News releases such as US jobs data, inflation figures and central bank decisions move prices fast and can jump straight past a stop. Prop firms take on that risk on every funded account, so many restrict trading around the biggest releases. The restriction is usually narrow, but it catches traders who do not know exactly what it covers.

How FTMO’s rule works

FTMO publishes its rule in full. On a funded FTMO Account it restricts order execution from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after selected news releases. Three details matter:

How FTMO’s rule works. Evaluation (Challenge, Verification): None; FTMO Account (Standard): No order execution 2 minutes before and after selected releases; FTMO Instant Account: Restricted, same window; Swing account (2-Step only): None, but leverage is 1:30 instead of 1:100
How FTMO’s rule works: the figures from this section at a glance.
  • It covers any execution, including your stop loss, take profit and pending orders. A stop that triggers inside the window counts.
  • Only the affected instruments are restricted. A US release restricts dollar pairs and related markets; FTMO says trading non-targeted instruments is not restricted.
  • Positions opened earlier can stay open if they were opened more than 2 minutes before the release.
AccountNews restriction at FTMO
Evaluation (Challenge, Verification)None
FTMO Account (Standard)No order execution 2 minutes before and after selected releases
FTMO Instant AccountRestricted, same window
Swing account (2-Step only)None, but leverage is 1:30 instead of 1:100

FTMO marks the affected releases as “Restricted event” on its economic calendar. They include rate decisions and major data from the US, eurozone, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland, plus US crude oil inventories. Breaking the rule may end the funded account.

The trap: passing with a strategy you cannot keep

Because the evaluation at FTMO has no news restriction, a trader can pass using a news strategy that is not allowed once funded. Plan for the funded rules from day one, or choose a Swing account if news trading is central to your method and you can live with lower leverage.

Other firms

News rules vary more than almost any other rule: some firms have none, some use a wider window, some apply it in the evaluation too, and some ban only certain strategies around news rather than all trading. Read the rule on the exact plan you are buying, and check whether it names your stop loss.

Staying on the right side

  1. Check the firm’s economic calendar each morning for restricted events on the instruments you trade.
  2. Close or leave positions alone well before the window; do not place or adjust orders inside it.
  3. Move stops and targets away from levels that could be hit inside the window, or flatten before it.
  4. Trade instruments not tied to the release if you want to stay active.

Our economic calendar shows the week’s high-impact releases in your own time zone.

Frequently asked

Can you trade news with a prop firm?

Often during the evaluation, less often on the funded account. FTMO, for example, has no news restriction in the Challenge or Verification but restricts order execution 2 minutes before and after selected releases on a funded Standard account.

Does a stop loss count as trading during news?

At FTMO, yes. The restriction covers any order execution, including stop losses, take profits and pending orders, so a stop that triggers inside the window breaks the rule.

Which news is restricted?

Firms name their own list. FTMO restricts selected releases from the US, eurozone, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland, plus US crude oil inventories, and marks them as restricted on its calendar. Only instruments tied to the release are affected.

Is there a prop account with no news restriction?

At FTMO, the Swing account type on the 2-Step Challenge has no news restriction and allows holding over weekends, but its leverage is 1:30 instead of 1:100.