Overview
E8 Markets is a prop firm that offers evaluation programs primarily focused on Forex and Futures trading. They aim to identify skilled traders and provide them with the opportunity to trade on simulated accounts, earning real profits based on their performance. With a strong emphasis on technology, community, and customizable evaluation parameters, E8 Markets seeks to empower traders globally. This review will specifically explore their Forex evaluation offerings, account rules, payout rules, and overall program structure.
Why Choose E8 Markets?
E8 Markets highlights several key benefits for traders considering their platform:
- Customizable Evaluations: Traders can tailor evaluation plans to their unique trading approach, including choosing steps, drawdown limits, profit targets, and payout shares.
- High Payout Shares: Opportunity to keep up to 100% of profits earned.
- Fast Payouts: Access earnings within 24 hours, with the first payout requestable in just 8 days.
- Account Scaling: Potential to grow your account balance over time.
- Innovative Tools & Technology: E8 Markets prides itself on its proprietary technology for an enhanced trading experience.
- Optimal Trading Conditions: Offers raw spreads or commission-free trading options.
- Support and Community: Provides 24/5 customer support and a thriving Discord community with over 45,000 users.
- Educational Resources: Access to valuable trading insights and educational materials.
- Reliability and Transparency: E8 Markets aims to be a trusted partner, empowering trader success.
How the E8 Markets Program Works
The journey to becoming an E8 Trader typically follows these steps:
- Register & Customize: Sign up on the E8X dashboard and choose or customize an evaluation plan that suits your trading style and preferred market (Forex or Futures). You can select the number of evaluation steps (1, 2, or 3), account type, trading platform, balance, drawdown, and payout share.
- Evaluate: Demonstrate your trading skills on a simulated account by managing risk effectively and generating profit while adhering to the specific trading rules and objectives of your chosen evaluation.
- Start Earning (E8 Trader Account): Upon successful completion of the evaluation and signing the user agreement, you receive access to an E8 Trader account (a simulated account with virtual funds). You can then start earning up to 100% of the profits generated through your strategy. The first payout can be requested in as little as 8 days.
- Level Up: Consistent performance on an E8 Trader account can lead to opportunities to trade live with E8 or scale your account. E8 also offers a "Direct Path to Live" program.
E8 Markets Account Options
E8 Markets offers a high degree of customization for its Forex evaluation accounts. Traders can tailor parameters like the number of steps, account balance, drawdown limits, profit targets, and payout shares. Here’s an overview of the main evaluation types and popular customizable parameters:
- E8 One (1-Step Evaluation): A popular choice allowing faster access to an E8 Trader account. It typically involves a profit target (e.g., 10%) with a trailing drawdown and a daily drawdown.
- E8 Pro (1-Step Evaluation): Features a "daily pause" soft breach system instead of a hard daily drawdown failure, and a maximum initial balance drawdown.
- E8 Track (3-Step Evaluation): A multi-phase evaluation designed for traders who prefer a phased approach at a potentially lower entry fee.
- E8 Classic (2-Step Evaluation): The original two-phase evaluation for intermediate traders.
- Custom Account: Allows full customization of parameters including balance (from $5,000 up to $500,000 for E8 One Forex), drawdown (daily from 3-9.2%, trailing from 4-14% for E8 One), profit target (6-21% for E8 One), and payout share (80-100%).
Below is an example of a Popular $100,000 E8 One Forex Account configuration:
Rules of the E8 Markets Program
Understanding and adhering to E8 Markets' trading rules is crucial for successfully passing evaluations and managing funded accounts. Key account rules include:
- Drawdown Limits:
- Daily Drawdown: This is typically a percentage of the initial or daily starting balance, depending on the account type (e.g., E8 One uses 3-9.2%, E8 Classic and E8 Track use 3-7%). For E8 Pro, it's a "daily pause" at 2%, which is a soft breach temporarily disabling trades. Violation of hard daily drawdown limits usually leads to account termination.
- Maximum Drawdown:
- Trailing Drawdown (E8 One): Calculated based on the High Water-Mark balance and updates immediately as new highs are reached. It locks to the initial balance once profits equal the drawdown percentage.
- Initial Balance Drawdown (E8 Classic, E8 Track, E8 Pro): A fixed maximum loss limit based on the initial account balance (e.g., 8% for E8 Pro). This also applies to scaled balances after payouts on E8 Classic and E8 Track.
- Violation of maximum drawdown rules results in permanent account termination.
- Profit Target: Varies by evaluation type and phase (e.g., E8 One: 10%; E8 Pro: 8%; E8 Track Phase 1: 8% ).
- Minimum Trading Days: Typically very low (e.g., 1 day for E8 One, E8 Classic, E8 Track; 4 days for E8 Pro ).
- Consistency / Best Day Rule:
- E8 One, E8 Classic, and E8 Track have a 40% Best Day rule for payouts: no single trading day can account for more than 40% of total generated profits.
- E8 Pro has a 2% daily profit cap during evaluation (profits over 2% in a day don't count towards the target but aren't a violation) and requires 4 profitable days (0.5% of balance or more) between payouts in the E8 Trader stage.
- Prohibited Trading Strategies:
- All-or-nothing Trading: Risking entire daily drawdown on one trade is not permitted.
