Not all red-folder events slip equally
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 9:46 pm
Calendars color-code releases, but the slippage on each one differs more than the colors suggest. A top-tier release like US payrolls causes the widest gaps. A mid-tier one like retail sales causes a modest jump. A speech by a regional official may cause nothing at all.
Even within the top tier, behavior varies. Some releases arrive with pre-release positioning that dulls the move. Others catch the market off guard, and the spread blows out.
A practical way to sort them: keep a log of average spread and slippage per event type over several months. Patterns emerge quickly. Perhaps the CPI release averages 3 pips of slippage on market orders while the unemployment claims average 0.4.
That table is far more useful than the calendar's color scheme. It tells which events deserve a hands-off policy and which are safe enough to trade.
Is a personal slippage table kept per event type, and which release came out worst?
Even within the top tier, behavior varies. Some releases arrive with pre-release positioning that dulls the move. Others catch the market off guard, and the spread blows out.
A practical way to sort them: keep a log of average spread and slippage per event type over several months. Patterns emerge quickly. Perhaps the CPI release averages 3 pips of slippage on market orders while the unemployment claims average 0.4.
That table is far more useful than the calendar's color scheme. It tells which events deserve a hands-off policy and which are safe enough to trade.
Is a personal slippage table kept per event type, and which release came out worst?