Adam's Trading Journey
Funded Trader Success Story & Strategy : Adam at Audacity Capital
Trader Snapshot
Trader Name | Adam |
Experience | ~3+ years live trading |
Background | Investment banking course + internship |
Trading Style | Long-term + short-term hybrid |
Markets Traded | Equities, treasuries, Forex |
Funded Account Status | First target achieved |
Forex Focus | EUR/USD, USD pairs |
Strategy Approach | Fundamentals + order flow + technicals |
Key Tools | Volume profile, order book, transaction profile |
Analysis Type | Top-down (FX), bottom-up (equities) |
Risk Management | Controlled leverage (2.5x–3x) |
Biggest Challenge | Transition to short-term FX trading |
Adam's Trading Journey
Summary
This video features an in-depth interview with Adam, a trader who recently achieved his first target in a funded trader program and is currently progressing well in his second account. Adam shares his trading journey, strategies, risk management approaches, and advice for aspiring traders. The conversation highlights his transition from long-term equity and treasury trading to short-term forex trading, blending fundamental and technical analyses.
Key Insights
- Trading Background and Experience:
- Adam began trading after an internship at a German automotive corporation and purchasing an investment banking course on Udemy.
- He spent one year preparing theoretically and two years trading live, primarily in equities and treasuries.
- His long-term trading approach is macro hedge fund style with a 1–6 month horizon.
- He trades his personal capital outside the funded trader program.
- Trading Approaches:
- Long-Term Equity and Treasury Trading:
- Macro hedge fund approach focusing on company fundamentals, financial statements, and sector performance.
- Bottom-up analysis: starts from macroeconomic views and drills down to sectors and companies.
- Flexibility across asset classes (equities, treasuries, commodities).
- Positions based on fundamental analysis and macroeconomic outlook (e.g., anticipating recession and favoring long treasuries).
- Short-Term Forex Trading (Funded Trader Program):
- Market-making style influenced by former investment bankers.
- Uses order book trading, transaction profile building, and market imbalance identification.
- Focus on bond yields and interest rates as key drivers of currency movements.
- Combines fundamentals with technical analysis to detect market imbalances and time entries.
- Employs top-down analysis: daily charts for context, 1-hour and 4-hour charts for execution.
- Uses volume profiles over different timeframes (1 week, 1 month, 1 year) to identify balance zones.
- Trades mainly EUR/USD and USD pairs, considering bond yield differentials minus inflation expectations.
- Risk Management:
- Funded trader program uses 3x portfolio leverage, which Adam finds reasonable compared to his personal equity/treasury leverage (~2.5x).
- He acknowledges the importance of capital preservation, agreeing that leverage must be controlled to avoid unacceptable losses.
- Recent increased volatility in FX markets enhances the effectiveness of the leverage.
- The funded program’s risk rules provide discipline and help Adam manage losses responsibly.
Start Your Funded Trading Journey
Join the Program- Challenges and Learning:
- Experienced a near margin call during the GameStop short squeeze while trading equities, considered a major psychological challenge.
- Transitioning to short-term FX trading was difficult due to unfamiliarity with the style and tools.
- Emphasizes the necessity of learning from mistakes and continuous self-development in psychology, focus, and determination.
- Advice for New Traders:
- Carefully select credible sources of knowledge, preferably from institutional professionals with proven track records.
- Be aware of scams and overly simplistic advice prevalent online.
- Understand trading is highly competitive, battling smart and well-funded participants.
- Prepare for a challenging journey with potential initial losses; persistence and long-term vision are essential.
- Future Plans:
- Adam plans to transition to full-time trading.
- Intends to deepen his expertise in order book trading once he can devote time fully.
