year bond. Topstep also requires positions to be closed by 3:10 PM CT on weekdays and does not permit holding positions from one session to the next.

That makes Treasury futures tradable on a programme like this, while spot forex is not. On CFD programmes the reverse is usually true. If you trade both styles, compare the product lists side by side; our Topstep vs Apex comparison covers two futures rule sets.

Restricted strategies: news, weekend holding, EAs and copying

Most surprises come from strategy rules, not from the symbol list. Checked examples:

• News. FTMO restricts order execution from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after selected releases on affected symbols once you trade a funded account; the Challenge, Verification and Swing accounts are exempt (FTMO news FAQ). On a funded FundedNext Stellar 2-Step account, only 40% of the profit from trades placed within 5 minutes before or after high-impact news on a correlated pair counts (Stellar 2-Step rules). The5ers High Stakes does not allow trades 2 minutes before or after high-impact news.
• Holding. FTMO restricts holding positions through market breaks longer than 2 hours on funded accounts, with Swing accounts and the evaluation phases exempt (FTMO holding FAQ). The5ers allows holding indices over the weekend but warns that the swap is high.
• EAs. FundedNext's Stellar 2-Step page says EA usage is not permitted on account sizes of $50,000 and above. FTMO allows algorithmic trading but warns that a third-party EA used by many traders can run into its maximum capital allocation rule.
• Prohibited practices. FTMO's forbidden trading practices include exploiting price errors, opposite positions across accounts and letting a third party trade your account. FundedNext's list adds tick scalping, grid trading and a Quick Strike limit on profit from trades closed within 30 seconds (FundedNext prohibited strategies).

Our guides to news trading rules and EA permissions go deeper on these two topics.

How the daily loss limit changes what you can trade

Loss limits do not ban an instrument, but they decide how much of it you can hold. Several programmes we checked use a 5% daily limit on a two-step account (FTMO 2-Step, FundedNext Stellar 2-Step, The5ers High Stakes), while FTMO 1-Step uses 3% (FTMO trading objectives). Floating losses count: FTMO tests equity against the limit, and FundedNext adds the results of open positions to the day's closed results.

Illustrative example with fictional numbers. A $100,000 account with a 5% daily limit has $5,000 of room per day. You decide to risk at most 1%, or $1,000, per trade.

• EURUSD: one standard lot is 100,000 units, so one pip (0.0001) is worth 100,000 x 0.0001 = $10. With a 25-pip stop, one lot risks 25 x $10 = $250. Size: $1,000 / $250 = 4.00 lots.
• XAUUSD, if your symbol specification shows a contract of 100 ounces: a $1.00 move is worth $100 per lot. With a $5.00 stop, one lot risks 5 x $100 = $500. Size: $1,000 / $500 = 2.00 lots.

Same $1,000 of risk, different lot sizes. If you reused the 4.00 lots from EURUSD on gold with the same $5.00 stop, one losing trade would cost 4 x $500 = $2,000, which is 40% of the day's $5,000 room. On a 3% programme ($3,000 of room), three full $1,000 losses would use the whole day. Read the contract size in your own terminal every time, because it can differ between servers.

How to check your own programme's rules

1. Open the programme's rules page and write down the daily loss, the maximum loss, whether the maximum loss is static or trailing, and the reset time.
2. In the platform, use Market Watch with "Show all" and confirm each symbol you plan to trade, with its hours and contract size.
3. Read the news, holding and EA sections for both the evaluation and the funded stage, because they often differ.
4. Compare your strategy with the prohibited practices list, including any copying between your own accounts.
5. Keep dated screenshots or PDFs of the pages you relied on, and ask support in writing when a rule is unclear.

For FTMO in particular, our FTMO challenge rules guide walks through the loss calculations.

Where JPTC software fits

The JPTC EA Hub provides MT4/MT5 software and setfiles that you run in your own MetaTrader terminal or on your own VPS. You choose the symbols and the risk inputs, so the checks above still apply: confirm that the programme allows EAs at your account size and that each symbol exists on your server. Running an EA does not mean a firm has approved it, and it does not guarantee that every rule is respected.

The JPTC Algo is a separate service hosted on JPTC infrastructure and connected to your own MT4/MT5 broker account; you install nothing and need no VPS. It is not offered for prop-firm evaluations. Company-published monthly figures from the broker statement are on the results page.

Company-published account screenshots. Individual examples, not typical results or challenge outcomes. See /results for the monthly figures.