Tradeify News Trading Rules: Can You Trade During FOMC, NFP, and CPI?

Research-based analysis: I've gone through every rule document, help center article, and community data point I could find on Tradeify. This breakdown reflects extensive research across their 3.0 overhaul — covering Select, Growth, and Lightning plans, the new Elite Live Performance Reward Pool, and updated drawdown mechanics. Nothing here is based on assumptions or marketing copy.

I broke it all down in my complete Tradeify rules overview. For the full picture, read my complete Tradeify review. For the absolute latest, check Tradeify's website or their help center.

Tradeify does not restrict news trading. Not on Select. Not on Growth. Not on Lightning. There are no blackout windows, no position size reductions around events, and no rule that says you need to be flat before or after a scheduled release. As of April 2026, Tradeify's policy on news trading is the same it's been since launch: trade whatever you want, whenever you want.

That's a bigger deal than it sounds. A significant number of prop firms either ban trading within a window around high-impact news, force you to close positions before a release, or reduce your allowed contract size during volatile periods. Tradeify does none of that.

I've been tracking prop firm news trading policies across 50+ firms for over a year now. Tradeify sits in the minority that gives traders full freedom around economic events. This article breaks down exactly what that means in practice, which events actually move futures markets, how your daily loss limit and trailing drawdown interact with news-driven volatility, and how Tradeify's policy stacks up against the rest of the industry.

What Is News Trading in Prop Firms?

News trading means opening or holding positions around scheduled economic data releases. FOMC rate decisions, Non-Farm Payrolls, CPI prints, GDP reports. The kind of events that can move ES, NQ, or CL by 50+ ticks in under a minute.

For retail traders on personal accounts, this is a non-issue. You trade when you want. But prop firms operate differently. They're providing simulated or live capital, and the volatility around major news creates risk they sometimes don't want to absorb. So many firms restrict it.

Those restrictions take different forms:

• Blackout windows: no trading allowed within 2-5 minutes before and after a scheduled release
• Position closure requirements: all trades must be flat before the event
• Size reduction: your max contract count gets cut during the news window
• Profit invalidation: any profit earned during the blackout doesn't count toward your target
• Full bans: no trading on news days at all (rare, but it exists)

Some firms are transparent about these rules. Others bury them deep in their terms of service and traders only find out after a breach.

Tradeify takes the opposite approach. Open positions, add to positions, scalp the release, hold through it. Whatever your strategy calls for.

What Is Tradeify's News Trading Policy?

As of April 2026: Tradeify places zero restrictions on news trading across all account types. The policy applies equally to Select (Flex and Daily), Growth, and Lightning accounts, in both the evaluation phase and the funded phase.

There is no blackout window. You can enter new positions at 8:29 AM Eastern, one minute before an NFP release at 8:30 AM. You can hold an existing position through an FOMC announcement at 2:00 PM. You can scalp the CPI reaction at 8:30 AM with your full available contract size.

Tradeify's help center doesn't even have a dedicated page for news trading restrictions because there's nothing to restrict. The absence of the rule IS the policy.

What still applies during news:

• Daily loss limit (DLL): $500 on Select Daily, $600 on Growth, $3,000 on Lightning 150K. This doesn't pause, expand, or flex during news events.
• Max trailing drawdown: Your EOD trailing drawdown floor doesn't care whether you lost money during FOMC or during a random Tuesday afternoon session.
• Position size limits: Whatever your max contracts are on your plan, that's what you get during news. No reduction, but also no increase.

The rules that govern your account every other minute of the session also govern you during news. Nothing special. Nothing different.

Which Economic Events Move Futures Markets the Most?

Not all news is created equal. If you're going to trade around economic releases on Tradeify, you should know which ones actually cause the kind of volatility that can make or break a prop firm account.

FOMC Rate Decisions and Minutes

The Federal Open Market Committee announces interest rate decisions eight times per year, usually at 2:00 PM Eastern on a Wednesday. The press conference starts at 2:30 PM. These are the single most volatile scheduled events in futures markets.

