| name | news-blackout |
| description | Reads C:\Bookmap\addons\MCP\Bookmap\news-calendar.json and reports whether the current ET time falls inside a configured macro-event or mega-cap-earnings blackout window. Returns BLOCKED + reason or CLEAR. Use as a hard gate before any new entry. Documented to remove the single largest source of OR-strategy blow-ups on NQ. |
News Blackout
Hard deterministic gate that blocks new entries during known volatility-spike events.
Calendar file
Path: C:\Bookmap\addons\MCP\Bookmap\news-calendar.json
Format:
{
"blackouts": [
{ "date": "2026-05-21", "type": "CPI", "blackout_start": "08:00", "blackout_end": "10:00" },
{ "date": "2026-05-21", "type": "FOMC", "blackout_start": "13:30", "blackout_end": "15:30" },
{ "date": "2026-05-22", "type": "NVDA_EARN", "blackout_start": "09:30", "blackout_end": "11:00", "notes": "post-earnings vol" }
]
}
All times in ET. type and notes are free-text — used for human display only.
What to do
- Read the JSON. If file missing → return
CLEAR with note "no calendar configured".
- Get current ET date + time.
- Find blackout entries matching today's date.
- If current HH:MM falls within any blackout window → return
BLOCKED with the event type and window.
- Otherwise → return
CLEAR.
Output
{ "blocked": true|false, "label": "<event type> blackout HH:MM-HH:MM ET" or "clear" }
Maintenance
The user maintains this file. A weekly skill could be added that fetches an econ calendar API and updates the JSON, but for now it's manual. Standard events to block on the day-of:
- FOMC days — 13:30–15:30 ET (statement + presser)
- CPI / PPI / PCE / Core PCE / Retail Sales — 08:30 release, block 08:30–10:00
- NFP / Unemployment / JOLTS — 08:30 release, block 08:30–10:00
- ISM MFG / ISM SVC — 10:00 release, block 09:55–10:30
- GDP advance — 08:30 release, block 08:30–10:00
- FOMC minutes — 14:00 release, block 13:55–14:30
- Mega-cap earnings overnight (NVDA, AAPL, MSFT, GOOGL, META, AMZN) — block the entire next session for that name's instrument, plus first 90 min for index futures
If risk-check is also being run, news-blackout takes precedence — even GO from risk-check is invalid if news-blackout returns BLOCKED.
