The macro side of passing, and keeping, a funded account
A challenge is not lost on the trade you get wrong. It is lost on the day you are long the wrong currency into a central bank meeting you did not have in front of you. MacroSetup shows which currency the macro favours, and flags the event risk on every setup before the day starts.
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What the firms allow around news
Most firms let you trade news in the evaluation and tighten the rules once you are funded. The table is what each firm says on its own help page, read on 23 September 2026. Firms change these rules without announcing it, so check the link before you lean on it.
| Firm | Evaluation | Funded | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| FundingPips | No restriction on holding through news. | Profit from trades in the window around restricted high-impact news is deducted. 5 minutes either side, 10 minutes around speeches. | A trade opened 5 hours or more before the event falls outside the rule. Closing part of an order flags the whole order. |
| FTMO | No restriction during the evaluation. | On the Standard account, no opening or closing within 2 minutes either side of a listed release. Swing accounts have no restriction. | The list of releases is published and short: for the dollar it is the Fed decision, payrolls, unemployment, advance GDP, the minutes and CPI. |
| The5ers | Allowed on Hyper-Growth and Bootcamp, except bracket strategies around news. | On High Stakes, no orders executed from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after high-impact news. | Profit made in that window is deducted, losses are not. They follow Forex Factory and server time. |
| FundedNext | No restriction on challenge accounts. | Trades in the 10 minute window around a listed release keep only 40 percent of their profit. | Losses in that window stay yours in full. |
| Alpha Capital | Free to trade all news during the evaluation phases. | No new trades and no closing within 5 minutes either side on the affected instruments. | An event counts as high impact if either Myfxbook or Forex Factory calls it that, which is the widest definition of the firms here. |
| E8 Markets | No restriction on E8 Signature and E8 Pro. | On E8 One, trading is prohibited from 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after high-impact news. | Profits made in the window are deducted at payout. |
Each firm has its own page here with the rule in full, what trips people up and a link to their own help article.
Two things every one of these rules has in common: they are about a window of minutes, and they are enforced on the trade, not on your intention. Knowing which releases land on which currency tomorrow is what keeps you out of the window in the first place.
How members use it on a challenge
- 1
Pick the side before the session
The ranking says which currencies the macro favours and which it does not. You look at pairs where a strong one meets a weak one, instead of at whatever moved overnight.
- 2
See the event risk on the setup
Every setup carries the high-impact releases ahead for both of its currencies, with the time. That is the window your firm has a rule about.
- 3
Keep the risk plan next to it
The account tracker holds your challenge rules: the daily loss limit, the maximum drawdown and what one trade may cost at the size you are using.
What it will not do is tell you when to click. There is no entry, no stop and no target anywhere in MacroSetup, and passing a challenge stays your work. The risks are spelled out here.
Questions from prop traders
Can you trade news on a prop firm account?
In the evaluation, almost always yes. On a funded account most firms restrict a window of 2 to 5 minutes either side of high-impact releases, and some take the profit made in that window back. The rule is per firm and per account type, so read your own firm's page before you lean on it.
What happens if you trade inside a restricted window?
It depends on the firm. FundingPips deducts the profit of the affected trade, The5ers deducts the profit but leaves the loss with you, FundedNext keeps 40 percent of it, and FTMO can terminate the account. None of them refunds a loss.
Does MacroSetup tell me when I am allowed to trade?
No. It shows which high-impact releases are ahead for both currencies in a setup, with the time, so you can see the window coming. The rule itself is your firm's, and it is the one that counts.
Is this a signal service for challenges?
No. There are no entries, no stops and no targets, and every member sees the same research. It is the macro side: which currency is strong, which is weak, what is coming and how much risk sits in the day.
Does it work with FundingPips, FTMO or any other firm?
It is research about currencies, not a tool that connects to your account, so it works next to any firm and any platform. The account tracker holds your own rules, such as a daily loss limit and a maximum drawdown, whichever firm set them. What is in the product