There’s a number most traders don’t fully process.
Only around 2–3% of funded traders remain profitable long term — meaning they stay funded for 6+ months, remain active, and are still net positive.
Not challenge buyers.
Funded traders.
Most people assume the hard part is passing the evaluation. But as discussed earlier when explaining what traders often get wrong after passing, the real challenge starts once you’re funded.
Passing Is Short-Term. Survival Is Long-Term.
Passing an evaluation proves you can hit a profit target within rules.
It does not prove you can manage capital calmly for months, handle drawdowns without overreacting, or reduce risk when needed.
This ties directly into understanding what firms actually monitor behind the scenes. It’s not fancy metrics or big winning days. It’s drawdown control, consistency, and rule compliance.
Evaluation rewards short-term execution.
Funded trading rewards long-term discipline.
The First 90 Days Are Where Most Accounts Fail
From what is commonly observed across firms, the first three months after funding are brutal.
Confidence rises. Risk slowly increases. Traders feel pressure to perform.
Instead of shifting into capital protection mode, many keep trading aggressively — the same way they did during evaluation. When small drawdowns appear, behavior becomes reactive rather than structured.
That’s when breaches happen.
No Behavioral Adjustment
The biggest difference between the 2–3% who survive and everyone else is behavioral evolution.
As explained previously when discussing why early blown accounts don’t automatically define you, failure itself is not the issue. Repeating the same patterns without adjustment is.
The traders who don’t last typically:
- Keep oversizing after funding
- Increase risk after payouts
- Trade more frequently than their setup requires
- Fail to slow down once capital is allocated
There’s no mindset shift. And without that shift, long-term survival becomes unlikely.
Overtrading and Short-Term Noise
Many traders feel they must always be active. They chase small intraday moves and try to predict every short-term fluctuation.
But on very short horizons, price behavior is often close to noise.
The traders who remain profitable long term tend to trade less, wait for clearer conditions, and accept that not every week needs to be explosive.
Controlled PnL swings are sustainable. Emotional spikes are not.
The Bottom Line
The reason only 2–3% of funded traders remain profitable long term is not because of hidden indicators or secret strategies.
It comes down to behavior.
Most traders can pass an evaluation.
Very few can protect capital, adapt their approach after funding, and manage risk consistently over time.
Passing gets you funded.
Discipline keeps you there.