The 5%ers News Trading Rules: What's Allowed and What's Banned (2026)

The 5%ers news trading rules permit holding existing positions through high-impact events on every program in the lineup, but the firm draws a clear line between holding through news and exploiting the volatility around a release with bracket-order structures. As of May 2026, that line is drawn in three places: a two-minute new-order window that applies to High Stakes and Pro Growth, a universal bracket-strategy ban that covers every program, and an unrestricted news-trading environment on the Futures track.

Most competitor content on The 5%ers collapses "news trading allowed" into a single sentence. The real story is more nuanced: the allowed activity (holding), the restricted activity (opening new orders near high-impact events on two specific programs), and the universally banned activity (bracket strategies on all six programs) are three separate rules, and confusing any one of them with the others will either cause you to breach a rule you didn't know existed or prevent you from trading a legal news approach you thought was banned.

This guide breaks down every news-related rule by program, explains exactly what a bracket strategy is and why it's banned even on news-trading-friendly programs, and maps the Futures track's notably open news-trading environment.

For the full rule comparison across all programs, see the The 5%ers rules overview.

The 5%ers news trading rules by program

The table below is the fastest reference for which news-related restrictions apply to each program.

Two programs carry the two-minute new-order window: High Stakes and Pro Growth. The remaining four programs (Hyper Growth, Bootcamp, Futures Basecamp, Futures Rebate) allow news trading without a stated pre-event or post-event new-order blackout. The bracket-strategy ban is universal and applies to every program in the table regardless of whether a two-minute window rule exists.

What "holding through news" means vs "opening orders near news"

The distinction between holding through news and opening new orders near news is the core of The 5%ers news trading framework, and it is the distinction that most traders miss when they read "news trading allowed."

Holding through news means a position was opened before the high-impact event and remains open as the event prints. The position might gain significantly, lose significantly, or move through a wide spread during the release. None of this creates a rule problem. The 5%ers explicitly permits this on every program, including the two that impose the two-minute window. A High Stakes trader with a long EUR/USD opened before an FOMC decision can hold that position through the announcement and close it after. No violation.

Opening new orders near news means initiating a new position during the period immediately before or after a release. On High Stakes and Pro Growth, this is the restricted activity. No new orders within two minutes before the high-impact event, and no new orders within two minutes after the event. The intent of the rule is to prevent traders from entering positions timed specifically to capture the release spike, which the firm treats as a different category of activity from a trader managing an existing directional thesis through the event.

Closing an existing position during the window is not restricted. A High Stakes trader who wants to take profit on an open position during the two-minute window can do so. The restriction is specifically on opening new positions.

On Hyper Growth, Bootcamp, and the Futures track, this distinction matters less because no stated two-minute window applies. But the hold-vs-open framing is still relevant when evaluating whether a specific strategy is compliant: a directional entry timed to the CPI release is fine on these programs; a bracket entry ahead of CPI is banned across all programs.

High Stakes: the 2-minute window rule

On The 5%ers High Stakes program, the news trading rule as of May 2026 is: holding through high-impact news events is allowed; no new orders may be placed within two minutes before or two minutes after high-impact news events.

High Stakes is The 5%ers' 2-step CFD program running across six account sizes from $2.5K to $100K, with 1:100 leverage and a 5% daily loss limit that terminates the account on breach. The program attracts traders who want significant leverage on a two-phase evaluation structure, and that leverage makes news-event volatility particularly consequential. A wide spread into a NFP or CPI print can produce significant slippage on entry. The two-minute window rule reduces the risk that a new position opened at a volatile moment turns into a forced loss the trader didn't plan for.

The practical workflow for a High Stakes trader near a high-impact event is straightforward: if you hold an existing position into the event, no action is required. Hold or close as your thesis dictates. If you have no open position and want to trade the news directionally, wait for the two-minute post-event clock to expire before placing the entry order. Enter on the confirmed move rather than the spike.

