Broker terms that quietly target short holding times
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 8:42 am
Most scalpers read the leverage and spread sections of a client agreement and skip the part about "abusive trading practices". That clause is where short holding times get dealt with. Some brokers state a minimum holding period, often somewhere between a few seconds and a minute, and reserve the right to void profits from trades closed faster than that. Others never mention a number and just talk about "strategies that exploit the pricing model".
Vague wording is the real problem. A clause with a stated threshold can be planned around. A clause that lets the broker decide what counts as abuse after the fact cannot.
Things worth checking before funding:
- Is there a stated minimum trade duration, and does it apply to every account type?
- Can profits be reversed retroactively, and for how long after the trade?
- Are trades around news or thin liquidity singled out?
- Which legal entity are you actually contracted with, and under which jurisdiction?
Save a dated copy of the terms the day the account opens. Documents get edited, and a PDF from sign-up day is far more useful in a dispute than a webpage that now says something different.
Has anyone run into a stated minimum holding time, and how did the broker treat trades that closed just under it?
Vague wording is the real problem. A clause with a stated threshold can be planned around. A clause that lets the broker decide what counts as abuse after the fact cannot.
Things worth checking before funding:
- Is there a stated minimum trade duration, and does it apply to every account type?
- Can profits be reversed retroactively, and for how long after the trade?
- Are trades around news or thin liquidity singled out?
- Which legal entity are you actually contracted with, and under which jurisdiction?
Save a dated copy of the terms the day the account opens. Documents get edited, and a PDF from sign-up day is far more useful in a dispute than a webpage that now says something different.
Has anyone run into a stated minimum holding time, and how did the broker treat trades that closed just under it?