FTMO news trading is restricted on the Standard FTMO Account and the FTMO Instant Account: no order may execute, Stop Loss and Take Profit fills included, from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after a restricted release, on the symbols that release targets. The FTMO Challenge and Verification are exempt, and so is the Swing account type, which ftmo.com offers only on the 2-Step. A position opened more than 2 minutes before the release may stay open.
Can you trade news with FTMO?
It depends on the phase and the account type. FTMO "restricts order execution for 2 minutes before and 2 minutes after selected news releases for all accounts, excluding the exceptions mentioned below." The exceptions are "any Swing type accounts" and "any accounts in the FTMO Challenge or Verification phase."
| Account | News window | Holding through a market break over 2 hours |
|---|---|---|
| FTMO Challenge or Verification, Standard or Swing | None; the Forbidden Trading Practices still apply | Allowed |
| FTMO Account, Standard type | No order may fill on a targeted symbol 2 minutes either side of a restricted release | Close every position before the break |
| FTMO Account, Swing type (2-Step only) | None; the Forbidden Trading Practices still apply | Allowed |
| FTMO Instant Account | As the Standard FTMO Account | As the Standard FTMO Account |
| FTMO Futures, any phase | None: "no special news restrictions" | Flat before 4:10 p.m. ET or the market close, every day |
The Instant Account belongs in the restricted rows. FTMO's comparison table gives its account type as "Standard account", and the news FAQ's first paragraph ends: "Violating this rule may result in termination of an FTMO Account / FTMO Instant Account."
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Can I trade news?, market breaks, Comparison Table, FTMO Futures news.
Check a fill against the window
Inside the window: this breaks the rule
An order execution on XAUUSD 1:10 after, inside the 2 minutes either side. FTMO says violating the rule may result in termination of an FTMO Account.
Holding through a release is allowed if the position was opened more than 2 minutes before it and nothing on it fills inside the window. FTMO gives the window in minutes; it doesn't say whether a fill exactly 2:00 away counts, so the check counts it in, our stricter reading.
Starts on an invented Take Profit on XAUUSD, 1:10 after US CPI. The releases, symbols and exemptions are FTMO's, read on 2026-10-18. The check reads what you enter, not your account; FTMO decides a violation.
It opens on an invented trade: a Standard FTMO Account whose Take Profit on XAUUSD fills 1:10 after US CPI. That's inside the window on a targeted symbol, a violation; on Swing the same fill is allowed. XAGUSD or BTCUSD turn the answer amber: both contain USD, but FTMO's table lists neither.
Which news events does FTMO restrict?
The 23 announcements in FTMO's news FAQ, each beside the symbols it restricts. "The following table lists all restricted events and the affected simulated assets."
| Currency | Announcements | Affected symbols |
|---|---|---|
| USD | Federal Funds Rate & Statement; Non-Farm Employment Change; Unemployment Rate & Wages; Advance GDP q/q; FOMC Meeting Minutes; CPI y/y | Forex pairs with USD; Gold (XAUUSD); US2000.cash, US500.cash, US100.cash, US30.cash; DXY |
| EUR | Main Refinancing Rate | Forex pairs with EUR |
| GBP | Official Bank Rate & MPC Votes; CPI y/y | Forex pairs with GBP |
| CAD | Overnight Rate/BOC Rate Statement; CPI m/m; Employment Change/Unemployment Rate | Forex pairs with CAD |
| AUD | Cash Rate & RBA Statement; Employment Change/Unemployment Rate; CPI m/m; CPI y/y; GDP q/q | Forex pairs with AUD |
| NZD | Official Cash Rate & RBNZ Rate Statement; Employment Change/Unemployment Rate; CPI q/q; GDP q/q | Forex pairs with NZD |
| CHF | SNB Policy Rate | Forex pairs with CHF |
| Crude oil | Crude Oil Inventories | Crude Oil (USOIL.cash, UKOIL.cash) |
For the other six currencies the table names forex pairs only, so by its wording GER40.cash and UK100.cash aren't targeted by EU or UK news.
FTMO's Economic Calendar marks these events "Restricted event", has a "Show only restricted events" filter, and shows times on your own clock. On 2026-10-18 it tagged 19 entries between 12 and 25 October. Low-impact Crude Oil Inventories was one; high-impact US Retail Sales and PPI were not.
FTMO's list decides what's restricted, whatever impact rating the calendar gives a release.Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Can I trade news?, Economic Calendar, Symbols.