High Stakes also prohibits bracket strategies, which would otherwise be the natural tool for a non-directional news approach. With both bracket orders and the two-minute window rule in place, the only compliant news strategies on High Stakes are directional entries opened after the window closes, or holding an existing directional thesis through the release.

Pro Growth: same 2-minute window, stricter surrounding rule book

Pro Growth (introduced in 2026) applies the identical news trading rule as High Stakes: hold through news allowed, no new orders within two minutes before or after high-impact events, and bracket strategies banned.

Pro Growth is a 1-step CFD program available in $5K, $10K, and $20K sizes. Its rule book is notably stricter than Hyper Growth on several dimensions: the 3% daily loss terminates the account rather than pausing it, there is a three-minimum-profitable-days requirement, and the scaling cap is $500K rather than $4M. The 2-minute news window fits the overall Pro Growth profile: it is a more compliance-focused program than Hyper Growth, and the news rule aligns it with the High Stakes standard.

One operational difference: Pro Growth's 3% daily terminate means that a news event that produces a large adverse move can terminate the account without a recovery period. On Hyper Growth, a 3% adverse move in a news candle pauses trading until the next server reset. On Pro Growth, the same 3% breach closes the account permanently. Traders using Pro Growth with an open position near a high-impact event should size to accommodate a large move before the event, not after.

For Pro Growth account mechanics and how the daily terminate interacts with position sizing, see the The 5%ers Pro Growth account guide.

Hyper Growth: news trading allowed, no stated window restriction

On Hyper Growth, The 5%ers allows news trading without a stated two-minute new-order window restriction. As of May 2026, the only news-related rule on Hyper Growth is the universal bracket-strategy ban.

This makes Hyper Growth the most permissive program in the lineup on news trading. A trader on the $10K Hyper Growth account can place a new directional order one minute before NFP, hold through the release, and close after the move. No timing restriction applies to when new orders are placed relative to the event, provided the order structure is a single directional entry and not a bracket.

The practical caveat is still the daily loss rule. The 3% daily loss on Hyper Growth pauses trading until the next server reset rather than terminating the account, which is the most forgiving daily-loss structure in the lineup. But wide spreads at the moment of a high-impact release can still produce a loss that approaches the 3% threshold. Sizing to leave room for the worst-case spread is still good practice, even without a formal pre-news window requirement.

Hyper Growth's 6% maximum drawdown is fixed from the initial account balance and terminates the account on breach. A sustained adverse news move that exceeds 6% from the initial balance closes the account regardless of which intraday session or daily loss period it occurs in.

For Hyper Growth account mechanics and drawdown structure, see the The 5%ers Hyper Growth account guide.

Bootcamp: news trading allowed, mandatory stop-loss applies

On Bootcamp, news trading is allowed without a stated two-minute new-order window restriction. Bracket strategies are banned, as they are across all programs. As of May 2026, no Bootcamp-specific pre-news or post-news blackout applies.

Bootcamp's news trading environment is similar to Hyper Growth's in terms of permissiveness, but the Bootcamp rule book introduces a compliance dimension that becomes particularly important near news events: the mandatory visible stop-loss on every position, with a 2% maximum risk cap and a five-violation termination system.

Every position on Bootcamp must have a stop-loss attached and visible in the trading platform. The stop-loss must cap risk at no more than 2% of the account balance. Opening a position without a stop-loss, or opening with a stop-loss that risks more than 2%, each count as one violation toward the five-violation termination threshold.

Near a high-impact news event, the challenge is that pre-event stop-loss placement may be tighter than normal market conditions due to volatility, but the stop-loss must still be attached at entry. A trader who wants to hold through NFP on a Bootcamp account needs to have the stop-loss already in place before the release and sized within the 2% cap before the news candle prints. Removing a stop-loss to give the trade "room" during the event, or widening it beyond the 2% cap, each count as a violation. Five violations across the account's history terminate the account.

