Important economic event approaching? Check this in the last 10 minutes
In this post
October 12, 2026.
In ten minutes the US inflation report, the employment data or precisely the central bank's interest rate decision appears.
After such an announcement prices can move significantly in a short time. If you have an open position, or you would like to trade after the event, it is worth clarifying in advance multiple such questions which can influence your next steps.
But what is it worth checking in the last ten minutes, so that at the appearance of the event you can already watch the market preparedly?
In this article we present a simple, ten-minute checking sequence which you can also use before the US inflation report (CPI), the employment report (NFP), the central bank's interest rate decision (FOMC) and other important economic announcements.
This last ten minutes serves for the overview of your prepared trading plan. If an event requires more detailed preparation, it is worth starting earlier.
Short summary
Which details is it worth checking first when there are only ten minutes left?
Why can it be misleading if you only watch a single number from an economic report?
How can you avoid violating the rules of your account because of an important announcement?
What else is it worth predetermining before the first price movement after the event?
How can you shape the checks into a short preparation sequence usable later too?
10–8 minutes before: exactly what event follows?
First open the economic calendar, and check the exact name and time of the next announcement.
Pay special attention to what time zone the calendar shows the event in. If you use a different time zone on your trading interface, check whether the two times match.
After this look at whether another significant economic data arrives at the same time too.
For example in the US employment report multiple labor market data appear at once. To interpret the first market reaction it is therefore important for you to know that multiple new informations can arrive at one time.
In Solo Clash HQ you can follow the important economic events in a rolling three-day view, thus you can perform this check as part of your own preparation too.
In the next step it is already worth clarifying what information the event can give for the market traded by you.
8–6 minutes before: why is the event important, and what does the market count on?
The significance of an economic announcement also depends on what expectations it can change.
If for example you trade NQ, a US inflation report can be important because the shaping of inflation can influence expectations related to central bank interest rates. The change of these can have an effect on the price of technology stocks too.
After you clarified the possible significance of the event, look at the preliminary market expectations.
At numerical economic data it is worth separating three values:
Earlier value → preliminary market expectation → actual result
You can write down the first two values already before the appearance. You can add the third after the event.
It is important however that the different economic events contain different informations.
This difference is essential from the perspective of preparation.
In a CPI report for example it can occur that overall inflation is lower than expected, while core inflation exceeds the preliminary expectation.
At such times the two values can show a different picture. Therefore multiple informations together can influence the market reaction.
And at the central bank's interest rate decision the statement and the press conference following it can bring newer changes in market expectations.
Already before the event know exactly which informations you would like to compare. This way after the appearance you can more easily interpret the new data.
6–4 minutes before: organize your open positions and check the account rules
If you have an open position, think through whether you would like to hold it at the appearance of the event too.
You must decide this based on your own trading plan and the rules of your account.
At Solo Clash the rules referring to news trading differ per account type.
LIMITLESS
According to our current rules trading around high-impact economic events is allowed in the Eval, Express and Live phase too.
LIQUID
At the LIQUID account type trading around economic events is likewise allowed. The other account rules, including the loss limits valid in the given phase, are still to be kept.
LEGACY
Two minutes before the designated high-impact economic events, during the event and for two minutes after it it is forbidden to open, hold or increase a position.
This restriction applies to every phase of the account, regardless of whether the given market directly connects to the announcement.
Therefore in case of LEGACY account type by the start of the restricted period you must have already closed all your positions. Plan the closing in time, so that you do not have to take action in the last minute.
In our official Help Center you find the current news trading rules and the determination of restricted events.
It is worth performing the checking of the rules already before the trading period. This way in the last minutes before the event you only have to overview the harmony of your own positions and the current conditions.
4–2 minutes before: determine when you will look for a trading opportunity again
After important economic announcements the first price movement can be fast and volatile.
Therefore even before the event it is worth determining after the fulfillment of what conditions you start looking for an entry opportunity again.
For this clarify three things:
How much time do you leave for the observation of the first fast price movement?
The fulfillment of what predetermined market condition do you wait for?
What happens if the given condition is not fulfilled?
For example if according to your own method you only look for an entry following the confirmation of a new price level developing after the first fast movement, you can record this already before the announcement.
This way after the event you can check a known condition.
2–0 minutes before: finish the preparations
In the last two minutes you can already rely on the previously gathered informations and your own trading plan.
Check whether your open positions meet the rules of your account, then keep in mind your trading conditions after the event.
If any important preparation is still missing, do not try to finish it hurriedly. You can start the preparation earlier too, or you can skip the given trading opportunity.
When the announcement arrives, the new information and the actual market reaction can already get into the center of your attention.
What is it worth checking after the event?
At the appearance of the announcement supplement the previously recorded informations with the actual result.
After this examine how the new data compares to earlier expectations, and how the market traded by you reacts to it.
From the first price movement a clear direction for the next minutes does not yet necessarily follow.
Multiple economic data appearing at once, respectively a later central bank announcement can also modify the market reaction.
Therefore always evaluate the next entry opportunity based on your own, predetermined conditions.
In your note it is enough to record a few short data: what appeared, in what did it differ from expectation, how did the market react, and were your own trading conditions fulfilled.
You can use this later for your after-event analysis too.
The full 10-minute checklist
You can save the summary below, and take it out again before the next high-impact economic announcement.
After the event: record the actual result, compare it with expectations, and observe the reaction of the market.
This sequence can help in making your preparation more consistent, while you also take into consideration the specificities of the individual economic events.
Frequent questions (FAQ)
Do I have to start the preparation exactly ten minutes before the event?
The ten minutes is a short, repeatable checking framework. If you need more detailed market analysis, position management or getting to know the rules, start earlier.
What happens if multiple important economic data appear at once?
Record the important data separately, and the preliminary expectations belonging to them too. Multiple different informations can also influence the first market reaction, therefore at such times it is especially important to interpret the price movement cautiously.
Can I trade directly after the event?
This depends on the rules of your account type and your own trading conditions. At the LEGACY account type for two minutes after the designated events a restriction is valid. If multiple restricted events follow each other, you must take into consideration the time window of each one.
Where can I check the exact events and rules?
You can follow economic events in Solo Clash HQ and in economic calendars too. Always check the current rules referring to your account type in our Help Center.
Summary
In the last ten minutes before an important economic event it can help a lot if you already know what informations you must check and in what order.
The exact time of the event, market expectations, your open positions, the account rules and your own trading conditions can all get a role in your preparation.
With the help of the checklist you can organize these into a short, followable process. And after the event you can already examine the next opportunities based on the new data and the actual market reaction.
When choosing a prop firm account it is also worth taking into consideration the news trading rules.
Our LIMITLESS and LIQUID account types make trading around important economic events possible, while LEGACY applies restrictions in determined periods.
Look at which of our account types' conditions best fit to how you would like to trade.
Compare the Solo Clash account types →
The article serves an educational purpose, and does not qualify as financial or investment advice.