Should a prop firm restrict trading hours?
Quick answer
Trading hours restrictions are useful for specific programmes, for example to avoid illiquid periods or rollover spreads, or to keep intraday accounts within a session. For most general challenges they are not needed. If you use them, state the window in UTC and say what happens to orders outside it.
Detailed answer
Reasons to restrict:
- Avoid wide spreads around the daily rollover.
- Match a session-based programme, such as a London session challenge.
- Reduce support load during periods with no coverage.
Reasons not to:
- Traders in other time zones are disadvantaged.
- Swing traders need flexibility.
PropExecutor's trading hours window rule accepts orders only between set UTC times, with windows that can wrap past midnight. Orders outside the window are refused, or flagged if you prefer.
A middle ground
Instead of a full trading hours restriction, some firms restrict only the minutes around the daily rollover, when spreads are widest. That removes the most unfair fills without limiting traders' sessions.
Communicate the window
Whatever you choose, publish the window in UTC and local times for your main markets.
Measure the effect
Track whether refused orders cluster at particular times; that shows whether the window matches how your traders actually trade.
PropExecutor team · Updated
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