One Prop Trader a Day – Silviu Dumitraș: Know Your Data, Know Your Strategy
TL;DR — interview summary
Romanian trader Silviu Dumitraș describes trading US and EU indexes and currencies using strategy data, risk management and mentorship. He reports becoming funded in 2021 and learning an expensive lesson after moving a stop loss. His central messages are to understand your strategy, respect risk limits and pay yourself from payouts. His income claims and hypothetical targets are personal statements, not typical or verified returns.
One Prop Trader a Day – Episode 56
About Silviu Dumitraș
Silviu Dumitraș is a 26-year-old trader from Romania who trades primarily US and EU indexes across the morning and afternoon sessions, along with currencies. He says he received his first funded account with FTMO in 2021 and subsequently supported himself through prop trading, including vacations, family trips and a house purchase. These are his personal reports, not independently audited results. He trades both swing and intraday using ICT and SMC concepts layered with fundamental analysis and sentiment, and lives by two rules: respect your stop loss, and always pay the trader. His edge, he says, comes down to knowing his data and trusting the law of large numbers.
Should a trader pay themselves first? Silviu Dumitraș, a 26-year-old from Romania who trades the US and EU indexes in the morning and afternoon sessions, books a vacation out of his payouts on principle, and has been funded since 2021 when the prop firm industry was still small. In this interview, he explains the ICT and SMC read behind his entries, the 7,000 euros he lost on EURUSD in 2020 by moving his stop loss, and why he says the data told him funding was only a matter of time.
Getting funded and receiving payouts
Quick intro – who are you, and what do you trade?
I am 26 years old, from Romania. I trade basically all the markets, but I am primarily focused on US and EU indexes in the morning and afternoon sessions.
When did you become a funded trader? What changed for you at that point?
I first became funded in 2021, back when the prop firm industry wasn’t that popular — I still remember my FTMO account. Life changed completely, because I was able to make a living trading prop firms, in every aspect.
What’s the first thing you bought or paid off with trading money that felt like proof it was working?
A vacation. I am very much about “pay the trader” — if you earned the money, reward your brain every time you make a payout. Always allocate a certain percentage of your payouts to pay yourself.
How many times did you fail before getting funded? What kept you going?
Around 3 to 4 times before my first actual payout. What kept me going was data — I knew my strategy worked and it was just a matter of time until I got funded and withdrew properly. Know your data, know your strategy, and study the law of large numbers.
Risk management and his most expensive lesson
What’s the single most expensive lesson you’ve paid for?
Trading is not only about technicals — technicals are just one part of a complete strategy. It’s about risk management too. Fix that first, especially with prop firms, where you need flexible risk management based on which part of the challenge you’re in: phase one, phase two, or funded.
What was your lowest point in trading? Did you ever consider quitting?
Never quitting. My lowest point was Covid, in 2020, when I lost around €7,000 on EURUSD because I moved my stop loss while price ran against me. One of the most important lessons I ever learned: have a stop loss, and don’t move it.
Did trading ever affect you mentally or emotionally?
The only thing that really affected me mentally is the stress. I manage it by doing a lot of sport so I can detach myself — that’s the only way I’ve found that works.
Trading style and daily routine
What does your trading style look like today?
I do both swing and intraday. For swing I use D1, H4, and H1; for day trading, H1, M30, and M15. Assets are indexes and currencies. I use ICT and SMC concepts together with fundamental analysis and sentiment to find the best entry point.
What’s a typical trading day for you?
One hour watching charts, executing, and managing at the open of the EU session; one hour at the open of the NY session; and about 25 minutes at the end of the day for execution and management.
Walk us through your most recent losing trade – what you’d do differently.
Just don’t be that greedy — that’s what I’d change. I try to go for the big run, 1:3 or 1:4. If I went with 1:1 or 1:1.5 risk-reward, my profitability would change a lot.
What’s a popular trading rule or piece of advice that you completely ignore – and why?
I have MT5 installed on my phone and I watch it non-stop.
Lifestyle, consistency and mentorship
Do people around you understand what you do? How do they react?
No. They only know I do something related to financial markets. I try not to talk about it.
How has trading impacted your lifestyle?
In a better way, obviously. Payouts have given me a lot of vacations with my family, and a house I recently purchased from payouts across multiple firms.
What separates you from someone who washed out at their third evaluation?
Consistency, understanding of the edge, understanding of the law of large numbers, and having a mentor.
What advice would you give yourself one year ago?
Listen to your damn mentor more!
If prop firms disappeared tomorrow, would you still be trading? Doing what?
Broker accounts, obviously. Nothing would change dramatically — only the risk approach and the account size.
His hypothetical million-dollar account plan
If I gave you a $1,000,000 funded account today, what would you do in the first 7 days?
Trade US and EU indexes with 0.20% risk per trade, 1:1 risk-reward, targeting 2 to 3% a week.
Supporting certificates
A selection of payout and funding certificates supplied for this interview, associated with Alpha Capital and Funding Pips. These images provide context; they do not independently verify total withdrawals, net earnings after fees or current account status.
Interview FAQs
Editorial answers summarizing the interview above.
What markets does Silviu trade?
He says he primarily trades US and EU indexes, alongside currencies, using both swing and intraday approaches.
When did he first become funded?
Silviu reports receiving his first funded account in 2021 and recalls an FTMO account. This is his account of his experience at the time of the interview.
What does he mean by knowing his data?
He describes using his strategy data to maintain confidence through unsuccessful attempts, alongside consistency, risk management and mentorship. The interview does not provide a backtest or independently verify an edge.
What risk-management lesson does he emphasize?
He reports losing around €7,000 on EURUSD in 2020 after moving his stop loss. He presents respecting his stop loss as a lesson from that experience.
Is his 2–3% weekly target a verified return?
No. He gives that target in response to a hypothetical million-dollar account question. It is not evidence of an achieved return or a forecast for readers.
Source and editorial note
The primary source is JoinProp’s interview with Silviu Dumitraș, originally published July 7, 2026 and reproduced above. His LinkedIn profile provides identity context, not independent verification of trading results.
The interview describes one trader’s reported experience. Income and payout claims are not independently audited; the million-dollar account scenario is hypothetical, and its weekly target is not a return guarantee. Certificate images do not establish net earnings after fees. Ages and biographical details refer to the time of the interview. The summary, navigation, FAQs and editorial notes were updated September 24, 2026.
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