This glossary explains the words you will see in your BrightFunded Futures dashboard and in our articles. The most important ones are MLL, floor, highest point, equity, balance, Current and buffer.
Your account, its stages and contracts
Term | Meaning |
Evaluation | The first stage. One phase, no time limit. You pass when you reach the profit target (6% of the account), the Consistency Rule and the Minimum Trade Duration rule are met, and your equity never touched the floor. |
SIM Funded | The stage after you pass. It is still a simulated account, on the same account number, and you can request payouts from the balance you generate. There is no Consistency Rule in SIM Funded. |
Reset | A reset can be done on any account that is already breached. You have a limited time to reset, so check the time left on your dashboard. You can reset the account at 45% off its full list price. The reset keeps the same addons and the same account number. After a reset you always receive a Challenge, which is a fresh Evaluation. |
Trading day | One CME session, from 6:00 PM ET to 5:00 PM ET the next day. It is not a calendar day. |
Trade | One matched entry fill and exit fill. If you open 10 contracts and close 5 of them at one time and 5 at another time, that is two trades. |
Mini / Micro (1 mini = 10 micros) | A micro is a smaller version of a mini contract: 1 mini equals 10 micros. Your contract limit is combined, so a mix of minis and micros counts in mini equivalents. For example, on a $50K account you can hold 4 minis or 40 micros, or a mix such as 2 minis plus 20 micros. |
Prime Program and Live account
Term | Meaning |
Prime Program | The program that takes a SIM Funded trader to a Live account. You become eligible when you reach one threshold: 5 payouts on one account, 10 payouts across all your accounts, or 20% profit on one account. Our Risk team decides, based on your consistency and discipline, and can invite you earlier. |
Live account | An account that trades real CME capital. It starts at $0 and uses the same contract size as your SIM Funded Account. The Max Loss Limit is end-of-day trailing, the split is 80/20 and payouts are daily, with a minimum of $250. There is no daily loss limit and no Consistency Rule. |
Go Live | One of the two choices you get when you are invited to the Prime Program. You have 24 hours to choose, and if you do not answer, you go Live. |
Cash out | The other choice. You receive 50% of the MLL of each eligible account, paid in full with no profit split. Your SIM Funded Accounts close and your open Evaluations are paused. After a 21-day cooldown, you can trade and buy again. |
Prime Ladder | The levels you climb on a Live account: Copper, Bronze, Iron, Steel, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond, from 10 to 80 winning days. Each level pays a cash bonus. A breach resets the ladder to zero. |
Prime Trader | The status you reach at 90 winning days on a Live account. It has no cash bonus. |
Winning day (Live) | On a Live account, a day with a profit of at least $100 (25K), $200 (50K), $300 (100K) or $300 (150K). It counts as 1 day, and losing days never remove your progress. |
The loss rule: MLL, floor and highest point
Term | Meaning |
MLL (Max Loss Limit) | How far your account can fall below its highest point. It is the only loss rule. There is no daily loss limit. |
Highest point | BrightPlus: your highest equity ever reached, in real time, including open profit. BrightCore: your highest daily close. On BrightCore the floor updates once a day, while the market is closed, between 4:45 PM and 5:59 PM ET. |
Floor | Your highest point minus the MLL. If your equity touches the floor, the account is breached. The floor only goes up, never down, until it locks. |
Equity | Your balance plus the open profit or loss of your open trades. |
Balance | Your closed trades only. Open profit does not count. |
Current | Shown on the dashboard. It is your equity minus your highest point, so it is $0 or a negative number. The account is breached when Current reaches the full MLL amount. |
Lock | The moment the floor stops trailing for good, at your starting balance + $100. It only happens in SIM Funded. After the lock, a balance or equity below the locked floor is a breach. |
Example: BrightPlus 50K
The MLL is $2,000, so the starting floor is $48,000.
With an open trade, your equity reaches $51,500. Your highest point is now $51,500 and the floor moves to $49,500 right away.
You close the trade at $50,800. The floor stays at $49,500, and Current is -$700.
Example: BrightCore 50K
You start at $50,000 and the floor is $48,000.
Day 1 closes at $51,200. That is your highest point, so the floor becomes $49,200 once it updates, while the market is closed (between 4:45 PM and 5:59 PM ET).
On day 2 your equity drops to $49,300 during the day. That is still fine. If your equity touches $49,200, the account is breached.
