Free · Independent · Built for UK beginners · Futures first
Learn to trade futures honestly, from scratch
Plain-English education for UK beginners who want to trade futures and take on futures prop firm challenges: how contracts like the micro E-mini work, tick values and margin, and the drawdown rules that end most challenges. Plus a free step-by-step course, strategies, psychology, UK tax and a calculator that shows what a challenge really costs. No hype, no “get funded fast” promises and no firm paying for what we say.
We start with the honest numbers: most retail traders lose money, and most people who buy a prop challenge don’t pass. You can practise everything on a free simulator first.
The free course: five stages, one step at a time
Short lessons in a sensible order, each ending with a quick quiz. Start at Stage 1 even if you’ve traded before – most expensive mistakes come from gaps in the basics.
Start here – Futures Foundations
What a futures contract is, micros vs minis, tick values for ES/MES, NQ/MNQ, CL and GC, margin, rollover and futures prop firm rules. Our recommended starting point.
Stage 1 – Foundations
What trading really is, futures first (contracts, tick values, margin and US hours in UK time), how a trade makes or loses money, UK brokers and platforms, and your first demo trade.
Stage 2 – Charts and Analysis
Reading charts, candlesticks, support and resistance, trends, chart patterns, indicators and the economic news that moves markets.
Stage 3 – Execution and Risk
Order types, stop losses, position sizing, risk per trade and the psychology of sticking to your rules when money is on the line.
Stage 4 – Plan and Test
Writing a trading plan, choosing a beginner strategy, backtesting, practising on demo and keeping a journal you actually learn from.
Stage 5 – Futures Prop Challenges and Beyond
How futures prop firm challenges really work, what they cost over several attempts, the trailing drawdown and consistency rules that catch people out, and what happens after a pass.
Quick video lessons
Explore the guide
Futures Foundations
Start here: futures contracts, tick values, margin, expiry, US market hours in UK time, and how futures prop firm rules such as trailing drawdown really work.
Strategies
Beginner strategies with clear rules, hypothetical worked examples, risk management and the honest limitations of each – starting with the London breakout and support and resistance.
Trading psychology
Discipline, revenge trading, losing streaks and challenge pressure. Practical habits for judging your trading by your rules, not your last result.
UK tax guide
How futures, spread betting, CFDs, shares and prop firm payouts are usually treated by HMRC, in plain English with GOV.UK sources. General information, not tax advice.
True Cost Calculator
Work out what a prop firm challenge could really cost you once fees, resets and repeat attempts are added up – before you spend anything.
Glossary
Every trading and prop firm term we use, from ask to whipsaw, explained in plain English, including UK terms like spread betting, CGT and the FCA.
Why we’re different
Independent
No broker or prop firm pays for our lessons or decides what we write. We don’t have any affiliate links at the moment. If we add them, they’ll be clearly labelled “Ad” and they won’t change our content. How we make money.
Education, not challenge-pushing
Many trading academies end every lesson with “now buy a challenge”. We don’t. We explain why most people don’t pass, what repeated attempts cost, and why practising on demo first is usually the sensible move.
Built for the UK
UK tax on futures, spread bets, CFDs and prop firm payouts, FCA rules and the FCA Register, what FSCS and the Financial Ombudsman do and don’t cover (and where futures fall outside them), and US futures hours in UK time.
Honest about the odds
No win rates, no income screenshots, no “secret” indicators. Examples are labelled hypothetical, sources are linked, and every lesson says what a strategy can’t do as well as what it can.
Risk warning
Futures, spread bets and CFDs carry a high risk of losing money quickly because of leverage, and most retail traders lose money. With a real futures account you can lose more than you deposit. Prop firm challenges, including futures prop firms, are paid evaluations: most people who buy one don’t pass, and funded accounts are usually simulated. Nothing on this site is financial advice. 18+ only. Read the full risk warning.
If trading is affecting your money, mood or sleep, read When trading stops being healthy or call the National Gambling Helpline free on 0808 8020 133 (24/7).
Disclaimer: This site is general education, not financial, investment or tax advice or a personal recommendation, and it doesn’t take your circumstances into account. Examples are hypothetical, for illustration only, and not an invitation to buy or sell. Learning a strategy doesn’t guarantee profits. Past performance is not a reliable guide to future results. Futures, spread bets and CFDs are complex and carry a high risk of losing money quickly because of leverage, and most retail traders lose money. With a real futures account, losses can exceed your deposit. Prop firm challenges are paid evaluations: the fee is usually lost, and funded accounts are usually simulated. Only trade with money you can afford to lose, and speak to an independent FCA-authorised adviser if you’re unsure. Read our full risk warning.