Prop Trading Firms - What Are They and How to Join One? (2024)

KEY POINTS

  • A proprietary trading firm typically refers to a group of traders that focus on buying and selling financial assets with the firm’s capital.
  • Types of proprietary trading firms include online prop firms, forex or stocks prop firms,options prop trading firms, and crypto prop firms.
  • Proprietary trading firms offer an excellent opportunity to build a trading career with free training, large sums of capital to trade with, and top-notch trading platforms and tools.

Proprietary trading firms offer an attractive way to enter financial markets by offering new and experienced traders a complete training program, low-fee structures, and large amounts of trading capital.

But what are proprietary trading firms? How do you join them? And how do you find the best-funded trading account to build your trading career? In this article, we’ll answer these questions and help you decide whether becoming a prop trader would be right for you.

Prop Trading Firms - What Are They and How to Join One? (1) Table of Contents

  • What is a Prop Trading Firm?
  • Day Trading with Proprietary Trading Firm – How Does It Work?
  • Types of Proprietary Trading Firms
  • Best Prop Trading Firms
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Proprietary Trading
  • Conclusion
  • FAQs

What is a Prop Trading Firm?

A proprietary trading firm typically refers to a group of traders that focus on buying and selling financial assets with the firm’s capital. Most proprietary trading firms have no clients and trade with their internal capital for one purpose – to make profits and increase the company’s revenues. These firms have a predetermined arrangement with traders to allow them to trade with their internal capital and take a cut of the profit, which typically ranges from 50% to 90%.

In practice, proprietary trading firms recruit entire teams annually and provide them with the trading capital and the tools they need to become profitable traders.

Each prop firm is interested in ensuring that all its prop traders who get funded are skilled enough to trade with a significant amount of capital and generate profits. To maximize their chances of success and limit risk, proprietary trading firms offer employment contracts of limited duration to their traders of up to one year.

During the internship/evaluation period, traders learn how to analyze the markets using fundamental and technical analysis tools and get access to top trading platforms, low trading fees, and other valuable resources.

Day Trading with Proprietary Trading Firm – How Does It Work?

Prop trading firms usually hire traders for a limited period as contractors rather than employees. They usually get a contract that states the account size, the profit split percentage, and the terms and conditions of using the company’s capital.

The role of a prop trader involves speculating on financial instruments’ price movements to make profits. As part of the role, prop traders get in and out of positions hundreds of times a day. It is presumably the most exciting and challenging job in the finance industry and in general.

The logic is simple – if you can make profits for the prop firm, you’ll earn a significant percentage of the earnings. However, if your prop firm account balance is still negative after the evaluation period and you cannot prove your ability to generate profits – then the prop firm will end your employment.

To start, you need to apply for a job at one of the best prop trading firms in the industry or use a remote trading firm that offers you a funded trading account. These are the primary ways to get a prop trading account, and each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Nonetheless, once you have completed the application process and received a funded trading account, you are required to do one thing – survive the evaluation period and move on to the next level, meaning start generating consistent profits.

Prop Trading Firms - What Are They and How to Join One? (2)

As a prop trader, you’ll most likely have to focus on one market or even one asset, although some talented traders get permission to trade on a variety of financial instruments. Typically, the prop firm picks for each trader one market or asset to focus on, and in most cases, you’ll be part of a team working together on the same market. Further, as part of your training as a prop trader, the firm’s mentors will teach you the following:

  • The basics of the chosen market
  • Understanding the dynamics of financial markets, including correlations between different assets, supply and demand, etc
  • How to analyze financial instruments using fundamental and technical analysis – learn how to predict future price movements
  • How to read and follow essential reports and data
  • Utilize risk management tools
  • How to place orders and execute trades
  • Develop a trading strategy and learn trading skills
  • Control emotions and the psychology of trading
  • Practice on a demonstration account

Types of Proprietary Trading Firms

Many global proprietary trading firms offer new and experienced traders different ways to get a funded account. Still, the key differences between different types of prop trading firms are:

  • Whether they have a trading floor or offer a remote prop trading position.
  • The available markets and assets.
  • Pricing model – profit split percentage, base salary, monthly fee, etc.

So, with that in mind, let’s explore the different types of proprietary trading firms.

Online/Remote Prop Trading Firms

Perhaps the latest and most updated version of prop trading is remote prop trading firms. These companies, which are entirely virtual and work online, offer traders a funded trading account with, more or less, the same principles and rules provided by traditional prop firms.

Over the last few years, the popularity of remote prop trading firms has grown significantly, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the global shift towards remote working. Like many other professions, many traders also prefer this option over the traditional method of working in an office and being supervised by managers.

