Trading rules
Can I trade during news events?
The rules differ depending on the plan and on whether you are in the evaluation or funded phase.
During the evaluation phase
It depends on the plan.
- EOD, Flex and 1-Day-Pass-Plan: no news trading restrictions. You can open and close positions freely around any news event.
- Daily Payouts: the 2 minute buffer applies during the evaluation as well as on the funded account. Daily Payouts is our only evaluation with a news restriction.
During the funded phase, all account types
A 2 minute buffer applies around high impact news events. Within 2 minutes before or after a scheduled high impact news release, you cannot:
- Open new positions
- Close existing positions
- Trigger pending orders
If a position was opened before the 2 minute pre-news window began, you are permitted to hold it through the event. See the news holding rule for more details.
This applies to all funded account types: EOD, 1-Day-Pass-Plan, Flex, Instant Classic and Daily Payouts.
What happens if you trade inside the window
If you execute an order within the restricted timeframe, any profits generated will be deducted upon payout request.
Gap trading around scheduled earnings releases or other significant company-specific announcements is also prohibited and is treated in the same manner as high impact news trading.
Updated 8 September 2026
Can I keep a position open through a high-impact news event on my account?
Yes — as long as the position was opened before the 2-minute pre-news window began, you are free to hold it through the event. You can close it any time after the 2-minute post-news window has passed.
During the restricted window (2 minutes before to 2 minutes after the news release), you cannot:
- Open new positions
- Close existing positions
- Trigger pending orders
This rule applies to funded accounts only. There are no news trading restrictions during an evaluation.
Can I hold positions overnight?
All positions must be closed before the end of the trading session. This applies to every account type: EOD, 1-Day-Pass-Plan, Instant Classic, Instant Lite, Flex and Daily Payouts. Any position still open is closed automatically at 15:55 CT, five minutes before the session ends.
Weekend holding is also not permitted.
At what time must I close my trades to avoid holding a position overnight?
As mentioned in our rules, we don't allow holding positions overnight or over the weekend, as we consider it very risky and prone to market pricing gaps.
Therefore our system will automatically flatten any positions left open 5 minutes before market close at 15:55 CT.
This applies to every account type.
Holding time rules on each plan
There are four separate holding time rules at GFF, and they apply to different plans.
The microscalping rule, 2 minutes
Profit from any trade closed within 2 minutes of opening is not eligible, and is deducted from your account balance and from any payout calculation. The trade itself is not a breach. This applies to EOD, 1-Day-Pass-Plan and Instant Classic accounts, in both the evaluation and funded phases.
The 1 minute rule, Flex only
Flex accounts are not covered by the microscalping rule. Instead, at each payout request, at least 50% of your closed trades and at least 50% of your net profit in that payout cycle must come from trades held longer than 1 minute. If either is not met, the payout request is declined and all profit from trades held under 1 minute in that cycle is deducted. This is not a breach and your account stays open.
The 60 second rule, Daily Payouts only
Daily Payouts accounts are not covered by the microscalping rule either. At each payout request, at least 50% of your net profit since your last payout must come from trades held longer than 60 seconds. If it is not met, the request is declined and the profit from trades held 60 seconds or less in that period is deducted. This is not a breach and your account stays open.
The difference from Flex is that the Daily rule tests your net profit only. Flex tests both the number of closed trades and the profit.
Tick scalping
Opening and closing positions within seconds to capture small tick profits, typically $10 to $50 a time, is not permitted on any account, including Flex and Daily Payouts. Profit generated this way may be reviewed and deducted.
Which rule applies to me
| Plan | Holding time rule |
|---|---|
| EOD Challenge | 2 minute microscalping deduction |
| 1-Day-Pass-Plan | 2 minute microscalping deduction |
| Instant Classic | 2 minute microscalping deduction |
| Flex Challenge | 1 minute rule at payout, on trades and profit |
| Daily Payouts | 60 second rule at payout, on profit |
Why these rules exist
They exist so that results reflect what would realistically be executable on a live exchange, where slippage, partial fills and liquidity limits apply.
None of them should be confused with the 2 minute news buffer, which is a separate restriction around high impact news events.
Updated 8 September 2026
Can I take partial profit from my trade within 2 minutes of opening the trade?
No — closing any part of a trade within 2 minutes of opening, including partial profit-taking, is considered a violation of the microscalping rule. Profits from such trades will be deducted from your account when reviewed.
This does not result in a breach or account closure, but the profits will not count toward your balance or payout.
Why do you have a minimum holding time rule?
The minimum hold time is in place at GFF to ensure our evaluation reflects realistic trading conditions. During high-volatility periods, ultra-short trades on larger contract sizes can capture moves that wouldn't realistically be executable in a live funded environment due to slippage, partial fills, and liquidity constraints. The rule keeps the challenge aligned with what you'd actually experience when trading real capital.
The length differs by plan. EOD, 1-Day-Pass-Plan and Instant Classic use a 2 minute microscalping deduction. Flex uses a 1 minute rule checked at payout. Daily Payouts uses a 60 second rule checked at payout.
See holding time rules on each plan for how each one works.
What strategies are prohibited?
