Protection pause (Cooldown)
The Protection pause is a temporary risk-control pause that can activate when one of your FairTicks accounts reaches the critical near-breach zone. During the pause, opening new exposure is blocked, but closing existing positions remains available.
The Protection pause is not a breach and not a penalty. It is a short circuit-breaker designed to help you stop, breathe, clear your mind, and avoid impulsive decisions when your account is already very close to a risk limit.
When the Protection pause is triggered
The pause can activate when a specific account reaches the critical near-breach zone, usually around 95% consumption of an enabled risk limit.
Depending on your account model and rules, this can include:
- Daily loss, where enabled on the account.
- Max loss.
- Trailing drawdown, where enabled on the account.
When the Protection pause activates, the affected account status changes to COOLDOWN.
This pause applies to the account that reached the critical near-breach zone, not necessarily to all your FairTicks accounts.
The Protection pause activates before a breach. It means the account is very close to a risk limit, not that the account has already breached.
Why FairTicks uses a Protection pause
Many breaches happen when traders continue adding risk while already very close to a limit. The Protection pause is designed to interrupt that moment.
The goal is simple: give you a short break before making another decision. During the pause, you can review the account, close existing positions if needed, and avoid opening new exposure while emotions are high.
A cooldown is a forced pause, not a reset. It gives you time to reassess your account state before you decide what to do next.
How long the pause lasts
The standard Protection pause lasts 10 minutes. When the pause ends, opening new positions can become available again if no other blocking condition applies.
Returning from COOLDOWN does not reset your risk consumption.
Your account may still be very close to the risk limit that triggered the pause.
What you can and cannot do during the pause
| Action | During Protection pause |
|---|---|
| Open a new position | ❌ Blocked |
| Add new exposure | ❌ Blocked |
| Reverse trade | ❌ Blocked because it would open a new direction |
| Close an existing position | ✅ Allowed |
| Review your dashboard and risk metrics | ✅ Allowed |
| Request a payout | ❌ Not available during COOLDOWN; normal payout eligibility conditions still apply |
The pause does not trap you in open positions. You can still close existing positions during the pause. What is blocked is opening new exposure.
What happens when the pause ends?
When the Protection pause ends:
- The account can return from
COOLDOWNtoACTIVE, if no other blocking condition applies. - Opening new positions can become available again.
- Your risk limits remain where they are; the pause does not reset daily loss, max loss, or trailing drawdown consumption.
A Protection pause is not a reset. If you were close to a breach before the pause, you may still be close to a breach after the pause.
What if the pause crosses the daily reset time?
If the pause crosses the FairTicks official daily reset time, the daily loss baseline can be updated before trading becomes available again.
This helps ensure the account does not resume with outdated daily loss values from the previous day.
If your cooldown starts before the daily reset and ends after it, the dashboard may reflect the new daily baseline when the pause ends.
Can the Protection pause happen more than once?
Yes. A Protection pause can happen again if the account later returns to the critical near-breach zone.
This can happen if trading resumes and the account remains close to a risk limit, or if new trading activity brings the account back into the critical zone.
Protection modes in Trader Settings
You can configure how FairTicks reacts when one of your accounts reaches the critical near-breach zone from: Trader Settings → Protection.
This setting controls the protection behavior around critical near-breach alerts. It does not change the actual breach rules of your account.
| Mode | How it behaves | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Protection Pause | FairTicks shows a critical alert and pauses new positions for 10 minutes. You can still close open positions during the pause. | Traders who want an extra safety layer against emotional decisions near breach. |
| Warning Only | FairTicks shows a critical warning at the near-breach level, but does not pause new positions. | Experienced traders who want to stay fully in control while still receiving a clear warning. |
| Minimal Interruption | FairTicks uses minimal warning behavior. No cooldown is triggered, but all breach rules remain fully active. | Advanced or aggressive traders who want the least interruption and accept full responsibility for continuing near breach. |
Changing your protection mode does not make the account safer or change the breach limit. Daily loss, max loss, trailing drawdown, and all other account rules remain active regardless of the selected mode.
Can I disable the cooldown?
Yes, if your Trader Settings allow it, you can choose a mode that does not trigger the 10-minute Protection pause. For example, Warning Only can show the critical warning without pausing new positions, while Minimal Interruption reduces interruption even further.
However, disabling the pause does not disable risk rules. If you continue trading near the limit and the account reaches the breach floor, the account can still be breached.
FairTicks recommends Protection Pause for most traders because it creates a short safety window when the account is already close to a breach.
What if I refresh the page or reconnect?
Refreshing the page, closing the browser tab, or reconnecting does not cancel the Protection pause. The pause is linked to the account state, not only to your current browser session.
If the pause is still active when you reconnect, your dashboard should continue showing the cooldown state. If the pause has ended and no other blocking condition applies, the account can return to active trading availability.
Common questions
“Is cooldown the same as a breach?”
No. Cooldown is not a breach. It is a temporary pause that can activate when your account is close to a risk limit. A breach happens only when an official risk rule is actually breached.
“Why am I in Protection pause if my equity has not breached?”
Because the account reached the critical near-breach zone. The pause is designed to activate before the breach, so you have time to clear your mind and stop adding risk.
“Can I close positions during cooldown?”
Yes. Closing existing positions remains allowed. Opening new exposure is blocked during the pause.
“Can I open a reverse trade during cooldown?”
No. A reverse trade opens a new direction after closing or reducing the current direction, so it is blocked during cooldown.
“Can I cancel the pause manually?”
No. If Protection Pause is active, the pause runs for its configured duration. You can still close existing positions while it is active.
“Can I turn off the 10-minute pause?”
If available in your Trader Settings, you can select Warning Only or Minimal Interruption. These modes reduce or remove the pause behavior, but the account can still breach if a risk limit is reached.
“Which mode is recommended?”
FairTicks recommends Protection Pause for most traders because it provides an extra safety layer near breach. More flexible modes are available for traders who intentionally prefer fewer interruptions.
“My pause ended. Why am I still close to breaching?”
Because the pause does not reset your account. It only blocks new exposure for a short period. Your daily loss, max loss, trailing drawdown, and equity levels remain based on the account's actual state.
“Does Protection pause affect payouts?”
You cannot request a payout while the account is in COOLDOWN.
Payout requests also require all normal payout eligibility conditions, including no open positions and any required KYC or payout checks.
“Does the pause count as a trading day?”
No. The pause itself does not create a trading day. Trading day tracking depends on actual trading activity according to FairTicks rules.
“Why did I get another Protection pause after the first one ended?”
A new pause can activate again if the account returns to the critical near-breach zone. This can happen when the account remains close to a risk limit or when new trading activity increases risk again.
Cooldown gives you time to stop adding risk.
Protection Pause activates near breach, blocks new exposure for 10 minutes, and still allows you to close positions. You can configure this behavior from Trader Settings, but breach rules always remain active.