Most FTMO accounts do not die from bad trading. They die from one rule breach.
The 5% daily loss. The 10% max loss. The news window on funded accounts. Alpha Pulse enforces all of them in code, with a cushion under every cap.
No EA can pass the challenge for you, and anyone promising that is lying. What code can do is make sure the rules that kill accounts on technicalities never get touched.
FTMO 2-step objectives, as published
Current objectives from ftmo.com (July 2026). Always confirm the live version before you pay for a challenge: rules change.
| Objective | Challenge | Verification | Funded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profit target | 10% | 5% | None |
| Max daily loss | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Max overall loss | 10% (static) | 10% (static) | 10% (static) |
| Min trading days | 4 | 4 | None |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | Ongoing |
Profit split on the funded account: up to 90%, with the challenge fee refunded with your first reward withdrawal. The 1-step evaluation plays by different math (see below).
Section 6 of the Alpha Pulse inputs, for FTMO 2-step
Type these into the Prop Firm Mode section (Section 6) of the EA inputs. No .set file to download, on purpose: loading one would wipe your API keys and your configuration.
| Input | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Loss Limit Mode | PERCENT | FTMO cap is 5% per day. |
| Daily Loss Value | 4.5 | A 0.5% cushion. The EA stops the day before FTMO ends the account. |
| Max Overall Loss Mode | PERCENT | FTMO cap is 10%, static, and permanent. |
| Max Overall Loss Value | 9.0 | A 1% cushion under the kill rule. |
| Challenge Initial Balance | 0 | Snapshot taken automatically at activation. |
| News Blackout ±Minutes | 2 | Matches FTMO's funded-account news window (±2 min, high impact). |
| Blackout Trigger Impact | High only | Only high-impact releases pause trading, same as FTMO's rule. |
| Close Before Weekend | ON (Standard) | Standard funded accounts must be flat over the weekend. Swing accounts: OFF. |
| Randomize SL/TP ±5% | ON | Your fills should not mirror another customer tick for tick. |
| AI Sees Economic Calendar | ON (default) | Budget and news become part of the AI's decision context. |
| Strategy Preset | Prop Firm Steady | Budget-aware preset: risk steps down as you approach a limit. |
Same values through Challenge, Verification and Funded: the caps do not change, so the setup does not either. News and weekend rules technically only bind funded Standard accounts, but leaving them on from day one costs nothing and builds one habit instead of three.
The 1-step evaluation is a different animal
Most content treats FTMO's 1-step like a shorter 2-step. It is not, and the differences are exactly where accounts die.
Three rules change: the daily loss cap drops to 3% (not 5%), the 10% max loss is TRAILING (recalculated end-of-day as your equity grows, it follows you up), and there is a consistency rule: your best day cannot exceed 50% of your total positive days' profit. The fee is also not refunded when you pass.
- Daily Loss Value: 2.7 (cushion under the 3% cap).
- Max Overall Loss Value: 9.0 to start, BUT the EA's limit is anchored to your initial balance while FTMO's trailing floor rises with your equity. As profits accumulate, tighten the value or track the FTMO dashboard: the gap is your responsibility.
- Best Day rule: the Prop Firm Steady preset's even sizing works in your favor here. One oversized hero day can invalidate an otherwise passed evaluation.
What FTMO actually restricts, and when
A detail most sales pages skip: FTMO's news restriction does NOT apply during the evaluation. It binds only on the funded Standard account: no opening or closing trades from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after selected high-impact releases, on the affected instruments. Even a stop loss triggering inside the window counts as a breach. Swing accounts are exempt everywhere.
Weekend holding follows the same pattern: unrestricted during evaluation, forbidden on funded Standard, free on Swing.
This is why the recommended setup keeps the blackout and Friday close active from day one. Not because the challenge requires it, but because the funded account will, and the worst moment to discover a bad habit is the first month your withdrawals depend on it. An SL that fires two minutes into NFP does not care that you were "almost" flat.
Allowed, with one caveat worth knowing
FTMO allows algorithmic trading. Their published caveat: if many customers run the same third-party EA with identical trades, accounts can collide with the maximum capital allocation rule, and an FTMO Account can be denied for strategy duplication.
This is precisely where Alpha Pulse's architecture matters. Each license runs its own AI decision engine on your account, with your settings, your risk profile and your market context. Two customers do not produce the same trade history, and the SL/TP randomization adds a further layer. Your account's trades are yours.
What remains yours to respect: FTMO accounts are for personal use only. One license, your account, your supervision. No copy-trading someone else's signals into it.
What this setup cannot promise
- It cannot guarantee you pass. The 10% target still has to be earned by the strategy.
- The challenge fee is real money. If the strategy has a bad month, the fee is gone (2-step refunds it only after you pass and withdraw).
- Drawdowns happen inside the limits. The cushion caps the damage; it does not remove it.
- FTMO's rules are FTMO's. They change, and the live version on ftmo.com always wins over this page.
If a vendor promises a guaranteed pass, close the tab. That promise is the whole scam.
There is an alternative without challenge fees
FTMO's model is pay-per-attempt: fast if you pass, expensive if you keep re-buying. There is a different model where you fund a small live account instead and a broker allocates capital as you prove consistency. Slower, real money, no fees stacking up. Same EA, same settings logic.
Quick answers
Are EAs allowed on FTMO?
Yes, algorithmic trading is allowed. FTMO's caveat concerns many customers running identical third-party strategies (maximum capital allocation rule). Alpha Pulse sidesteps that by design: each license is its own AI decision engine, so no two accounts trade the same. Personal use still applies: your license, your account.
Does the news blackout matter during the challenge?
Not formally: FTMO's news window only binds funded Standard accounts. We recommend keeping it on anyway so the behavior you validate during evaluation is the same behavior your funded account depends on later.
Which FTMO account size should I pick?
The math is identical on every size: the limits are percentages. Pick the size whose fee you can lose without pain, because a bad month can cost the fee. Passing a small challenge and scaling later beats donating a big fee to variance.
Standard or Swing?
Swing removes the news and weekend restrictions at every stage, which simplifies automated trading. Standard is fine too: Alpha Pulse enforces the blackout and Friday close for you. If you expect to hold through weekends, Swing is the cleaner fit.
What happens if the EA hits the 4.5% daily budget?
Trading stops for the day, account-wide, and resumes the next trading day. That is the entire point: a stopped day is recoverable, a breached 5% cap is not.
Why is there no .set file to download?
Because loading a .set file replaces your entire configuration, including your API keys. Eleven typed values are safer than one file that silently wipes your setup.
The challenge tests your discipline. Automate it.
Pick your challenge, type in the Section 6 values above, and let the EA guard the rules while the strategy does the work. You cannot breach a limit the code refuses to cross.
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FTMO is a trademark of its owner. DoItTrading is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FTMO. Objectives and rules are FTMO's and can change: always verify the current version on ftmo.com. No trading result is ever guaranteed.