For the Bootcamp stop-loss compliance system and violation counter mechanics, see the The 5%ers stop-loss policy guide.

Futures: news trading allowed, no stated pre-news blackout

The 5%ers Futures track (Basecamp and Rebate, running on the Black Arrow platform) allows news trading without a stated pre-news blackout window. As of May 2026, the Futures rules page does not publish a two-minute new-order restriction equivalent to the one on High Stakes and Pro Growth.

The Futures track uses different risk logic than the CFD programs. There is no separate intraday daily loss limit. The account uses a 3% end-of-day max loss calculated on session close, not on intraday equity movement. Open-position adverse moves during a news event that recover before session close do not breach the EOD rule. This makes the Futures track's exposure mechanics during news events more forgiving than High Stakes or Pro Growth on the same nominal percentage, because a brief adverse spike that reverses before close is not a breach.

The 30% per-position consistency rule on the Futures track applies during news events the same as any other session: no single position may generate more than 30% of total profits across the account cycle. A large winning trade from a news event is allowed, but if it generates more than 30% of the account's total realized profits, it creates a consistency overage. In practice, managing this near news events means either sizing down the position to limit the maximum win, or ensuring the overall account has enough other realized profits that a large news-event win does not push any single position above 30%.

Contract limits apply to the Futures track during news events: 2 mini contracts plus 20 micro contracts during evaluation and funded. Position size does not change near news.

What counts as a bracket strategy and why it's banned across all programs

A bracket strategy in The 5%ers context is a specific order structure: a buy-stop order placed above current price combined with a sell-stop order placed below current price, entered ahead of a scheduled high-impact release with the intent of being filled on whichever side breaks first.

The structure is designed to profit from directional volatility without requiring a directional prediction. The release prints, price breaks hard in one direction, one order fills, the other order gets cancelled or expires. The trader captures the initial spike regardless of direction.

The 5%ers bans this structure across every program, not because news trading itself is prohibited, but because the bracket structure is treated as a volatility-exploitation approach rather than a directional trading thesis. The firm's enforcement of this ban is framed the same way across program rules: news trading is allowed, bracket strategies around high-impact news are not allowed.

The ban covers the standard definition of a bracket: paired pending buy-stop and sell-stop straddling price ahead of a release. It also covers one-cancels-other orders structured as a news straddle, since an OCO with a buy-stop above and sell-stop below before a release functions identically to a bracket order. For the detailed treatment of the bracket-strategy ban and which order types fall under it, see the The 5%ers banned strategies guide.

What is not a bracket strategy: a single directional pending order above or below price is not a bracket. A breakout buy-stop placed above recent resistance ahead of a news event, without a paired sell-stop, is a directional pending order and is not covered by the bracket ban. Similarly, a trader who enters a directional position after the release prints and the move is confirmed is executing a directional trade, not a bracket, even if the entry comes quickly after the event.

The practical takeaway is that the bracket ban only applies when both sides of price are covered with pending orders simultaneously. Remove one leg, keep the directional thesis, and the structure is compliant on every program.

How to structure news-event trading without bracket orders

The bracket ban does not prevent news-event trading. It prevents one specific structure. The following approaches are compatible with The 5%ers rules on each program.

Pre-event directional entry (Hyper Growth, Bootcamp, Futures): On programs without the two-minute window, a trader can open a directional position ahead of the release based on a macro thesis. If the analysis says the release will be dollar-positive and EUR/USD will sell off, a short EUR/USD entered before the release is a legal directional entry on Hyper Growth, Bootcamp, or Futures. The stop-loss placement needs to accommodate the release spike (Bootcamp: visible and within 2% risk), but the entry itself is permitted.

Post-event directional entry (all programs): After the release prints, waiting for the initial spike to settle and entering on a confirmed breakout direction is allowed on every program. On High Stakes and Pro Growth, wait for the two-minute post-event window to close. On Hyper Growth, Bootcamp, and Futures, the entry can follow the release immediately once the initial spike produces a readable structure. Post-event entries avoid spread risk at the moment of release and typically produce better fills than pre-event entries in volatile news environments.