Timeline of Adam’s Trading Journey
Period | Activity/Experience |
|---|---|
Internship Period | Purchased investment banking course, sparked interest |
1 Year Preparation | Theoretical study, paper trading |
2 Years Live Trading | Long-term equity and treasury trading with personal funds |
Recent Months | Started funded trader program, adapting to short-term FX trading |
Near Future | Plans full-time trading, focus on improving order book skills |
Comparison of Trading Styles
Aspect | Long-Term Trading | Short-Term Trading (Funded Program) |
|---|---|---|
Time Horizon | 1 to 6 months | Intraday to few days |
Market Focus | Equities, Treasuries, Commodities | Forex (currency pairs, mainly EUR/USD) |
Analysis Approach | Bottom-up (company fundamentals, sector) | Top-down (market structure, order book) |
Key Drivers | Company financials, macroeconomic outlook | Bond yields, interest rate differentials |
Tools | Financial statements, macro research | Volume profiles, transactional profile, order book data |
Risk Leverage | ~2.5x personal leverage | 3x portfolio leverage (funded program) |
Trading Style | Macro hedge fund | Market making, mean reversion, imbalance trading |
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Join the CompetitionCore Concepts and Definitions
Term | Definition/Explanation |
|---|---|
Order Book Trading | Trading based on understanding the supply and demand levels from order flow data. |
Transaction Profile | A volume-based profile showing where most trading activity occurs at different price levels. |
Market Imbalance | Price movements outside balance zones, indicating potential repricing or mean reversion opportunities. |
Balance Zone | Price range where the market is considered stable; low probability of price trending out of this zone. |
Bond Yield Differentials | Differences in government bond yields between countries, influencing currency exchange rates. |
Leverage | Use of borrowed capital to increase potential returns, also increasing risk. |
Conclusion
Adam illustrates the successful integration of long-term fundamental analysis with short-term technical and order book trading strategies, adapting to different markets and timeframes. His disciplined approach to risk management and capital preservation aligns well with the funded trader program’s structure. Adam's journey underscores the importance of credible education, persistence, and psychological resilience in trading. His experience offers valuable guidance for traders aiming to transition from theoretical learning to practical, consistent profitability in competitive markets.
Choose The Best Plan
Designed to reduce stress by removing deadlines 👍 Unlimited trading period for Challenge, Verification and Live stages.
1st and 2nd Steps:
You only need to trade on 4 different days. A trading day is defined as a day when at least one position is opened.
Live account:
No minimum trading days
The Daily Drawdown resets every day at midnight (MT5 server time – GMT+2 / GMT+3 depending on Daylight Saving Time).
It is calculated as 7.5% (5% for Verification and live stage) of the account’s balance or equity at rollover, whichever is higher.
Your equity cannot fall by more than 7.5% (5% for the 2nd step and live stage) in a single trading day. Once the day resets, a new limit is set based on your updated balance or equity, following a static-based model.
Example:
Account balance at rollover: $120,000
Daily Drawdown (7.5%) → $9,000 → Equity must not fall below $111,000 that day.
If equity or the balance rises to $130,000 by the next rollover, the new daily drawdown will be $9,750 (7.5% of 130,000).
The Absolute Drawdown (Maximum Drawdown) is 15% (or 10% for the 2nd step and live stage) of the initial account balance and remains fixed throughout the challenge.
If either the daily or absolute drawdown is breached, the account will be terminated.
Example: Account balance: $120,000
Absolute Drawdown (15%) → $18,000 → The account will be closed if equity drops below $102,000.
The profit target is 10% on the Challenge stage and 5% on the Verification stage. Achieving these targets while following the rules will qualify you for a Live account
Profit sharing starts at 75%, you can reach up to 90% with consistent performances in line with our scaling plan.
Once on Live stage, traders can request withdrawals biweekly (every 14 days). After the request is approved, traders will receive the profit share in their wallet on the same day.
Once traders earn a payout, they'll be eligible for a Reward Bonus equal to the initial registration fee. This will be included with the first payout from the Ability Live.
Not anymore
You may hold trades over the weekend and trade during news events. Simply avoid opening, closing or adding to positions within 3 minutes before or after any high impact news release or speech, as that can be identified as excessive risk.
EAs are allowed if they follow our prohibited-strategy rules and are not sourced from third-party signals. Please see our prohibited trading practices here.
Copy trading is allowed between your own accounts within Audacity Capital. Copying from an external account is allowed only if the account belongs to you. Third-party copying is not permitted.
