E-mini S&P 500 (ES) on Apex Trader Funding

Trading E-mini S&P 500 futures (ES) at Apex Trader Funding offers excellent liquidity and tight spreads on one of the world's most popular index futures contracts. With their trailing intraday drawdown model and 100% profit splits on the first $25,000, Apex provides favorable conditions for ES day traders who can manage risk effectively.

Position sizing for ES at Apex Trader Funding requires careful consideration of their trailing intraday drawdown system, which locks in drawdown limits based on your peak account balance including unrealized gains. Since ES moves in $12.50 increments per tick, even small position sizes can quickly impact your drawdown buffer. The key is understanding that once your account reaches a new high during the trading day, your maximum allowable loss resets from that new peak.

For ES trading specifically, this trailing mechanism means you need to be extra cautious during high-volatility periods like market opens, FOMC announcements, or earnings-heavy sessions. A 20-tick adverse move on just one ES contract costs $250, which on a $25,000 account represents 1% of your starting balance. However, if your account has grown to $26,000 intraday through profitable trades, that same $250 loss now counts against the higher balance.

Practical risk management becomes crucial given ES's inherent volatility. Consider using smaller position sizes during the first 30 minutes of market open when ES can easily move 20-30 ticks in minutes. The 6% profit target ($1,500 on the $25,000 account) is achievable with disciplined ES trading, but the trailing drawdown means you can't rely on traditional daily loss limits to protect you. Instead, focus on maintaining consistent 5-10 tick profit targets while keeping stops tight.

The consistency rule adds another layer of strategy consideration - your best trading day cannot exceed 50% of total profits at payout time. This means if you hit a particularly good ES session early in your evaluation, you'll need to maintain steady performance rather than taking large risks. With overnight positions prohibited, you'll need to close all ES positions before session end, making this purely a day trading proposition at Apex.

On a $25,000 Apex Trader Funding account with trailing intraday drawdown, trading 1 ES contract with a 10-tick stop risks $125 (10 ticks × $12.50 per tick). This represents 0.5% of your starting balance, but remember this percentage will change as your account balance fluctuates throughout the day.