Topstep Trading Journal: Track the 17:00 Chicago Day and Trailing Drawdown

Futures evaluations like Topstep's do not work like forex prop challenges. The day starts at a different time, and the drawdown moves with you. A futures trading journal for a Topstep-style account has to understand both, or it will show you room you don't have.

The trading day starts at 17:00 Chicago

Topstep's day follows the CME session: it begins at 17:00 in Chicago, not at midnight. Chicago observes US daylight saving, so the equivalent time in your zone shifts twice a year, and not on the same dates as Europe's change.

The drawdown trails, intraday

Topstep's maximum drawdown trails your peak account value as it happens. If a fast move lifts your account to a new high for a few seconds, the floor rises with it and does not come back down. That is why a trade that ends slightly green can still leave you closer to failing than when you started.

Our Topstep rules page covers the details. Always check Topstep's current rules for your account.

Contracts, ticks and sizing

Futures P&L comes from tick value and contract size. One extra contract on a full-size index future can be ten times the risk of a micro. Size from the distance to your trailing floor, not from your starting balance; the futures position size calculator does the maths.

Journaling futures in The Pips Project

• NinjaTrader 8 auto-syncs through a small add-on (setup guide).
• Tradovate or NinjaTrader exports import on any plan; fills are paired into complete trades with P&L from the contract specs.
• The Risk tab measures your day from the 17:00 Chicago open and follows the intraday trailing floor, showing which limit hits first.