Many traders skip NFP for fear of breaking a rule, yet news trading during a prop firm challenge is often allowed.
The complication starts after funding: opening a trade, keeping one open, and having a stop loss or take profit triggered can produce different outcomes. This guide compares the prop firm news trading rules at FTMO, FundedNext, E8 and The5ers, including FTMO’s two-minute window and the treatment of trades held through NFP.
In this article, Backcom.io compares rules checked on 16 October 2026, separates those three situations, and gives you a calendar checklist in UTC or your account’s server time. Claims based only on third-party reviews are marked accordingly.
Prop Firm News Trading Rules: Is News Trading During A Prop Firm Challenge Allowed?
News trading during a prop firm challenge is generally permitted. In the official guidance checked on 16 October 2026, FTMO exempts Challenge and Verification accounts, FundedNext exempts Challenge accounts from its News Reward Share Rule, and E8 allows news trades during evaluation. Restrictions mainly affect certain funded accounts.
The deciding details are the stage and the specific account programme. The5ers High Stakes may be an exception: reviews suggest its two-minute window can apply during evaluation. That claim has not been confirmed against an official rule page, so check the programme terms before trading.
Why do firms restrict news trades after funding?
- Unpredictable fills: E8 warns that slippage around NFP or FOMC can close a trade far from the expected price.
- Controls on spike strategies: E8 One Performance restricts orders placed on both sides of a release. Reviews report similar bracket-order restrictions at The5ers, but its current official terms need checking.
- Different reward calculations: FundedNext applies its News Reward Share Rule to specified funded accounts while exempting Challenge accounts.
Industry roundups from 2025–2026 describe both blackout windows and limits on profit credited from news trades. Those are secondary summaries, and your own programme’s current terms govern your account. If Challenge, Verification and funded stages are new to you, confirm which stage you are in before using the comparison below.
Prop Firm News Trading Rules By Firm: FTMO, FundedNext, E8 And The5ers
Prop firm news trading rules vary by stage, programme and what happens when an order executes.
| Firm / programme | Evaluation stage | Funded account | SL/TP triggered within window | Consequence | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTMO Standard | Unrestricted | ±2 minutes on affected instruments | Counts as a violation | Breach of FTMO Account Agreement | Official FAQ |
| FTMO Swing | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | No news blackout applies | No news blackout applies | Official FAQ |
| FundedNext Stellar 1-Step / 2-Step / Lite | Challenge exempt | ±5 minutes for listed releases | Subject to 40% rule | 40% of profit counts; 100% of loss remains; no breach | Official help centre |
| E8 Signature / Pro | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | No news blackout applies | No news blackout applies | Official help centre |
| E8 One | Challenge unrestricted | SimFi Performance: ±5 minutes | Execution prohibited | Related profit removed at payout request | Official help centre |
| The5ers High Stakes | Reviews: ±2 minutes may apply | Reviews: ±2 minutes | Some reviews say permitted | Reviews conflict on penalties | Secondary, recheck |
| FundingPips Master | Reviews: unrestricted | Reviews: around ±5 minutes | Unverified | Reviews: window profits excluded | Secondary, recheck |
| Alpha Capital funded | Sources conflict | Reviews: ±5 minutes | Unverified | Reviews: soft breach; profit removed | Secondary, recheck |
Checked on 16 October 2026: FTMO, FundedNext and E8 entries draw on official FAQs or help pages. The5ers, FundingPips and Alpha Capital entries rely on secondary sources. Recheck the exact terms before each release, because minutes alone do not make one programme “easier” than another. Backcom.io does not rank them by blackout length.
FTMO News Rule: The ±2-Minute Window On Funded Standard Accounts
The FTMO news rule bars order execution on an FTMO Standard Account during the two minutes before and two minutes after selected releases. FTMO’s official FAQ includes pending orders and automatically triggered Stop Loss and Take Profit orders. A prohibited execution may breach the FTMO Account Agreement.
Four distinctions matter:
- Affected instruments: During NFP, EURGBP and AUDNZD remain tradable; USDJPY and GBPUSD are restricted.
- Account type: The Swing account is exempt from this news restriction.
