Trade U.S. news & weekends with FTMO US
FTMO’s U.S. account type allows news trading and weekend holds in a simulated environment on MT5.
Start the FTMO US ChallengeUpdated: August 27, 2025
What the rules actually say
News trading
FTMO US explicitly allows trading during news on the U.S. account type—both in the Evaluation Process and as a Verified Prop Trader on a Rewards Account. There is no blanket “no-news” restriction, but you still need discipline around slippage and spreads.
Overnight & weekend positions
You’re allowed to hold positions overnight and over weekends on the U.S. account type. That’s great for swing and macro styles; just plan for gaps, rollovers, and any contract expirations on futures-style symbols.
U.S. product context (so you set expectations right)
- Simulated & educational: All stages (Free Trial, Evaluation, Rewards) use simulated capital. Rewards are monetary payments derived from eligible simulated profits.
- MT5 only, netting: One position per symbol; reductions exit oldest portions first (FIFO). No hedging.
- Eligibility: U.S. residents and U.S.-incorporated entities. Tax (W-9) and bank ownership proof apply when you request rewards.
Practical risks when trading the news
News sessions introduce spread widening, slippage, and partial fills/rejections. Even if your analysis is correct, execution can deviate—so risk small and prefer simple orders.
Order-type playbook
- Market: fastest, but expect slippage. Keep size tiny around CPI/NFP/FOMC minutes.
- Limit: price control; may miss the trade in one-way moves. Consider “limit pullback” entries after the first spike.
- Stop: momentum entries can jump; reduce size and widen initial stop modestly.
Position sizing around news
- Cut your normal risk by 50%–75% near Tier-1 releases.
- Use a daily risk cap in R (e.g., −2R) below the official Daily Loss limit to avoid accidental breaches.
- Trade one setup, then stop; most failures happen after the first loss on event days.
U.S. macro calendar: know the “danger hours”
Build a calendar for these Tier-1 events (check your local time in MT5 and your economic calendar): CPI, Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP), FOMC rate decisions/pressers, PCE inflation, ISM PMIs, retail sales. For each, define your entry style (fade vs momentum) and pre-set risk cuts.
Event prep checklist
| Step | What to do | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Map levels | Mark prior day high/low and weekly levels on EURUSD/XAUUSD/US100 | Anchors your bias and invalidation |
| 2) Halve size | Use ≤ 0.25% risk per attempt intraday | Slippage buffer under Daily Loss |
| 3) One attempt | One A+ entry only; no revenge trades | Cuts tail-risk after bad fills |
| 4) Avoid front-running | Enter after the first 1–3 minute candles | Let spreads normalize |
| 5) Screenshot | Save DOM/spread at entry & exit | Improves your MetriX post-mortem |
Weekend holds: how to manage the gap
Weekend gaps happen because markets close but the world doesn’t. Elections, geopolitical headlines, and surprise central-bank comments can push Sunday’s open far from Friday’s close. Your job is to size so that a typical gap won’t breach your Daily/Max Loss if it goes against you.
Risk template for weekend holds
- Per-position “gap allowance”: assume a gap of your instrument’s recent average daily range (ADR) or a defined pip value (e.g., 50–80 pips on EURUSD as a planning baseline).
- Total weekend risk cap: ≤ 0.75% across all open positions.
- Prefer hedgeless diversification: Don’t hold EURUSD long + GBPUSD long + XAUUSD long together—they’re often USD-sensitive in the same direction.
Execution details
- Check the Trading Updates page for scheduled maintenance before the weekend.
- Know your symbol’s session times in the MT5 Specification window; crypto maintenance windows can differ.
- For futures-style contracts, close before expiry if required.
Three practical playbooks
1) CPI morning: momentum then fade
- Bias: Follow first impulse only if spreads normalize quickly; otherwise wait for the first pullback to VWAP/structure.
- Risk: 0.25% per attempt; max one attempt.
