News trading and weekend holding
News trading is allowed during evaluations. On Real accounts, new orders pause for 2 minutes either side of high-impact news. Overnight and weekend holding is allowed on every program.
- Evaluation (Demo) accounts: news trading allowed
- Real and Zero accounts: 2-minute news lock either side
- Closing positions: always allowed during the lock
- Overnight and weekend holding: allowed
- Crypto: trades 24/7
News trading
- 12 minutes before
On Real accounts, new market orders, new pending orders and changes to pending orders are blocked on the affected instruments.
- 2At the release
You can still close positions, and positions opened earlier may be held through the release.
- 32 minutes after
The lock lifts and normal trading resumes. Evaluation (Demo) accounts are never locked.
| Account | During high-impact news |
|---|---|
| Evaluation (Demo) accounts | Trading around news is allowed |
| Real accounts (funded and Zero) | New orders blocked from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after the release |
| Blocked during the lock | Still allowed |
|---|---|
| New market orders | Closing positions, in full or in part |
| New pending orders | Cancelling pending orders |
| Any change to a pending order (price, volume, stop loss or take profit) | Changing the stop loss or take profit of an open position |
| Holding positions through the release |
- The lock applies to new market orders, new pending orders and any change to an existing pending order (price, volume, stop loss or take profit) on instruments whose currencies the release affects.
- The terminal shows a news lock while it is active.
- You can still close positions during the lock, and positions opened earlier may be held through the release.
- Release times come from a public economic calendar and are checked automatically.
- Prices can jump at a release. A stop loss or stop order the price jumps past fills at the first available price, which can be worse than its set price. Take profit and limit orders fill at their set price.
Overnight and weekend holding
Positions can stay open overnight and over the weekend on every program.
| Day (UTC) | Forex and metals | Crypto | US stocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 00:00 to 21:00 and 22:00 to 24:00 | Open all day | 09:30 to 16:00 New York time |
| Friday | 00:00 to 21:00 | Open all day | 09:30 to 16:00 New York time |
| Saturday | Closed | Open all day | Closed |
| Sunday | 22:00 to 24:00 | Open all day | Closed |
- Forex and metals: Sunday 22:00 to Friday 22:00 UTC, with a daily break from 21:00 to 22:00 UTC (so Friday trading ends at 21:00 UTC).
- Crypto: open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- US stocks: 09:30 to 16:00 New York time, Monday to Friday.
- While a market is closed, new orders cannot be placed, and stop loss, take profit and pending orders do not trigger until it reopens.
A stop loss, take profit or pending order crossed while the market was closed triggers at the reopen. Take profit and limit orders fill at exactly their set price. A stop loss or stop order fills at the first available price after the gap, which can be worse than the price you set. Floating losses on open positions still count towards your limits.
Plan with the economic calendar
The economic calendar lists the current week’s high-impact events in the time zone you choose, so you can plan around the news lock on Real accounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trade during news?
Yes on evaluation (Demo) accounts. On Real accounts, new orders are blocked from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after a high-impact release that affects the instrument. You can still close positions.
Can I hold a trade through a news release?
Yes. Positions opened before the lock may be held through the release on every account.
Can I hold trades over the weekend?
Yes, on every program. Forex and metals reopen on Sunday at 22:00 UTC. Stop loss, take profit and pending orders crossed over the weekend trigger at the reopen: take profit and limit orders fill at their set price, while a stop loss or stop order fills at the first available price, which can be worse. Floating losses still count towards your limits.
What happens to my stop loss if the price gaps?
A stop loss, buy stop or sell stop fills at the first available price once the market reaches it. Usually that is your price or very close to it, but when the price jumps past it, for example at the weekend reopen, a session open or a news release, it fills at the first price after the jump, which can be worse. Take profit and limit orders always fill at exactly their set price.
Which news triggers the lock?
High-impact releases that affect the instrument’s currencies, taken from a public economic calendar and checked automatically.