Strategies/Order Flow / Footprint/FTMO

How to Trade Order Flow / Footprint on FTMO

minutes holds2-stepPossible with adaptation

Order Flow / Footprint on FTMO is rated possible with adaptation. There is 1 rule conflict to be aware of, including 1 high-severity issue. FTMO offers 4 rules that actively support this strategy. Recommended timeframes: 1m, 5m, 15m.

About Order Flow / Footprint

Uses footprint charts, volume profile, and DOM (depth of market) data to see real-time buying and selling pressure. Traders identify absorption, exhaustion, and imbalances to time entries precisely. Primarily a futures strategy.

Typical timeframes:1m5m15m
Best instruments:futures
Hold time: minutesOvernight: NoNews: Optional
Rule Conflicts (1)
highInstrument mismatch

Order Flow / Footprint is best suited for futures, but FTMO only offers forex, indices, commodities, stocks, crypto. You may need to adapt the strategy to different instruments.

Rules That Support This Strategy (4)
+Static drawdown

FTMO uses static drawdown -- your floor is fixed at account opening and never moves up. This gives order flow / footprint traders maximum room to absorb normal strategy drawdowns without the floor chasing your profits.

+5% daily loss limit

FTMO's 5% daily loss limit is generous enough for most order flow / footprint setups. At 1% risk per trade, you can absorb 5 consecutive losers before hitting the daily cap.

+No consistency rule

FTMO has no consistency rule. If your order flow / footprint produces one large winning trade, you keep the full benefit without worrying about single-day profit caps.

+Expert advisors allowed

FTMO allows EAs and automated trading. Order Flow / Footprint can benefit from automation for execution speed and consistency.

Recommended Timeframes
1m5m15m

These timeframes align with both Order Flow / Footprint's typical setups and FTMO's rules. Use higher timeframes for analysis and lower for entries.

Position Sizing

With FTMO's 5% daily loss limit, scalpers should risk 0.25-0.5% of account per trade. On a $50,000 account, that is $125-$250 per trade. This allows 4-10+ trades before approaching the daily limit.

Common Rule Violations When Trading Order Flow / Footprint on FTMO
  1. Exceeding the 5% daily loss limit by revenge trading. After 2-3 losing order flow / footprint trades, the emotional urge to "make it back" leads to oversized positions that breach the daily cap.
  2. Oversizing positions to hit the profit target faster. Order Flow / Footprint has defined risk parameters -- increasing size beyond your plan to speed up the evaluation is the fastest path to blowing the account.
  3. Over-trading on slow market days. When order flow / footprint setups are not presenting clearly, forcing trades leads to death by a thousand cuts against the daily loss limit.
FTMO Rules Quick Reference
phase 1phase 2funded
Daily Loss5%5%5%
DD TypeStaticStaticStatic
OvernightYesYesYes
Newsallowedallowedrestricted
WeekendYesYesYes
ConsistencyNoneNoneNone
Order Flow / Footprint on Other Firms
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FTMO Account Rules

Want AI to check your Order Flow / Footprint trades against FTMO's rules?

Vigil audits your trades against FTMO's exact rules in real time. It catches overnight holds, daily loss breaches, and consistency violations before they cost you your account.