Yes - news trading is permitted during the challenge phase. You can trade through economic announcements while working toward your target. Just be aware that volatility around major releases increases risk, so manage your positions carefully.
In the funded stage, news trading is restricted during a short window around high-impact releases. Here's exactly how it works.
The restriction window runs from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after any red-folder news release - a 4-minute window in total.
Example: if a red-folder release is scheduled for 3:30 PM, the restricted window is 3:28 PM to 3:32 PM.
During this window, the following are restricted:
This applies to all instruments on our simulated platform.
Any red-folder event listed on Forex Factory is a news-restricted event in the Funded Stage.
Red-folder events marked as "All Day" are excluded, as they have no specific release time.
📌 The simplest approach: avoid holding or executing trades on affected instruments around high-impact releases.
For the Rapid Challenge, this rule operates on a warning system - a single mistake will not cost you your account:
Please note:
While news trading is allowed during the challenge phase, practices such as news straddling, news bracketing, or any intentional manipulation of the simulated environment to pass the challenge are not permitted in any phase.