Source: https://whitepips.com/economic-calendar/ecb-rate-decision Summary: ECB rate decision release time: eight a year, on a Thursday, usually 8:15 AM New York time. What traders watch, the symbols it moves and the WhitePips rules. Last updated: 2026-10-28 # ECB rate decision: release time and what it moves European Central Bank. Usually a Thursday, usually at 8:15 AM New York time. What it is, what traders watch and how the WhitePips rules treat trading around it. - **Eight monetary policy meetings a year** how often - **8:15 AM** New York time - **Red** usual calendar rating ### ECB on this week's calendar Loading this week's calendar… Times in your own time zone and in New York; releases already out are dimmed. Red is high impact, Amber medium; the ratings are the calendar feed's. ## What ECB is ### ECB rate decision The ECB's Governing Council sets the euro area's interest rates: the deposit facility rate, which it steers policy with, the main refinancing rate and the marginal lending rate. The decision is announced at 14:15 Frankfurt time and explained by the President at a press conference half an hour later. At four meetings a year the ECB also publishes its staff projections for growth and inflation, which often move the euro as much as the decision. ### When it comes out - **Published by**: European Central Bank, Governing Council - **How often**: Eight monetary policy meetings a year, about every six weeks - **Usual day**: Usually a Thursday - **Usual time**: 8:15 AM New York; 14:15 Frankfurt time: 12:15 UTC in summer, 13:15 UTC in winter; the press conference follows at 14:45 Frankfurt time - **On the calendar as**: Main Refinancing Rate , Monetary Policy Statement , ECB Press Conference - **Usual rating**: Red ### What traders watch ### The decision and its vote Markets usually expect the decision; a surprise is rare and violent. ### The statement and the press conference Hints about the next meeting drive the second move. ### Staff projections The inflation forecast says whether more cuts or hikes are likely. ## Symbols ECB moves The WhitePips symbols that usually react most to ECB. Each page has the pip or point value, a lot-size example and the commission on every plan. [**EURUSD** (Euro / US dollar)](https://whitepips.com/symbols/eurusd) [**EURGBP** (Euro / British pound)](https://whitepips.com/symbols/eurgbp) [**EURJPY** (Euro / Japanese yen)](https://whitepips.com/symbols/eurjpy) [**EURCHF** (Euro / Swiss franc)](https://whitepips.com/symbols/eurchf) [**GER30** (Germany 30)](https://whitepips.com/symbols/ger30) [**EU50** (Europe 50)](https://whitepips.com/symbols/eu50) [**FRA40** (France 40)](https://whitepips.com/symbols/fra40) Futures on Volumetrica: [**6E** Euro FX](https://whitepips.com/symbols#futures) ## Trading ECB at WhitePips ### CFD plans Every plan, every stage **News trading is permitted on every CFD plan.** You may open, hold and close positions before, during and after economic releases on every CFD plan, in the evaluation and once funded. There is no restricted window around a release on a CFD account, and no profit is removed because a trade was placed around news. **News straddling is not permitted.** On every CFD plan, you may not open straddled, offsetting or hedged exposure on the same or correlated instruments within 15 minutes before or after a scheduled Red or Amber (high or medium impact) economic event, a company earnings release, or a major geopolitical announcement, where the purpose is to capture the volatility of the event rather than to take a view on its outcome. Placing a buy and a sell (or a buy stop and a sell stop) on the same instrument, or opposite positions on correlated instruments such as EURUSD and USDCHF, so that whichever way the price jumps one side profits, is straddling. A single position, or positions in one direction, taken on your own view of the release is not. Trading Rules, sections 11.1 and 11.2. Each straddle is detected and referred to the risk desk, never penalised automatically. ### Futures plans One Step funded, Instant **Futures plans.** On the futures plans news trading is permitted during the One Step evaluation. On a funded futures account (One Step funded and Instant) no trade may be opened or closed from two minutes before to two minutes after a high-impact release; a position opened before the window may be held through it. Profit from such a trade is removed and the loss stays. The first and second violations are warnings, and the third is referred for compliance review. A news trading violation never ends an account automatically. The releases are those marked as high impact in the economic calendar shown in the dashboard or notified to you. Trading Rules, section 11.4. **CFD plans: no straddling** (8:00 AM to 8:30 AM New York) **Funded futures: no trade opened or closed** (8:13 AM to 8:17 AM) ECB 8:15 AM −20 min −15 −2 +2 +15 +20 min A single position taken on your own view, before or after the release, is fine on every CFD plan. On a funded futures account a position opened before the two-minute window may be held through it. [Section 11 of the Trading Rules](https://whitepips.com/legal/trading-rules#news-trading) [News trading, explained](https://whitepips.com/rules#rule-cfd-news-trading) ## ECB: questions **What time is ECB released?** Usually at 8:15 AM New York time: 14:15 Frankfurt time: 12:15 UTC in summer, 13:15 UTC in winter; the press conference follows at 14:45 Frankfurt time. Usually a Thursday. **How often is ECB released?** Eight monetary policy meetings a year, about every six weeks. Usually a Thursday. The exact dates are set by the European Central Bank; the dashboard's economic calendar shows the coming week. **Can I trade ECB on a WhitePips account?** On every CFD plan, yes: news trading is allowed in the evaluation and once funded. What is not allowed is straddling, opening both directions (or offsetting positions on correlated instruments) within 15 minutes either side of a Red or Amber release to catch the spike; the risk desk reviews it. On a funded futures account, no trade may be opened or closed from two minutes before to two minutes after a high-impact release. **Which markets move most on ECB?** On the WhitePips platforms: EURUSD, EURGBP, EURJPY, EURCHF, GER30, and on futures 6E. **Why is the ECB time in New York not always 8:15 AM?** Europe and the US change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks in March and in October or November the gap is an hour shorter. 14:15 Frankfurt time is the fixed point. ## More releases [Inflation · EUR **Eurozone CPI** Flash estimate at the month's end, 5:00 AM New York. Explained](https://whitepips.com/economic-calendar/eurozone-cpi) [Central bank · USD **FOMC rate decision** Eight a year, on a Wednesday, 2:00 PM New York. Explained](https://whitepips.com/economic-calendar/fomc-rate-decision) [Central bank · GBP **BoE rate decision** Eight a year, on a Thursday, 7:00 AM New York. Explained](https://whitepips.com/economic-calendar/boe-rate-decision) [Central bank · JPY **BoJ rate decision** Eight a year, at the end of a two-day meeting, around midday Tokyo time. Explained](https://whitepips.com/economic-calendar/boj-rate-decision) [The whole economic calendar](https://whitepips.com/economic-calendar) ## Put the numbers to work Every plan, size and price, with the rules printed before you buy. News trading is allowed on every CFD plan. [See the plans](https://whitepips.com/#plans) [Trading calculator](https://whitepips.com/calculator) --- WhitePips provides skill-based trading evaluations on simulated accounts; payouts are real money based on simulated performance. Nothing here is financial advice or a promise of profit, passing an evaluation does not guarantee funding, payouts or income, and trading leveraged products carries significant risk. Not offered in the restricted jurisdictions listed at https://whitepips.com/legal/restricted-jurisdictions.