When to Graduate from the Evaluation Program to the Live Desk
The decision to graduate from the Evaluation Program to the Live Desk is strategic and should align with your trading objectives and operational needs. While some traders graduate immediately upon eligibility, others may benefit from continued development in the Evaluation Program environment. Consider graduation when your trading business has matured to the point where live desk advantages—including withdrawal access, draw availability, enhanced loss limits, and commission savings on higher volumes—provide meaningful value to your operation. The team will be here to help with the decision.
Daily Loss Limit (DLL) Goal
In the most basic sense, we've designed the minimum Live Desk Starting Balance as $50k for a reason. It's a threshold that would allow a trader to A) start with a reasonable $2k DLL that gives most traders the ability to trade minis comfortably, and B) the $2k DLL is a healthy 20x DLL's away from losing the $50k account.
So step 1 is really to consider what DLL you'd like to have to start with on the Live Desk. Below is a table of DLLs and the starting balance required to achieve them.
| DLL | Starting Balance |
|---|---|
| $2k | $50k |
| $3k | $60k |
| $4k | $80k |
| $5k | $100k |
| $10k | $200k |
| $20k | $400k |
| $50k | $1M |
| $150k | $3M |
Other Key Variables
- •You want to start taking withdrawals
- •Start receiving a monthly draw (requires minimum Live Desk balance of $50k)
- •DLL increases to a max of 5% on the Live Desk (vs max 2.5% on the Evaluation Program), although keep in mind that when you graduate to the Live Desk you only bring over your eligible PL starting from the Milestone Day.
- •Your monthly trading volumes are high enough to where the cost savings on the Live Desk are meaningful.
The Apteros team will be by your side as you look towards Graduation, helping weigh the variables as they relate to your situation.