At Goat Funded Futures, we are committed to providing a fair, transparent, and sustainable trading environment. While our evaluation programs are designed to simulate real market conditions as closely as possible, there are still limitations inherent to any simulated environment. To ensure the highest level of integrity and to protect our traders and partners, we’ve established clear rules regarding unacceptable trading behaviors.
Understanding the Simulated Environment
Certain trading tactics may exploit the characteristics of simulated platforms—resulting in strong performance during evaluations, but unsustainable results in live markets. Whether intentional or unintentional, these strategies violate our rules and are not allowed on any of our accounts.
Automated Trading & Bot Restrictions
We maintain strict policies on automated systems to promote a level playing field for all participants:
HFT trading: Systems that generates trades that consantly get closed in under 30 seconds are not permitted.
Full Automation & Bots: The use of AI-driven bots, fully automated systems, or any hands-free trading solutions is strictly prohibited on all accounts.
Semi-Automated Tools: Semi-automated trading is acceptable only if the trader is actively monitoring, adjusting, and manually managing trades.
Continuous Automation: Around-the-clock hands-free trading (e.g., bots running day and night without intervention) is strictly forbidden.
Order Execution & Market Ethics
To maintain orderly and ethical trading conditions, we expect traders to adhere to the following:
Order Stacking / Layering: Placing multiple limit orders at the same price to manipulate fill priority is prohibited.
Illiquid or Gapped Market Exploitation: Taking advantage of thin liquidity or market gaps to secure isolated fills is not allowed.
Bracket & Slippage Exploits: Using tight stop-loss/take-profit brackets or relying on the absence of slippage in the sim environment to gain an edge is not permitted.
News-Based Trading: Trading during major Tier 1 economic events is restricted to avoid instability.
Exchange Rules: All trading must be in line with official CME Group rules and compliance standards.
Collusion & Coordinated Trading: Collaborating with other traders to mirror or oppose strategies across separate accounts is not allowed.
Evaluation Integrity & Consequences
To protect our community and uphold the value of our funded programs, we enforce the following actions against violations:
Immediate Termination: Accounts found violating policies may be terminated without notice.
Profit Forfeiture: Any gains generated through disallowed practices will be removed.
Evaluation Review: Passed evaluations can be reviewed and revoked if policy breaches are detected. Refunds may not be granted for disqualified evaluations.
Scalping vs. Microscalping — What's Allowed?
We support efficient, short-term trading strategies—but draw a firm line between acceptable scalping and prohibited microscalping.
✅ Scalping (Allowed)
A legitimate strategy involving:
Trade durations of a few minutes
Profit targets of 5–10 points or more
Controlled frequency and consistent market analysis
❌ Microscalping (Prohibited)
An ultra-aggressive tactic involving:
Holding trades for just seconds
High volume of trades
Aiming for fractions of a point
Why We Don’t Allow Microscalping:
Fill Manipulation: Takes advantage of simulated environments that don’t accurately replicate slippage or latency.
Market Distortion: Creates unrealistic expectations and can undermine fair trading.
Unreliable Transition to Live Trading: Performance does not hold up in real-world markets.
Examples:
Scalping: A position held for 2–3 minutes targeting 8 points.
Microscalping: 20 trades, each closed within 60 seconds aiming for only a few points per trade.
At Goat Funded Futures, our goal is to foster a trading community built on trust, discipline, and opportunity. These policies help us maintain a fair and ethical environment for every trader—whether you’re just getting started or scaling into consistency.