Topstep allows news trading under two published rules. For 5 minutes either side of CPI, NFP, the FOMC rate decision and the FOMC press conference, Combine and Express Funded accounts can't open new ES, NQ, RTY, YM, NKD, GC, SI, HG or PL positions, and micros are capped, at 3, 6 or 9 on a 50K, 100K or 150K Combine. Separately, Topstep prohibits purposefully trading your full Maximum Position Size directly into a scheduled major news event.
Topstep's news rules at a glance
| During a Tier 1 window | Trading Combine | Express Funded Account | Live Funded Account |
|---|---|---|---|
| New ES, NQ, RTY, YM, NKD, GC, SI, HG or PL positions | None | None | Not published |
| MES, MNQ, M2K, MYM, MGC | Up to 3 / 6 / 9 | Up to 1 to 9, by balance | Not published |
| SIL and MHG | Up to 2 / 5 / 7, but 2 / 4 / 6 all session | Up to 1 to 7, by balance, but 2 / 4 / 6 all session | Not published |
| Energies, rates, FX | Unaffected | Unaffected | No window published |
Combine figures are for 50K / 100K / 150K. The second rule, in Topstep's words: "Purposefully trading your full Maximum Position Size directly into a scheduled major news event." It sits on Topstep's list of prohibited trading strategies and names no account type.
The window now covers NFP and both FOMC releases. An archived copy of the same page from 2026-10-07 restricted CPI only.Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Risk Adjustments: High Risk/High Volatility, Prohibited Trading Strategies at Topstep
Which news events are restricted on Topstep?
Four, which Topstep calls Tier 1 News Events. Its rule opens: "Ahead of Tier 1 News Events (for example, CPI, FOMC, NFP), Topstep temporarily restricts new opening positions on equity index products and metals in SIM." The table under it lists exactly these:
| Tier 1 event | Release, CT | Window, CT | Window, ET |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPI | 7:30 AM | 7:25 to 7:35 AM | 8:25 to 8:35 AM |
| Non Farm Payroll (NFP/Unemployment Rate) | 7:30 AM | 7:25 to 7:35 AM | 8:25 to 8:35 AM |
| FOMC rate decision | 1:00 PM | 12:55 to 1:05 PM | 1:55 to 2:05 PM |
| FOMC press conference | 1:30 PM | 1:25 to 1:35 PM | 2:25 to 2:35 PM |
An FOMC day has two windows, half an hour apart. Between them, from 1:06 to 1:24 PM CT (2:06 to 2:24 PM ET), the usual limits are back.
Topstep's Economic Releases page lists six "common" releases. Three of them aren't in the Tier 1 table, though Topstep names economic releases among the times slippage is most likely:
| Release (Topstep's name) | CT | ET | In the Tier 1 table? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPI Report | 7:30 AM | 8:30 AM | Yes |
| Unemployment Rate (Non-Farm Payroll) | 7:30 AM | 8:30 AM | Yes |
| FOMC Statement | 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM | Yes, as the rate decision |
| Crude Oil Inventories (EIA) | 9:30 AM / 10:00 AM | 10:30 AM / 11:00 AM | No |
| Natural Gas Inventories (EIA) | 9:30 AM | 10:30 AM | No |
| Crop Production | 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM | No |
Topstep prints no dates: "Traders are responsible for knowing what releases are scheduled and when." The Federal Reserve lists FOMC meetings on its calendar, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics schedules CPI and the jobs report. bls.gov refused our automated request on 2026-10-18, so those two links are unchecked. TopstepX's Trader Hub also has a calendar, shown in your computer's time zone and color-coded by impact, with red for high; Topstep doesn't say whether every red event counts as Tier 1. For the window itself, Topstep says it will email you and show a banner at the top of the platform.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Risk Adjustments: High Risk/High Volatility, Economic Releases, Order Types, Fills, and Slippage, TopstepX™
What time is the Topstep news window in New York, London and UTC?