Payout words
Term | Meaning |
Daily payouts (BrightPlus only) | BrightPlus only. You can request up to one approved payout per trading day. The first payout needs a balance above the buffer, and after each payout you need fresh profit. BrightCore has no daily payouts: it unlocks payouts by winning days. |
Buffer | BrightPlus only. Your starting balance + MLL + $100. Your balance must be above the buffer to request a payout, and the buffer stays as the withdrawal floor for every payout. If your balance falls below the buffer later, payouts are paused until it is back above. That is not a breach. |
Fresh profit (BrightPlus) | BrightPlus only. After each approved payout, you need fresh profit of at least 1% of your original account size to request the next one: $250 on 25K, $500 on 50K, $1,000 on 100K and $1,500 on 150K. It is measured on your balance (closed trades), not on equity. |
Winning day | BrightCore only. A trading day with net profit from closed trades at or above the amount for your account size. BrightCore payouts unlock after 5 winning days since your last payout (3 with the 3 Day Payout Cycle addon). |
Payout cap | The main limit on one payout request, by account size (doubled with the 2x Payout Cap addon). On BrightCore you can also request at most 50% of your current profit, so your maximum can be lower than the cap. BrightPlus has no 50% limit. Profit you do not withdraw stays in your account and can be requested in later payouts. The cap and the $250 minimum apply to the amount you request. |
Current profit (BrightCore payouts) | BrightCore only. Your current balance minus your starting balance. On BrightCore you can request at most 50% of it in one payout. It is not the same as Current on the dashboard, which is your equity minus your highest point. |
These are the numbers for each account size:
Account size | MLL | BrightPlus buffer | BrightCore winning day | Payout cap | Payout cap with 2x Payout Cap addon |
$25K | $1,000 | $26,100 | $100+ net | $1,000 | $2,000 |
$50K | $2,000 | $52,100 | $200+ net | $2,000 | $4,000 |
$100K | $3,000 | $103,100 | $300+ net | $3,000 | $6,000 |
$150K | $4,500 | $154,600 | $300+ net | $4,000 | $8,000 |
Rules and breaches
Term | Meaning |
Consistency Rule | Evaluation only. Your best trading day divided by your total net profit must be at or below 50% (BrightPlus) or 40% (BrightCore). It never fails the account, it only delays the pass. |
Minimum Trade Duration | More than 50% of your winning profit must come from trades you held longer than 15 seconds. It never fails the account. In the Evaluation it blocks the pass, and in SIM Funded it blocks the payout request. |
Auto close | All open positions are closed at market price at 4:45 PM ET, Monday to Friday. Auto close is never a breach. |
Soft breach | A warning. For hedging, the first time on an account is a soft breach: you get a warning email, the hedged positions are closed and their profit is removed, and the account keeps trading. |
Hard breach | The account is closed. For example, a second hedge on the same account is a hard breach. Copying other traders or group trading is also a hard breach of the Terms and Conditions. Touching the floor also breaches the account right away. After a hard breach you can reset the same account or buy a new one. |
Frequently asked questions
Is the floor the same as the buffer?
No. The floor is the breach line: if your equity touches it, the account is breached. The buffer exists only on BrightPlus and is the withdrawal floor for payouts. Falling below the buffer pauses payouts but is not a breach.
Is balance the same as equity?
No. Balance counts closed trades only. Equity is your balance plus the open profit or loss of your open trades.
When does my BrightCore floor update?
Once a day, while the market is closed, between 4:45 PM and 5:59 PM ET. It does not move during the trading day.
Why is my trading day different from the calendar date?
Because a trading day starts at 6:00 PM ET and ends at 5:00 PM ET the next day.
Does auto close count as a breach?
No. Auto close is never a breach.
How many micros are in one mini?
10. 1 mini equals 10 micros, and your contract limit is combined, so a mix of minis and micros counts together.
What is the most I can request in one payout?
It is the lowest of the limits of your plan. On BrightPlus: your balance minus the buffer, and the payout cap (doubled with the 2x Payout Cap addon). On BrightCore: the payout cap (doubled with the addon), 50% of your current profit (your balance minus your starting balance), and your balance minus (starting balance + $100).
Where to go next
Max Loss Limit explained
How to read your dashboard
Trading hours and auto close at 4:45 PM ET
What is the Prime Program?
Your Live account and the Prime Ladder