For Traders is built on the principle of evaluating genuine, independent trading skill. To protect the integrity of the Challenge and ensure a fair environment for all participants, certain trading practices are strictly prohibited. Most forbidden practices fall into one of two categories: strategies that exploit technical loopholes rather than true market analysis, and behaviors that circumvent the individual evaluation process. This article explains every prohibited practice in detail, including what it is, why it is not permitted, and the potential consequences of violation.
Prohibited Trading Practices
Arbitrage Trading
What It Is
Arbitrage trading involves exploiting price discrepancies between markets or data feeds to generate risk-free profits. Two forms are prohibited:
Reverse Arbitrage: Simultaneously selling at a higher price in one market and buying at a lower price in another to capture the spread.
Latency Arbitrage: Capitalizing on delays in market data updates by executing trades based on faster access to price information than the platform receives.
Why It Is Not Allowed
Arbitrage strategies do not represent genuine market analysis or trading skill. They exploit technical asymmetries in data delivery and pricing infrastructure rather than making directional trading decisions. These practices undermine fair evaluation and can distort performance metrics.
High Frequency Trading (HFT)
What It Is
High Frequency Trading uses advanced algorithms and ultra-fast computing to execute a large number of trades in a very short period - often within fractions of a second - to exploit tiny price differences.
Why It Is Not Allowed
HFT is incompatible with the individual trading assessment process. It relies on speed and automation rather than analysis and judgment, and it cannot be replicated in a real trading environment at scale.
The Minimum Hold Rule
To prevent HFT, every trader must hold each position for a minimum of 5 seconds before closing it. This rule applies to all trading accounts without exception.
Grid Trading
What It Is
Grid trading is a strategy where buy and sell orders are placed at predetermined intervals above and below a set base price, creating a structured "grid" of pending orders across the market.
Why It Is Not Allowed
Grid trading can lead to market manipulation and creates artificial trading activity. Additionally, a significant market move in one direction can trigger multiple losses simultaneously, generating disproportionate and uncontrolled risk exposure. This strategy is incompatible with For Traders' fair trading principles.
Tick Scalping
What It Is
Tick scalping is a strategy focused on capturing the smallest possible price movements - individual "ticks" in rapid succession. Trades typically last only seconds to minutes and are usually executed through automated systems.
Why It Is Not Allowed
Tick scalping is classified as a forbidden strategy because it relies on automation, extreme speed, and exploiting the smallest market fluctuations rather than meaningful market analysis. It is closely related to HFT and is inconsistent with the evaluation of genuine trading skill.
Use of Automated Bots and Emulators
What It Is
Automated bots are software programs that independently execute trades on your behalf without requiring your direct input or decision at the time of execution. Emulators are tools that simulate human trading behavior to mask automated activity.
Why It Is Not Allowed
The Trading Challenge is designed to evaluate your personal trading abilities. Allowing bots or emulators to manage trades removes the human element from the assessment entirely, making evaluation meaningless. All trades must be managed manually.
The Distinction Between Bots and Permitted EAs
It is important to understand the difference between forbidden automated bots and permitted Expert Advisors (EAs):
Permitted: EAs that alert you to opportunities, calculate position sizes, or manage orders according to your pre-set, manually reviewed parameters — where you remain the decision-maker.
Forbidden: Any tool, script, or software (including EAs) that enters, manages, or exits trades autonomously without your active decision at the time of execution.
Hedging Between Accounts
What It Is
Hedging between accounts means holding opposing positions on the same instrument across multiple For Traders accounts - for example, a BUY position on one account simultaneously offset by a SELL position on another account.
Why It Is Not Allowed
Cross-account hedging neutralizes risk artificially across accounts rather than demonstrating genuine market exposure management. It exploits the multi-account structure to create a risk-free or significantly reduced-risk outcome, which undermines fair evaluation.
Gambling Behavior
What It Is
Gambling in trading refers to actions that resemble betting rather than calculated decision-making based on market analysis. Specific gambling behaviors that are forbidden include:
Overleveraging: Using excessive leverage without a systematic approach or risk management strategy.
One-Sided Betting: Committing a large portion of available margin to a single trade or multiple trades on the same instrument in the same direction.
Account Rolling: Repeatedly starting new trading challenges using a high-risk approach without adopting responsible trading practices.
Passing the Challenge in a Single Trade: Attempting to meet the profit target by placing one large trade, or multiple trades on the same symbol in the same direction, that collectively account for more than 70% of the profit target.
Why It Is Not Allowed
These behaviors do not provide sufficient data to assess a trader's skills, consistency, or risk management ability - all of which are essential to the evaluation process. Gambling behaviors also undermine the integrity of the platform and are contrary to the principles of responsible, sustainable trading.
Examples
A trader opens a single EUR/USD position using nearly all available margin in hopes of hitting the profit target in one move. This constitutes one-sided betting and account-passing via a single trade.
A trader repeatedly fails challenges and restarts with progressively higher risk in a single session, attempting to recover all losses quickly. This constitutes account rolling.
Martingale Strategy
What It Is
The Martingale strategy involves doubling the trade size after each losing trade, with the intention of recovering all previous losses with a single winning trade.