- Stage: Challenge and Verification are exempt, regardless of account type.
- Event list: FTMO identifies its own restricted releases and affected instruments.
An April 2026 roundup suggested a funded account reached via a 1-Step route might differ. That detail has no official confirmation in the material checked. Read the FAQ and the terms for the programme you actually hold.
The FundedNext News Reward Share Rule applies to funded Stellar 1-Step, 2-Step and Lite accounts. If an affected trade executes within five minutes on either side of a listed high-impact release, only 40% of its profit is credited. The trader bears 100% of any loss. The rule does not itself constitute a breach.
FundedNext’s help article, updated in September 2026, covers market orders, pending orders and partial closes. Closing part of an order inside the window subjects the whole order to adjustment. Calculation happens after the cycle. If the adjusted balance falls below the initial balance, the next cycle starts at the initial balance; a Reward cannot be requested until the account exceeds that level. Read FundedNext’s news-trading guidance.
E8 One restricts trading only at the SimFi Performance stage: ±5 minutes for releases. For speeches, the window runs from five minutes before the start until five minutes after the end. See E8 Markets’ news-trading FAQ.
PropFirmsFinder’s rule roundup is dated April 2026. It is a secondary reference, not a substitute for your firm’s terms.
Holding Trades Through NFP: Open Positions And Automatic SL/TP Fills
Holding trades through NFP differs from opening or closing during a restricted window. An existing position may stay open, but an automatically filled stop loss or take profit still closes a trade. The three firms with official guidance handle that distinction differently.
| Situation | FTMO funded Standard, ±2 minutes | FundedNext Stellar funded, ±5 minutes | E8 One Performance, ±5 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open / close manually | Breach | 40% of profit credited | Prohibited; profit removed at payout |
| Hold position opened before window | Permitted if opened more than 2 minutes before release | May remain open without restriction | May remain open; avoid execution in window |
| SL/TP fills automatically | Breach | 40% of profit credited; 100% of loss remains | Violation; profit removed |
An SL or TP fill can count even if you never touch the platform during the release. On FTMO funded Standard it can breach the rule, FundedNext adjusts profitable trades, and E8 One Performance removes related profit at payout. Review the chance of a fill before deciding to hold.
Moving a stop farther away only reduces the chance of a fill; it does not guarantee compliance and increases potential loss. FundedNext permits a position to run through the release, but adjusts profit if it closes in the five-minute window. Some reviews say The5ers High Stakes allows automatic SL/TP fills; that has not been officially verified.
Suppose you buy GBPUSD during the Asian session and hold it until a US NFP release at 12:30 UTC during US daylight saving time. The guide to Nonfarm Payrolls and reading the NFP report explains the release. If your SL fills at the announcement, a funded FTMO Standard account can be breached although the position was opened hours earlier.
Before the window begins, you have three practical choices:
- Close early: On FTMO Standard, finish closing before the two-minute boundary. You avoid a later SL fill in that window but give up the position.
- Review SL/TP: Holding may be allowed, yet a wider stop increases the potential loss. Recalculate risk before changing the order.
- Apply the correct adjustment: FundedNext credits only 40% of profit on trades closed inside its window; E8 One Performance removes related profit.
Which High-Impact News Counts? NFP, CPI, FOMC And Firm Calendars
High-impact news counts only when it matches the events and instruments in the firm’s rulebook. Mark these releases first:
- NFP: US payrolls are usually released on the first Friday of the month at around 8:30 a.m. US Eastern time, or 12:30 UTC during US daylight saving time and 13:30 UTC during standard time.
- CPI and rate decisions/FOMC: Look up each release rather than memorising one clock time. See the guide to trading CPI news for the market context.
- Other events: Depending on the firm, PCE, GDP or central-bank chair speeches can count.