Forex Prop Trading Firms

The forex market is among the most accessible markets for proprietary traders. Many prop trading firms focus on currency pairs trading due to the high liquidity, the high leverage ratio, and the low trading fees. Further, as many of these firms can easily offer online trading services in the forex market due to the unregulated nature of the foreign exchange market, many forex remote prop trading firms are available these days.

Usually, Forex prop firms offer their forex traders an initial account balance of $50K to $150K for the evaluation period of 1-3 months. The key factor that differentiates forex trading from other markets is the high leverage ratio that can reach up to 200:1 for prop traders. By using these high leverage ratios, forex trading is attractive for day traders as they can make a substantial daily income by finding just two to five successful trades in a day.

Stocks Prop Trading Firms

The stock market is still the most attractive place for many proprietary trading firms. Unlike other markets, there’s a massive variety of assets in the stock market, and traders can utilize sophisticated trading strategies and platforms that cannot be used in other markets.

Futures Prop Trading Firms

For many reasons, most successful traditional proprietary trading firms focus on the futures market. First, the futures market is the most developed and liquid market in the world. The variety of assets and different futures contracts (including the same asset with varying dates of expiration) enables the prop company to have more diversity and ultimately helps their traders to get high returns.

For example, prop futures traders can trade major stock market indices, energy products, metals, agriculture, interest rates, bonds, etc. This is also beneficial for the prop firm as they usually create several groups of traders based on the market they trade. By doing so, they can diversify their risk and reduce volatility.

Additionally, futures exchanges encourage prop trading activity to improve market functionality by adding liquidity to their exchanges. As such, futures traders usually receive high monthly rebates for making a certain amount of trades.

Options Prop Trading Firms

Another lucrative market for day trading is the options market. Unfortunately, finding a pure options prop trading firm is not easy, as only a few prop trading firms focus solely on options trading. Still, options trading is a different game, so if you are sure you want to focus on options proprietary trading, you need to search for the right company and go through the application process.Once you find an opitons prop trading firms, you are likely to learn options trading strategies, and options Greeks.

Crypto Prop Trading Firms

Over the last few years, cryptocurrencies have gained huge popularity worldwide, and many traders are now looking to day and swing trade digital assets. Yet, as of early 2023, only a few prop trading firms provide the opportunity to trade cryptocurrencies. This is primarily due to the speculative nature of cryptocurrencies and the risks involved in the crypto market.

If you are keen to join a prop trading firm and trade cryptos, then HowToTrade is one of the few companies in the prop trading industry that allows prop traders to trade crypto assets in the form of CFDs.

Prop Trading Firms - What Are They and How to Join One? (3)

Best Prop Trading Firms

There are many prop trading firms available worldwide, making your choice more challenging and confusing. In any case, you must consider the company’s background and credibility to ensure you make the right choice. Further, check their evaluation period, the available platforms and markets, daily drawdown limits, the overall drawdown, share profit percentage, etc.

But to narrow down the choices, we have listed some of the best proprietary trading firms worldwide for you to choose from.

  1. Tower Research Capital
  2. Hudson River Trading
  3. FTMO Proprietary Trading Firm
  4. IMC Financial Trading
  5. CityTradersImperium
  6. Quantlab Financial
  7. Chicago Trading Company
  8. Jane Street Capital
  9. Optiver
  10. HowToTrade
Prop Trading Firms - What Are They and How to Join One? (4)

Advantages and Disadvantages of Proprietary Trading

Below, we mention some of the main pros and cons of proprietary trading:

Advantages

High Earnings Potential

The main factor that makes prop trading such an attractive job is the ability to work in a scalable profession and generate high earnings in a reasonably short period. Even though this profession is demanding and only 10% of the traders survive in the long run, many successful prop traders have made a fortune in several years as proprietary traders and then retired.

If you decide to work at a conventional prop trading firm, the annual base salary starts at around $90,000. But the big story here is the bonuses. Your profit share can be between 50-100%, which can be a considerable amount of money if you are a talented and disciplined trader.

Low Trading Fees and Rebate Programs

The most notable difference between retail and proprietary trading is trading fees and costs. When you day trade in a leading proprietary trading firm, you barely feel the burden of trading fees. With a prop trading firm, the trading costs are extremely low, and you get in and out of positions without having to calculate the costs of fees. Additionally, most prop firms offer rebate programs, which are designed for traders who are active in the markets. Rebates are given by the exchange or a specific liquidity provider to traders for adding liquidity to the specified market.

Access to Top Notch Trading Platforms and Tools

Working for proprietary trading firms gives traders access to the most advanced and sophisticated trading platforms and trading tools. Some of these prop trading firms have in-house platforms or sophisticated programs that are not usually available for retail traders. Additionally, they also get access to valuable news services like the Bloomberg terminal, level 3 quotes, and access to auctions and automated platforms.