Select Program:
Select Account Size
phase 1
Max Drawdown
$750
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 15%
Daily loss: 7.5%
Profit Target
$500
Based on Balance
Target : 10%
phase 2
Max Drawdown
$500
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 10%
Daily loss: 5%
Profit Target
$250
Based on Balance
Target : 5%
live
Max Drawdown
$500
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 10%
Daily loss: 5%
Profit Target
More than 10%
Less than 10%
Challenge
Designed to reduce stress by removing deadlines 👍 Unlimited trading period for Challenge, Verification and Live stages.
1st and 2nd Steps:
You only need to trade on 4 different days. A trading day is defined as a day when at least one position is opened.
Live account:
No minimum trading days
The Daily Drawdown resets every day at midnight (MT5 server time – GMT+2 / GMT+3 depending on Daylight Saving Time).
It is calculated as 7.5% (5% for Verification and live stage) of the account’s balance or equity at rollover, whichever is higher.
Your equity cannot fall by more than 7.5% (5% for the 2nd step and live stage) in a single trading day. Once the day resets, a new limit is set based on your updated balance or equity, following a static-based model.
Example:
Account balance at rollover: $120,000
Daily Drawdown (7.5%) → $9,000 → Equity must not fall below $111,000 that day.
If equity or the balance rises to $130,000 by the next rollover, the new daily drawdown will be $9,750 (7.5% of 130,000).
The Absolute Drawdown (Maximum Drawdown) is 15% (or 10% for the 2nd step and live stage) of the initial account balance and remains fixed throughout the challenge.
If either the daily or absolute drawdown is breached, the account will be terminated.
Example: Account balance: $120,000
Absolute Drawdown (15%) → $18,000 → The account will be closed if equity drops below $102,000.
The profit target is 10% on the Challenge stage and 5% on the Verification stage. Achieving these targets while following the rules will qualify you for a Live account
Profit sharing starts at 75%, you can reach up to 90% with consistent performances in line with our scaling plan.
Once on Live stage, traders can request withdrawals biweekly (every 14 days). After the request is approved, traders will receive the profit share in their wallet on the same day.
Once traders earn a payout, they'll be eligible for a Reward Bonus equal to the initial registration fee. This will be included with the first payout from the Ability Live.
Not anymore
You may hold trades over the weekend and trade during news events. Simply avoid opening, closing or adding to positions within 3 minutes before or after any high impact news release or speech, as that can be identified as excessive risk.
EAs are allowed if they follow our prohibited-strategy rules and are not sourced from third-party signals. Please see our prohibited trading practices here.
Copy trading is allowed between your own accounts within Audacity Capital. Copying from an external account is allowed only if the account belongs to you. Third-party copying is not permitted.
Select Program:
Select Account Size
phase 1
Max Drawdown
$750
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 15%
Daily loss: 7.5%
Profit Target
$500
Based on Balance
Target : 10%
phase 2
Max Drawdown
$500
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 10%
Daily loss: 5%
Profit Target
$250
Based on Balance
Target : 5%
live
Max Drawdown
$500
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 10%
Daily loss: 5%
Profit Target
More than 10%
Less than 10%
Designed to reduce stress by removing deadlines 👍 Unlimited trading period for Challenge, Verification and Live stages.
1st and 2nd Steps:
You only need to trade on 4 different days. A trading day is defined as a day when at least one position is opened.
Live account:
No minimum trading days
The Daily Drawdown resets every day at midnight (MT5 server time – GMT+2 / GMT+3 depending on Daylight Saving Time).
It is calculated as 7.5% (5% for Verification and live stage) of the account’s balance or equity at rollover, whichever is higher.
Your equity cannot fall by more than 7.5% (5% for the 2nd step and live stage) in a single trading day. Once the day resets, a new limit is set based on your updated balance or equity, following a static-based model.
Example:
Account balance at rollover: $120,000
Daily Drawdown (7.5%) → $9,000 → Equity must not fall below $111,000 that day.
If equity or the balance rises to $130,000 by the next rollover, the new daily drawdown will be $9,750 (7.5% of 130,000).
The Absolute Drawdown (Maximum Drawdown) is 15% (or 10% for the 2nd step and live stage) of the initial account balance and remains fixed throughout the challenge.
If either the daily or absolute drawdown is breached, the account will be terminated.
Example: Account balance: $120,000
Absolute Drawdown (15%) → $18,000 → The account will be closed if equity drops below $102,000.
