When you buy an FTMO Challenge in the 2-Step program, you choose an account type: Standard or Swing. The difference looks small, but later, on the FTMO Account, it decides when you are allowed to trade at all. And the choice can only be corrected in one direction.
The difference at a glance
| Standard | Swing | |
|---|---|---|
| Leverage | up to 1:100 | up to 1:30 |
| Trading around major economic releases (FTMO Account) | restricted: no execution for ±2 minutes | no restriction |
| Holding positions overnight / over the weekend (FTMO Account) | not through market breaks longer than 2 hours | allowed |
| During Challenge and Verification | none of these restrictions | none of these restrictions |
| Available | 1-Step and 2-Step | 2-Step only |
Important: during the Challenge and Verification you will hardly notice the difference. The Standard account's restrictions only apply on the FTMO Account – exactly when real rewards are at stake.
The news rule in detail
On Standard accounts on the FTMO Account, FTMO blocks any order execution from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after selected economic releases. This covers:
- opening and closing positions,
- triggered stops and targets (stop loss, take profit),
- triggered pending orders.
Only instruments tied to the affected currency or market are restricted. For US releases (rate decisions, employment, inflation, GDP, FOMC minutes) that means USD pairs, gold, US indices such as the Nasdaq 100, and the dollar index. Positions opened more than 2 minutes before the release may be held. FTMO marks the relevant events as "Restricted event" in its economic calendar. A breach can cost you the FTMO Account.
The tricky part: a stop that happens to trigger inside this window counts as well. If you trade US indices, you can break the rule without doing anything, simply because a release falls into your trading hours.
What this means for Expert Advisors
Many EAs have no economic calendar. They open, modify and close positions by their own rules – including at 8:30 or 14:00 New York time, when US data or the rate decision come out. On a Standard FTMO Account that is a risk you can only manage with a reliable news filter.
On a Swing account this restriction does not exist. That is why the Constans Engine, for example, requires a Swing account: it has no news filter, and its check times fall on times when US data is released.
Switching account type
- Standard → Swing: not possible once the account has been purchased, not even during the Challenge or Verification.
- Swing → Standard: possible before each new cycle, for example after a reward withdrawal or before placing your first trade.
So if you are unsure, choose Swing right away – you can go back to Standard later, but not the other way round.
What applies to both types
Regardless of account type, FTMO's Forbidden Trading Practices apply, for example on excessive risk, trading by third parties or gap trading. Swing is not a licence for everything – only an exemption from the news and holding-time restrictions.
Quick decision guide
- You trade manually, short-term and never around releases? Standard with higher leverage may fit.
- You hold positions overnight, trade US indices or use an EA without a news filter? Choose Swing.
- Unsure? Swing. Switching to Standard remains possible later.
Before you start, use our FTMO calculator to see how much room the daily and overall limits leave you.