Why It Is Not Allowed
Martingale is classified as a high-risk gambling technique. It does not reflect sound risk management and can generate catastrophic losses during extended losing streaks. The strategy's reliance on unlimited capital and the absence of a maximum drawdown assumption makes it incompatible with responsible trading evaluation.
Examples
A trader loses a 1-lot trade, then opens a 2-lot trade. After another loss, they open a 4-lot trade — and so on. This rapid escalation of lot sizes will be detected by the system.
Copy Trading Into a For Traders Account
What It Is
Copying trades from any external account, signal service, or third-party tool into a For Traders account is prohibited. This includes the use of copy trading platforms, mirror trading services, signal-following bots, or any tool that replicates trades from outside sources onto your For Traders account.
Why It Is Not Allowed
The Challenge evaluates your personal trading skills. Importing trades from an external source - whether another person's account, a signal service, or an automated system - means the performance on your For Traders account does not reflect your own abilities.
What Is Permitted
You may copy trades outward - from your For Traders account to your own external accounts. Your For Traders account may serve as the master (signal) source, but never as the receiving (follower) account.
Group Trading and Signal Trading
What It Is
Group trading occurs when multiple traders coordinate their trading decisions, resulting in identical or near-identical trades appearing across multiple different accounts simultaneously. Signal trading refers to traders following shared trade signals - from a group, Telegram channel, Discord server, or any other source - and placing those trades on their For Traders accounts.
Why It Is Not Allowed
For Traders' mission is to identify and support genuinely skilled, independent traders. When traders follow group signals or coordinate entries, the performance recorded does not reflect the individual's own market analysis or decision-making. This prevents the platform from accurately assessing individual ability and creates an unfair advantage over traders who rely on their own work.
Each trader is required to develop their own market analysis and trade based on independent decision-making. Accounts showing patterns of identical trades across multiple users will be flagged as coordinated activity.
Code of Conduct Violations
Beyond trading behavior, For Traders maintains standards of professionalism and respect that all participants are required to uphold. The following actions will result in the immediate and permanent termination of cooperation:
Posting or sharing misleading, false, defamatory, or intentionally negative statements about For Traders on any platform, including support channels, Discord, social media, trading forums, or any other public or private space.
Attempting to blackmail, coerce, or threaten For Traders with negative reviews or public posts.
Disclosing or distributing any correspondence or discussions with the For Traders team - written, verbal, or electronic - without explicit permission.
Filing a payment dispute for any reason, including but not limited to breached accounts.
Engaging in harassment, spreading misinformation, or creating a toxic or hostile environment within the community or in any discussions related to For Traders.
Spamming or repeatedly contacting support channels, community platforms, or social media with promotional content, unsolicited messages, or irrelevant inquiries.
Persistently requesting exceptions, discounts, bonuses, or free services - especially after a final decision has been communicated.
Attempting to manipulate, exploit, or abuse any platform system, support process, or account structure - including creating multiple accounts to bypass rules or restrictions.
Impersonating For Traders staff.
Individuals who violate these standards will not be eligible for future participation in any For Traders programs or services.
Fair Trading Principles
Every rule in this section exists to serve one purpose: to ensure that success on the For Traders platform reflects genuine trading skill. The Challenge is designed to find traders who can analyze markets, manage risk, and make independent decisions consistently over time. Practices that circumvent this evaluation - whether through automation, exploitation of technical loopholes, coordinated signals, or gambling behavior - do not belong in a fair trading environment.
We evaluate each account individually, and we hold every trader to the same standard. Traders who trade honestly, manage risk responsibly, and make their own decisions have the best chance of succeeding here - and that is by design.
Compliance Guidelines
To ensure you remain fully compliant, follow these guidelines:
Trade independently. Every trade entry decision must be your own. Do not follow group signals, mirror external accounts, or use automated systems to trade on your behalf.
Respect the 5-second minimum hold rule. Ensure all trades remain open for at least 5 seconds before being closed.
Observe the news trading window on forex accounts. Do not open new trades within 5 minutes before or after a high-impact news event.
Use EAs only as support tools. Any EA configured to trade without your real-time decision is classified as an automated bot and is prohibited.
Do not hedge between accounts. Never hold opposing positions on the same instrument across multiple For Traders accounts.
Avoid gambling patterns. Trade with a consistent, strategy-based approach. Do not attempt to pass the Challenge via a single large trade or through high-risk account rolling.
Conduct yourself professionally. Maintain respectful communication with the For Traders team and community at all times.
Key Takeaways
Arbitrage (both reverse and latency) is prohibited - it exploits infrastructure rather than market analysis.
HFT is prohibited - all trades must be held for a minimum of 5 seconds.
Grid trading is prohibited - it creates artificial activity and disproportionate risk.
Tick scalping is prohibited - capturing micro-movements through automated rapid execution is not permitted.
Automated bots and emulators are prohibited - all trades must be placed and managed manually.
Cross-account hedging is prohibited - opposing positions on the same instrument across multiple For Traders accounts are not allowed.
Gambling behavior - including overleveraging, one-sided betting, account rolling, and passing via a single trade - is prohibited.
The Martingale strategy is prohibited - doubling trade size after losses is classified as gambling.
Inbound copy trading is prohibited - trades may not be copied from external sources into a For Traders account.
Group trading and signal trading are prohibited - all trading decisions must be independently made.
Code of Conduct violations result in permanent suspension with no possibility of return.