1. What is MAE (Maximum Adverse Excursion)? #
MAE measures how far a trade moves against you before recovery or closure.
High MAE indicates that too much of the account’s available drawdown is being risked on a single position.
MAE is one of the strongest indicators of whether a trader is managing risk with discipline or allowing trades to approach liquidation.
2. What triggers an MAE Warning? #
A Warning Flag is issued when: You breach 50% of the Maximum Allowed MAE on any Gladiator account.
This applies even if the trade eventually closes in profit.
To help traders monitor this, your permitted MAE is now displayed on the Trader Dashboard after each trade closes (from Monday, Dec 8th, 2025)
3. How many MAE warnings can I get per day? #
To prevent accidental accumulation of flags, the system is capped: You can receive only 1 MAE Warning at a user level per day.
Even if multiple accounts or trades exceed the MAE limit, this still counts as one warning for the day.
4. What happens when an MAE Warning is issued? #
When a Warning Flag is triggered:
- You cannot request a payout for the remainder of that payout week.
- Any payout request submitted during that week will be automatically rejected.
You may continue trading normally, but payout eligibility resumes only in the next payout cycle.
5. What is Compliance Discovery? #
Compliance Discovery is a temporary corrective phase that activates when warning patterns show a lack of consistent, sustainable risk management.
It is:
- Not a penalty
- Not a probation
- Not an account failure
It is a structured review period that ensures traders return to disciplined, payout-ready behavior.
This system has always been part of the compliance framework – it is now being communicated more clearly so all traders understand how it works.
6. When am I placed into Compliance Discovery? #
You enter Compliance Discovery if:
- You receive 2 MAE Warnings in the same week, OR
- You receive 3 MAE Warnings within any rolling 4-week period
These limits prevent compounding high-risk behavior.
7. What happens during Compliance Discovery? #
- You may continue trading normally
- All payout activity is paused
- No accounts are failed
- You must complete the required corrective metrics
- Support and compliance teams can guide you if needed
This phase remains in effect until all requirements below are met.
8. What are the requirements to exit Compliance Discovery? #
Traders in Compliance Discovery must complete all of the following:
- Trade above the payout threshold for at least 10 trading days
- Achieve 5 profitable days, each equal to 10% of the original maximum drawdown*
- Do not breach the Auto-Liquidate Threshold
- Do not exceed an MAE of 10% of the trailing drawdown on any single position
Examples:
- Trailing drawdown = 2,500 → max MAE allowed per position = 250
- If profits accumulated exceed the trailing drawdown, this provides more available risk:
- Original MDD = 2,500
- Account Profits = 10,000
→ max MAE allowed = 1,000
*Profit requirements remain based on the original max (end-of-day/trailing) drawdown.
9. What causes failure during Compliance Discovery? #
You will fail the corrective process if: Any single trade exceeds 10% MAE during Compliance Discovery. (slight deviations can be discussed)
In that case, the trader must restart the entire process with new Gladiator accounts and the current Gladiator accounts would be marked as failed.
10. Does Compliance Discovery affect all my accounts? #
Yes – payout eligibility applies on a trader level on all Gladiator accounts, not an individual-account level.
If you enter Compliance Discovery:
- All Gladiator accounts are paused for payouts
- You may choose to demonstrate metrics on one account only if preferred
This is acceptable as long as the required criteria are fulfilled.
11. How is Compliance Discovery different from Probation? #
- Probation (based on old weekly flag accumulation) is no longer used.
- Compliance Discovery is an immediate corrective review triggered by MAE-based warnings.
12. Can I appeal an MAE Warning or Discovery placement? #
No, these flags cannot be appealed.
13. Why does this system exist? #
Compliance Discovery and MAE management protect traders from:
- Large unrecoverable losses
- Near-liquidation trades
- Withdrawal-style gambling behavior
- High-risk spikes inconsistent with professional trading
- Account-churning patterns that damage long-term sustainability
These standards mirror the behavior of the top-performing traders who consistently achieve multiple payouts and transition successfully to Real Prop trading.