Prop Firm News Trading Rules: FTMO vs FundedNext vs FundingPips
What each firm allows around CPI, NFP, FOMC and oil inventory releases, by phase.
All three firms allow trading during news in the evaluation, with a caveat at FundingPips, which prohibits purposely trading news in every phase. The rules bite on funded accounts: FTMO bans opening or closing trades 2 minutes either side of restricted events on Standard FTMO Accounts (not on Swing), FundedNext counts only 40% of profits from trades within 5 minutes of high-impact news on Stellar funded accounts, and FundingPips may deduct profits from trades within 5 minutes of high-impact news (10 around speeches) on master accounts. Read from each firm's own pages on 23 Sep 2026.
Important risks
Prices can gap and spreads can widen sharply around releases, so a stop may fill far from its level. Evaluations carry fees, trading is simulated, and passing is not guaranteed. This page summarises rules; it is not advice to trade news.
Key takeaways
- The evaluation phase is mostly unrestricted; the funded phase is where news rules apply.
- Windows differ: 2 minutes (FTMO Standard), 5 minutes (FundedNext, most FundingPips models), 10 minutes (FundingPips speeches and Zero).
- Consequences differ: a possible account termination (FTMO), a 40% profit count (FundedNext), possible profit deductions (FundingPips).
- Stops and targets that trigger inside the window count as trades at FTMO and FundedNext.
- Each firm's own calendar decides which events count. VERIFY CURRENT DATA before a release.
News rules side by side
| Rule | FTMO | FundedNext | FundingPips |
|---|---|---|---|
| During the evaluation | No news restriction during the Evaluation Process (FTMO Challenge and Verification), for Standard and Swing account types, as long as no forbidden trading practice is used. | News trading is allowed in the Challenge phase, with no profit adjustment (Stellar 1-Step and Stellar 2-Step help articles). | No restriction on holding trades during news in the evaluation, but FundingPips states that purposely trading news is prohibited in both the evaluation and the master phase and can lead to account closure. |
| On the funded account | Standard FTMO Account: restricted around selected news. Swing account type: no news restriction. | FundedNext Account on Stellar 1-Step, Stellar 2-Step and Stellar Lite: a news profit rule applies. | Master accounts: restricted windows around high-impact news and speeches. |
| Restricted window | 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after the release. | 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after a listed high-impact news event (a 10-minute window), for trades opened or closed in it, including pending orders, stop loss and take profit. | 1 Step Flex, 2 Step Standard, 2 Step Flex and 2 Step Pro: 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after a high-impact news event, and 10 minutes before a speech starts to 10 minutes after it ends. FundingPips Zero: 10 minutes before and after. |
| What happens | No opening or closing trades, including pending orders, stop loss or take profit executions, in the window on the affected instruments. Positions opened earlier may stay open, but a stop or target triggered inside the window is a violation. Breaking the rule may lead to termination of the FTMO Account. | Only 40% of the profit from trades in the window is counted toward the account balance. Losses in the window count in full. | Profits from trades opened or closed in the window may be deducted. |
| Which events count | Announcements marked "Restricted event" in FTMO's economic calendar. FTMO's FAQ gives examples: US Non-Farm Employment, the Federal Funds Rate, CPI, GDP, the UK Official Bank Rate, the ECB main refinancing rate, equivalent releases for other currencies, and Crude Oil Inventories. | Listed high-impact news events that directly relate to the traded symbol. The help articles we read do not name the calendar used. | High-impact events in the FundingPips Economic Calendar on the trader dashboard. |
| Exceptions | Instruments not affected by the announcement can be traded normally. | Holding trades through news is allowed in the Challenge Account. Rules for other FundedNext products (for example Futures) are separate. | Trades opened 5 hours or more before the event are excluded from the restriction. Separately, weekend holding on master accounts is temporarily not allowed (effective 29 Jan 2026). |
Summarised from the pages listed under Sources. Account types and rules change: VERIFY CURRENT DATA on the firm's own page before a release.
How to read the differences
Analysis
- A short window is not automatically easier. FTMO's 2-minute window comes with the harshest consequence we saw (a possible termination), while FundedNext adjusts profits instead.
- Pending orders are the usual trap: a stop or target sitting near price can trigger inside the window without you touching the platform.
- The firm's calendar, not a public one, decides what counts. Check it in the morning of a release day, together with the official release times.
Check the current rules
Read our review, then the rules on the official site. Marlin may earn a commission if you sign up through these links, at no extra cost to you. It does not affect what we write. See the affiliate disclosure.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Can I trade NFP or CPI during a prop firm challenge?
At FTMO and FundedNext, yes: their news restrictions apply to funded accounts, not the evaluation. FundingPips has no restriction on holding trades during news in the evaluation but prohibits purposely trading news in every phase. Rules change, so check the firm's page first.
Does a stop loss hit during the news window count?
At FTMO, yes: a stop loss or take profit executed inside the window on a Standard FTMO Account is a violation. FundedNext's Stellar 2-Step article says the rule covers pending orders, including stop loss and take profit triggers.
Which events are restricted?
Each firm's own calendar decides. FTMO's FAQ gives examples such as US Non-Farm Employment, the Federal Funds Rate, CPI, GDP and Crude Oil Inventories. FundingPips uses the economic calendar on its dashboard. The FundedNext articles we read refer to listed high-impact news without naming the calendar.
Is there a prop firm with no news rule?
Of the three compared here, FTMO's Swing account type has no news restriction on the FTMO Account. We have not compared other firms.
Where can I see the dates of CPI, NFP and FOMC?
On our economic calendar, which lists the official dates and times from the BLS, BEA, Federal Reserve and EIA schedules.
Does Marlin earn a commission?
Marlin may earn a commission if you sign up through some links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It does not decide what we write. See the affiliate disclosure.
How this comparison was prepared
We read each firm's own help or FAQ pages on 23 Sep 2026 and kept the wording close to theirs. Where a page did not say something (for example which calendar FundedNext uses), we say so rather than guess. We did not compare fees, payouts, platforms or countries. See the methodology.
Sources
Official or primary sources used for the facts above. Figures and terms change, so check the source before acting on them.
- FTMO — Can I trade news?Page shows last update 3 Sep 2026.Accessed
- FundedNext — Is News Trading Allowed at FundedNext?Accessed
- FundedNext — Is News Trading Allowed in the Stellar 1-Step Account?Page shows last update 14 Oct 2025.Accessed
- FundedNext — Is News Trading Allowed in the Stellar 2-Step Account?Page shows last update 12 Feb 2026.Accessed
- FundingPips — News Trading & Weekend HoldingAccessed
Written by
Volodymyr KravchenkoIndependent market researcher focused on Forex, Gold, commodities, macroeconomic data and AI-powered financial intelligence.
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This content is provided for educational purposes only and is not investment advice. Trading involves risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Affiliate relationships may exist. Always conduct your own independent research before making financial decisions.