- Hedging Across Accounts: Strictly prohibited.
- Expert Advisors (EAs): Allowed, but only one unique strategy per user; using the same EA as multiple other users can lead to termination. Arbitrage EAs are prohibited.
- High-Frequency Trading (HFT): Cannot hold more than 50% of trades for under one minute.
- Copy Trading Between E8 Evaluation Accounts: Prohibited. Each evaluation must be traded independently. Copy trading is allowed from/to personal accounts or between E8 Trader accounts if you own them.
- Signal Services: Not permitted.
- News Trading:
- Allowed during evaluation phases, but traders are responsible for slippage.
- Prohibited in E8 Trader accounts during a 10-minute window (5 mins before and 5 mins after) around high-impact news for targeted instruments.
- Overnight and Weekend Holding: Allowed for all accounts, but traders must be aware of risks like market gaps and slippage.
- Lot Size Restrictions: Maximum ticket size per order (e.g., 50 lots for Forex, 20 for XAUUSD). Max 100 orders at a time. Max 2000 server requests/positions per day.
- Inactivity Rule: Accounts are closed after 60 days of inactivity (no trades placed).
- KYC Verification: Required before purchasing an evaluation and again after passing.
Best Practices to Pass Your E8 Markets Evaluation
Succeeding in an E8 Markets Forex evaluation requires careful planning and execution:
- Understand Your Chosen Program: Deeply familiarize yourself with the specific rules (drawdown type and percentage, daily limits, profit targets, consistency rules) for your selected evaluation (E8 One, Pro, Track, Classic, or Custom).
- Prioritize Risk Management: Your primary goal is to protect your capital and stay within the drawdown limits. Define your risk per trade and ensure it aligns with the account's evaluation rules.
- Trade Consistently: Focus on a steady approach rather than chasing large, risky profits, especially considering the Best Day rules for payouts.
- Develop a Clear Strategy: Trade with a well-tested plan. Avoid impulsive decisions and prohibited strategies like all-or-nothing trading or illicit EA usage.
- Platform Proficiency: Be comfortable with your chosen trading platform (MatchTrader, MT5, cTrader, or TradeLocker).
- News Awareness: If trading news in an evaluation, be extremely cautious of slippage. In an E8 Trader account, strictly adhere to the news trading prohibition.
- Monitor Your Account: Utilize the E8X dashboard to keep track of your objectives and rules.
Payout Structure and Profit Sharing
E8 Markets offers a flexible and potentially lucrative payout policy:
- Profit Share: Traders can earn up to 100% of the profits they generate on the E8 Trader account. The payout share is customizable during account setup, with 80% being a popular choice.
- First Payout: Can be requested after just 8 days in an E8 Trader account.
- Payout Frequency:
- Standard accounts: Subsequent payouts available every 14 days.
- Payout on Demand: Available for E8 One, E8 Classic, E8 Track, and E8 Pro E8 Trader accounts, provided specific criteria (like the 40% Best Day rule and minimum profit thresholds) are met.
- Payout Criteria (Examples for Payout on Demand):
- E8 One, Classic, Track: Must satisfy the 40% Best Day rule (no single day's profit is more than 40% of total profit) AND net profit for payout must be greater than 50% of the daily drawdown limit (e.g., >$2,000 on a $100k account with 4% daily drawdown).
- E8 Pro: Minimum of 4 profitable days (each with >=0.5% profit of account balance) between payouts, and minimum profit request of 4% of the initial/scaled balance. A "Consistency Reward" can increase the payout to 100% if at least 10 profitable days are achieved.
- Payout Methods:
- Rise: Offers cash or cryptocurrency payouts (minimum $250).
- Plane: Provides bank transfers in local currencies to over 70 countries (minimum $50).
- E8 Markets does not charge commissions on payouts, but the processors might.
- Processing Time: Payouts are typically processed by E8 Markets within 1-2 business days, with funds arriving in 1-3 business days after that, totaling 2-5 business days.
- Account Scaling: For E8 Classic and E8 Track accounts, the account balance (and associated drawdown levels) scales up with each successful payout, retaining the profits. E8 One accounts do not scale in this manner.
- E8 Payout Guarantee: E8 Markets states they have an official declaration that every trader following the rules will be paid their share without unnecessary delays or complications.
Final Thoughts
E8 Markets presents a highly flexible and potentially rewarding option for Forex traders seeking funding. Their standout features include deeply customizable evaluation accounts, the possibility of achieving up to a 100% profit share, and a fast initial payout timeline of just 8 days. The "Payout on Demand" feature for certain account types adds another layer of attractiveness. With a wide range of account sizes and several evaluation models (1-step, 2-step, 3-step), traders can choose a path that aligns with their experience and trading style.
The firm's commitment to its own technology and a supportive trading community are also significant positives. However, traders must meticulously understand the specific account rules associated with their chosen custom or preset evaluation, particularly the drawdown calculations (trailing vs. initial balance) and the "Best Day" consistency rules for payouts. The restrictions on news trading in funded accounts and policies around EA usage and copy trading also require careful attention. Overall, for disciplined Forex traders who can navigate the evaluation rules, E8 Markets offers a robust platform with an appealing payout policy.
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