Why we built this

Prop firm news rules are easy to read and easy to break.

Most traders who lose a payout to news trading knew the rule. They just could not watch the calendar, the clock and the chart at the same time.

Payout review

Funded account · 2-Step

In review

XAU/USDTue 14:10+$860
EUR/USDWed 09:42+$540
XAU/USDThu 12:31+$1,240
GBP/USDFri 08:15+$600

Profit this cycle$3,240

Payout · 80% split$2,592

The problem

One trade at the wrong minute.

Prop firms like FTMO, Funding Pips and FundedNext restrict trading for a few minutes around high-impact news such as CPI, NFP and FOMC. The rule fits in one sentence.

Then a clean setup forms on XAU/USD, you take it, and US CPI is two minutes away. The profit from that trade is removed from your payout. On some accounts the whole payout is refused, or the account is closed.

Nobody does this on purpose. It happens because following the rule by hand means checking a separate calendar before every single trade.

By hand

What following the rule takes, every trade.

1Open the economic calendar and find today’s red folder releases.
2Convert each release time from the calendar’s zone to yours.
3Work out which currencies move your pair. Gold reacts to USD news, GBP/JPY to both GBP and JPY.
4Remember your firm’s window for that account type, before and after the release.
5Watch the clock while you watch the chart.

What we decided

So we built the tool we wanted.

On the chart, not in another tab

The countdown sits where you already look: MT5, cTrader, TradingView, your browser toolbar or your phone.

Your firm’s rule, loaded for you

Pick your firm and account type once. The timer counts to that firm’s window, not a generic one.

Only the news that moves your pair

News Shield maps each release to the currencies in your pair, so you see the events that matter and none that do not.

The calendar stays free

Every trader should know when red folder news lands. The Economic Calendar is free, with or without a pass.

“One accidental trade should never cost you a payout. Stop checking the calendar before every trade, and trade your setups with confidence.”

The QuarkFX team

Trade from anywhere. News Shield stays in sync.

Use News Shield in any browser on your laptop or phone, or inside MT5, cTrader and TradingView. Your firm, pair and timer stay in sync on every device with one license key.