Hold-through with pre-positioned stop-loss (all programs): A position opened before the news event with a stop-loss already in place can be held through the release on every program. The stop-loss handles the worst-case scenario; the position stays active if the move goes in the trader's direction. On Bootcamp, the stop-loss must be visible and within the 2% cap before the event. On High Stakes and Pro Growth, no new order modifications that constitute opening a new order during the two-minute window apply. Closing or moving a stop-loss on an existing position is not a new order entry.

Scaled entries around news (check program-specific rules): On programs with no two-minute window (Hyper Growth, Bootcamp, Futures), a trader who scales into a position around a news event with multiple entries at different price levels is not using a bracket structure, provided all entries are in the same direction. On High Stakes and Pro Growth, adding to a position during the two-minute window would constitute opening a new order and is restricted.

The bottom line

The 5%ers news trading rules are more permissive than most competitor prop firms on the core question of holding through high-impact events, and more specific than most competitor content suggests on the question of what exactly is restricted.

For traders whose news-event strategy is directional and involves holding through releases: every program is compatible. The 5%ers does not ban holding open positions through NFP, CPI, FOMC, or any other high-impact event. The hold-through-news permission is universal across all six programs.

For traders who trade High Stakes or Pro Growth and want to enter new positions near a release: wait for the two-minute post-event window to close, then enter on the confirmed move. The window is four minutes total (two before, two after), and directional entries after it closes are fully compliant.

For traders considering a bracket strategy as their primary news-trading approach: The 5%ers is not the right firm. The bracket ban is universal and program-agnostic. A trader whose edge depends on paired pending orders on both sides of price before a release needs to evaluate that approach against a different firm's rule book.

For traders on the Futures track who want the most open news-trading environment in the lineup: Basecamp and Rebate on Black Arrow have no stated pre-news window restriction and no bracket orders would help in the exchange-traded futures environment anyway. The EOD max-loss structure means intraday news volatility that recovers before close does not breach the rule.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does The 5%ers allow news trading?

Yes. The 5%ers allows holding existing positions through high-impact news events on all programs: Hyper Growth, Pro Growth, High Stakes, Bootcamp, and the Futures track. What varies by program is whether new orders can be placed close to a news release. High Stakes and Pro Growth restrict new order entry within two minutes before or after high-impact events. Hyper Growth and Bootcamp have no stated two-minute window restriction beyond the universal bracket-strategy ban. The Futures track allows news trading with no published pre-news blackout.

What is the 2-minute news rule on The 5%ers?

On The 5%ers High Stakes and Pro Growth programs, no new orders may be placed within two minutes before or two minutes after a high-impact news event. Holding a position that was opened before the window is allowed. Closing a position during the window is allowed. Only the opening of new orders is restricted. The Futures track and the Hyper Growth and Bootcamp programs do not have a stated two-minute new-order window restriction, though bracket strategies are banned across all programs.

Are bracket strategies banned at The 5%ers?

Yes. Bracket strategies are banned across every The 5%ers program: Hyper Growth, Pro Growth, High Stakes, Bootcamp, and the Futures track. A bracket strategy is a paired buy-stop and sell-stop order placed on either side of current price ahead of a scheduled high-impact release, designed to be filled on whichever direction breaks first. The 5%ers treats this as a non-directional volatility exploit rather than a legitimate trading approach. The ban applies regardless of which program you trade and regardless of whether the bracket was placed before or during the two-minute window on High Stakes and Pro Growth.

Can I trade news on The 5%ers Futures track?

Yes. The 5%ers Futures track (Basecamp and Rebate on the Black Arrow platform) allows news trading with no published pre-news blackout window. The universal bracket-strategy ban still applies to the Futures track. There is no stated two-minute new-order restriction on the Futures track equivalent to the one that applies to High Stakes and Pro Growth.

