18th Street Trading — Institutional Standard. Professional Traders.

Institutional Standard. Professional Traders.

18th Street Trading is a futures proprietary trading firm built for disciplined traders seeking to establish a professional record, earn greater responsibility, and progress through demonstrated consistency over time.

Plan sizes

$25,000 – $150,000

Progression

Four phases, then Live

Payouts

From Phase 1

Market

CME futures

A different idea of what a proprietary trading firm should be.

We believe the value of a firm is measured by the quality of the traders it develops and the professional relationships it builds over time, not by how many accounts it can sell.

Our objective is to identify serious futures traders, give them a professional environment in which to establish their record, and create a path for those who consistently meet the standard to advance within the firm.

We are building 18th Street for the long term, and for traders who approach their profession the same way.

Professional trading begins with how risk is managed, not how much is made.

Risk management
before profitability

Protect the account before pursuing the opportunity. Position size is decided ahead of the trade, not adjusted to reach a target that is nearly in range.

Consistency
over aggression

A professional record is built across trading sessions, not through isolated outcomes. One exceptional day tells the firm very little.

Process
over emotion

Decisions should remain disciplined whether the previous trade produced a gain or a loss. The method does not change with the last result.

Judgment
over activity

Not every market requires a trade. Knowing when not to participate is part of the profession, and it is one of the clearest signals of a mature operator.

Responsibility
is earned

Greater opportunity follows demonstrated consistency, sound risk management, and professional conduct over time. Every step up is earned. None of them can be bought.

Account equity / Trailing loss threshold
The threshold advances on qualifying end-of-day performance, then locks at the starting balance and does not move again.

Capital allocations may change. Responsibility may increase.
The standard never does.

Choose the plan size that fits how you trade: $25,000, $50,000, $100,000 or $150,000. The size sets the scale. It does not change the standard. Every trader, at every size, begins at Phase 1 and is measured against the same profit target, the same trailing loss and the same consistency requirement.

What cannot be bought is advancement. No phase can be skipped, and the Live account is reached only by completing all four. That is deliberate: greater opportunity should follow demonstrated performance, not purchasing power.

The consistency requirement measures the best trading session against total gains.
A record built across sessions, not on a single result.

Some traders will advance. Others will not. No outcome is guaranteed. But every trader is given the same opportunity to earn what comes next.

Greater opportunity is earned.

Advancement is not purchased and not negotiated. It follows one rule: meet the standard. Each phase carries the same 9% profit target, the same 5% trailing loss and the same consistency requirement, and each is paid on completion.

Complete a phase, receive its payout, and begin the next with a fresh balance. Complete all four and the account moves from simulated capital to live execution on the exchange. Progression is not a reward for a single result. It is the standard, met four times.

Trader CandidateThe starting point for every trader, at every plan size. Meet the standard once and the first payout follows.

Phase 1First payout

Qualified TraderThe same standard, met again from a fresh balance. One good phase can be fortunate. Two begin to form a record.

Phase 2Second payout

Professional TraderA third phase under identical requirements. Nothing is relaxed because the last one went well.

Phase 3Third payout

Institutional TraderThe final simulated phase, and its largest payout.

Phase 4Largest payout

Capital PartnerThe firm's highest designation. A Live account with pricing and execution directly from the exchange, and 90% of profits to the trader.

Live90% of profits

Performance → payout → progression → live capital. The Live account is reached only through all four phases.

Payouts increase.
The standard never does.

Serious futures traders deserve a firm that recognizes professionalism, not just profitability.

Trading has taught me that a single day, trade, or payout tells you very little about a trader. What matters is what can be demonstrated repeatedly: discipline under pressure, respect for risk, sound judgment, and the consistency to follow a process when doing so is difficult.

Every trader begins at the same starting point. From there, performance becomes a professional record, and greater responsibility must be earned.

My responsibility is to protect that standard as the firm grows. The rules are published in full, they are the same at every plan size, and they are applied the same way to every trader. No one advances by paying more, and no one is held back by anything other than the standard itself.

If you are looking for shortcuts, 18th Street will not be for you. If you approach trading as a profession and believe opportunity should be earned through the quality of your work, this firm was built with you in mind.

Jay R. Pocius

Founder
18th Street Trading

A different idea of what a proprietary trading firm should be.

Professional trading begins with how risk is managed, not how much is made.

Risk managementbefore profitability

Consistencyover aggression

Processover emotion

Judgmentover activity

Responsibilityis earned