Prop Firms for Stocks: Trading Stocks on a Funded Account
Stock perpetuals, index futures or CFDs: the three ways to trade the stock market with a prop firm’s capital, and what each costs.
Last updated 27 Oct 2026Most prop firms grew up around futures or forex, so a trader who wants to trade stocks with a prop firm’s capital has fewer obvious choices. There are three real routes today: perpetual futures on individual stocks and ETFs, which Vest Capital funds; index futures such as NQ and ES, which every futures prop firm funds; and stock CFDs at some forex firms. Each one trades the stock market in a different wrapper, with different costs, hours and rules. This guide explains all three, with prices and rules from the firms we have an official code with.
Route 1: stock perpetuals (Vest Capital)
A stock perpetual is a contract that tracks a share’s price with no expiry, settled in USDC, with leverage. You never own the shares, but you can go long or short NVDA, AAPL, TSLA or MSFT, or ETFs such as SPY, QQQ, GLD and SLV, from the same account you would use for crypto. Vest Capital funds exactly this: its evaluations and instant accounts trade stock, ETF, index, commodity, FX and crypto perps, all cross-margined.
On a Vest funded account, leverage is set per market: most stocks allow 5x, a few names such as NVDA up to 25x, and index perps on ES and NQ up to 75x. Non-crypto markets follow their normal weekend schedule. The loss rules are the same as on any Vest account: a 6% static max drawdown on evaluations, an optional 3% or 4% daily loss limit that resets at 20:00 New York time, and both checked against equity including open trades.
| Vest plan | $5K | $10K | $25K | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Step evaluation | $15 | $35 | $90 | 10% then 5%, 3% daily, 6% max, 80% split |
| 1-Step evaluation (10%, 3% daily, 80%) | $40 | $80 | $210 | One 10% target, 6% max |
| Instant | $200 | $400 | $1,000 | No target, no daily limit, 4% max, 95% split |
Route 2: index futures (futures prop firms)
If you trade the market rather than single names, index futures are the most established route. Every futures prop firm funds the E-mini and Micro contracts on the Nasdaq-100 (NQ, MNQ), S&P 500 (ES, MES), Russell 2000 and Dow. The rules are in dollars, the session closes every afternoon, and plans are usually monthly subscriptions. For example, a Bulenox 50K Qualification has a $3,000 target and a $2,500 max loss; an Alpha Futures Zero 50K costs $139 a month with a $3,000 target and a $2,000 end-of-day drawdown; and an Earn2Trade Gauntlet Mini 50K costs $170 a month with a $3,000 goal and a $2,000 end-of-day drawdown. You can’t trade single stocks this way, but index futures are the most liquid way to trade the stock market as a whole.
Route 3: stock CFDs (some forex firms)
Some forex and CFD prop firms add stock and index CFDs to MetaTrader or cTrader accounts. The rules follow the forex model: percent-based daily and max loss, usually a one-time refundable fee. The list of stocks, leverage and trading hours vary by firm and are often limited, so check the firm’s instrument list before you buy. If single stocks are the main thing you trade, a firm built around them will usually serve you better.
Which route fits you
- You trade single stocks and want to go short as easily as long: stock perps at Vest.
- You trade the index, NQ or ES, during the US session: a futures prop firm.
- You already trade MetaTrader and stocks are a side market: a forex firm with stock CFDs.
- You want the cheapest way to try: Vest’s 2-Step Silver at $15, or Vest’s $500 Instant account at $10.
Risk on a stock funded account
Single stocks gap. An earnings report or a headline can move a share 10% before your stop has a chance to fill, and on a funded account a gap through the max loss closes the account as surely as a slow loss. Keep position size small around earnings, avoid holding big positions into the weekend, and size every trade from the dollars you can afford to lose rather than from the leverage on offer.
FAQ
Yes. Vest Capital funds stock and ETF perpetual futures such as AAPL, NVDA, TSLA, SPY and QQQ, and futures prop firms fund index futures like NQ and ES. Some forex firms also offer stock CFDs.
An account funded with a prop firm’s capital in which you trade stocks or stock-like contracts, keep most of the profit, and lose the account if you break its loss limits. You usually pay a fee for an evaluation first.
At Vest, funded leverage is 5x on most stocks, up to 25x on a few names such as NVDA, and up to 75x on index perps. Futures firms limit contracts instead of leverage.
Generally no. At Vest, crypto trades every day, while stock and other non-crypto perps follow their usual weekend schedule.
Of the firms we track, Vest’s 2-Step Silver at $15 for a $5,000 account, before our 10% code F5EVALSAVERCOM.