ES and NQ routinely swing 40-80+ points in the first 15 minutes after the announcement. On surprise decisions or unexpected forward guidance, those numbers can double. The Fed Minutes, released three weeks after each meeting, cause a smaller but still tradeable reaction.

Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP)

Released on the first Friday of each month at 8:30 AM Eastern by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. NFP measures the number of jobs added or lost in the US economy, excluding farm workers. It's the second-most impactful event for futures traders after FOMC.

ES can move 20-50 points in seconds on a surprise print. The initial spike is fast and often reverses within minutes, which makes it popular with scalpers but dangerous for anyone holding without a tight stop.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

CPI data drops at 8:30 AM Eastern, usually around the 10th-13th of each month. It measures inflation at the consumer level. Since the Fed's rate decisions are driven largely by inflation data, a surprise CPI print can move markets as aggressively as FOMC itself.

Core CPI (excluding food and energy) tends to be the number the market actually trades off. A deviation of 0.1% or more from consensus can trigger a 30-50 point move in ES within minutes.

GDP, PMI, and Other Releases

Gross Domestic Product numbers come out quarterly, and revisions can move markets modestly. ISM Manufacturing PMI at 10:00 AM Eastern on the first business day of each month is a tier-two event that still generates 10-20 point moves on surprises.

Jobless Claims (weekly, Thursdays at 8:30 AM), Producer Price Index (monthly), and Retail Sales (monthly) round out the events worth watching. They don't carry FOMC-level impact, but on thin-volume days they can catch traders off guard.

Here's a reference table for the events that matter most when you're trading futures on Tradeify:

Those ES point estimates are rough averages based on surprise prints. Consensus-matching data often produces smaller moves. The real danger comes when a number deviates significantly from expectations, especially on FOMC and CPI.

How Does the Daily Loss Limit Interact With News Volatility?

This is where Tradeify's open news policy meets reality. The firm won't restrict you from trading FOMC. But your daily loss limit doesn't expand to accommodate the volatility either.

Here's the math that matters.

As of April 2026, Tradeify's daily loss limits by account type:

• Select Flex: No DLL. Your only constraint is the trailing drawdown.
• Select Daily: $500 DLL.
• Growth: $600 DLL.
• Lightning 150K: $3,000 DLL.

Now picture this scenario on a Growth account. You enter a long position on ES at 2:00 PM, right as the FOMC announcement drops. The market spikes against you 12 points. On one ES contract, that's a $600 unrealized loss. You've just hit your daily loss limit. Account terminated.

Twelve points on ES during FOMC is nothing unusual. That can happen in under 30 seconds.

On Select Daily with its $500 DLL, you have even less room. Ten points against you on one ES contract and you're done for the day. On a volatile release, 10 points can be the initial fakeout before the real move.

Select Flex gives you the most breathing room for news trading because there's no DLL at all. Your only concern is the trailing drawdown, and since Tradeify uses end-of-day calculation, intraday swings don't adjust your drawdown floor. You could be down $800 at 2:05 PM and recover by the session close with no drawdown damage.

Lightning 150K's $3,000 DLL sounds generous until you realize traders on that account size are often running 5-10 contracts. Five ES contracts moving 12 points against you during FOMC is $3,000. Same math, same problem, just scaled up.

The DLL doesn't distinguish between a bad trade on a quiet Tuesday and a bad trade during NFP. A loss is a loss. And on news days, losses happen faster.

How to Manage Risk When Trading News on Tradeify

Tradeify won't protect you from yourself during high-impact events. That's your job. Here are the things I've learned from trading news on prop firm accounts over the past two years.

Size Down Before the Event

If you normally trade 3 contracts on ES, consider dropping to 1 for any FOMC or CPI trade. Your potential upside shrinks, but so does your exposure to the initial spike. One contract on ES with a 20-point adverse move is $1,000. Three contracts is $3,000. On a Growth account with a $600 DLL, even one contract at 12 points against you ends your day.

