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Trading rules

News bracketing

You may not place opposing pending orders either side of the price before a major news release to catch the move in either direction. On Flex and Instant Funding, the five-minute window also restricts new positions on affected or correlated instruments, including exactly 5:00 before or after.

Example of a breach

TimeAction
13:28Buy stop on GBPUSD at 1.2720 and sell stop at 1.2680, ahead of a 13:30 CPI release
13:30Price spikes up. The buy stop fills, the sell stop is cancelled. Result +$1,400

No directional view was taken. The structure was built to profit whichever way price moved.

The allowed version

A single buy stop at 1.2720, based on a view that the release favours the pound, with no opposing order.

On Flex and Instant Funding, that single order must not open a position on an affected or correlated instrument inside the five-minute window, including exactly 5:00 before or after. A pending order that fills inside the window opens a position inside the window.

Is all news trading prohibited?

No. You may trade news directionally on every programme, within the five-minute restriction on Flex and Instant Funding. Drawdown, exposure and stop-loss rules keep applying during volatile conditions, and spreads widen. Can I trade during news releases?

The window uses the relevant release time that causes market movement. For delayed releases or uncertain instrument correlations, contact support to confirm the applicable event details.

What is reviewed

Order timing, order direction, event timing and whether the setup captured either direction.

Possible outcome

Profit adjustment, payout rejection or account breach.

Related: Hedge trading · Grid trading