Do Fundamentals Mess Up Your Technical Setups?

[Wrongous]

I trade mostly through prop firms, so I’m always juggling technical setups with whatever fundamentals are coming out. Lately I’ve noticed my clean breakouts or volatility squeezes either play out perfectly or get wrecked the moment news hits. A perfect DXY pullback setup last week flipped instantly after that CPI leak.

Curious how you guys handle this:

Avoid red-folder news?
Reduce size before key events?
Or just trust the chart and let the fundamentals do their thing?

Different prop firms treat this differently too. FTMO and TFT allow news trading with conditions, while others like Hola Prime, Funding Pips and The5ers have specific rules around timing and sizing — so the same setup can be a “take it” or “skip it” depending on the account.

For instance, once I skipped a clean compression setup on XAU/USD (M30) because of stacked Fed speakers. On some accounts I’ll avoid those, on others the rules are flexible enough to take the trade.

How do you balance fundamentals vs. technicals?
Any setups that consistently survive both?

 

[Rickshaw]

I’m still pretty process focused, so for me it starts with rules over opinions. I try to keep it simple, control risk, and not chase “must take” trades. If there’s red folder news or a bunch of speakers, I’ll usually either skip it or go smaller, mainly because I’d rather miss a trade than get slipped into a rule break on a prop account. Then I journal it and see if skipping actually helped, or if I’m just avoiding good trades out of fear.

 

[YellowWitty]

Technicals feel safest when you treat fundamentals like a schedule, not a signal. If there’s high impact news or a bunch of speakers, I’ll usually skip it or trade smaller. I’d rather miss a trade than get slipped and accidentally violate a prop rule. Then I journal it and see if skipping actually helped, or if I’m just passing on good trades out of fear.

 

[borzy]

Treat fundamentals like a schedule, not a signal - I reduce size or skip around red-folder releases, then journal the decision. Backtests with hfm say my edge survives best when I avoid the first minutes after major prints

 

[Wrongous]

I’m still pretty process focused, so for me it starts with rules over opinions. I try to keep it simple, control risk, and not chase “must take” trades. If there’s red folder news or a bunch of speakers, I’ll usually either skip it or go smaller, mainly because I’d rather miss a trade than get slipped into a rule break on a prop account. Then I journal it and see if skipping actually helped, or if I’m just avoiding good trades out of fear.

Yeah, that’s pretty much my approach too. Rules over opinions, especially around red folder stuff, because one bad slip can turn into a rule violation quickly on a prop account. I like the journaling angle too, it’s the only way to see whether skipping is actually protecting you, or if you’re just avoiding discomfort.

 

[Wrongous]

Technicals feel safest when you treat fundamentals like a schedule, not a signal. If there’s high impact news or a bunch of speakers, I’ll usually skip it or trade smaller. I’d rather miss a trade than get slipped and accidentally violate a prop rule. Then I journal it and see if skipping actually helped, or if I’m just passing on good trades out of fear.

Totally agree. I treat fundamentals like a calendar filter, not something that changes my bias mid trade. If it’s high impact or you’ve got stacked speakers, I’m either smaller or just out. Missing a trade is cheaper than getting slipped into a rule violation. Journaling matters too, otherwise you never know if you’re being disciplined or just avoiding heat.

 

[Wrongous]

Treat fundamentals like a schedule, not a signal - I reduce size or skip around red-folder releases, then journal the decision. Backtests with hfm say my edge survives best when I avoid the first minutes after major prints

Yep, that’s a good way to put it, schedule, not a signal. I’m similar, either smaller or just out around red folder, and journaling is what keeps it honest. Also agree on the first few minutes after a big print. That’s where the random spikes and slippage seem to do the most damage.