Welcome back to Funded Insights, the FundingTraders series where real funded traders explain what actually carried them through a trading challenge, no highlight reels, no shortcuts. This month’s funded trader insights come from two gold traders who reached almost identical conclusions from opposite ends of the world: patience beats volume, risk management beats prediction, and consistency beats any single winning day. Ivan Palacios and Mohit Batt both trade XAUUSD during the New York session, and both had to unlearn the same habit before their funded accounts finally stabilized. Here is what they learned, in their own words.
Quick Summary Box
Ivan Palacios has been trading for roughly two years and came into prop trading through a single beginner course; he is a XAUUSD day trader who works liquidity and price action control points, mostly during the New York session. Mohit Batt has three years in the market, started with free educational resources on YouTube while still at college, and now runs a technical breakout strategy on gold. Between them they cover over-leveraging, revenge trading, twenty blown challenge accounts, and the trading journals that rebuilt their confidence. Expect practical trading strategies, hard-won rules on how to manage risk, and the mindset shifts that made funded trader programs finally click at a proprietary trading firm.
Trader Ivan Palacios: “Stay calm and enjoy the process.”
From an Online Course to Funded Trading
Ivan’s entry into the world of prop trading was unremarkable. No mentor, no signal group, no secret indicator, just a beginner course and the willingness to keep showing up. Two years later he is trading with real capital and getting paid on it. That gap was closed by strong habits and a plan he could repeat.
How long have you been trading, and where did it start for you?
I’ve been trading for about two years; I started with an online course on basic trading. Accepting a loss is one of the last skills to develop, and rarely the one new traders focus on.
What was the biggest mindset shift that helped you pass the evaluation?
Accepting losses, avoiding over-trading, and having patience.
Did you face any setbacks before getting funded?
Yes, several, mainly a lack of time due to my daily routine.
What helped you keep going?
My determination to achieve my goal.
What mistake has taught you the most throughout your trading journey?
Trading without confirmations and using excessive position sizes (over-leveraging).
What advice would you give to traders who are about to give up?
Stay calm and enjoy the process. Also, keep a trading journal.
Can you describe your trading style, favorite asset and how you approach a trade?
My main asset is XAUUSD; I primarily trade the New York session and occasionally the Asian session. I am a day trader. I trade based on liquidity and price action control points. The reward for waiting on gold is real, and so is the cost of not waiting: volatility around the New York open turns a 1% risk into a 3% loss when the stop is loose.
Trader Mohit Batt: “Focus on the process, not the money.”
Twenty Blown Accounts Before the Trading Challenge Clicked
Twenty accounts. Most people quit after two. Mohit treated failure as data rather than a verdict, then rebuilt the process around it.
How long have you been trading and how did you first get started?
I have been trading for 3 years. I first got started during college after coming across educational videos on YouTube about forex markets . Twenty blown accounts is an expensive education, but it produced something no course sells: a set of clear expectations about what his edge does and does not do. Passing an evaluation is rarely about finding a better strategy, it is about running an ordinary one with above-average control.
You blew twenty accounts early on. What pulled you through that stretch?
Yes, I blew twenty challenge accounts early on. Discipline, strict risk management, and keeping a detailed trading journal helped me rebuild my confidence and push through.
What was the biggest mindset shift that helped you pass?
Stopping the urge to overtrade. I shifted from trying to catch every single market move to patiently waiting only for my specific A+ setups.
What is one mistake that taught you the most in your trading journey?
Revenge trading after a loss. It taught me that accepting a small loss early is much better than letting emotions destroy an account.
What advice would you give to traders who are close to quitting?
Focus on the process, not the money. If you manage your risk properly, time and consistency will take care of the rest. Don’t give up right before it clicks.
Walk us through the technical side, instrument, session and your best trade.
I mainly trade XAUUSD (Gold) using a technical breakout strategy during the New York session. My best trade came from executing a clean retest of a major daily resistance level with a tight 1:4 risk-to-reward ratio. A 1:4 risk-to-reward ratio does not need a high strike rate, it needs the patience to skip everything that does not offer it. That is why performance metrics such as average win, average loss and profitable days matter more than one screenshot of a big winner.
What Both Funded Traders Have in Common
Two traders, two countries, one shared conclusion. Every Funded Insights edition lands here. Neither found an edge the rest of the industry does not have access to. What they found was a process they could run on a bad day, a set of transparent rules they never negotiated with, and the patience to let time compound. The most successful traders we work with share three habits: they know their profit targets before they enter, they size for the worst case, and they connect with other traders instead of grinding alone. Isolation is what turns a normal drawdown into a crisis of confidence.
Whether you trade the London session, the New York open, or a quiet range bound Asian session, the mechanics of the job change less than people expect. What changes is whether you have the right mindset and the tools. Consistency on a starting account is what unlocks larger accounts, and larger accounts turn a side pursuit into a trading business with real growth and stability. Traders who get involved early and stay methodical rise through the scaling plan, one account at a time.
Final Thoughts
Not all firms operate the same way. Before committing money to any company, read the rules, understand the profit split, and check how a funded trading account actually pays out. Platforms and payout structures differ more than most people check. A good prop firm makes all of it easy to find.
That is the version of funded trading FundingTraders is built around: real capital, clear expectations, consistent payouts, and a community of people solving the same problems. The trading platforms, the educational resources and the support are there, the discipline is the part you bring.
Passing is critical, but staying funded is the harder half. The key is treating every funded account like it is already your money, because in every way that matters to your future performance, it is. The actionable advice inside these insights fits on a sticky note and takes years to master.
Success in this business is mostly the willingness to build confidence slowly and keep showing up, which is what Funded Insights exists to document. If you are ready to put a plan behind the intention, this month’s offer is where to start: use code EXTRAVAGANZA for three accounts at the price of one with a 100% profit split.
Disclaimer: Trading involves significant risk and is not suitable for every investor. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. All account rules, payout structures, profit splits, and promotional offers described in this article are subject to change at the discretion of FundingTraders. Promo codes may expire or be modified without prior notice. Always trade responsibly and only risk what you can afford to lose.
