FIFO and US accounts: why some scalp styles simply don't work there
Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2026 7:19 am
If you're with a US-regulated broker, the NFA's FIFO rule means that positions in the same instrument must be closed in the order they were opened. Hedging the same pair in one account isn't allowed either. Traders coming from offshore or EU accounts often don't realise how much this changes.
Styles that run into trouble:
Any US-based scalpers here? How did you adapt your management to FIFO?
Styles that run into trouble:
- Scaling in with separate stops. If you add a second EURUSD position with its own tighter stop, FIFO forces the first one to close first. Your carefully planned exits end up in the wrong order.
- Hedging during news as a way to "lock" a position isn't possible.
- Grid and some EAs built for MT4 with independent tickets break or behave unexpectedly.
- Slightly different position sizes (for example 0.10 and 0.11), which some platforms treat as separate positions. Check your broker's interpretation before relying on it.
- Managing the position as one: add and reduce volume, with one stop for the total.
- Using a second sub-account for a separate strategy.
Any US-based scalpers here? How did you adapt your management to FIFO?