NATIONAL PROP TRADING DAY

National Prop Trading Day on September 28 is an independent initiative dedicated to recognizing the Prop Trading industry and its contributions to modern financial markets. Today, we celebrate the people, ideas, innovation, discipline, and entrepreneurial spirit that continue to shape the future of Prop Trading.

#NationalPropTradingDay

When we think about traditional investment banking or wealth management, we know the customer is investing or trading their own money. The firm may provide investment advice, manage the account, or execute trades on the customer's behalf in exchange for fees or commissions. In Prop Trading, the model works differently. Traders do not use their own capital to fund their trading. Instead, they trade through a prop firm's program, follow the firm's trading and risk-management rules, and have the opportunity to earn a share of the profits they generate.

What is Prop Trading?

Proprietary Trading, or Prop Trading, allows traders to trade without risking their own capital. Traders typically demonstrate their skills through an evaluation and, once qualified, can earn a share of the profits generated from their trading performance.

In modern prop trading, firms provide traders with an opportunity to demonstrate their trading skills through an evaluation or qualification process. Traders who meet the firm's requirements may advance to a funded stage, where they trade within established risk parameters without having to risk their own trading capital. Successful traders can earn a share of the profits generated through their trading performance, with many firms offering traders a substantial majority of eligible profits.

Depending on the firm's model and the trader's progression, trading may take place in a simulated environment or through an account backed by the firm's capital. The prop firm establishes the rules and risk-management framework while providing traders with a pathway to earn from their performance without funding a traditional trading account themselves.

Prop Trading attracts some of the sharpest mathematical, quantitative, and analytical minds in the world. Their profession is usually divided into three primary roles:

Quantitative Researchers ("Quants") - Mathematicians, physicists, data scientists, and statisticians who design the mathematical models and predictive algorithms that identify market inefficiencies.
Developers or Engineers - Computer scientists and software engineers who build ultra-low-latency code and infrastructure required to execute trades in microseconds.
Discretionary and Execution Traders - Traders who combine market intuition, technical analysis, news cycles, and macroeconomics to make manual trading decisions or manage automated algorithm execution.

Prop Trading is a purely profit-driven. It plays a vital role in the global financial ecosystem. Even though Prop Traders are making money, they are always working hard behind the scenes. They make sure markets stay open, prices stay fair, transaction fees stay low, and real-world companies can protect themselves against financial risk.

Organize a risk-free stock or futures trading simulation for students, employees, or finance enthusiasts to give the a real taste of discretionary and quantitative trading.
Highlight the data scientists, quantitative researchers, and algorithm developers whose technology keeps modern markets running smoothly.
Host a career panel or webinar targeting mathematics, physics, and computer science students to introduce proprietary trading as an alternative career path outside traditional financial careers.
Share a "day in the life" of a Prop Trader on social media using the hashtag #NationalPropTradingDay.

HISTORY BEHIND NATIONAL PROP TRADING DAY

National Prop Trading Day was submitted by Greg Khojikian in 2026. The National Day Calendar Registrar approved the day to be celebrated each year on September 28.

September 28 was selected as a neutral date during an active period in the trading calendar, providing the Prop Trading community with an annual opportunity to celebrate education, innovation, professional development, and responsible risk management.

About the Founder

Greg Khojikian is a futures industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience in brokerage, trading technology, and proprietary trading. Since beginning his career in 2001, he has worked across multiple areas of the industry and has seen firsthand how retail and proprietary trading have evolved. Greg founded National Prop Trading Day to recognize the traders, firms, educators, creators, technology providers, and communities that have helped shape and grow the prop trading industry.