What counts as trading inside the window?
Any fill in the four minutes from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after the release. "This restriction applies to any order execution, including your Stop Loss, Take Profit or any other pending orders." Holding is the exception: "You are allowed to hold open positions on the targeted instruments if they were opened more than 2 minutes before the restricted event."
- The fill is what counts. A Take Profit parked near price can break the rule while you touch nothing: a release can carry price to it in seconds.
- Only targeted symbols. FTMO's example: "during the US NFP release, you may trade EURGBP or AUDNZD; however, you must not open or close trades on USDJPY or GBPUSD."
- The edges. FTMO doesn't say whether a fill exactly 2:00 away counts, so the check counts it in, our stricter reading: FTMO lets you hold a position only if it was "opened more than 2 minutes before".
FTMO's calendar put US CPI y/y at 12:30 UTC on 14 October 2026. That window on each clock:
| Clock | Release | Window |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | 12:30 | 12:28–12:32 |
| New York (EDT) | 8:30 a.m. | 8:28–8:32 a.m. |
| London (BST) | 1:30 p.m. | 1:28–1:32 p.m. |
| CEST, FTMO's CE(S)T | 2:30 p.m. | 2:28–2:32 p.m. |
| MT4/MT5 server (GMT+3 that day) | 15:30 | 15:28–15:32 |
FTMO gives the MetaTrader server clock as "GMT+2 +DST"; its Symbols page showed GMT+3 on 2026-10-18. Europe's clocks go back on 25 October 2026 and New York's on 1 November, so these gaps shift for a week.
A worked example in dollars
An invented $100,000 FTMO Account from the 2-Step, Standard type, with a $100,000 balance at 00:00 CE(S)T. Its daily floor is $95,000, 5% of initial capital below that balance. On 14 October, 00:00 CEST was 22:00 UTC the evening before: 6:00 p.m. in New York, 11:00 p.m. in London.
At 12:10 UTC it buys 1 lot of XAUUSD, 20 minutes before US CPI, with a Take Profit worth $1,200 (all invented). Gold jumps on the release and the Take Profit fills at 12:31:10, 70 seconds after it: an order execution on a targeted symbol inside the window, so a violation, profit or not. On a Swing account, or in the Challenge or Verification, the same fill is allowed.
| Invented fill, 14 October | From the release | Standard or Instant | Swing, Challenge or Verification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take Profit fills at 12:31:10 UTC | 1:10 after | Violates the rule | Allowed |
| Take Profit fills at 12:32:30 UTC | 2:30 after | Allowed | Allowed |
| New buy at 12:28:30 UTC | 1:30 before | Violates the rule | Allowed |
| Opened at 12:10, nothing fills until 12:40 | Held through | Allowed | Allowed |
Allowed means allowed by the news rule; the gap-trading clause below still applies. And the loss limits sit on top: had gold dropped instead, equity under $95,000 would have failed the account on any account type.
Does the FTMO news rule apply to Swing accounts?
Swing removes both conduct rules in exchange for lower leverage, up to 1:30 instead of 1:100. In FTMO's words, it has "No restrictions on trading during restricted news releases or holding positions past market close for more than 2 hours (e.g., over the weekend or overnight for equities)".
| Standard | Swing | |
|---|---|---|
| Offered on ftmo.com | 2-Step, 1-Step, Instant | 2-Step only |
| News window on the FTMO Account | Yes | No |
| Market breaks over 2 hours on the FTMO Account | Close before the break | No restriction |
| Leverage | Up to 1:100 | Up to 1:30 |
| Switching | Can't become Swing | Can become Standard on an account with no trades |
The leverage is the cost. One lot of EURUSD is 100,000 euros, $116,000 at an invented 1.1600. At 1:100 that ties up $1,160 of margin; at 1:30, about $3,867.
You pick Swing when you order the 2-Step. "If you purchase an FTMO Challenge as a Standard account type, it is not possible to change it to a Swing account type at a later stage." The other way works on an account with no trades, and FTMO gives you a new one "once you pass each phase or withdraw a Reward", which counts as having none.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: the Swing account type, account changes, account specifications, Symbols.
Can you hold FTMO trades over the weekend?