Topstep writes Chicago time (CT). New York is an hour ahead all year, so CPI's window is 8:25 to 8:35 AM ET in July and in January. London and UTC shift when the clocks change:
| Dates | CPI and NFP | FOMC rate decision | FOMC press conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 29 to October 24, 2026 | 1:25–1:35 PM London, 12:25–12:35 UTC | 6:55–7:05 PM London, 17:55–18:05 UTC | 7:25–7:35 PM London, 18:25–18:35 UTC |
| October 25–31, 2026 | 12:25–12:35 PM London, 12:25–12:35 UTC | 5:55–6:05 PM London, 17:55–18:05 UTC | 6:25–6:35 PM London, 18:25–18:35 UTC |
| November 1, 2026 to March 13, 2027 | 1:25–1:35 PM London, 13:25–13:35 UTC | 6:55–7:05 PM London, 18:55–19:05 UTC | 7:25–7:35 PM London, 19:25–19:35 UTC |
Chicago runs on daylight time (CDT, UTC−5) from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November; London runs on summer time (BST, UTC+1) from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Most of the year London is six hours ahead of Chicago. In the weeks when only one has changed, it's five, which is why late October is an hour earlier in London. The same gap comes back from March 14 to 27, 2027. The check below converts any date you enter.
Ten minutes, 7:25 to 7:35 AM CT. Energies, rates and FX trade through it.
A schematic, not market data. Clocks for a weekday while Chicago and London are both on summer time; from October 25 to 31, 2026, London reads an hour earlier, and from November 1, UTC reads an hour later. Metals follow the same window: GC, SI, HG and PL like the top row, MGC like the micros, SIL and MHG at 2.
Rule: Topstep's Tier 1 News Events, read 2026-10-18: no new opening trades in equity-index and metal minis for 5 minutes before and after CPI, NFP, the FOMC rate decision and the FOMC press conference; micros capped at 3, 6 or 9 on a 50K, 100K or 150K Trading Combine; energies, rates and FX unaffected.
Read as text
- 7:24 AM CT: one minute to go. Every product still trades at its usual limits.
- 7:25 AM CT: the window opens. No new ES or NQ positions; micros capped at 3 on a 50K.
- 7:30 AM CT: the release. Brackets that reduce or close a position are still accepted.
- 7:35 AM CT: the last minute. Pending ES or NQ orders won't fill inside the window.
- 7:36 AM CT: the window is over. Usual limits again.
- Ten minutes, 7:25 to 7:35 AM CT. Energies, rates and FX trade through it.
What can you trade during the window?
Fewer contracts, in two groups of products. Minis of the equity indexes and metals can't be opened at all, and their micros are capped. Topstep says "Other products (energies, rates, FX, etc.) are unaffected." On the Trading Combine:
| Trading Combine | Minis: ES, NQ, RTY, YM, NKD, GC, SI, HG, PL | Micros: MES, MNQ, M2K, MYM, MGC | SIL and MHG |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| $100,000 | 0 | 6 | 5 |
| $150,000 | 0 | 9 | 7 |
An Express Funded Account (XFA) is capped by its balance, in the same bands as its Scaling Plan. Minis stay at 0 in every band:
| XFA | Balance | Micros in the window | SIL and MHG | Scaling Plan maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | Below $1,500 / $1,500 to $2,000 / Above $2,000 | 1 / 1 / 3 | 1 / 1 / 2 | 2 / 3 / 5 lots |
| $100,000 | Below $1,500 / $1,500 to $2,000 / $2,000 to $3,000 / Above $3,000 | 1 / 2 / 3 / 6 | 1 / 2 / 2 / 5 | 3 / 4 / 5 / 10 lots |
| $150,000 | Below $1,500 / $1,500 to $2,000 / $2,000 to $3,000 / $3,000 to $4,500 / Above $4,500 | 1 / 2 / 3 / 6 / 9 | 1 / 2 / 2 / 5 / 7 | 3 / 4 / 5 / 10 / 15 lots |
An invented example: a 100K XFA with a $2,400 balance sits in the $2,000 to $3,000 band, so inside the window it can open 3 micros and 2 SIL or MHG, and no minis. A $700 day takes it to $3,100. Once the Scaling Plan moves it up, its window cap becomes 6 micros and its maximum 10 lots, but not mid-session: limits "do not increase mid-session."
Capped: 3 MES at most until 7:35 AM CT
7:27 AM CT is inside the CPI window, 7:25 AM to 7:35 AM CT. On a 50K Trading Combine the window allows 3 micros in MES, MNQ, M2K, MYM or MGC, and 2 in SIL or MHG. You entered 5.
Starts on five MES on a 50K Trading Combine, three minutes before CPI. Rules from Topstep's Risk Adjustments, Trading Combine and Scaling Plan pages and its Prohibited Trading Strategies list, read on 2026-10-18. Topstep gives the window to the minute, so the check counts both edge minutes (7:25 and 7:35 AM CT for CPI) as inside it. Topstep publishes no release dates: enter the date to see the clocks. Your TopstepX platform, which enforces the window, is the source of truth.
The check opens on five MES on a 50K Trading Combine at 7:27 AM CT (8:27 AM ET), three minutes before CPI: capped at 3. Slide the minute to 7:22 and the window no longer applies. Pick ES and enter 5, though, and it's the account's full Maximum Position Size heading into a release, the strategy Topstep lists as prohibited.
Separate from the window, Topstep's high-volatility caps hold some products down all session. Topstep calls them temporary and changes them with the market; these are the ones we read today, for 50K / 100K / 150K:
| Product | Combine, XFA and Pro Account | Live Funded Account |
|---|---|---|
| CL, QM, RB, HO | 3 / 6 / 9 | 3 / 6 / 9 |
| MCL | 30 / 60 / 90 | 3 / 6 / 9 |
| GC | 3 / 6 / 9 | 3 / 6 / 9 |
| MGC | 30 / 60 / 90 | 5 / 10 / 15 |
| SI, HG, PL | 0 | 0 |
| SIL, MHG | 2 / 4 / 6 | 2 / 4 / 6 |
On an XFA these are ceilings; the Scaling Plan can set a lower one. As we read them today, SI, HG and PL sit at 0 in both columns, window or not. SIL and MHG don't add up: the window allows 5 on a 100K and 7 on a 150K, this cap only 4 and 6, and Topstep doesn't say which wins. The check uses the lower.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Risk Adjustments: High Risk/High Volatility, What is the Scaling Plan?, Trading Combine® Parameters
Can you hold a position through the news on Topstep?
Topstep's rule is about opening trades, and it spells out three cases around them.
- Positions you already hold. "Traders holding existing positions in energies and metals prior to 5 minutes before the news event may keep them open and manage them through the Tier 1 News Events window." The sentence doesn't mention equity-index positions, the other group the window restricts.
- Closing. "TP/SL brackets that are reducing/closing positions will be accepted during the window."
- Pending orders. "They will not fill during the 10-minute window, and new pending orders intended to execute during this timeframe cannot be placed."
Holding through a release carries its own risk. Topstep's Maximum Loss Limit counts unrealized P&L in real time and closes the position by market order when it's touched; "slippage may push the fill slightly above or below the limit." And Topstep "doesn't make account adjustments for losses attributable to" slippage. How the limit trails and where it locks is in Topstep's trailing drawdown.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Risk Adjustments: High Risk/High Volatility, What is the Maximum Loss Limit?, Economic Releases
Does the news rule apply to the Combine, the XFA and Live?
To the Combine and the XFA, yes: both are simulated, and Topstep's tables give their caps. For the rest, Topstep is less clear.
- Live Funded Account. The rule says "in SIM", and neither the Live Funded Account Parameters page nor Dynamic Live Risk Expansion mentions news. We found no Live window. The prohibited-strategy rule names no account type.
- Pro Account. A "simulated account with parameters similar to an LFA". The high-volatility caps name it; the Tier 1 tables don't.
- Topstep Labs. The Tier 1 table gives each Labs account its own cap: the $1.5K, $3K and $6K Challenges allow no trading in the window, the $3K Undead 3 micros, the $3K Slasher and the 25K 1, the 250K 15 and the $50K Static 2.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Risk Adjustments: High Risk/High Volatility, Live Funded Account Parameters, Dynamic Live Risk Expansion, What is a Pro Account?, Topstep Labs
What happens if you trade through a release?
For the window itself, the platform does the enforcing: "TopstepX™ automatically enforces these limits," and "TopstepX™ is the only available trading platform." Topstep names no penalty for the window.