Training and Support from Professional Traders

Whether you decide to use a conventional or remote prop trading firm, you usually get full support from trading experts who can teach the dynamics of the markets, the psychology of trading, and the technical factors you need to add to your arsenal to succeed as a trader.

It’s a Journey Into Your Mind

If there’s one thing I remember from my days as a prop trader, it is the emotional roller coaster and the insights into your emotional strengths and weaknesses. This role involves many challenges and opportunities, and therefore, you’ll be able to learn how to cope with success and failure. The bottom line is whether you succeed or not as a prop trader; it’s a psychological journey that will help you learn a lot about yourself.

Disadvantages

Very Intensive and Stressful

Due to the high expectations from the prop trading firm and yourself, being a proprietary trader is a very stressful job. Essentially, you have a limited period to prove you can generate decent returns and keep your position. Otherwise, you’ll have to face failure and rebuild your confidence in another place.

Competitive Environment

The working environment at proprietary trading firms is highly competitive. If you opt for traditional prop trading firms with a trading floor, you’ll find yourself competing with 50 to 100 traders who might be more talented than you. It’s a difficult job where you constantly have to prove yourself.

Subscription Fee

Some prop trading firms charge a monthly fee for allowing traders to use their capital and other resources. The monthly fee usually ranges from $100 to $150, although some firms charge a one-time payment.

The role of a prop trader involves speculating on financial instruments’ price movements to make short to medium-term profits. As part of the role, prop traders get in and out of positions hundreds of times a day. It is presumably the most exciting and challenging job in the finance industry and in general.

Conclusion

In summary, proprietary trading firms offer an excellent opportunity to build a trading career with free training, large sums of capital to trade with, and top-notch trading platforms and tools. If you have plans to start trading seriously, it is a way you must consider. Do your research and figure out the best prop trading firm for you – a traditional one or an online one. A forex prop trading firm or futures?

And, if you have any doubts about starting your trading journey and you’ve landed on this page, we suggest you contact our support team to get more information about our trading academy and your path from the academy to a career-funded trader. We provide full support and training from our trading coaches, competitive fees, and an attractive profit split percentage.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are the most frequently asked questions about proprietary trading firms:

What is proprietary trading?

Proprietary trading, also known as prop trading, refers to any trading activity made by a member of a financial institution, investment bank, or hedge fund for direct market gain with the company’s capital.

Are prop trading firms legit?

Absolutely, proprietary trading firms are legit and reliable. They offer a genuine and unique way to trade the markets and provide many traders an opportunity to enter the trading world without risking their capital.

How does remote proprietary trading work?

While a few years ago, it was impossible to find a remote position as a proprietary trader; nowadays, many firms offer a remote-funded trading account. Clearly, this type of prop trading is different from working in a company that provides full support and guidance in an office. However, working remotely as a prop trader has many benefits. You can create your own proprietary trading desk, trade whenever you feel you are ready, and use additional tools to maximize your chances of success.

Can I find a job in a proprietary trading firm without having any trading experience?

Yes, you can. Many prop trading firms are not very strict about qualifications, level of education, and trading experience. As a matter of fact, many of these firms are looking for inexperienced traders so they can shape their traders’ trading strategies and styles based on their requirements.

Is proprietary trading legal?

Well, yes and no. Proprietary trading firms were among the financial institutions indicted for causing the 2008 financial crisis. As a result, the Volcker Rule was introduced in 2014, stating that banks are not allowed to use their account for short-term proprietary trading activity. However, proprietary trading is legal as long as you are not part of a large bank and only use private funds for prop trading activity.

What is the difference between a traditional prop trading firm and an online prop trading firm?

At first, traditional proprietary trading firms offer their traders offices and a trading floor where every trader has a trading desk and a personal mentor. Further, the evaluation phase is usually longer at traditional prop trading firms and lasts between 6-12 months. In some cases, traders also get a base salary and bonuses. At the same time, the application process is more complicated, and the working environment is strict and monitored.

On the other hand, online prop trading firms do not require their traders to follow strict rules and guidelines. Instead, they usually offer a funded trading account and give their traders the freedom to trade and build their strategy. Moreover, they typically get a higher share profit percentage and a shorter evaluation period of 1-3 months.

Prop Trading Firms - What Are They and How to Join One? (2024)

FAQs

Prop Trading Firms - What Are They and How to Join One? ›

A prop trading firm is a company that provides its traders with access to capital. In return, the traders share a percentage of the profits they generate with the company. Individuals face many hurdles on their journey to become professional traders.

What are prop firms and how do they work? ›

Proprietary trading firms, or prop firms, are specialized financial entities that engage in trading assets with their own capital across various financial markets. These can include stocks, currencies, commodities, crypto-assets, and other financial instruments.

