FTMO Indices Margin Calculator

1. Lower your risk-per-trade %. If you trade indices on a prop account, set FTMO_RISK_PCT in your strategy to 0.15-0.20, not 0.50+. That's the rate that survives the real 5% margin requirement.
2. Or split your sizing by asset class. Use 0.50% for FX pairs (true 1:30 leverage applies), 0.15% for indices, commodities and crypto (notional margin applies).
3. Or skip indices entirely on prop accounts. FX-only sizing means one rule, no margin surprises, no rejected orders. It's the cleanest path if you don't have a strong edge on indices.
4. Verify per-firm. The 5% number is FTMO's published rate. FundedNext, MyForexFunds and others charge similar but not identical — override the "Margin rate %" field above with your firm's actual number from their account specs page.

Does this apply to MyForexFunds and FundedNext too?

Yes — most prop firms with 'leverage 1:30' marketing actually charge ~5% notional on indices. Verify per-firm in their account specs. The pattern is industry-wide: the leverage number is the marketing claim, the notional-margin rate is what your trade actually requires.

Why doesn't FTMO disclose this?

They do — buried in the account specs page. The leverage display is the marketing number, the margin rate is the operational one. They're not the same. The discrepancy only matters when you actually try to size a trade, which is why most retail traders only discover it on a rejected order.

What about FX pairs?

FX uses true leverage (1:30 = ~3.33% margin on FTMO). The notional-margin trap is specific to indices, commodities, and crypto on most prop firms. A 1.0 lot EUR/USD position needs ~$3,300 margin on a $100,000 challenge; the same notional in US30 needs ~$5,000.

Is there a calculator that does this for all 21 markets?

Not yet. We're starting with the FTMO indices because that's where the math is most broken. Free position size calculator for all markets coming next — see /tools/position-size-calculator/ for the FX/crypto version.