Jobs · USDUsual scheduleLive week from the calendar

Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP): release time and what it moves

US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Usually the first Friday of the month, for the month before, usually at 8:30 AM New York time. What it is, what traders watch and how the WhitePips rules treat trading around it.

  • Monthlyhow often
  • 8:30 AMNew York time
  • Redusual calendar rating

NFP 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.

JobsUSD

What NFP is

Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP)

Non-Farm Payrolls is the number of jobs the US economy added or lost in the month, counted from a survey of employers and leaving out farm workers and a few other groups. It is the first full reading of the labour market each month, and the US labour market is half of the Federal Reserve's mandate, so a surprise moves interest-rate expectations and, through them, almost everything priced in dollars.

The same report carries the unemployment rate and average hourly earnings, and revises the two months before. A strong headline with weak wages, or a big revision, can turn the first move around within minutes.

When it comes out

Published by
US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in the Employment Situation report
How often
Monthly
Usual day
Usually the first Friday of the month, for the month before
Usual time
8:30 AM New York; 12:30 UTC while the US is on daylight time (March to November), 13:30 UTC in winter
On the calendar as
Non-Farm Employment Change, Unemployment Rate, Average Hourly Earnings m/m
Usual rating
Red

What traders watch

The headline against the forecast

Markets move on the gap between the jobs number and the consensus forecast, not on the number itself.

Revisions

The two previous months are revised every time; a large revision can outweigh the new month.

Average hourly earnings

Wage growth feeds inflation, so it moves rate expectations as much as the headline does.

On MetaTrader 5Pip value, lots and commission

Symbols NFP moves

The WhitePips symbols that usually react most to NFP. Each page has the pip or point value, a lot-size example and the commission on every plan.

EURUSDEuro / US dollarUSDJPYUS dollar / Japanese yenGBPUSDBritish pound / US dollarXAUUSDGoldUS500US 500NAS100US Tech 100US30US 30USDIDXUS dollar index

Futures on Volumetrica: ESE-mini S&P 500NQE-mini Nasdaq 100GCGold6EEuro FX

Trading Rules, section 11In the rules' own words

Trading NFP 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 straddling8:15 AM to 8:45 AM New YorkFunded futures: no trade opened or closed8:28 AM to 8:32 AMNFP 8:30 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 News trading, explained

QuestionsShort answers

NFP: questions

What time is NFP released?

Usually at 8:30 AM New York time: 12:30 UTC while the US is on daylight time (March to November), 13:30 UTC in winter. Usually the first Friday of the month, for the month before.

How often is NFP released?

Monthly. Usually the first Friday of the month, for the month before. The exact dates are set by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); the dashboard's economic calendar shows the coming week.

Can I trade NFP 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 NFP?

On the WhitePips platforms: EURUSD, USDJPY, GBPUSD, XAUUSD, US500, and on futures ES, NQ, GC, 6E.

Why is NFP sometimes not on the first Friday?

The BLS sets the date from the survey week; when the first Friday comes too early in the month, or a holiday or a government shutdown intervenes, the report moves. The dashboard's calendar shows the date each week.

CFDs and futuresNo time limit

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 plansTrading calculator