Can you trade the news at StarTrading?
Yes. Scheduled economic releases are part of the futures calendar and most account types are free to trade them. There is no rule against entering before a release, holding through it or trading the move after it on Cycle, Clear and Direct accounts, and during every evaluation.
The only account with a restriction is a funded Stream account.
| Account | Evaluation | Funded |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle | allowed | allowed |
| Clear | allowed | allowed |
| Stream | allowed | flat ±1 minute around red-folder releases |
| Direct | no evaluation | allowed |
Why is funded Stream different?
Stream accounts pay out every day and trail their Max Loss Limit intraday. A release can move an index future several points in a second, and an intraday limit reacts to that move immediately. The flat window protects the account from a gap that would fail it before you can react, and it keeps daily payouts sustainable.
What exactly is the window?
From one minute before the scheduled time to one minute after. The account must have no open position during that window, and no order may fill inside it. Holding through the window is a hard breach: the account is failed, not paused.
Which releases are red-folder?
The high-impact scheduled US releases flagged red on the standard economic calendar: non-farm payrolls, FOMC decisions and statements, CPI, and similar events. Unscheduled news, speeches that are not flagged red and foreign releases are not part of the window. The calendar we use is published on the platform pages and in the trader dashboard.
How should you size around news on other accounts?
The Daily Loss Limit is measured on open equity. A 100K Cycle account with a $1,800 limit can be blocked by a single adverse move on 6 minis through a release. Reducing size into a release keeps a bad print from ending the day.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the flat window applies to Stream evaluations: it applies once funded only.
- Leaving a resting stop or limit order active into the window on a funded Stream account.
- Trading full size through a release on a 50K Cycle and hitting the daily block on one candle.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, release schedule: NFP and CPI dates and times.
- Federal Reserve, FOMC meeting calendar: statement release times.
Simulated accounts until Live. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss.