Weekend and overnight holding rules at prop firms

Holding a trade overnight or over a weekend is normal in retail trading. At a prop firm it can end an account. This guide explains why firms restrict holding, how rules differ between forex and futures firms, and how to plan around them.

Why firms restrict holding

Markets close, but news does not stop. When a market reopens, price can gap past your stop. Your loss is then bigger than planned, and one move can breach a daily or maximum loss limit.

Firms cannot manage that risk while markets are shut. Restricting holding limits the extreme losses on accounts they pay out on.

An illustrative gap example

These numbers are illustrative only.

• You hold 1 standard lot of EURUSD over a weekend. Each pip is worth about $10.
• Your stop is 20 pips away, so you plan to risk $200.
• The market reopens 40 pips beyond your stop. Your stop fills at the first available price.
• Your loss is 60 pips × $10 = $600, three times your plan.

A stop loss does not guarantee a price across a gap. That is the core risk holding rules address.

The three common rule types

• No restriction: you may hold overnight and over weekends, within the other rules.
• Market-break restriction: short pauses are fine, but you must close before longer closures such as weekends.
• Intraday only: every position must close before a set time each day.

Forex and CFD firms often use the first two. The US futures firms we track all use the third.

Forex and CFD firms we track

The details below come from official pages checked on 3 November 2026 and from our rules database.

FTMO

FTMO's holding FAQ sets these rules:

• During the Challenge and Verification, there is no holding restriction.
• On a funded Standard FTMO Account, you may not hold positions through market breaks longer than 2 hours. A weekend is such a break.
• FTMO says breaking the rule may lead to termination of an FTMO Account or FTMO Instant Account.
• The Swing account type has no overnight or weekend restriction. Its base leverage is 1:30 instead of 1:100. Our database lists Swing for the 2-Step Challenge only.

This is a classic trap. A swing strategy passes the evaluation, then breaks the rules on the funded account. If you hold trades for days, choose Swing at the start.

FundedNext

Our database lists weekend holding as allowed on FundedNext Stellar 1-Step, 2-Step and Lite challenges.

The5ers

Our database lists weekend holding as allowed on The5ers Bootcamp and its $100K 2-Step plans. Check the FAQ for other programs.

Futures firms we track

All four futures firms in our database are intraday only.

Topstep

Topstep does not allow overnight or weekend holding. Positions must be flat by 3:10 PM CT. Its trading day runs from 5:00 PM CT to 3:10 PM CT the next calendar day.

Tradeify

Tradeify's trading times rule says:

• Close all positions by 4:45 PM ET, Monday to Friday.
• On shortened holiday sessions, close by 12:59 PM ET.
• You cannot carry positions from Friday into the Sunday evening session, or through the 5:00 to 6:00 PM ET break.
• Tradeify closes open positions automatically at market close. It says this does not fail the account, but fills may be worse than expected.
• The rules apply to all account types, including Live.

My Funded Futures and Take Profit Trader

Our database lists no overnight holding at My Funded Futures or Take Profit Trader. Check each firm's help center for the exact daily cutoff.

Time zones: the quiet risk

Cutoffs use the firm's time zone: CT for Topstep, ET for Tradeify and CE(S)T for FTMO's daily reset. The US and Europe change their clocks on different dates. For a few weeks each spring and autumn, the gap between your local time and the cutoff shifts by an hour.

Set alarms in the firm's time zone, not your own. Most platforms can show a second clock.

Swaps and rollover costs

On CFD accounts, positions held past the daily rollover usually pay or earn a swap. Many brokers charge a triple swap once a week to cover the weekend. Swaps change your balance and count toward loss limits like any other cost.

How to plan around holding rules

1. Write down the rule for both the evaluation and the funded stage.
2. Note the exact cutoff and its time zone.
3. Set an alarm 15 minutes before the cutoff.
4. Decide in advance whether you will close, reduce or hold where allowed.
5. If you hold, size so that a gap beyond your stop still stays inside the daily limit. Our position size calculator helps.
6. Check holiday calendars, which bring early closes.

Which rule fits your style

• Scalpers and day traders: intraday-only rules rarely matter. Futures firms can fit well.
• Swing traders: look for unrestricted holding or a swing account type. Accept trade-offs such as lower leverage.
• Position traders: check swap costs and maximum loss rules, since holding for weeks magnifies both.

Our forex vs futures guide compares the two firm types in more detail. News releases bring similar gap risk; see our news trading rules guide.

Key takeaways

• Holding rules often differ between evaluation and funded stages.
• The US futures firms we track require you to be flat every day.
• Gaps can push losses well past your stop.
• Always work in the firm's time zone.

Holding rules change and vary by account type. Confirm current terms on each firm's official site before you trade. This guide is educational and not financial advice. Trading involves risk.