Can you trade the news or hold over the weekend? Rules by firm
News and weekend-holding rules vary widely — and often differ between the challenge and the funded account. Here is how the firms we track handle both.
If your edge depends on trading economic releases or holding positions over the weekend, the firm's policy on these can make or break your strategy — and it frequently differs between the evaluation and the funded account. This is a neutral overview of the firms we track; always confirm the current terms for your exact product.
News trading: the common patterns
Few firms fully ban news trading, but most restrict a window around high-impact ("red-folder") releases:
- Generally allowed: Upcomers permits news trading across programs; City Traders Imperium allows it on the 1-Step Challenge; Apex allows news for your normal strategy (but not "gambling" both sides).
- Restricted by a time window: For Traders bars opening/closing within 5 minutes either side; Maven uses a 2-minute red-folder window; Top One Trader applies a 5-minute window on funded accounts; Blueberry Funded uses 2 minutes on evaluation/earning accounts.
- Restricted by event proximity: FTMO restricts trading around major scheduled events; The5ers bans bracketing pending orders around news.
- Different in funded vs challenge: FundedNext allows news in the challenge, then applies a News Reward Share Rule on funded accounts (only 40% of profit counts in a 10-minute window, but 100% of losses do). FundingPips Zero bans news trading outright.
Weekend and overnight holding
This is where swing traders get caught:
- Holding allowed: Many CFD firms permit overnight and weekend holds in both phases; The5ers' no-max-period structure suits longer holds.
- Phase-dependent: Alpha Capital Group allows weekend holds in the evaluation but not on the funded account — a real constraint for swing strategies.
- Swing-specific products: Alpha Swing and Fintokei's Swing accounts are built to accommodate longer holds; check the exact terms.
- Futures sessions: Futures firms often require closing across sessions — Take Profit Trader's policy requires no holding across sessions, aligned with CME compliance.
Two questions to ask before buying
- Does the rule apply to my product and phase (challenge vs funded)?
- Is news holding allowed even if trading the release isn't? Several firms (FundingPips evaluation, For Traders) let you hold through news but not open/close in the window.
Key takeaways
- Most firms allow news trading but restrict a 2–10 minute window around high-impact events.
- Funded accounts are often stricter than the challenge (e.g. FundedNext's reward-share rule).
- Weekend holds can be allowed in evaluation but banned once funded (Alpha Capital Group).
- Swing-specific products and some CFD firms accommodate longer holds — verify per product.
Check the rules for your style
The comparison tool breaks out news trading and weekend/overnight holding as structured rows; each firm dossier details them per product; and the glossary defines the terms. For EA and automation policies, see the AI, algo & EA page.
