Trading economic news, explained
Many firms ban or limit trades opened or closed around major releases (NFP, CPI, rate decisions). Breaking the rule can void your profits or fail the account.
Updated October 25, 2026
How it works
The rule sets a window, often 2 to 5 minutes before and after the release, in which you may not open or close a position.
"Restricted" often means allowed in the evaluation but banned on the funded account, or only for some releases. Read your plan's details.
Worked example
NFP is released at 8:30 am New York time, with a 2-minute window before and after.
- A trade opened at 8:20 and closed at 8:40: usually fine, since nothing opens or closes inside the window.
- A stop or target hit at 8:31 often counts as a close inside the window: that trade's profit can be removed.
Watch out for
- Keep an economic calendar open and note the week's high-impact releases.
- Pending orders filled inside the window count too.
11 plans have this rule
- FundingPips 2 Step Standard 100K
- Alpha Capital Group Alpha Pro 8% 25K
- Lucid Trading LucidDaily 150K
- The5ers High Stakes 100K
- FundingPips 2 Step Standard 5K
- FundingPips 2 Step Standard 10K
- FundingPips 2 Step Standard 25K
- Lucid Trading LucidDaily 25K
And 3 more, in the comparison.