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Free tools: Daily Loss Limiter for MT5 (locks the day at your limit) · Daily loss calculator · Last checked 5 November 2026 by the Spectar FX team.
An intraday max daily loss is checked continuously, so a single dip to the limit ends the day even if the price recovers a minute later. An end-of-day (EOD) rule checks the figure only when the trading day closes, so the same dip may not count at all.
Two rule sets can both say “5% maximum daily loss” and still treat the same trading day completely differently. The percentage is identical; what differs is when the figure is checked and what is counted. Below we run one day through three common wordings and show where each one stops.
Intraday means the limit is checked at every moment of the day, usually against equity, so open losses count as soon as they appear. If equity touches the line at 10:14, the rule is broken at 10:14.
End-of-day (EOD) means the figure is checked once, when the trading day closes in server time. What happened during the day matters only through where the account ends up. Some firms also use the end-of-day balance to set the next day’s starting figure.
Between the two sits a third common version: intraday on closed balance. It is checked all day, but only when trades are closed. An open position does not count until you close it or its stop loss is hit.
Example only, to show the method: a 10,000-dollar account and a 5% daily limit, so 500 dollars, counted from a start-of-day balance of 10,000. No trade here is a suggestion.
| Time (server) | Event | Balance | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08:30 | Trade closes at a loss of 200 | 9,800 | 9,800 |
| 10:14 | New trade open, 310 down | 9,800 | 9,490 |
| 12:00 | Price recovers; trade 50 down | 9,800 | 9,750 |
| 16:20 | Trade closes at a profit of 40 | 9,840 | 9,840 |
| 23:59 | Day ends | 9,840 | 9,840 |
Now apply each rule:
Same trades, same 5%, three different results. Under the first rule, the day ended at 10:14. Under the other two, it was a small losing day.
Under an intraday equity rule, every open position uses the limit in real time. A wide stop loss on an open trade is part of the day’s figure from the moment you open it. Under an end-of-day rule, a temporary dip is tolerated, but a loss you are still holding at the close counts in full.
Neither is kinder in general. An intraday rule punishes deep temporary dips; an end-of-day rule punishes holding a losing position into the close. The point is to know which one you are under, so you can see the day the way your rule sees it.
The start-of-day figure adds another layer. Some rules take it as the higher of balance and equity at the reset, which means profit you were holding at midnight raises the bar for the next day. Our article on failing the daily drawdown while up shows how that catches people out.
Look for these phrases in your own rules:
Also confirm when the trading day ends in server time; what time the daily drawdown resets explains how to find it. If any of this is unclear, ask the firm in writing and keep the reply.
End of day. The daily loss is checked once, when the trading day closes in server time, rather than at every moment during the day.
It is stricter about temporary dips, because a single touch of the limit counts even if the price recovers. An end-of-day rule is stricter about losses still open at the close.
Read the exact wording in your firm’s official rules and FAQ. Phrases such as ’at any time’ or ’including floating’ usually mean intraday; ’end-of-day balance’ means an end-of-day check.
In Spectar FX Gold, how the daily stop is measured follows the value you set for it in the settings; nothing is preset.
Spectar FX Gold is a subscription service for MetaTrader 5, for gold (XAUUSD). You set every number yourself — lot sizes, daily stop, daily target, trading hours and news window — and the rules work within those settings; we set no number for you and recommend none. When the daily stop is reached, the position is closed and nothing new is opened until the next day, which starts when the market opens in your broker’s server time.
It runs on your own MetaTrader 5 account. We never receive your broker password, never hold funds, and there are no signals. A gap in the market or slippage at your broker can carry a position past any limit; a daily stop is a setting, not a promise. The plans are MANUAL, SEMIAUTO and AUTO, monthly or yearly, with an 8-day free trial on MANUAL monthly. You can read more in the FAQ.
Keep your daily limit in one place: the free Daily Loss Limiter for MT5 locks the trading day once today's loss reaches the figure you set, and the daily loss calculator shows the balance where that happens.
Related: Balance vs equity daily drawdown · What happens when the daily stop is reached
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