Early week: the map
Before the release: refresh the higher-timeframe read per the top-down routine, mark the levels that would matter on a hawkish surprise below and a dovish one above, and note where liquidity pools sit, because the print's first spike loves visiting them. Write both scenarios down; the point is owning a plan for each before adrenaline chooses one for you.
Print day: the rules
The standing laws: reduced or flat exposure into the release, no fresh positions in the final half hour, alerts armed at the mapped levels, and the first minutes watched, not traded, spreads and slippage make them execution theatre, per the calendar discipline. Compressed pre-print ranges are normal; do not read the quiet as a setup.
After: where the trade lives
The tradeable structure forms in the aftermath: does the spike hold beyond a mapped level or round-trip back through it, the classic acceptance-versus-rejection test at forced speed? Sweeps of the mapped pools followed by reclaims are the highest-quality post-CPI entries, and they arrive minutes to hours after the print, when fills are honest again. The checklist's payoff is being calm and located exactly then.
FAQ
Should I hold a position through CPI?
Only at a size whose worst spike-case is acceptable, with stops assuming slippage. Most disciplined traders reduce or flatten instead.
Why not trade the first CPI minute?
Spreads widen multiples, fills slip badly, and the first move frequently reverses. The costs are certain; the direction is not.
What if CPI lands as expected?
In-line prints often produce the relief move: volatility sellers unwind and the pre-print compression resolves along the prevailing trend. The mapped levels still govern.
ⓘ See these ideas on real price: open the free XAUUSD live chart.