MILTRADERS uses an End-of-Day (EOD) trailing drawdown. It is the single most important rule to understand, so here is exactly how it behaves — in plain terms.
The two things to keep separate
1. Your liquidation level is a hard line, active in real time. If your balance touches it at any moment during the session, your account is closed instantly — there is no waiting for the close.
2. Where that line sits only recalculates once a day, at the close. During the session it stays frozen at yesterday's value.
This is the whole advantage over intraday trailing (used by firms like Apex): your line does not creep up behind your gains during the day. If you are up $800 intraday, you keep your full max drawdown plus that $800 of room until the close.
Phase 1 — Trailing up (before the lock)
At each close, your liquidation level is set to your highest end-of-day balance minus your max drawdown. It moves UP when you close at a new high, and it never moves down when you close lower. It is a ratchet: it only tightens in your favor.
Example — 50K account, $2,000 max drawdown:
• Start: balance $50,000 → line at $48,000
• Day 1 closes at $50,800 (new high) → line moves up to $48,800
• Day 2 closes at $50,300 (below your high) → line stays at $48,800
• Day 3 closes at $51,500 (new high) → line moves up to $49,500
Notice on Day 2 the line does not drop back down — your best close is what counts.
Phase 2 — The lock (permanent)
Once your end-of-day balance reaches the lock threshold, the trailing stops for good. Your liquidation level freezes at your starting balance + $100 and never moves again — you can no longer lose the account to normal fluctuations.
Account Size | Max DD | Lock Threshold (EOD balance) | Locked Liquidation Level |
50K | $2,000 | $52,100 | $50,100 |
100K | $3,000 | $103,100 | $100,100 |
150K | $4,500 | $154,600 | $150,100 |
Why the threshold is $2,100 of profit, not $2,000
Your line trails $2,000 below your best close. To lock it exactly $100 above your starting balance ($50,100 on a 50K), your best close has to reach $50,100 + $2,000 = $52,100. That extra $100 is your buffer — it stays in the account and permanently secures it.
Reminder: the drawdown is always calculated on your end-of-day balance, never on intraday highs. This applies to every program — Zero, Pro and Instant.