Gap trading: What’s allowed vs “holding into close to exploit reopen”

TL;DR

Holding positions for legit reasons is fine (when weekend rules allow it). Positioning specifically to profit from a reopen gap (“holding into close to exploit reopen”) is not.

How it works

• PropXP’s “bad gap trading” definition is intent + timing: opening shortly before a market closes (or scheduled halt) specifically to benefit from the reopen gap.
• That behavior is reviewed as malicious gap exploitation, and can lead to warning/fail/denied reward depending on context and severity.

Common gotchas

• “But I didn’t know it was closing early” isn’t a great defense, it’s your job to know the sessions.
• If you always open trades right before closes and hold into reopens, it’s going to look like gap hunting.
• If you don’t have weekend holding permissions, being caught in a weekend carry is still on you (close + cancel).

Example

• Allowed: You’ve been in a swing trade since Wednesday, and (where permitted) you hold it over a normal session boundary.
• Not allowed: You open a position 2 minutes before a known close/early close with the “gap will pay me on reopen” thesis.

Related FAQs

• Weekend holding: allowed? (and what the Weekend Add-on changes)
• Market close, holidays, early closes: do rules change?
• News restricted window: what exactly is blocked (including pending orders)?