Quantitative Apex Prop Firm (QAPF) – User Guide and Calibration

Quantitative Apex Prop Firm (QAPF) – User Guide and Calibration

Introduction

The Quantitative Apex Prop Firm (QAPF) Expert Advisor is designed to comply with the strict rules of prop firms (FTMO, MFF, The Funded Trader, etc.).
It executes only one trade per day, based on a disciplined and automated system.

The goal: provide a simple, rigorous, and secure trading framework, suitable for personal accounts as well as prop firm challenges.

How the EA Works

• One position per day at the programmed time (Trade Open Hour = 9h by default, server time).

• Trade direction is determined by a set of technical filters.

• Positions are automatically protected with Stop Loss and Take Profit according to the defined Risk/Reward ratio.

• Automatic closure of trades at the specified time (Trade Close Hour = 16h by default, server time).

Money Management

• Fixed Lot ( Fixed lot ): recommended for stability and prop firm trading.

  • Example: 0.02 lot on a $1,000 account with 1:100 leverage → about $20 risk for a 2000-point SL on XAUUSD.

  • Important: this is only an example. For prop firms, the lot size must be adapted to the account size and the firm’s rules.

• Dynamic Lot % of Balance ( Dynamic lot % of balance ):

  • Automatically adjusts lot size according to account balance.

  • Can also be used in prop firms if risk ≤ 2% per trade, and up to 5% for personal accounts.

  • Important: dynamic lot size calculation takes into account the Account Leverage ( Account leverage ) to correctly adjust to available margin.

• Always check the minimum and maximum lot sizes allowed by your broker.

Prop Firm Compliance

• Automatic monitoring of daily, weekly, and monthly drawdown limits:

  • Maximum daily loss = 2%

  • Maximum weekly loss = 3%

  • Maximum monthly loss = 7%

• If a limit is exceeded → a cooldown is triggered to block new trades and avoid disqualification.

Trade Open and Close Hours

• Trade Open Hour = 9h by default (server time).

• Trade Close Hour = 16h by default (server time).

• These settings always follow the platform’s server time, regardless of your local timezone.

• Recommendation: schedule the trade opening at the European (London) or US (New York) market open to benefit from high volatility and capture larger moves.

Calibration Tips

Timeframe & Pairs

• Designed for XAUUSD, main timeframe H1, with a long-term filter on D1.

Stop Loss & Risk/Reward

• Default SL: 2000 points, adjustable. (Change it if the distance between the tp/sl from the entry price becomes too strong.) 

• Risk/Reward ratio: 1.2–2.0 depending on trading style.

• Conservative: wider SL, RRR 1.2–1.5.

• Aggressive: tighter SL, RRR 1.5–2.0.

Lot Size

• Fixed lot ( Fixed lot ): full control → best for prop firms.

• Example: 0.02 lot on $1,000 with 1:100 leverage. Must be adapted to account size and prop firm rules.

• Dynamic lot ( Dynamic lot % of balance ): can be used in prop firms if risk ≤ 2%, for personal accounts up to 5%.

• Dynamic lot size takes Account leverage into account to ensure correct risk management.

Best Practices

• Only 1 trade per day → do not force additional trades.

• VPS recommended for stability and execution speed.

• Always test on demo or cent accounts before starting a challenge.

• Reset reference capital: every Monday and first day of each month.

• Do not change parameters mid-challenge without proper backtesting.

• Avoid over-optimization: keep the strategy robust and simple.

• Change the SL + RRR every 6 months in case the distance between the exits and the entry are too high, this happens when the value of the XAUUSD rises too much compared to the moment of activation of the EA.

Conclusion

The QAPF combines discipline and strict risk management, both essential for success in prop firms or personal accounts.

• Prop firm: use Fixed lot or Dynamic lot % of balance ≤ 2%, adjust SL/RRR according to capital, rules, and leverage.

• Personal account: Dynamic lot % of balance 3–5% max, SL/RRR according to your profile.

Test it, calibrate it to your needs, and let automation do the rest.

SET FILES : 

For more precision, the backtests were carried out over one year, but their validity up to 5 to 10 years has been proven.