https://tjtrace.com/blog/Practical guides for traders from TJ.enhttps://tjtrace.com/blog/risk-management-for-prop-traders/https://tjtrace.com/blog/risk-management-for-prop-traders/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000Prop firm risk management in 6 steps: size from the drawdown, not the account, set a daily stop inside the firm's limit and track it. Worked $50K examples.https://tjtrace.com/blog/when-does-daily-loss-limit-reset/https://tjtrace.com/blog/when-does-daily-loss-limit-reset/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000Topstep and Apex reset the daily loss limit at 5 PM CT (6 PM ET), not midnight. Reset times by firm and time zone, what counts, and no-DLL accounts.https://tjtrace.com/blog/prop-firm-payout-denied/https://tjtrace.com/blog/prop-firm-payout-denied/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000Why futures prop firm payouts get denied or held: qualifying days, consistency, buffers, caps and conduct rules, with worked examples and a checklist.https://tjtrace.com/blog/micro-vs-mini-futures/https://tjtrace.com/blog/micro-vs-mini-futures/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000A micro futures contract is one tenth of the E-mini. MNQ vs NQ, MES vs ES, MCL and MGC compared, with a $200-risk test to pick your size in a prop account.https://tjtrace.com/blog/prop-firm-news-trading-rules/https://tjtrace.com/blog/prop-firm-news-trading-rules/Mon, 12 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000Whether futures prop firms let you trade CPI, FOMC and jobs reports, how news windows work, the next release times and a 7-step checklist for news day.https://tjtrace.com/blog/soft-vs-hard-daily-loss-limit/https://tjtrace.com/blog/soft-vs-hard-daily-loss-limit/Mon, 12 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000A soft daily loss limit ends your day, not your account; a hard breach ends the account. How each works, with a $50K example and the trap of two soft days.https://tjtrace.com/blog/futures-trading-hours/https://tjtrace.com/blog/futures-trading-hours/Mon, 12 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000CME futures trade Sunday 5 PM to Friday 4 PM CT with a 4–5 PM CT break. ES, NQ, CL and gold hours in ET, London and Frankfurt, plus prop flat-by times.https://tjtrace.com/blog/fomo-trading/https://tjtrace.com/blog/fomo-trading/Mon, 12 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000FOMO trading is entering late because you fear missing a move. How to find it in your journal, what a chased entry does to your R, and 6 rules that help.https://tjtrace.com/blog/how-to-tag-trades/https://tjtrace.com/blog/how-to-tag-trades/Mon, 12 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000A simple tag system for your trading journal: four groups, a short list of tags, one rule per group, and a worked 60-trade example of what the tags reveal.https://tjtrace.com/blog/import-trades/https://tjtrace.com/blog/import-trades/Tue, 06 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000Export your trade history from Tradovate, NinjaTrader, Rithmic, TopstepX, Quantower or MetaTrader 4/5 and import it into TJ in a few clicks. Steps from each platform's own docs.https://tjtrace.com/blog/what-happens-if-prop-firm-shuts-down/https://tjtrace.com/blog/what-happens-if-prop-firm-shuts-down/Mon, 05 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000What happens to your accounts, fees, payouts and trade history when a futures prop firm closes, and six things to keep today so a closure costs you less.https://tjtrace.com/blog/prop-firm-consistency-rule/https://tjtrace.com/blog/prop-firm-consistency-rule/Mon, 05 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000How the prop firm consistency rule works: best day ÷ total profit, the profit you need after a big day, and Topstep, Tradeify and MFF limits.https://tjtrace.com/blog/futures-tick-values/https://tjtrace.com/blog/futures-tick-values/Mon, 05 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000Tick size, tick value and point value for ES, NQ, YM, RTY, CL and gold futures, plus the Micro and E-nano versions, with worked examples from CME specs.https://tjtrace.com/blog/e-nano-futures-explained/https://tjtrace.com/blog/e-nano-futures-explained/Mon, 05 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000What CME's E-nano futures are, the NES, NNQ, N2K and NDOW tick values, how they compare with Micros and E-minis, and what fees do to a contract this small.https://tjtrace.com/blog/how-to-journal-trades/https://tjtrace.com/blog/how-to-journal-trades/Mon, 05 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000How to journal trades and keep the habit: what to write before, during and after each session, a worked MNQ example in R, and a weekly review.https://tjtrace.com/blog/trailing-drawdown-vs-daily-loss-limit/https://tjtrace.com/blog/trailing-drawdown-vs-daily-loss-limit/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Trailing, end-of-day, static and daily drawdown in prop firms, with worked dollar examples from Topstep, Apex and FTMO rules checked in October 2026.https://tjtrace.com/blog/trading-journal-template/https://tjtrace.com/blog/trading-journal-template/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000A trading journal template with the 18 fields worth tracking, spreadsheet formulas for risk and R, and a worked NQ example you can copy today.https://tjtrace.com/blog/revenge-trading/https://tjtrace.com/blog/revenge-trading/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Revenge trading explained: the warning signs, why it happens after a loss, five rules that interrupt it, and how a journal shows what it really costs.https://tjtrace.com/blog/r-multiple-explained/https://tjtrace.com/blog/r-multiple-explained/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000What an R-multiple is, how to calculate it for NQ, ES and gold, and how to use expectancy in R to judge a strategy, with worked examples and a 10-trade table.https://tjtrace.com/blog/position-size-nq-es-gold/https://tjtrace.com/blog/position-size-nq-es-gold/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000How to calculate position size for NQ, MNQ, ES, MES and XAUUSD from your dollar risk and stop, with point values, worked examples and a quick lookup table.https://tjtrace.com/blog/ict-silver-bullet-strategy/https://tjtrace.com/blog/ict-silver-bullet-strategy/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The ICT Silver Bullet explained: the three one-hour windows, the sweep and FVG entry, a worked NQ example with sizing, and how to backtest it honestly.https://tjtrace.com/blog/ict-killzones-explained/https://tjtrace.com/blog/ict-killzones-explained/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000ICT killzone times in New York time and UTC, what each session is for, how daylight saving shifts them, and how to test whether killzones help your trading.https://tjtrace.com/blog/weekly-trading-review/https://tjtrace.com/blog/weekly-trading-review/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000A step-by-step weekly trading review: the numbers to check, how to review your best and worst trades, and how to turn findings into one rule for next week.https://tjtrace.com/blog/how-to-pass-a-prop-firm-challenge/https://tjtrace.com/blog/how-to-pass-a-prop-firm-challenge/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000A practical plan to pass a futures prop firm challenge: size from the drawdown, set a daily stop, respect consistency rules and review every week.https://tjtrace.com/blog/how-to-backtest-a-trading-strategy/https://tjtrace.com/blog/how-to-backtest-a-trading-strategy/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Backtest a trading strategy step by step: written rules, bar replay without peeking, costs, how many trades you need, and checking results before going live.https://tjtrace.com/blog/fair-value-gap-ifvg/https://tjtrace.com/blog/fair-value-gap-ifvg/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000What a fair value gap is, how to mark bullish and bearish FVGs, when an FVG inverts into an IFVG, and how to journal FVG entries to see which ones pay.https://tjtrace.com/blog/best-trading-journal-apps/https://tjtrace.com/blog/best-trading-journal-apps/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000TradeZella, Tradervue, Edgewonk, TradesViz, TraderSync and TJ compared on price, free plans, sync, prop tools and who each suits. Prices checked October 2026.