Macro calendar events
Where the event list comes from, what happens 30 minutes before and in the hour around a release, and how to add your own events.
Why the calendar exists
Crashes and short squeezes cluster around a handful of scheduled US releases: CPI, FOMC decisions and press conferences, non-farm payrolls, PPI, GDP, unemployment, core PCE, retail sales and Fed chair speeches. The calendar makes sure you are not caught by one with a tight stop.
Source
The list comes from the free ForexFactory weekly feed (this week and next week), filtered to USD events rated high impact, plus any USD event whose title matches those keywords. It refreshes every six hours. You can add your own entries, which are stored with the same shape and marked manual. In demo mode only manual events are used.
What happens around an event
| When | Effect |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes before | An alert Macro event in n min: … is raised at the crash watch level: an entry in the alert drawer and a popup, no siren. |
| from 60 minutes before to 60 minutes after | Crash risk on every pair is bumped by 10 points, which can push a pair over the watch or warning threshold. The first reason on the crash card reads Macro event window: … (+10% risk). |
| same window | The consensus card shows a macro event badge and the note expect a volatility spike; widen stops or wait for the print. The verdict and ranges are otherwise unchanged. |
The Crash Radar page shows a strip at the top with the Next macro event, its countdown and, while inside the window, event window: crash risk +10%.
Managing events
Open Settings > Macro events. The table lists the next 30 events with the local time, countdown (negative means just passed), title, impact and source. Rows inside the hour are shaded. A badge in window appears in the section header while an event is live.
To add an event:
- Set time (local) with the date-time picker (it defaults to one hour from now).
- Type a title, for example
FOMC rate decision. - Click Add event. A toast confirms and the event takes effect immediately.
Manual rows have a delete button. Feed rows cannot be deleted; they expire on their own.
Note: in the hosted service the event calendar is shared, so adding or deleting events is an admin action. Subscribers see the same list and the same alerts.
Reading the clock
Times are shown in your browser's local time. If the countdown looks wrong, your computer clock or time zone is off; see Troubleshooting. The underlying timestamps are UTC, so the alert and the risk bump fire at the correct moment even if the display is confusing.
Practical use
- Before a release, move stops beyond the analog wobble or close part of the position.
- Do not take a fresh GO LONG or GO SHORT inside the window unless the move you are trading is the release itself.
- After the print, wait for the first 15-minute candle to close; many warnings issued inside the window are voided above the Void above level within the hour.
Tip: if you trade a release deliberately, add a manual event a few minutes before the scheduled time so the window opens while you are still able to adjust orders.