Funded accounts are usually lost in the first two weeks, and rarely because of one bad idea. They are lost to sizing up after passing, correlated positions, and the absence of a personal daily stop. Here is a framework that keeps you inside the rules long enough to be paid.
The position-sizing formula
Position size = (account balance × risk per trade) ÷ stop distance. With a $50,000 account, 0.5% risk ($250) and a stop 2% below entry, the position is $12,500 notional. Leverage only decides whether that position is allowed; it does not decide the risk.
Set your own limits inside the firm’s
- Risk per trade: 0.25%–0.75% of the starting balance.
- Personal daily stop: about half the firm’s daily limit.
- Weekly stop: pause after losing a third of the remaining drawdown in a week.
- Maximum open risk: the sum of all stops should never exceed your daily stop.
Correlation is hidden size
Long BTC, ETH and SOL at the same time is close to one large crypto-beta position. If all three stop out together, you have taken three times your planned risk. Treat correlated positions as one trade for sizing.
Funded rules are often tighter
Many firms tighten the daily limit once you are funded. On QATS, a funded account never risks the whole loss limit in one session — the funded daily limit is half the account’s maximum loss (for a $10K Crypto account, $300).
News, weekends and volatility
Crypto trades through the weekend and reacts to macro data (CPI, FOMC, payrolls) and exchange-specific events. Reduce size or flatten before scheduled releases if your edge is not built for them, and remember that liquidity is thinner on weekends.
A daily routine that protects the account
- Before the session: write down today’s dollar floor, your personal daily stop and the scheduled news.
- Per trade: define the stop before the entry and size from it; attach protective orders immediately.
- After two consecutive losses: take a break of at least an hour.
- At your daily stop: stop trading, even if the firm’s limit is still far away.
- After the session: review each trade in your journal — setup, size, exit reason and rule compliance.
Keep a trade journal
The traders who keep funded accounts longest can explain every losing trade. A journal turns vague feelings (“the market was choppy”) into evidence (“I took four counter-trend entries after 2 pm”). The QATS terminal includes a trade journal that separates execution P&L from account P&L, including funding, so you can see exactly what each trade cost and where your edge comes from.
Scale by evidence
Increase size only after a run of qualifying days, and in small steps. The payout rules on most funded accounts reward steady winning days — a consistent 0.3% day is worth more than a 3% day followed by a breach.
Frequently asked questions
01How much should I risk per trade on a funded account?
Most professional prop traders risk 0.25%–1% of the account per trade, sized from the stop distance, and keep total open risk below their personal daily stop.
02Why do funded accounts fail quickly?
Traders often increase size right after passing to reach the first payout faster, just as funded daily limits become tighter.
03Should I hold crypto positions over the weekend?
Only with size that survives a gap and thinner liquidity. Crypto perpetuals trade 24/7, so weekend moves count toward daily limits.
Educational content, not investment advice. QATS evaluations and initial funded accounts are simulated; payouts depend on eligibility, verification and the applicable agreement.