Drawdown models explained (trailing vs EOD vs static)
Updated June 9, 2026 · written independently, no pay-to-rank
Static is the most forgiving, end-of-day is middle, intraday-trailing is the harshest. The same balance can be a pass under one model and a fail under another.
Two firms can advertise “10% drawdown” and mean completely different things. The model — how the loss limit is calculated and whether it moves — matters far more than the headline number.
The three models
Static (fixed) — most forgiving
Your maximum loss line is set from your starting balance and never moves. On a $50,000 account with a 10% static limit, you fail only if equity hits $45,000 — full stop, no matter how much profit you make along the way.
- Predictable. You always know your exact stop-out level.
- Once you build a profit cushion, you keep it as buffer.
End-of-day (EOD) trailing — middle ground
The loss line trails your balance at the close of each day, not your intraday highs. If you end the day up, tomorrow’s limit moves up with you; intraday spikes you don’t hold don’t count against the line.
- More forgiving than intraday trailing because unrealized peaks don’t ratchet it.
- You can give back open profit during the day without it permanently tightening your limit — as long as you close in good shape.
Intraday trailing — harshest
The loss line trails your highest equity point reached at any moment, including unrealized profit you never locked in. Spike $1,500 in the green, give it back, and your stop-out level may have already ratcheted up by that $1,500.
- Punishes round-trips and “almost” winners.
- Many blown accounts come from traders who were never actually down on a closed basis — the trailing peak got them.
A worked example
$50,000 account, “$2,000 max drawdown,” you spike to +$1,500 unrealized then close flat:
| Model | Stop-out level after the spike |
|---|---|
| Static | $48,000 (unchanged — set from start) |
| End-of-day | $48,000 (you closed flat; EOD balance didn’t rise) |
| Intraday trailing | $49,500 (trailed the $1,500 peak — now only $500 of room) |
Same trade, same day — three very different amounts of breathing room.
What to do with this
- If you scalp, round-trip, or let winners breathe, intraday trailing will hurt the most. Prefer EOD or static.
- Don’t compare drawdown numbers across firms without comparing the model first.
- Check whether the limit is based on balance or equity, and exactly when it stops trailing (many lock the line once you reach the initial balance + target).
We tag every firm’s model on the compare page and weight it in the PFM Score — static rewarded over EOD over trailing, because clearer, more forgiving risk rules are objectively better for traders.
Bottom line: “10% drawdown” is half the story. Find out how it’s calculated and whether it moves before you trade a single contract.
Firms mentioned in this guide
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Firms ranked by the rule this guide is about, from their own published terms.
Compare every firm on the metrics this guide covers.