I've lost two prop firm accounts on FOMC days. Both times, I was running my normal size and the initial move went against me hard enough to breach my daily loss limit before I could react. The spread widened, my stop got skipped, and the fill was 8 ticks worse than my stop price. Slippage during news is real and it's not in your favor.

Wait for the Second Move

The initial reaction to any major data release is often a fakeout. NFP is notorious for this: the market spikes one direction for 30-60 seconds, then reverses hard. If you entered on the first spike, you're now offside and potentially facing a DLL breach.

A common approach among experienced news traders is to wait 2-5 minutes for the initial volatility to settle, then trade the sustained move. You miss the first 20 points. You also miss the 15-point reversal that would have stopped you out.

Know Your DLL Buffer

Before any news day, calculate exactly how many points of adverse movement one contract can absorb before hitting your DLL.

On a Growth account ($600 DLL), one ES contract gives you 12 points of room. One NQ contract gives you about 30 points (at $20/point). One CL contract gives you about 60 ticks ($10/tick).

Those numbers drop fast when you add contracts. Two ES contracts cut your buffer to 6 points. During FOMC, 6 points of adverse movement can happen in the time it takes to click your mouse.

Use Limit Orders, Not Market Orders

Spreads on ES, NQ, and CL blow out during high-impact events. A market order that normally gets filled at a 1-tick spread might execute at a 4-6 tick spread during FOMC. That's $25-$75 of extra cost per contract on ES that wasn't part of your plan.

Limit orders don't guarantee a fill, but they guarantee a price. If the market runs through your limit, you're in at your price. If it doesn't, you stood aside on a move that wasn't going your way.

Avoid Stacking News Days

Some weeks have FOMC on Wednesday, CPI on Thursday, and NFP on Friday. If you're on a Growth or Select Daily account, consider picking one event to trade and sitting out the others. Each day resets your DLL, but the psychological wear of trading three high-volatility sessions back to back leads to sloppy execution.

Select Flex traders have more flexibility here because there's no DLL. But even without a daily cap, three consecutive news days can eat into your trailing drawdown buffer in ways that take weeks to rebuild.

How Does Tradeify Compare to Other Firms on News Trading?

Tradeify's no-restriction policy puts it in good company with some firms and in direct contrast with others. Here's how the major futures prop firms handle news trading as of April 2026:

The firms that restrict news trading usually justify it by pointing to risk management on their end. When traders hold large positions through FOMC and the move goes against them, the firm absorbs the gap risk (or at least the data-feed stress). Some firms also worry about traders gaming news events by going all-in on a directional bet right before a release, treating it as a coin flip.

Tradeify's perspective is different. Their position seems to be: we set the drawdown and DLL rules, and those rules handle the risk. If you blow your account during FOMC, the rules worked exactly as designed. You re-buy and try again.

For traders who build their strategy around economic catalysts, the difference between Tradeify and a firm like Topstep or Elite Trader Funding is fundamental. If you can't be in a position when the number drops, your strategy doesn't work. And if your strategy doesn't work, the firm doesn't matter.

Should You Trade News on Tradeify?

This depends entirely on how you trade and which Tradeify account you're on.

If you're on Select Flex: News trading is as viable as it gets in a prop firm. No DLL means your only constraint is the trailing drawdown, and since it's EOD, intraday volatility doesn't touch your floor. You can absorb a 20-point ES drawdown during CPI and recover by the close without any drawdown adjustment. This is the most news-friendly account Tradeify offers.

If you're on Growth: Proceed with caution. The $600 DLL is tight enough that a single bad entry during FOMC can end your day and your account. If you trade news on Growth, size down to one contract maximum and accept that your profit potential is capped by the need to protect your DLL. Most Growth traders I've talked to in the Tradeify Discord avoid FOMC entirely and only trade the second-tier events like Retail Sales or Jobless Claims where moves are more manageable.

If you're on Select Daily: The $500 DLL makes aggressive news trading risky. One ES contract moving 10 points against you burns your entire daily budget. If news trading is central to your strategy, Select Daily probably isn't the right account for you. Select Flex would serve you better.

