execution on my prop account feels noticeably worse than my personal broker

[bluedreams]

same strategy, same pairs, same times. on my personal broker account the fills are clean. on my funded prop account i get more slippage and the occasional fill a couple points off where i clicked. is this a known thing with props, or am i imagining a difference that isnt there?

[carterw]

its often real and there are structural reasons. props frequently add their own execution layer for risk management, and some widen spreads or add a markup versus a raw retail account. theyre managing the aggregate risk of thousands of funded traders, which can mean slightly worse individual fills than a broker that just wants your spread. log it and quantify before concluding, but youre probably not imagining it.

[Ethan Carter]

quantifying is the move. record intended versus actual on both accounts for the same setups over a few weeks. if the prop is consistently a point or two worse, thats a real cost you factor into whether the funded account is worth it for your style. scalpers feel this far more than swing traders.

[westcoastjay]

or your personal account is a tiny market maker account thats happy to give you perfect fills on micro lots because youre net losing, and the prop has actual risk controls. perfect fills arent always the good guy in the story.

[mattlive]

thats a genuinely sharp point. cushy fills on a small personal account can be the market maker being relaxed about flow it expects to win against. the prop applying real execution discipline might be the more honest environment even if the fills look worse. dont assume worse fills means worse broker, sometimes it means more serious risk management.

[richardlee]

so if the prop fills are a bit worse, how do i decide if its still worth trading there versus my own account?

[coldvision]

compare the all-in economics. on your own account you risk your capital but keep 100 percent and get your fills. on the prop you risk only the fee, trade bigger size, but split profits and eat slightly worse execution. for a strategy with comfortable margin per trade the props leverage on capital usually wins despite the fills. for a razor-thin scalping edge, the worse fills can erase the advantage. it depends on how much room your edge has.

[skywavee]

right, edge margin decides it. a strategy that nets 8-10 points average survives a point of extra slippage fine. one that scrapes 3 points does not. know your average win in points and the prop slippage cost becomes a simple subtraction, not a vibe.

[justmatt]

if one point of slippage decides whether your strategy is viable, you dont have a strategy, you have a coin flip with extra steps and a monthly fee.

[carterw]

the troll keeps landing today. a robust edge should tolerate realistic execution variance. if it cant, the prop didnt break your strategy, it revealed how fragile it already was. build edges with enough margin to survive a couple points of friction and these debates stop mattering.

[fadedlights]

quantify the slippage, then check if your edge has room.

[Trevor]

logged both accounts for two weeks and the prop really is a point worse on average but my edge has the room, so im staying. feels good to decide on data instead of paranoia.