How to join a prop trading firm? ›

To start prop trading you need to follow these steps:
  1. Learn how to trade.
  2. Practice until you gain consistency.
  3. Apply for a funded account in one of the best prop trading firms.
  4. Pass their challenges, get funded, and start prop trading.
  5. Keep trading with consistency and they will increase your capital over time.

How do I choose a prop trading firm? ›

Don't just pick the first prop trading firm you find. Choose one with a good reputation, support for traders, good tools, safety measures, fair costs, and a friendly community. This way, you can trade smarter and have a better chance at success.

What do you need to be a prop trader? ›

To be accepted as a trader at a prop trading firm, individuals typically need:
  • Demonstrated Trading Experience and Track Record.
  • Strong Performance Metrics, including Profit and Loss (P&L).
  • Alignment of Trading Strategy with the Firm's Objectives.
  • Sound Risk Management Skills.
Dec 11, 2023

What do prop trading firms do? ›

What is a prop trading firm? A prop trading firm is a company that provides its traders with access to capital. In return, the traders share a percentage of the profits they generate with the company. Individuals face many hurdles on their journey to become professional traders.

Do prop firms pay you? ›

The short answer is yes, they do. However, it's important to understand that prop trading, like any other form of trading, comes with its own set of risks. Not all traders will be successful, and some may even end up losing money.

Can anyone be a prop trader? ›

As a result, anyone can be profitable as a prop trader because profitability is linked to their experience and skills, strategy, and ability to generate gains by trading in the market with the firm's capital.

How do prop traders get paid? ›

Under the profit split model, the prop firm provides traders with a funded trading account in exchange for a share of their profits. The profit split typically ranges from 20-50%, and the trader is responsible for managing the trades and making profitable decisions.

Are prop firms legal? ›

Legal and Ethical Dilemmas in Prop Trading

The legality of Prop firms has been a topic of debate. Regulations like the Volcker Rule and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act have made it more difficult for banks to engage in proprietary trading.

Why join a prop trading firm? ›

Also known as “prop trading,” it offers higher earnings potential much earlier in your career than jobs like investment banking or private equity. It's arguably the most merit-based industry within finance: if you make millions of dollars for your firm, you'll earn some percentage of it.

What is the most legit prop firm? ›

The most popular prop trading firms and funded programmes
  • Axi Select.
  • FTMO.
  • The Forex Funder.
  • E8 Markets.
  • True Forex Funds.
  • The 5%ers.
  • Funded Next.

Is prop firm a good idea? ›

Prop firms are an excellent source of accessing further capital to increase profit potential. Passing a prop firm's evaluation means reaching a profit target while staying within its risk management rules. Prop firms require traders to use their brokers, which can be positive or negative depending on the broker.

How much money to start a prop trading firm? ›

To summarize, the amount of money you need to open a prop firm can range from $10,000 to $1 million, depending on the type of prop firm, the technology, the registration, the liquidity, and the CRM tool.

Is prop trading worth it? ›

Pros and cons of prop trading

Getting funded by a prop firm has significant advantages such as: You get access to significant trading capital that can get you bigger profits compared with your own small account. You do not risk your own money (outside of evaluation/entry fees).

What is the starting salary for prop trading? ›

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Entry Level Proprietary Trader Jobs in the U.S.
Job TitleAnnual SalaryHourly Wage
Proprietary Futures Trader$101,533$48.81
Entry Level Trader$96,774$46.53
Proprietary Trading Firms$76,005$36.54
Independent Contractor Proprietary Trader$56,645$27.23
1 more row

How does a prop firm make money? ›

Commission: Prop firms may charge a commission on each trade made by their traders. Profit Split: In some cases, prop firms may take a percentage of the profits earned by their traders as a form of compensation. Training Fees: Some prop firms offer training programs for new traders, which may come at a cost.

What are the negatives of prop firms? ›

Let's explore some of these pitfalls:
  • Strict Risk Management Rules and Trading Guidelines: ...
  • Profit Sharing: ...
  • Profit Targets During the Evaluation Period: ...
  • Limited Control Over Capital and Payouts: ...
  • Lack of Regulatory Oversight: ...
  • High Leverage and Margin Requirements: ...
  • Financial Risk and Capital Exposure:
Feb 11, 2024

How much money is needed to start a prop firm? ›

To summarize, the amount of money you need to open a prop firm can range from $10,000 to $1 million, depending on the type of prop firm, the technology, the registration, the liquidity, and the CRM tool.

Is working with a prop firm worth it? ›

Prop firms are an excellent source of accessing further capital to increase profit potential. Passing a prop firm's evaluation means reaching a profit target while staying within its risk management rules. Prop firms require traders to use their brokers, which can be positive or negative depending on the broker.

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