- Exit: Take partial at +1R; move stop to breakeven; do not add.
2) NFP: the “second move” trade
- Bias: Skip the first minute spike; trade the direction that holds after the first retrace.
- Risk: 0.25%–0.5% depending on spreads.
- Exit: Partial at structure; full exit if slippage turns your stop into a market fill worse than planned.
3) Weekend hold on XAUUSD
- Bias: Only carry if your higher-timeframe trend is clear and position size can absorb a 1–2 × average hour range gap.
- Risk: Keep total weekend exposure ≤ 0.75% across all positions.
- Exit: If the Sunday open gaps in your favor, scale out into the first liquidity burst; don’t add size on the open.
Allowed vs. not allowed: stay within policy
“Allowed to trade news” does not mean “anything goes.” FTMO publishes Forbidden Trading Practices—avoid latency arbitrage, tick manipulation, platform abuse, and coordinated copy trading intended to game fills. Keep your tactics clean and realistic.
Policy summary tables (U.S. account type)
News & holding rules
| Topic | U.S. account type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trade during news | Allowed | No blanket restriction; practice risk reduction |
| Overnight positions | Allowed | Plan swaps/rollover; respect symbol sessions |
| Weekend holds | Allowed | Mind gaps; check Trading Updates before Friday close |
| Platform | MT5 only, netting (FIFO) | One position per symbol; no hedging |
| Environment | Simulated | Rewards paid on eligible simulated profits |
Risk-control checklist for event days
| Control | Setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Per-trade risk | ≤ 0.25%–0.5% | Keeps variance manageable under Daily Loss |
| Daily stop | −2R (stop trading the day) | Prevents tilt after bad fills |
| Open risk cap | ≤ 1.0% intraday | Avoids stacking correlated exposure |
| Attempts | One A+ setup | Quality over quantity around news |
Stats you can use (context, not guarantees)
- Weekend gaps in major FX pairs are common; studies show gaps often fill within the next session, but not always—plan sizing as if they won’t fill.
- Daily movement in EURUSD has recently averaged around the mid-double-digit pips range; on NFP/CPI days the realized move can exceed typical sessions.
- Real-world example: Following France’s 2024 election first-round, EURUSD gapped up on the Sunday open and advanced for weeks—illustrating how gaps can precede trend legs, not just quick fills.
Weekend hold worksheet (copy/paste)
| Field | Your inputs | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument | e.g., EURUSD.sim | Prefer liquid majors |
| Planned gap assumption | e.g., 50–80 pips | ~ADR proxy; adjust to conditions |
| Risk per position | 0.25%–0.5% | Smaller if event-heavy weekend |
| Total weekend exposure | ≤ 0.75% | Cap across all open trades |
| Correlation check | Green (OK) / Red (Too alike) | Avoid USD-one-way baskets |
| Trading Updates check | Done ✓ | Check maintenance windows |
How to journal news & weekend trades (to improve fast)
- Pre-event notes: consensus, your scenario map, exact trigger.
- Execution metrics: spread at entry, slippage in pips, DOM snapshot.
- Outcome: R multiple, time in trade, reason for exit.
- MetriX tie-in: update your win rate, payoff, and MAE/MFE ranges weekly; adjust only one lever at a time.
Trade U.S. news and weekends with a plan
Use sensible sizing, respect Daily/Max Loss, and let your MetriX confirm consistency. When you’re ready, move from Trial to Evaluation.
Start the FTMO US ChallengeOfficial resources
- Can I place simulated trades during news?
- Do I have to close my positions overnight?
- FTMO US vs Global (MT5, netting/FIFO)
- List of tradable simulated assets
- Trading Updates (sessions & maintenance)
- Forbidden Trading Practices
- How FTMO US works
Disclosure: FTMO US provides a simulated, educational environment. Performance in simulation does not guarantee results in live markets. This article includes a partner affiliate link.