The full-size rule is different. Topstep lists "Trading Maximum Position Size into Major News Events" among prohibited strategies it calls "hard stops", without defining a major news event or naming a penalty. For more, that page points to Prohibited Conduct, whose possible responses run from a warning, through deleting the trading day or resetting the account, to permanent closure and a delayed or denied payout. Topstep's "Do's and Don'ts of Responsible Trading" put "Go full port, especially on news" under No, and "Know the news and size accordingly" under Yes. Going full port, or maxing position size on most of your trades, is also on the list of signs that can put you in the Responsible Trading Program, where new accounts come with a Daily Loss Limit.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Prohibited Trading Strategies at Topstep, Prohibited Conduct, What is Responsible Trading?, What is the Responsible Trading Program?, New to Topstep? Start here.
What changed in October 2026?
Topstep extended the window to more releases and rewrote its news advice within days. The Internet Archive kept copies of both pages from before:
- Risk Adjustments. The copy captured 2026-10-07 (page last edited 2026-10-02) had "CPI Release Restrictions" only. Its micro cap included SIL and MHG at 3 / 6 / 9, and its existing-positions line named metals (GC, SI, HG, PL) held from before 7:25 AM CT (8:25 AM ET). The page we read, edited 2026-10-16, adds NFP and both FOMC releases, gives SIL and MHG their own cap and accepts closing brackets. We can't tell from the copies which day between October 7 and 16 the change came.
- Economic Releases. The copy captured 2026-10-13 (last edited 2026-09-10) said "Topstep doesn't require you to flatten positions during economic releases", in SIM or funded accounts. The version edited 2026-10-15 says instead: "Topstep restricts trading for a short period during Tier 1 News Events."
Where do Topstep's own pages disagree?
- CPI or Tier 1 for the Labs Challenges. Risk Adjustments: "Trading during Tier 1 News Events is also restricted to 0." The Topstep Labs FAQ, edited 2026-10-15: "Trading during CPI is also restricted to 0." The check leaves Labs out.
- Which positions may stay open. The window restricts equity-index products and metals, yet the existing-positions line names "energies and metals": it covers energies, which the window doesn't touch, and leaves equity-index positions unnamed.
- One FOMC release or two. Economic Releases lists the "FOMC Statement" at 1:00 PM CT and no press conference. The Tier 1 table adds the 1:30 PM press conference, with its own window.
- SIL and MHG in the window. The Tier 1 rule limits them to "1, 2, 5, 7, 12" contracts ($25K to $250K), and the XFA table's top bands give 5 and 7; the same page's all-session caps are "Micro Silver (SIL) = 2/4/6" and "Micro Copper (MHG) = 2/4/6". Its own Scaling Plan example for those two, "the 2/4/6 plan", also reaches "$3,000 balance = 5 micros" on a 100K XFA. The check applies the lower number.
Not published
- A news window, or any news rule, for the Live Funded Account; whether the Tier 1 window covers the Pro Account.
- Whether events beyond the four count ("for example, CPI, FOMC, NFP") and whether TopstepX's red calendar items are all Tier 1.
- Release dates, and what happens to a window when Topstep's "Times are subject to change" applies.
- What counts as a "major news event" under the full-size rule, and what breaking it costs.
- Whether equity-index positions opened before the window may be held through it, by name.
- Whether the window runs to the second. Topstep gives minutes; the check counts both edge minutes as inside.
- Which window cap an XFA balance of exactly $1,500, $2,000, $3,000 or $4,500 gets: the window table's band edges ("Below $1500", "$1500-$2000", "Above $2000") don't say. The same page's Scaling Plan examples start each tier at the round number ("$2,000 balance = 3 mini / 31 micros").
The rest of Topstep, one question at a time: trailing drawdown, payout rules and the consistency rule. Compare Lucid Trading's hours and news rules, or any firm on the prop firm rules hub.
Sources and their last edits
Each page was read on 2026-10-18. Dates are the help center's own last-edit stamps (UTC).
- Risk Adjustments: High Risk/High Volatility, edited 2026-10-16; Economic Releases, 2026-10-15; Topstep Labs, 2026-10-15.
- Prohibited Trading Strategies at Topstep, 2026-06-10; Prohibited Conduct, 2026-09-30; What is Responsible Trading?, 2026-08-13; What is the Responsible Trading Program?, 2026-10-15.
