AquaFutures Rules 2026: Drawdown, Consistency & Trading Restrictions

AquaFutures Rules in 2026: Drawdown, Consistency, and Trading Limits

AquaFutures rules center on end-of-day trailing drawdown and a 40 percent consistency rule that applies across most evaluation and funded accounts. These parameters help traders stay within firm guidelines while scaling positions based on realized profits. Rules vary by plan size and type, so always verify the latest details before starting a challenge. As of September 2026, the firm supports futures contracts exclusively through CME hours from Sunday 10 p.m. to Friday 8:10 p.m. UTC.

For the complete breakdown of every plan and recent updates, read the full AquaFutures review on Lune.

Drawdown Rules Explained

Drawdown rules form the core risk controls on AquaFutures evaluation and funded accounts. These limits protect both the trader and the firm by capping losses on each account size. Understanding the exact mechanics helps traders avoid breaches that end challenges early. In our analysis of 27 plans, EOD trailing appears on every listed account size.

Daily Drawdown

AquaFutures applies daily loss limits on many plans. The limit resets each trading day and acts as a hard breach if exceeded. For a $25,000 Beginner account the daily loss limit sits near $625. A $50,000 Standard plan often carries a $1,250 daily limit. These figures scale with account size and appear directly in the challenge specifications. Traders must track realized and unrealized losses within the same session. Crossing the daily threshold triggers an immediate account violation.

Maximum / Trailing Drawdown

The maximum drawdown uses an end-of-day trailing mechanism. It starts at the initial account balance and trails upward only when profits are realized and locked in at the close of the trading day. Trailing stops once the account reaches a defined buffer above the starting balance. This EOD approach avoids intraday swings from open positions and gives traders more breathing room than real-time trailing systems.

How Drawdown Is Calculated

Calculation begins at the starting balance. Profits realized by the end of the day raise the high-water mark. The trailing stop-out level then moves up by the same amount, but never falls below the original buffer. Consider a $50,000 account with a $2,000 EOD trailing drawdown. If the trader reaches $1,500 in realized profit by market close, the new stop-out level becomes $49,500. The account can still lose up to $2,000 from that updated peak before a breach occurs. Consistency rules on Beginner and Standard plans further cap any single day at 40 percent of total profits. This prevents oversized winning days from masking overall risk.

Lune's risk management tools connect directly to AquaFutures accounts and enforce these exact limits automatically across multiple funded evaluations. The system applies daily loss caps and consistency checks before orders reach the broker, reducing manual oversight.

Trading Restrictions & Allowed Strategies

AquaFutures sets clear boundaries to keep traders aligned with CME futures rules. Scalping is explicitly allowed across plans. There is no monthly fee on any challenge or funded account. Consistency rules apply on many evaluation and funded cycles at 40 percent of total profits from a single day.

News Trading

Beginner funded accounts face restrictions on red-folder Tier 1 news events. Standard and Instant plans leave news trading rules unspecified in most cases, which means traders must check the current help center before events. What this means for you: News traders should choose Standard or Instant plans to avoid event blocks. Scalpers can often trade around lower-impact releases without issue. Swing traders face the least impact since they hold through fewer news windows.

Overnight & Weekend Holding

Trading hours run roughly from Sunday 10 p.m. to Friday 8:10 p.m. UTC. This structure effectively prevents weekend holding on all plans. Overnight holding is allowed within the daily window on most account types. What this means for you: Scalpers benefit from the clean close each day. Swing traders must flatten positions before the Friday cutoff. News traders can still hold overnight but should watch the exact session close times.

Allowed Instruments

Only CME futures contracts are permitted. Common examples include ES, NQ, CL, GC, MES, MNQ, and MCL. No forex, equities, or crypto markets are supported. What this means for you: Futures-focused traders find a full instrument list ready to use. Scalpers gain access to micro contracts for smaller risk. Swing traders can rotate between equity index and commodity contracts without switching firms.

Position & Lot Limits

Limits scale with account size. A $25,000 plan typically caps at one mini contract or ten micro contracts. Larger accounts receive higher limits tied to realized profits and drawdown buffers. What this means for you: Scalpers on small accounts must stay within micro sizes. Swing traders benefit from the EOD trailing drawdown that locks at a buffer above starting balance. One-big-day traders appreciate that some Standard plans carry no consistency rule at all.

Consistency & Other Pass/Fail Rules

AquaFutures applies a consistency rule on many of its evaluation and funded accounts. The rule limits any single trading day to no more than 40 percent of your total profits for Beginner and Standard plans. Some Instant-funded plans use lower thresholds of 20 percent or 15 percent. Standard evaluation accounts carry no consistency requirement at all. These thresholds appear in the firm's official help center and help encourage steady performance rather than one large winning day followed by losses.

Traders using multiple funded accounts often pair firm rules with external risk tools. Lune's prop firm solutions let you set per-account daily limits and consistency alerts that match AquaFutures thresholds automatically. This approach reduces manual monitoring and helps avoid hard breaches that end evaluations early.

Common Rule Violations to Avoid

Traders often breach AquaFutures rules through small oversights that compound quickly. The most frequent issues involve the 40% consistency rule, end-of-day trailing drawdown, and restrictions on news trading or automation.