Trading Rules FAQ

Short answers about allowed instruments, news and weekend trading, Stop Loss, risk exposure, warnings, and prohibited strategies.

A profitable trade can still break a rule. Rules apply during the evaluation and on the simulated funded account, and some permissions differ by program and stage.

Which instruments can I trade?

Trade only these instrument groups, using the symbols enabled on your BFT MT5 account:

  • Forex: major and minor currency pairs, such as EURUSD, GBPJPY, and AUDCAD.
  • Metals: gold (XAUUSD) and silver (XAGUSD).
  • Energy: US and UK oil.
  • Indices: US30, US500, NAS100 (USTECH), GER40, UK100, HK50, and JPN225.
  • Crypto: BTCUSD, ETHUSD, SOLUSD, XRPUSD, and LTCUSD.

Shares, exchange-traded funds, futures, and any other crypto are not allowed, even if MT5 shows them. BFT emails you when a trade uses a restricted instrument, and repeated restricted trades breach the account. Ask support before trading a symbol you are unsure about.

Can I trade during news?

It depends on the program and stage:

  • Yangon Standard and Yangon Express evaluations: news trading is allowed.
  • Mandalay, in every phase: do not open or close trades from 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after a high-impact news event.
  • Every simulated funded account: the same 5-minute window applies.

Profit from a trade opened or closed inside the window can be removed. Holding a trade through the event without opening or closing it in the window is not a violation, but its floating loss still counts toward the loss limits.

Can I hold trades overnight or over the weekend?

You can hold trades overnight in every program and stage; you do not need to close at the end of the day. Mandalay allows weekend holding during the evaluation. For other programs and for funded accounts, check your account's terms before holding over the weekend. Floating losses carried past the daily reset count toward the new day's limit, and a price gap when the market reopens can move equity past a loss limit or skip past your Stop Loss.

Do I need a Stop Loss on every trade?

Yes. Every trade needs a Stop Loss within 3 minutes of opening; adding one in that time avoids a warning. The first violation brings a warning, the second a final warning, and the third is reviewed by BFT and can end the account.

Is there a minimum holding time?

Yes. Trades must stay open for at least 2 minutes. A trade closed by its Stop Loss or Take Profit is not counted. Warnings follow the same pattern as the Stop Loss rule: warning, final warning, then a review by BFT.

What is the 3% maximum risk exposure rule?

The combined loss if every open trade hit its Stop Loss must stay at or below 3% of the account's initial balance. This is a total across all open trades, not 3% per trade. On a $10,000 account, open trades may risk $300 in total. The first violation brings a warning, and you should reduce the risk within 10 minutes. After that warning, a new violation breaches the account.

How do warnings work?

Each rule counts its own warnings. Stop Loss and Minimum Holding Time warnings start again on each new account, including Phase 2, the first funded account, and replacement funded accounts. The 3% risk exposure warning carries from Phase 1 to Phase 2, starts fresh on the first funded account, and then carries to replacement funded accounts. Profit from a trade that broke a rule does not count toward the target or a payout, even after the count resets. If removing that profit takes the account past a loss limit, the account is breached.

Is there a maximum lot size?

There is no fixed lot limit. Your position size is limited by the account's leverage and margin, the loss limits, the 3% risk exposure rule, and, for older accounts, the 30% margin rule.

Does the 30% margin rule apply to me?

Only if your Challenge was bought before September 7, 2026 at 12:00 AM Myanmar time. On those accounts, the combined used margin of all open trades must stay at or below 30% of the initial balance. Challenges bought from that time on do not use this rule.

Which trading styles are allowed?

You can use your own strategy, including scalping, day trading, and swing trading, and any analysis method, such as price action or smart money concepts. Each trade must still follow the rules on this page, including the minimum holding time.

Which strategies are prohibited?

  • Martingale: adding to a losing position with a larger lot size.
  • Grid trading, manual or automated.
  • Copying or mirroring other traders, signal services, or letting someone else trade your account.
  • Hedging or opposite trades across different accounts.
  • Arbitrage, high-frequency trading, and exploiting latency, price-feed delays, or platform errors.
  • Gambling-style, all-in positions in one direction.

Can I use an Expert Advisor or trading bot?

Only Expert Advisors that manage risk or trades you open yourself are allowed, such as a tool that sets a Stop Loss or takes partial profit. An Expert Advisor or bot that opens trades for you, including a purchased "pass the challenge" bot, is not allowed. You are responsible for every trade a tool places, and the rules on this page apply to it as if you placed it by hand.

What happens if I break a rule?

It depends on the rule and how often it happens. A violation can bring a warning, removal of the profit from the affected trades, a rejected payout, a review, or a breach. Breaking a loss limit or using a prohibited strategy can end the account immediately. See Trading rules.