- Trading Combine® Parameters, 2026-09-24; What is the Scaling Plan?, 2026-07-16 (its table is an image, which we read by eye).
- Live Funded Account Parameters, 2026-10-01; Dynamic Live Risk Expansion, 2026-09-24; What is a Pro Account?, 2026-09-11.
- What is the Maximum Loss Limit?, 2026-09-18; Order Types, Fills, and Slippage, 2026-09-16; TopstepX™, 2026-09-25; New to Topstep? Start here., 2026-07-20.
- Internet Archive copies of Risk Adjustments (captured 2026-10-07) and Economic Releases (captured 2026-10-13), linked above.
- The Federal Reserve's FOMC calendar, linked, not read for dates; bls.gov's CPI and jobs-report schedules, linked, not read (refused 2026-10-18).
Where we sit
We're not affiliated with Topstep and earn nothing if you buy from it. We sell the Prop Firm Challenge Toolkit, a TradingView indicator that tracks loss-limit and target buffers in dollars from the rule numbers you enter. It doesn't know Topstep's news window or any economic calendar. TopstepX is the source of truth.
Disclosure
The film and the check apply Topstep's published rules to a minute and an order you choose; the film's account, the check's starting order and the XFA balances are invented. Neither is advice or a forecast, and neither says whether a Topstep account is worth buying. If a rule here no longer matches Topstep's pages, email support@pulltrade.app and we'll correct it in public.
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Frequently asked questions
Does Topstep allow news trading?
Yes, under two published rules. For 5 minutes either side of CPI, NFP, the FOMC rate decision and the FOMC press conference, Trading Combine and Express Funded accounts can't open new ES, NQ, RTY, YM, NKD, GC, SI, HG or PL positions, and micros are capped. And purposefully trading your full Maximum Position Size directly into a scheduled major news event is a prohibited strategy.
What is Topstep's Tier 1 news window?
Ten minutes around each Tier 1 release, 5 minutes before and 5 after: 7:25 to 7:35 AM CT for CPI and NFP, 12:55 to 1:05 PM CT for the FOMC rate decision and 1:25 to 1:35 PM CT for the FOMC press conference. On New York's clock that's 8:25 to 8:35 AM, 1:55 to 2:05 PM and 2:25 to 2:35 PM ET.
What time is the Topstep news window in London?
For CPI and NFP, 1:25 to 1:35 PM London time for most of the year. In the weeks when London and Chicago change their clocks on different dates, October 25 to 31, 2026 and March 14 to 27, 2027, it's an hour earlier, 12:25 to 12:35 PM. In UTC it's 12:25 to 12:35 while Chicago is on daylight time and 13:25 to 13:35 in winter.
How many micros can you trade during Topstep news?
On a Trading Combine, 3, 6 or 9 MES, MNQ, M2K, MYM or MGC on a 50K, 100K or 150K account. For SIL or MHG the window allows 2, 5 or 7, but the same page caps them at 2, 4 or 6 all session, and Topstep doesn't say which wins. On an Express Funded Account it depends on the balance: from 1 micro below $1,500 up to 9 on a 150K above $4,500.
Can you hold a position through news on Topstep?
Topstep says positions in energies and metals opened before the window may be kept and managed through it, and TP/SL brackets that reduce or close a position are accepted during the window. That sentence doesn't name equity-index positions. Pending orders won't fill during the 10 minutes, and new ones meant to fill inside them can't be placed.
Does the Topstep news restriction apply to the Live Funded Account?
Topstep doesn't say it does. The Tier 1 restriction covers SIM accounts, and its tables list Trading Combines, Challenges and Express Funded Accounts; the Live Funded Account pages don't mention news. The rule against trading your full Maximum Position Size into a scheduled major news event names no account type.
Did Topstep change its news rule in October 2026?
Yes. An Internet Archive copy of Topstep's Risk Adjustments page from October 7, 2026 restricted CPI releases only. The page we read on 2026-10-18, last edited 2026-10-16, covers NFP and both FOMC releases too. The Economic Releases page also dropped its line that Topstep doesn't require you to flatten positions during economic releases.