In the Challenge, the Verification and on Swing accounts, yes. A Standard FTMO Account or an Instant Account must close everything before "market breaks longer than 2 hours": the weekend on every symbol below except BTCUSD, and every night on symbols that stop for longer than that.
| Symbol | Hours, Monday to Friday (GMT+3) | Nightly break | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD | 00:05–23:55 | 10 minutes | Closed |
| XAUUSD | 01:05–23:50 | 1 h 15 min | Closed |
| US500.cash | 01:05–23:50 | 1 h 15 min | Closed |
| AAPL | 16:35–23:00 | 17 h 35 min | Closed |
| BTCUSD | 00:05–23:55 | 10 minutes | Saturday 00:05–23:55, Sunday 01:05–23:55 |
By our conversion (GMT+3 = UTC+3 on 2026-10-18), forex's 00:05–23:55 runs 5:05 p.m.–4:55 p.m. New York (10:05 p.m.–9:55 p.m. London, 21:05–20:55 UTC), and AAPL's 16:35–23:00 runs 9:35 a.m.–4:00 p.m. New York (2:35–9:00 p.m. London, 13:35–20:00 UTC).
The hours are FTMO's; the breaks are our arithmetic. FTMO's table leaves out amended hours, holidays and maintenance, which go on its Trading Updates page. Forex stops for the weekend at Friday's 23:55.
The catch is in the Forbidden Trading Practices, which apply in the evaluation and on FTMO Accounts alike. They count as gap trading "opening simulated trades ... two hours or less before a relevant financial market is closed for at least two hours". A Swing account may hold a Friday trade through the weekend, but a new forex trade opened after 21:55 server time on Friday 16 October (18:55 UTC, 2:55 p.m. New York, 7:55 p.m. London) falls inside that wording, at FTMO's discretion. Weekend trading itself isn't banned: "If the market is open, you are free to trade as usual."
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: market breaks, Can I trade on the weekend?, Symbols, Forbidden Trading Practices.
What happens if you break the news rule?
FTMO's line: "Violating this rule may result in termination of an FTMO Account / FTMO Instant Account." A Maximum Loss or Maximum Daily Loss breach is automatic: "the platform automatically closes all your open positions, and the account is considered failed." The news rule isn't one of those Trading Objectives, and FTMO doesn't say whether a first violation ends the account or only costs the trade.
The Forbidden Trading Practices, home of the gap-trading clause, list corrective actions from "removal of simulated trades from your history" to "termination of all agreements you have with us."
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Can I trade news?, What are the Trading Objectives?, Forbidden Trading Practices.
FTMO US and FTMO Futures
- FTMO US (ftmo.oanda.com) publishes the same 2-minute rule, exemptions and announcements. It lists XAUUSD.sim, US500.sim, US100.sim, US30.sim and USOIL.sim, with no DXY, US2000 or UKOIL, and a violation "may result in termination of an FTMO Rewards Account / FTMO Instant Account."
- FTMO Futures allows "News trading ... during any phase, with no special news restrictions", though its risk standards name "News-Event Concentration": trading around scheduled events in a pattern unlike the rest of your trading. Positions and resting orders must be closed "before 4:10 p.m. ET or the relevant market close, whichever is sooner, on each trading day": 20:10 UTC and 9:10 p.m. in London until 25 October, 8:10 p.m. in London until 1 November, then 21:10 UTC and 9:10 p.m. in London.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: FTMO US news, FTMO Futures news, FTMO Futures overnight, Futures Forbidden Trading Practices.
Where do FTMO's own pages disagree?
- The list and the calendar. The news FAQ lists US "CPI y/y" and Canadian "CPI m/m". The calendar also tagged US CPI m/m and Core CPI m/m on 14 October, four more Canadian CPI lines on 19 October and five UK releases beside CPI on 21 October. Each came out in the same minute as a listed release, so the window was the same.
- News in the evaluation. The news FAQ says that in the Challenge and Verification "you can trade during any news freely". The Forbidden Trading Practices count "opening simulated trades ... when major global news, macroeconomic events ... are scheduled" as gap trading. FTMO's discretion decides.
- The Instant Account's own page. Its FAQ preview says the market-break rule applies "only once you start trading on an FTMO Account"; the full FAQ (edited 2026-10-11) names the FTMO Instant Account, though the Instant page was edited a day later (2026-10-12).
- Swing on the FTMO US 1-Step. FTMO US's Swing FAQ (edited 2026-10-12) offers Swing on "the 1-Step FTMO Challenge and 2-Step FTMO Challenge products"; its comparison table (2026-10-09) lists the 1-Step as "Standard account". On ftmo.com, Swing is 2-Step only.
