Liquid Trader: Drawdowns Explained
Welcome to our information page about the drawdown at Liquid Trader!
During your Challenge, we evaluate your trading strategy, and one important aspect we consider is drawdown, both daily and overall.
How Does the Daily Drawdown Work?
Traders can have a maximum daily drawdown of 5% from their initial starting equity (including all floating losses & profits), within a 24-hour period starting at 5 pm EST.
For example:
If you have a starting balance of $200,000, 5% of this equals $10,000. This means if your account falls below $190,000 within any given day you are in violation of the “daily drawdown” rule. On the other hand, if you end any given day with a profit let’s say $10,000, your starting capital will increase to $210,000 and your new maximum daily loss will now be $10,500.
How do I calculate Daily Drawdown?
The Maximum Daily Loss of 5% has a constant value of 5% of your initial account’s size. This means that if a trader has a $100,000 account, their maximum daily loss would be $5,000 (5% of $100,000) at any given time during the challenge.
It’s important to note that the maximum daily loss of 5% is based on the trader’s equity at the end of the day (EOD), which is calculated at 00:00 server time GMT+3 5 pm EST (depending on the changes in daylight savings time). This includes both the realized and unrealized profit and loss (P&L) of the trader’s open positions.
For example, in the case of a $100,000 account, if a trader has lost $4,999 on the first day of trading, their equity at the end of the day would be $95,001. The maximum daily loss threshold would reset the next day, allowing the trader to potentially lose up to $4,999 again without breaching the threshold.
Violation of this rule will result in an automatic failure on your challenge account. The same Daily Drawdown applies to all 3 phases (Evaluation, Verification, and Funded) of every challenge.
Bear in mind that we don’t recommend trading one hour before and after the market rollover, because of bad market conditions caused by low liquidity and high volatility.
Now, let’s discuss the overall drawdown:
Throughout your Challenge, your trader account’s capital must not drop below 12% at any time. For example, if your starting balance is $100,000, the drawdown limit would be $12,000. If your account balance falls below $88,000, you’d violate the overall drawdown rule. To calculate the drawdown limit, multiply your starting balance by 0.12. This rule applies to all phases of the Challenge, and failing to comply leads to an automatic failure.
We also recommend refraining from trading one hour before and after market rollover due to potentially unfavorable market conditions caused by low liquidity and high volatility. Adhering to our risk management policies is vital for your success during the Challenge.
Understanding drawdown is crucial for managing risk and protecting your account. By following these rules, you enhance your chances of achieving your trading goals and becoming a successful trader.
Best of luck with your Challenge!