Every rule below comes down to one question: could this strategy realistically be executed on a live exchange? We assess every account on whether it reflects genuine market trading rather than exploiting our simulated environment. Any strategy that only works because the environment is simulated is not permitted, whether listed below or not. Breaching a rule may result in a warning, profit adjustment, account review, or termination.
Coordinated & linked trading
Your trading must be your own and your accounts must operate independently. You may copy your own trades across your own accounts, but copying other users' trades or signals — manually, via copy services, or EAs — is prohibited, as is coordinating trades with other clients, holding opposing or hedged positions across accounts, group trading, trade signaling, or sharing devices, VPS instances, or IPs to enable linked trading. Where linked activity is detected, all accounts and users involved may be suspended.
Risk discipline & position sizing
Trade like a professional managing real capital. Disproportionate all-in bets on a single position, account rolling, and erratic sizing swings (one micro on one trade, five minis on the next) may be treated as gambling rather than disciplined trading. Keep your sizing consistent with your strategy and balance.
Exploiting the simulated environment
No market manipulation, spoofing, or deceptive conduct designed to distort prices or create false trading conditions. No arbitrage of any kind — latency, hedge, reverse, or rollover. No gap trading around market closures and re-openings, and no profiting from mispriced quotes, feed latency, or external price sources used for an edge.
Scalping & high-frequency abuse
On EOD, 1-Day-Pass-Plan and Instant accounts, profits from trades closed within 2 minutes are deducted (not a breach). On Flex accounts created after July 21st, at least 50% of your closed trades and 50% of your net profits in each payout cycle must come from trades held longer than 1 minute — otherwise the payout is declined and sub-1-minute profits are deducted. HFT systems, tick scalping, bulk order-entry, and volume inflation are prohibited, and 100+ trades in a single day may trigger a risk review.
Payout & requirement gaming
Payouts reward sustainable trading. Earning the bulk of your profit in a single day and then trading the bare minimum to hit the required trading days, or placing token trades to fake activity, may result in the payout being withheld, the concentrated day's profit voided, or the account closed.
News trading
News trading is fully allowed on challenge accounts. On funded accounts, you may not open a new position from 2 minutes before until 2 minutes after a scheduled high-impact news release. Holding an existing position through the news is fine, as is managing or closing it.
Unsure whether your strategy is compliant? Ask support before you trade it.
Updated 18 August 2026
Tick Scalping & Unrealistic Trading Practices
Tick scalping refers to extremely short-term trading where positions are opened and closed within seconds to capture very small price movements, often using high position sizes.
Trading strategies that generate profits through unrealistic execution conditions such as rapid entries and exits within a few ticks may not reflect real market behaviour. In live trading environments, such activity is often affected by slippage, liquidity limitations, and partial fills, making these results difficult to replicate consistently.
This rule applies across all account types, including Flex and Daily Payouts, to ensure consistency and alignment with realistic market conditions. If such activity is identified, any profits generated from it may be reviewed and deducted.
Traders are encouraged to follow strategies that are sustainable and reflect genuine live-market execution.
Updated 8 September 2026
Gap Trading
Gap Trading
Trading strategies designed to capture price gaps caused by market closures, re-openings, or significant company-specific announcements are not permitted.
This includes opening positions on the same day as scheduled earnings releases, as well as trading around major corporate events such as CEO changes, takeover announcements, regulatory decisions, guidance updates, or other material company news.
These events will be treated in the same manner as high-impact news trading.
Gap trading around scheduled earnings releases or other significant company-specific announcements is also prohibited and is treated in the same manner as high-impact news trading.
Updated 8 September 2026
Signals, copy trading and automated strategies
Copying your own trades is allowed
You may copy your own trades across your own GFF accounts, and across accounts you hold elsewhere. If you buy a multi account bundle, copying your own trades into each of them is the intended use.
On Daily Payouts, copy trading is permitted between your own Daily Payouts accounts only.
Copying other people is not
Trading someone else's calls, whether from a signal provider, a trading group, a third party service, a copy or mirror service, or an EA that follows an external source, is a prohibited trading practice and may result in account termination.
There is a practical reason beyond fairness. When several unrelated traders follow the same source, their accounts hold matching positions at matching times. Where that is detected, every account and user involved may be suspended, including people who did not know others were following the same signals.
Automated strategies
On EOD, 1-Day-Pass-Plan, Flex and Instant Classic, your own automated strategies and EAs are allowed, as long as they reflect your own trading and do not exploit latency, data feed anomalies or system vulnerabilities.
Daily Payouts and Instant Lite are manual trading products. Bots, Expert Advisors and automated strategies are not permitted on either, and neither are grid, martingale or high frequency strategies.
If you are unsure whether a service or method is permitted, contact support before using it.
Updated 8 September 2026
Can I use trading bots or automated strategies (EAs)?
It depends on your plan.
Where they are allowed
On EOD, 1-Day-Pass-Plan, Flex and Instant Classic, personal automated strategies and EAs are allowed, as long as they are consistent with your trading style and do not exploit system vulnerabilities, latency, or data feed anomalies. Strategies designed to manipulate the simulated environment rather than reflect genuine market trading are prohibited.
Where they are not
Daily Payouts and Instant Lite are manual trading products. Bots, Expert Advisors and automated strategies are not permitted on either, and neither are grid, martingale or high frequency strategies.
Updated 8 September 2026