All lessons
Prepare for scheduled news
Knowing an announcement time is useful even when you have no view on the result. It can help you decide when to sit out.
Make a news-risk plan before an announcement.
An economic calendar is a planning aid. Check the original publisher for time and content, and distinguish the announcement, press conference and later minutes. Calendar impact labels are estimates, not measures of guaranteed movement.
Convert the release time to your local timezone and your chart's timezone. Daylight-saving changes can shift the relationship. Write an explicit timestamp and date instead of assuming a release always occurs at the same local hour.
Choose your demo policy in advance: observe only, avoid new entries within a defined window, or test a separate news strategy. Check existing positions and pending orders. Wide spreads, gaps and delayed execution can make ordinary assumptions unreliable.
Let’s use numbers · hypothetical example
A hypothetical release is scheduled at 13:30 UTC. At UTC+05:30 it is 19:00 local time. A practice rule may block new entries from 18:45 to 19:15, then require normal spreads before resuming. These times illustrate a rule, not a recommendation.
Keep in mind
Unscheduled news can occur outside your window. Stop orders do not guarantee the requested exit price.
Your turn
Create tomorrow's observation calendar from official schedules, recording source, timezone and no-trade conditions.
A quick check before we move on
What should be verified before using a calendar time?
- The broker's advertising
- Date, source timezone and local conversion
- Only the red impact icon
Check answer
Date, source timezone and local conversion Correct time conversion and source verification prevent planning around the wrong event window.
Sources and further reading
- www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomccalendars.htm
- www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/general-resources/news-alerts/alerts-bulletins/investor-bulletins-15
Content reviewed: 29 October 2026
Educational material with hypothetical examples. Trading can cause substantial losses. A course, pattern, stop order or past result cannot guarantee a profit or limit every loss. Practise in simulation and check current rules and product terms in your jurisdiction.