Not published
- Which clock the window runs on, and whether a fill exactly 2 minutes away counts.
- Whether XAGUSD, BTCUSD and other symbols the table doesn't name count for US news.
- Calendar entries past the coming week: on 2026-10-18 the data ran only to 25 October.
- What a first violation costs, beyond "may result in termination".
- A separate price for the Swing account type: FTMO's home page shows none.
- Which daylight-saving change the "GMT+2 +DST" server clock follows.
- The FTMO Account Terms and Conditions: FTMO's terms page lists 9 documents, and that isn't one of them.
Where we sit
We're not affiliated with FTMO and earn nothing if you buy from it. We sell the Prop Firm Challenge Toolkit, a TradingView indicator that tracks loss and target buffers in dollars from the rule numbers you enter. It doesn't know FTMO's calendar or flag a news window. More firms are on the prop firms hub.
Sources and their last edits
Each page was read on 2026-10-18. Dates are each page's own last-modified stamp.
- Can I trade news?, 2026-10-11; market breaks, 2026-10-11; weekend trading, 2026-07-17.
- Forbidden Trading Practices, 2026-10-12; Trading Objectives, 2026-10-12; What are the Trading Objectives?, 2026-10-06.
- Swing, 2026-10-06; account changes, 2026-10-09; account specifications, 2026-10-05; Comparison Table, 2026-10-09.
- Economic Calendar, 2025-09-22, data read live; Symbols, 2026-10-08, hours read live; Instant Account, 2026-10-12; home page, 2026-10-15.
- FTMO Futures: news, 2026-08-31; overnight, 2026-10-11; Forbidden Trading Practices, 2026-09-22.
- FTMO US: news, 2026-10-12; Swing, 2026-10-12; comparison table, 2026-10-09.
Disclosure
The check and the worked example use invented trades and FTMO's published rules; the clock conversions and break lengths are our arithmetic. Neither is advice or a view on whether an FTMO account is worth buying, and FTMO decides a violation. If a rule here no longer matches FTMO's pages, email support@pulltrade.app and we'll correct it in public.
Frequently asked questions
Can you trade news on FTMO?
In the FTMO Challenge and Verification, yes, as long as you avoid the Forbidden Trading Practices. On an FTMO Account or an FTMO Instant Account, no order may execute on a targeted symbol from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after a restricted release, unless the account is the Swing type.
What is FTMO's news window?
Four minutes: 2 minutes before and 2 minutes after each restricted release. It covers any order execution, a Stop Loss, Take Profit or pending order included. A position opened more than 2 minutes before the release can stay open, as long as nothing on it fills inside the window.
Which news events does FTMO restrict?
FTMO's news FAQ lists 23 announcements for the US, the euro area, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland, plus Crude Oil Inventories: among them Non-Farm Employment Change, CPI, the Federal Funds Rate and the FOMC Minutes. Its Economic Calendar marks them Restricted event.
Which symbols does an FTMO news release affect?
Only the symbols FTMO lists for that release: forex pairs with its currency, plus gold, four US indices and DXY for US news, and US and UK crude for Crude Oil Inventories. FTMO's own example: during NFP you may trade EURGBP or AUDNZD, but not USDJPY or GBPUSD.
What is the FTMO Swing account?
On ftmo.com, an account type offered only on the 2-Step FTMO Challenge; FTMO US also lists it for the 1-Step. It has no news window and no rule against holding through market breaks longer than 2 hours, such as the weekend, and its leverage is up to 1:30 instead of 1:100. You can switch from Swing to Standard on an account with no trades, never the other way.
Can you hold FTMO trades over the weekend?
In the Challenge and Verification, and on Swing accounts, yes. A Standard FTMO Account or an FTMO Instant Account must close every position before any market break longer than 2 hours, the weekend included. FTMO's forex hours pause for 10 minutes a night, so forex can be held overnight; equity CFDs close for hours.
What happens if you trade news on a funded FTMO account?
FTMO says violating the rule may result in termination of the FTMO Account or FTMO Instant Account. It doesn't publish whether a first violation ends the account or only removes the trade. Its Forbidden Trading Practices list corrective actions that run from removing trades to ending all agreements.
Does FTMO Futures restrict news trading?
No. FTMO Futures allows news trading in any phase with no special news restrictions. Every trading day you must be flat, with no resting orders, before 4:10 p.m. ET or the market close, whichever is sooner.
