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.
By Mike, founder of MacroSetup. Page updated . Free account with no card. Premium starts with 14 days free.
What the firms allow around news
Most firms let you trade news in the evaluation and tighten the rules once you are funded: 12 of the 16 we track put no window on the evaluation, and once funded the window runs from 2 to 10 minutes either side of a release. Each rule comes from the firm's own help page, with the date it was read.
- Alpha Capital
Free to trade news during the evaluation. On Qualified Analyst Pro, One, Three and Direct accounts, no new trades and no closing within five minutes either side.
- AquaFunded
Allowed on accounts opened after 27 April 2026, but profit from trades within five minutes either side of red folder news is capped at 0.5 percent of the starting balance per payout cycle.
- Blue Guardian
Allowed in the challenge. On a funded account, no opening or closing within five minutes either side of red folder news and FOMC speeches; the profit is removed, the account stays.
- BrightFunded
No restriction in Phase 1 and Phase 2. On a funded account, no trading on the targeted instruments within five minutes either side of a listed release; the profit of that trade is deducted.
- E8 Markets
No restriction on E8 Signature and E8 Pro, or in the E8 One challenge. On a funded E8 One account, trading is prohibited within five minutes either side.
- FTMO
No restriction during the evaluation. On a funded Standard account, no opening or closing within two minutes either side of a listed release.
- Funded Trading Plus
News trading is allowed in the challenge and once funded, with no fixed window. Trades are judged afterwards in a risk review, which can take the profit or the account.
- FundedNext
News trading is allowed everywhere, but on funded Stellar 1-Step, 2-Step and Lite accounts and on Stellar Instant accounts only 40 percent of the profit made from 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after a listed high-impact event counts.
- FunderPro
Allowed in every challenge. On a funded account without the Swing add-on, no trading and no holding within two minutes either side of their listed releases.
- FundingPips
No news window in the evaluation, but deliberate news trading is banned at every stage and leads to account closure. On a master account, profit from trades inside the window around restricted high-impact news is deducted.
- FXIFY
Allowed on the 1, 2 and 3 Phase accounts and on 2 Phase Pro. On Instant Funding, Instant Funding Lite and the Lightning plan, no trades or orders within five minutes either side of high-impact news.
- Goat Funded Trader
Allowed in the challenge and once funded, but a trade opened or closed within five minutes either side of high-impact news can make at most 1 percent of the initial balance.
- Hola Prime
Free on 1-Step and 2-Step Prime, in the challenge and once funded. On a funded 2-Step Pro account and on a Direct account, no opening or closing within five minutes either side.
- Instant Funding
Free in the challenge phases, by their trading rules. On most funded accounts, no trading within four minutes either side unless the account has their news add-on; the micro accounts are free by default.
- Maven Trading
On the Standard 1, 2 and 3 Step plans, no opening or closing within two minutes either side of red folder news, in the challenge and once funded. Their FAQ frees 2 Step OMO, Buy Now Pay Later and the Instant accounts.
- The5ers
Allowed on Hyper-Growth and Bootcamp, except bracket strategies around news. On High Stakes, no new positions within two minutes either side.
Each firm has its own page here with the rule in full, what trips people up and a link to their own help article. The order is A to Z, whether a firm pays us or not; the firms that do, and their discount codes, are on a page of their own.
Two things nearly 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 rules a challenge is judged on, and the arithmetic of risk per trade against them, are in how to pass a prop firm challenge. 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