Pine Script Strategy · Starter Plan
MNQ Pine Script Strategy for Prop Firm Evaluations
MNQ is the most heavily traded micro futures contract for prop firm evals — liquid, precise, and sized right for 50k accounts. The strategy behind this page: a VWAP reclaim with EMA trend confirmation on the 5-minute chart.
Strategy at a glance
This slot holds a verified TradingView Strategy Tester result once one is published for this exact configuration.
What MNQ is and why it works for prop firm evals
MNQ is the Micro Nasdaq-100 contract — exactly one-tenth the size of full NQ. Each tick is worth $0.50 (versus $5.00 on NQ); a full point moves $2. That size differential is what makes MNQ the natural instrument for an evaluation account.
The practical math: on a 50k Apex eval, one full NQ contract offers a fairly narrow tick cushion before the trailing threshold is threatened. One MNQ contract gives ten times that cushion for the same dollar move. Scale to several MNQ contracts and the position size is precisely controllable in a way a single full NQ contract can't match.
- Tick size: 0.25 pts = $0.50 per tick
- Point value: $2
- Exchange: CME — available on Tradovate and Rithmic
- Supported at: Apex, Topstep, MFFU, Tradeify, Bulenox, TradeDay, and every other major CME futures prop firm
MNQ's small tick value lets risk be dialed in to the dollar. On a firm with a modest daily limit, a few MNQ contracts with a tight tick-count stop can keep per-trade risk small enough to absorb several losing trades in a row without approaching the limit.
The MNQ VWAP reclaim strategy — how it works
The strategy delivered with the Starter plan runs on the 5-minute RTH chart. The logic is straightforward enough to trust and specific enough to have a real edge:
VWAP Reclaim Entry
Price crosses and closes above session VWAP (long) or below it (short) on the 5-minute bar. Entry fires on the next bar open — no chasing intrabar wicks.
EMA Trend Filter
No long entries below the trend EMA in a downtrend, no shorts above it in an uptrend — filters out the counter-trend reclaims that fail most often.
ATR-Based Stop
Stop is set from ATR at entry, capped at a configurable dollar max per contract — adapts to session volatility without blowing past the risk cap.
Daily Kill Switch
Once session losses hit the configured threshold, no new entries fire until the next RTH open.
Session runs 9:30 AM to 3:55 PM ET (RTH only), with a configurable cap on trades per day and a target in the 1.5–2R range based on the morning's range. The setup guide included with every purchase covers parameter settings for each firm's specific risk limits.
Contract sizing for 50k prop firm accounts
| Firm | Daily Limit | Contracts | Stop | Risk / Trade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apex 50k | None | 5 MNQ | 30 ticks | $75 |
| Topstep 50k | $1,000 | 4 MNQ | 25 ticks | $50 |
| MFFU 50k | $1,250 | 3 MNQ | 20 ticks | $30 |
| Tradeify 50k (Growth) | None* | 5 MNQ | 30 ticks | $75 |
| Bulenox 50k | None | 5 MNQ | 30 ticks | $75 |
*Tradeify's Growth path uses a soft pause rather than a hard daily loss figure.
These are conservative starting sizes. The daily kill switch caps total session loss regardless — sizing within these ranges keeps even a maximum losing day well inside firm limits.
Which prop firms work best with this MNQ strategy?
Apex Trader Funding
No daily loss limit on the evaluation makes Apex the most flexible environment here. The intraday trailing threshold tightens as balance grows, but the strategy's defined R:R targets exit before giving back significant unrealized gains. Apex eval rules →
Topstep
EOD trailing drawdown is one of the most forgiving structures for an intraday strategy — swings within the session don't move the floor. The daily loss limit requires conservative sizing, but a morning loss that's partially recovered before the close doesn't cost drawdown cushion the way it would on an intraday-trailing firm. Topstep Combine rules →
MyFundedFutures
Static drawdown — the floor is fixed from day one and never moves regardless of profit. That suits a strategy running consistent daily gains: equity builds without the floor ever chasing it. MFFU rules →
Tradeify (Growth path)
No daily loss limit, eod trailing drawdown — the most contract flexibility of any firm listed here, good for letting the reclaim edge fully express. Tradeify rules →
How to automate this MNQ strategy on a prop firm account
The Pine Script fires a TradingView alert on every entry and exit signal. To turn those alerts into live orders on a prop firm account:
- Load the script on TradingView — paste it into the Pine Editor and add it to an MNQ chart on the 5-minute timeframe.
- Create a TradingView alert — set it to trigger on the strategy's built-in alert conditions (entry long, entry short, exit), delivered via webhook.
- Connect an execution bridge — set up a webhook in TradersPost, link it to a Tradovate or Rithmic account, and paste the webhook URL into the TradingView alert. Every signal now executes automatically.
The setup guide included with every purchase has step-by-step screenshots for each broker.
All major prop firms — Apex, Topstep, MFFU, Tradeify — permit automated trading via TradingView alerts and webhook execution on evaluations. Always verify the funded-account automation policy separately before connecting a webhook to a live account.