FTMO and FundedNext apply rules to affected instruments; a USD release does not block every pair. Check which calendar the firm uses.
| Firm | Calendar used for the rule | Verification |
|---|---|---|
| FTMO | Its restricted-events list | Confirmed in FAQ; publication location not independently verified for this article |
| FundedNext | High-impact events and affected instruments in help centre | Official |
| E8 Markets | E8 economic calendar | Official |
| FundingPips | Reviews: Forex Factory red-folder events | Secondary, recheck |
A public calendar may not match the list used to enforce a firm’s rules. The Forex Factory claim for FundingPips is secondary. Before an NFP, CPI or FOMC week, compare both calendars, affected pairs and time-zone settings.
How To Filter The Economic Calendar And Pause EAs Around News
A pre-release checklist should cover the account, the relevant instruments and every way an order might execute:
- Identify the account: Note whether it is Challenge, Verification or funded, then match the Standard, Swing, Stellar or E8 One programme.
- Open the firm’s calendar: Find its news-trading or restricted-events section and save a dated screenshot of the rule.
- Filter by instrument: Select high-impact releases for the relevant currency. Display the schedule in UTC or account-server time, checking daylight-saving changes.
- Mark the no-execution period: Record the start and end of the applicable ±2 or ±5-minute window. Check pending orders and SL/TP before it starts; leave another 1–2 minutes to complete manual changes.
- Pause EAs: Check your bot’s order logic and the firm’s automation policy. The prop firm EA trading rules guide covers that separate question.
- Keep evidence: Save the rule, calendar and order logs with actual timestamps. They help you compare a disputed fill time with the firm’s record.
A firm allowing news trades does not make execution at the release prudent. E8 warns about slippage, and wider spreads can trigger SL/TP at prices different from those set. Widen a stop only if the resulting possible loss remains acceptable.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Prop Firm News Trading Rules
Can You Trade News During A Prop Firm Challenge?
Usually, yes. FTMO exempts Challenge and Verification, FundedNext exempts Challenge accounts from its News Reward Share Rule, and E8 permits news trading during evaluation, according to guidance checked on 16 October 2026. Reviews suggest The5ers High Stakes may apply a ±2-minute limit even during evaluation, but this lacks official confirmation. Check your precise programme before placing an order.
Does An SL Fill At The News Release Count As A Violation?
It depends on the firm. FTMO funded Standard treats an SL or TP triggered inside its ±2-minute window as a breach. FundedNext Stellar funded accounts do not treat the fill as a breach, but credit only 40% of profit while retaining 100% of loss. E8 One Performance removes related profit for fills inside its ±5-minute window.
Which News Calendar Does The Firm Use: Is It Forex Factory?
Not necessarily. FundedNext lists high-impact events and affected instruments, while E8 uses its own calendar. FTMO names restricted events, although this article did not independently verify where its list is published. Reviews say FundingPips uses Forex Factory red-folder events; confirm that against the firm’s current terms before relying on it.
Does The FTMO News Rule Apply To Swing Or Evaluation Accounts?
No. The FTMO news rule’s ±2-minute restriction applies to the funded Standard account in this comparison; Swing is exempt. FTMO’s FAQ, checked on 16 October 2026, also exempts Challenge and Verification accounts regardless of account type. The relevant restriction concerns execution on an affected instrument, including an automatic SL or TP fill.
Can You Hold A Funded Trade Through NFP Without A Penalty?
Often, yes, if it stays open throughout the restricted window. FTMO funded Standard permits a trade opened more than two minutes before NFP, but an SL/TP fill inside the window is a breach. FundedNext allows holding yet credits only 40% of profit if the trade closes within ±5 minutes. Review that release’s calendar entry and your orders first.
Conclusion: Check Your Account Stage And Order Timing Before News
Prop firm news trading rules usually allow Challenge-stage trading, while certain funded accounts impose execution windows or profit adjustments. Check SL/TP and EAs before NFP, CPI or FOMC, and save the rule and order timestamps. The economic calendar can help you filter releases by instrument and view their times in UTC or your selected zone.
Disclaimer: Backcom.io compiled this overview from FTMO, FundedNext and E8 FAQs or help pages checked on 16 October 2026. The5ers, FundingPips and Alpha Capital details rely on secondary sources. This article is for information only, not investment advice. Rules may change; confirm the official terms before trading. Trading rules and taxes differ by residence, so check local requirements and consult a local tax professional before paying a fee or receiving a payout.