The profit target is 10% on the Challenge stage and 5% on the Verification stage. Achieving these targets while following the rules will qualify you for a Live account
Profit sharing starts at 75%, you can reach up to 90% with consistent performances in line with our scaling plan.
Once on Live stage, traders can request withdrawals biweekly (every 14 days). After the request is approved, traders will receive the profit share in their wallet on the same day.
Once traders earn a payout, they'll be eligible for a Reward Bonus equal to the initial registration fee. This will be included with the first payout from the Ability Live.
Not anymore
You may hold trades over the weekend and trade during news events. Simply avoid opening, closing or adding to positions within 3 minutes before or after any high impact news release or speech, as that can be identified as excessive risk.
EAs are allowed if they follow our prohibited-strategy rules and are not sourced from third-party signals. Please see our prohibited trading practices here.
Copy trading is allowed between your own accounts within Audacity Capital. Copying from an external account is allowed only if the account belongs to you. Third-party copying is not permitted.
Select Program:
Select Account Size
phase 1
Max Drawdown
$750
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 15%
Daily loss: 7.5%
Profit Target
$500
Based on Balance
Target : 10%
phase 2
Max Drawdown
$500
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 10%
Daily loss: 5%
Profit Target
$250
Based on Balance
Target : 5%
live
Max Drawdown
$500
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 10%
Daily loss: 5%
Profit Target
More than 10%
Less than 10%
Designed to reduce stress by removing deadlines 👍 Unlimited trading period for Challenge, Verification and Live stages.
1st and 2nd Steps:
You only need to trade on 4 different days. A trading day is defined as a day when at least one position is opened.
Live account:
No minimum trading days
The Daily Drawdown resets every day at midnight (MT5 server time – GMT+2 / GMT+3 depending on Daylight Saving Time).
It is calculated as 7.5% (5% for Verification and live stage) of the account’s balance or equity at rollover, whichever is higher.
Your equity cannot fall by more than 7.5% (5% for the 2nd step and live stage) in a single trading day. Once the day resets, a new limit is set based on your updated balance or equity, following a static-based model.
Example:
Account balance at rollover: $120,000
Daily Drawdown (7.5%) → $9,000 → Equity must not fall below $111,000 that day.
If equity or the balance rises to $130,000 by the next rollover, the new daily drawdown will be $9,750 (7.5% of 130,000).
The Absolute Drawdown (Maximum Drawdown) is 15% (or 10% for the 2nd step and live stage) of the initial account balance and remains fixed throughout the challenge.
If either the daily or absolute drawdown is breached, the account will be terminated.
Example: Account balance: $120,000
Absolute Drawdown (15%) → $18,000 → The account will be closed if equity drops below $102,000.
The profit target is 10% on the Challenge stage and 5% on the Verification stage. Achieving these targets while following the rules will qualify you for a Live account
Profit sharing starts at 75%, you can reach up to 90% with consistent performances in line with our scaling plan.
Once on Live stage, traders can request withdrawals biweekly (every 14 days). After the request is approved, traders will receive the profit share in their wallet on the same day.
Once traders earn a payout, they'll be eligible for a Reward Bonus equal to the initial registration fee. This will be included with the first payout from the Ability Live.
Not anymore
You may hold trades over the weekend and trade during news events. Simply avoid opening, closing or adding to positions within 3 minutes before or after any high impact news release or speech, as that can be identified as excessive risk.
EAs are allowed if they follow our prohibited-strategy rules and are not sourced from third-party signals. Please see our prohibited trading practices here.
Copy trading is allowed between your own accounts within Audacity Capital. Copying from an external account is allowed only if the account belongs to you. Third-party copying is not permitted.
Select Program:
Select Account Size
phase 1
Max Drawdown
$750
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 15%
Daily loss: 7.5%
Profit Target
$500
Based on Balance
Target : 10%
phase 2
Max Drawdown
$500
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 10%
Daily loss: 5%
Profit Target
$250
Based on Balance
Target : 5%
live
Max Drawdown
$500
Based on Initial Balance
Total Loss 10%
Daily loss: 5%
Profit Target
More than 10%
Less than 10%
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