Type in how each day went, relative to where it started: the best open profit, the worst point and the close. The simulator runs the same days through a static, an end-of-day trailing and an intraday trailing limit, and shows which one stops you and when.
Drawdown simulator
Reading the result
The sample is three good days and then one bad Day 4. The static limit never comes close. End-of-day trailing has climbed with each close and ends up within $500 of the worst point. Intraday trailing also counted the $1,200 of open profit on Day 3 that was given back before the close, so its limit reached the starting balance and Day 4 breaks it. Change the numbers to match how you trade; if your best and worst points are far apart, intraday trailing will cost you.
Firms differ in the details: some count the limit from the highest closing balance, some from the highest balance including open trades, and some stop trailing once you are up a set amount. The rule for each firm is on its review.
Questions traders ask
Why does intraday trailing fail me earlier?
Intraday trailing raises your limit as soon as open profit makes a new high, even if you give that profit back before the close. End-of-day trailing only moves the limit at the close, and static never moves it.
What does 'stops trailing at the starting balance' mean?
Many futures firms stop moving the limit once it reaches your starting balance (sometimes starting balance plus a small amount). After that, the limit stays fixed. Tick the box to model this.
Why does the simulator assume the high came before the low?
With only the day's high, low and close, we cannot know the order. Assuming the high came first is the worst case for intraday trailing, which is how a firm's system would treat it if it happened.