Topstep is one of the longest-running US futures prop firms, built around a two-stage path: the Trading Combine evaluation, then the Express Funded Account (XFA), with a Live Funded Account for traders who progress further. Trading through scheduled economic releases has long been allowed, with slippage treated as the trader's own risk.
That freedom now has a wider fence around it. Topstep's news restriction used to apply to CPI alone. It now covers every Tier 1 News Event, with fixed micro caps in the Trading Combine and caps that scale with the account balance on an XFA. The rest of this article walks through the windows, the products, the caps for each account and exactly what changed.
The Tier 1 News Events
Each release carries a 10-minute window, from 5 minutes before the announcement to 5 minutes after. All times are Central Time.
| Event | Announcement (CT) | Restricted window (CT) |
|---|---|---|
| CPI | 7:30 AM | 7:25 to 7:35 AM |
| Non-Farm Payroll (NFP / Unemployment Rate) | 7:30 AM | 7:25 to 7:35 AM |
| FOMC rate decision | 1:00 PM | 12:55 to 1:05 PM |
| FOMC press conference | 1:30 PM | 1:25 to 1:35 PM |
On an FOMC day there are two separate windows, half an hour apart: one around the decision and one around the press conference. Trading between them is unrestricted. Topstep alerts traders by email and with a banner at the top of the platform ahead of each event.
The restriction applies to the simulated accounts, the Trading Combine and the Express Funded Account, and TopstepX enforces it automatically.
What the Window Restricts
| Product group | Contracts | During the window |
|---|---|---|
| Equity index and metal minis | ES, RTY, YM, NQ, NKD, GC, SI, HG, PL | No new opening transactions |
| Equity index and gold micros | MES, M2K, MYM, MNQ, MGC | Opening transactions capped by account |
| Micro copper and micro silver | MHG, SIL | Opening transactions capped by account, with a lower cap |
| Energies, rates, FX and other products | All other contracts | Unaffected |
A few mechanics matter as much as the caps themselves:
- Pending orders do not fill. A resting order is not an open position. It will not fill inside the window, and a new pending order meant to execute in that window cannot be placed.
- Exits are allowed. Take-profit and stop-loss brackets that reduce or close a position are accepted during the window.
- Earlier energy and metals positions can stay. A position in energies or metals opened before the window starts may be kept open and managed through the release.
- Slippage is not refunded. Topstep does not adjust accounts for losses caused by slippage during news releases.
Trading Combine Caps
In the Trading Combine, the micro cap is fixed by account size.
| 50K | 100K | 150K | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal max position | 5 minis / 50 micros | 10 minis / 100 micros | 15 minis / 150 micros |
| Minis in the window | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MES, M2K, MYM, MNQ, MGC in the window | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| MHG and SIL in the window | 2 | 5 | 7 |
The cut is steep. A 50K Combine that can normally hold 50 micros can open only 3 during a release, 6% of its usual size.
Worked example. A trader on a 100K Combine wants to buy NQ into the NFP number at 7:30 AM CT. Between 7:25 and 7:35 AM, NQ will not take a new opening order, and a resting buy-stop on NQ will not fill. The trader can instead open up to 6 MNQ, or close an NQ position that was already open, using a bracket or a manual exit.
Express Funded Account Caps
On an XFA, the news cap follows the Scaling Plan. The account starts at a $0 balance, and the balance below is the profit above that start.
50K XFA
| Balance | Minis | MES, M2K, MYM, MNQ, MGC | MHG and SIL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below $1,500 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| $1,500 to $2,000 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Above $2,000 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
100K XFA
| Balance | Minis | MES, M2K, MYM, MNQ, MGC | MHG and SIL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below $1,500 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| $1,500 to $2,000 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| $2,000 to $3,000 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Above $3,000 | 0 | 6 | 5 |
150K XFA
| Balance | Minis | MES, M2K, MYM, MNQ, MGC | MHG and SIL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below $1,500 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| $1,500 to $2,000 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| $2,000 to $3,000 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| $3,000 to $4,500 | 0 | 6 | 5 |
| Above $4,500 | 0 | 9 | 7 |
The XFA caps never exceed the Combine caps for the same size. They simply start lower and unlock as the account earns.
Worked example. A trader passes a 150K Combine and starts the XFA at $0. On the first CPI day, they can open 1 micro during the window. By the next FOMC, the balance is $3,200, so they can open up to 6 micros around the rate decision and again around the press conference. Only above $4,500 does the account reach the full 9 micros a 150K Combine allows.
What Changed
| Before | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted releases | CPI only | CPI, FOMC rate decision, FOMC press conference, Non-Farm Payroll |
| Windows per FOMC day | None | Two: 12:55 to 1:05 PM CT and 1:25 to 1:35 PM CT |
| Minis in the window | No new opening transactions (CPI only) | No new opening transactions (all Tier 1 events) |
| Combine micro caps (50K / 100K / 150K) | 3 / 6 / 9, with MHG and SIL inside the same cap | 3 / 6 / 9 for MES, M2K, MYM, MNQ, MGC; 2 / 5 / 7 for MHG and SIL |
| XFA micro caps | Same size-based caps as the Combine | Set by Scaling Plan balance, starting at 1 micro |
| Pending orders | Not addressed | Do not fill in the window; new ones for the window cannot be placed |
| Exit brackets | Not addressed | TP/SL brackets that reduce or close positions are accepted |
| Existing positions | Not affected | Energy and metals positions opened before the window may be kept and managed through it |
The Bottom Line
Topstep has turned a single CPI rule into a standing policy for every major scheduled release. Around each of these releases, the minis are shut to new positions for 10 minutes and the micros shrink to a fraction of normal size. For a Combine trader, that means 3 / 6 / 9 micros at most around the number. For a new XFA, it means a single micro until the balance reaches $1,500 ($2,000 on the 50K), and the full 3 / 6 / 9 only above $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500.
For traders whose edge does not depend on the release itself, the change costs little: flatten or hold before the window, and resume after. For traders who specifically trade the CPI, NFP or FOMC spike, Topstep's simulated accounts are now a poor fit for that strategy, especially on a fresh XFA. Full rules are on the Topstep firm page.
Figures as of 17 October 2026.