The News Trading Rule requires you to be out of the market around scheduled tier-1 economic releases. This rule is firm-wide: it applies identically to every ONYX account, in every phase, on both product families (the standard tracks and Express to Live). High-impact releases cause sudden, severe price moves and abnormal spread widening.
The Rule
Be flat | At least 2 minutes before any scheduled tier-1 release. No open position may be held into the release window. |
Re-enter | Allowed only after prices have settled following the release. There is no fixed re-entry timer stated; wait until the post-release volatility settles. |
Violation | Trading through a release, or holding a position into it, is a rule violation. Counts as "Holding through news" under Prohibited Activity. |
Scope | Firm-wide. Same rule on standard tracks (Sapphire, Ruby, Flex, Flex Funded, Gold, Platinum, Diamond) and on Express to Live (Ruby-X and Platinum-X). Applies in evaluation, funded, buffer, and live phases. |
Tier-1 Releases
This rule applies to the following high-impact releases (all US):
Release | What it is |
FOMC | Federal Open Market Committee interest-rate decision |
NFP | Non-Farm Payrolls employment report |
CPI | Consumer Price Index inflation report |
PPI | Producer Price Index inflation report |
FOMC Minutes | Detailed record of the most recent FOMC meeting |
If you are unsure whether a particular release counts as tier-1, stay flat around it or contact [email protected] before trading it.
Do Not Conflate
Dimension | Standard tracks | Express to Live |
News rule | Flat >= 2 min before tier-1 releases; re-enter after settle | Identical: flat >= 2 min before tier-1 releases; re-enter after settle |
Phases covered | Evaluation, funded (simulated), Diamond (coming-soon live) | Evaluation (simulated), buffer (simulated), live (real capital) |
Any exception? | None. No account type, size, or phase is exempt. | None. No track, size, or phase is exempt, including the real live account. |
The news rule does not vary by account type, account size, drawdown model, or funding stage. Do not assume Express to Live or any standard track has a different news policy; there is one firm-wide rule.
Why It Matters and Related Rules
Tier-1 releases routinely move futures markets sharply within seconds, and spreads can widen far beyond normal. Holding a position into one of these events puts your account at outsized risk, so trading through them is treated as a rule violation.
Related firm-wide rules: no overnight or weekend holds, and any position open at session close is automatically liquidated. Full violation list: Prohibited Activity. Express to Live program detail: Express to Live (Ruby-X and Platinum-X).