If you're on Lightning: The $3,000 DLL gives you more room on paper, but Lightning traders typically run larger position sizes that eat that buffer quickly. Five contracts on ES moving 12 points during FOMC hits $3,000 exactly. If you size down appropriately, Lightning can handle news days. If you run full size, you're gambling.

The honest answer: Tradeify gives you the freedom. What you do with it is a risk management question, not a rules question. The traders I know who consistently profit from news events on prop firm accounts share one trait: they size conservatively enough that even a worst-case adverse move doesn't breach their limits.

The bottom line: Tradeify is one of the best prop firms for news trading because it stays out of your way. No blackout windows, no forced closures, no position restrictions. But freedom without discipline is just a fast path to a breached account. If you have a tested news trading strategy and you can size it to fit within your DLL, Tradeify gives you a clean playing field. If you're just hoping FOMC goes your way, the lack of restrictions won't save you from yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Tradeify Allow News Trading?

Yes. Tradeify allows news trading on all account types with zero restrictions. There are no blackout windows, no position size reductions, and no requirement to be flat before or after any scheduled economic release. This applies to Select, Growth, and Lightning accounts in both the evaluation and funded phases.

Can You Trade During FOMC on Tradeify?

Yes. Tradeify places no restrictions on trading during FOMC announcements. You can hold existing positions through the announcement, open new positions during the release, and trade at full position size. Your daily loss limit and trailing drawdown rules still apply normally during FOMC.

Does Tradeify Have a News Blackout Window?

No. Tradeify has no blackout window of any kind around economic releases. Some prop firms require traders to be flat 2-5 minutes before events like NFP or CPI. Tradeify does not enforce any such requirement on any account type.

What Happens If You Breach Your Daily Loss Limit During a News Event on Tradeify?

Tradeify treats a DLL breach during a news event the same as any other breach. The account is terminated. There is no exception, no grace period, and no appeal process for losses incurred during scheduled economic releases. On Growth accounts, the $600 DLL can be breached by a single ES contract moving 12 points against you.

Which Tradeify Account Is Best for News Trading?

Tradeify Select Flex is the best account for news trading because it has no daily loss limit. Your only constraint is the EOD trailing drawdown, which doesn't recalculate during the live session. This gives Select Flex traders the most room to absorb intraday volatility from events like FOMC, NFP, and CPI without triggering a breach.

Does Tradeify Reduce Position Sizes During News Events?

No. Tradeify does not reduce your maximum allowed position size during news events. Whatever contract limit your account type allows, you can use during any economic release. However, running full size during high-impact events increases your risk of breaching the daily loss limit on accounts that have one.

How Does Tradeify's News Policy Compare to Topstep?

Tradeify allows unrestricted news trading while Topstep requires funded account traders to be flat before major economic events. This is a fundamental difference for traders whose strategies depend on being positioned before or during releases like FOMC and NFP. Tradeify's open policy gives full flexibility; Topstep's restrictions protect against gap risk but limit strategy options.

Can You Hold Positions Overnight Through a News Event on Tradeify?

Tradeify allows holding positions through news events during trading hours, but all positions must be closed before the daily session ends. Tradeify requires all trades to be flat by the session close. If a news event falls within your trading window, you can hold through it. If it falls outside trading hours, you won't have a position open regardless.

Is News Trading Profitable on a Prop Firm Account?

News trading can be profitable on prop firm accounts, but the tight risk limits (daily loss limits, trailing drawdowns) make it harder than on a personal account. On Tradeify specifically, profitability depends on sizing positions small enough to survive adverse moves while still capturing meaningful gains. Most successful prop firm news traders I've observed use one contract and target the sustained move after the initial spike, not the spike itself.

Does Tradeify Flag Accounts That Only Trade News Events?

No. Tradeify does not flag, restrict, or penalize accounts that trade exclusively around news events. There is no rule requiring a minimum number of non-news trading days, no diversification requirement, and no behavioral pattern analysis that penalizes event-driven strategies. If your entire strategy is trading CPI and FOMC, Tradeify's rules allow it.