What counts as a high-impact news event at The 5%ers?

The 5%ers does not publish a specific list of qualifying events in verified official documentation. Based on the firm's rules context, high-impact events typically include releases marked as high-impact on standard economic calendars: Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP), Consumer Price Index (CPI), FOMC rate decisions, ECB rate decisions, Bank of England rate decisions, GDP releases, and similar tier-one macroeconomic announcements. The exact calendar The 5%ers uses to define high-impact is not specified in verified official sources.

Can I hold a trade through NFP on The 5%ers?

Yes. Holding an existing position through NFP or any other high-impact news event is allowed on all The 5%ers programs. On High Stakes and Pro Growth, you cannot open new orders within two minutes before or after the release, but a position already open before the window can be held through the event. On Hyper Growth, Bootcamp, and the Futures track, there is no stated restriction on holding or opening orders near news beyond the universal bracket-strategy ban.

What is the difference between The 5%ers news rule on Hyper Growth vs High Stakes?

On Hyper Growth, news trading is allowed with no stated two-minute new-order window restriction. The only news-related restriction is the universal bracket-strategy ban. On High Stakes, news trading is allowed for holding existing positions, but no new orders may be placed within two minutes before or after high-impact events. The bracket-strategy ban also applies to High Stakes. The practical difference is that a Hyper Growth trader can open a new directional order one minute before CPI; a High Stakes trader cannot.

Can I use one-cancels-other (OCO) orders near news on The 5%ers?

One-cancels-other orders function as bracket strategies when placed on both sides of price ahead of a high-impact release, and are therefore covered by The 5%ers bracket-strategy ban. An OCO that places a buy-stop above and a sell-stop below current price before a news event fits the banned bracket-strategy definition. If you use OCO orders for purposes other than news-straddle entries (for example, setting a take-profit and stop-loss on an existing position), that is a different structure and not covered by the bracket ban.

Does The 5%ers Bootcamp have a news trading restriction?

On Bootcamp, news trading is allowed and there is no stated two-minute new-order window restriction. Bracket strategies are banned, as they are across all programs. The Bootcamp-specific rules to watch near news events are the mandatory visible stop-loss on every position and the 2% maximum risk per position. If a volatile news candle widens the spread beyond your stop-loss placement, a position could be closed at a loss that breaches the 2% cap, which counts as a violation toward the five-violation termination threshold.

What happens if I open a new order within 2 minutes of news on High Stakes?

The 5%ers does not specify exact enforcement mechanics for a single two-minute-window breach in verified official documentation. Rule violations of this type are grounds for account review. In the context of confirmed violations, The 5%ers can terminate an account and deny a payout. If you are on High Stakes or Pro Growth, the safest practice is to have no pending new orders during the two-minute pre-news and post-news window, and to act only on existing open positions during the release period.

Is news trading on Pro Growth the same rule as High Stakes?

Yes. Pro Growth (introduced in 2026) and High Stakes share the same news trading restriction: holding existing positions through high-impact events is allowed, but no new orders may be placed within two minutes before or after the event. Both programs also share the universal bracket-strategy ban. The similarity between the two programs on this specific rule makes sense given that Pro Growth was introduced as a higher-tier 1-step product with stricter rules, and the two-minute window aligns it with the High Stakes compliance standard.

Can I trade The 5%ers news rules with a directional strategy?

Yes. A directional news strategy (opening a single position in one direction based on a pre-event analysis, or entering on a confirmed breakout after the release) is compatible with The 5%ers news rules on every program, provided the bracket-strategy structure is avoided. On Hyper Growth and Bootcamp, you can enter a directional position at any point relative to the news release. On High Stakes and Pro Growth, wait for the two-minute post-event window to close before placing new orders. On the Futures track, directional news entry carries no stated restriction.