// ftmo daily loss
FTMO’s daily loss limit is easy to underestimate: it counts open trades, and it is set from your balance at midnight, not from where you are now. Here’s exactly how it’s calculated, and a free calculator that shows your live distance to it.
How many losing trades are you from breaching today? Free · no signup · nothing stored Open the calculatorThe daily loss limit is a fixed percentage of your initial account balance: 5% on the 2-Step path and 3% on the 1-Step path. On a $100,000 2-Step account that is $5,000 of loss allowed in a single day.
It is measured from your balance at the start of the trading day (00:00 CE(S)T), and it includes floating (unrealised) losses on open positions, not just closed trades. If your equity drops below it by a single dollar, the rule is violated.
FTMO’s own example on a $100,000 2-Step: Day 1 limit $95,000. Balance at midnight before Day 2 is $102,000, so Day 2’s limit is $97,000. Balance at midnight before Day 3 is $101,000, so Day 3’s limit is $96,000. The $5,000 never changes; only the balance it is measured from moves.
If you’re already down $2,000 on the day, you have $3,000 of room left. At 1% risk per trade ($1,000), that’s three more full losing trades and you are on the limit. On a $100k 1-Step (3% = $3,000 daily) the same $2,000 loss leaves only $1,000: one more losing trade at 1%.
How is the FTMO daily loss limit calculated?
It is a fixed percentage of your initial account size (5% on the 2-Step path, 3% on the 1-Step), measured from your balance at the start of the trading day (00:00 CE(S)T), and it includes floating losses on open positions.
Does the FTMO daily loss reset each day?
Yes. It is recalculated at 00:00 CE(S)T (Prague time) from your balance at that moment, not your equity. A trade held over midnight does not move the new limit, but its floating loss counts against it. The overall maximum loss does not reset daily.
What happens if I breach the FTMO daily loss limit?
If your equity drops below the limit, FTMO treats the rule as violated, and in a Challenge or Verification the whole Challenge is evaluated as unsuccessful. This is why knowing your live distance to the limit before each trade matters.
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