Prop firm news rules: the three versions, and how to find yours

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Prop firm news rules: the three versions, and how to find yours

Big economic releases can move futures prices a long way in seconds. Firms handle them in one of three ways. Knowing which one your account has decides whether you can hold a trade through the release.

Key words

  • Release: a scheduled report, such as inflation (CPI) or the jobs report, both at 8:30 AM New York time, or a Federal Reserve rate decision (FOMC), usually at 2:00 PM.
  • Flat: no open positions. Some news rules also mean no working orders, stops and limits included.
  • Slippage: when your order fills at a worse price than you set, common in fast moves.

Version 1: no restriction, no exceptions

You can trade through any release. But if one hurts you, the loss counts in full: no exceptions and no refunds because it was news. (one firm, checked 26 Sept 2026) Your stop can also fill well past its price in a fast move.

Version 2: flat for a set time around the release

You must have no position and no orders for a set number of minutes before and after listed releases. (one firm, checked 26 Sept 2026) At some firms the platform closes your position for you. (one firm, 22 Feb 2025)

Example: a 2-minute rule around an 8:30 release.

flat by 8:28 release 8:30 trade again 8:32

Some firms treat an accident differently from ignoring the rule on purpose. Read which releases are on the list: it’s usually the biggest ones, and it may include reports for the market you trade, such as energy or crop reports.

Version 3: restricted on some accounts only

The same firm can allow news trading in the evaluation and restrict it in the funded account, or the other way round, or only on one plan. (one firm, checked 26 Sept 2026) The rule you read may not be the rule for your account.

Links in brackets go to one firm’s own page as an example, checked 26 September 2026. Your firm’s wording may differ.

Five questions for your firm’s news rule

  1. Which of my accounts does it cover: evaluation, funded, or both?
  2. Which releases are on the list? Use your firm’s own list, not a public calendar’s ratings.
  3. How many minutes before and after?
  4. Flat, no new trades, or no fills of any kind, stops included?
  5. What happens if I break it: a closed trade, a warning, or a closed account?
Why the rule exists. In the seconds around a big release, prices jump and stops can fill far from where they were set. A news rule keeps one release from doing damage that no stop could have limited. It protects your account as much as the firm’s money.

What to do with this

  • Add the release times to your calendar for the week, in your own time zone.
  • Make it a rule you can check: “No position from 8:25 to 8:35 on CPI and jobs days.” Then put it in the Desk as a banned condition.
  • Save a dated copy of the news rule with the rest of your firm’s rules. Here’s how.
The rules that aren’t about numbersCopy trading, hedging and shared devices. Why was my payout refused?The rules that hold up a withdrawal. One-page rulebookYour firm’s rules and yours, on one page.

Put the news rule where you’ll see it

Add it to your one-page rulebook, in your firm’s words, with the date. Free and printable.

Open the rulebook

Track it as you go

The Rules Desk Journal & Workbook is a 500-row trade log that works out your win-rate range, break-even, average result per trade and what rule breaks cost you. $39, instant download.

See what's in it

Educational material only. Not investment advice. Trading futures involves substantial risk of loss and most people who try it lose money. Check your account rules with your firm; they change.