So I’m tracking my trading costs more carefully now, and I’m noticing that FBS spreads get really wide during major news releases. I was reading about how rebates can help offset some of that cost, but I’m trying to understand the actual math here.
Let’s say I’m scalping during a USD release and spreads jump from 2 pips to 4 or 5 pips. I know I’m paying more per trade in that moment, but how much does the rebate actually bring that total cost back down? Is it enough to make it worth trading through the volatility, or am I just chasing pips and eating losses anyway?
Does anyone here factor rebates into their news trading strategy, or do you just avoid those heavy spread times altogether?
Here’s the math that matters: spread cost minus rebate equals your true cost.
FBS news spread blows to 5 pips. You’re paying 5 pips per round trip. If your rebate is 0.5 pips per lot, your net cost becomes 4.5 pips. Better, but still expensive.
The real decision isn’t about the rebate covering the cost. It’s about whether the volatility creates trade opportunities worth the higher cost. If EUR/USD moves 30 pips in the first minute after a release, a 5 pip spread matters less than catching that move.
My advice: don’t trade news for the rebate. Trade news only if your strategy is designed to profit from the volatility fast. The rebate is just a bonus cost reduction, not a reason to trade.
I actually have real numbers from trading FBS during news events. This is important.
During a typical non-farm payroll release, FBS spreads went from 1.8 pips to 4.5 pips. My rebate covered about 0.4 pips per lot through GlobeGain.
So I’m genuinely paying 4.1 pips instead of 4.5. That sounds like it matters, but honestly? It doesn’t change much if you’re only making 5-10 pips per trade. The spread eats half your profit.
What changed for me was trading less during those moments and waiting for the market to settle. Fewer trades at lower spreads beats more trades at high spreads, even with rebates.
The rebate is useful on regular trading days when spreads are normal. On news days, I’d rather avoid the cost altogether than rely on rebates to make it profitable.
I’ve been tracking this too. The rebate does help, but it’s not magic.
On normal days when spreads are tight, the rebate adds up fast. On news days, the rebate softens the blow but doesn’t eliminate it. I still make less profit per trade during those times.
What I started doing is planning my trading around market volatility. I trade more when spreads are predictable and scale back during news. The rebates from GlobeGain still apply either way, so I’m making use of them when conditions are better.
If you’re disciplined about avoiding the worst spread times, rebates become real money. If you chase volatility hoping the rebate covers your costs, you’ll lose.
Spreads on FBS go wide during news. Rebates help a little. I just avoid trading then.
Rebates help not solve problem.
One thing I learned: check what rebate rate FBS offers through GlobeGain. Different account types sometimes get different rebate percentages. This changes the total cost calculation.
For my scalping, the rebate was around 20-25% of my spread costs on average. That’s meaningful over 100 trades per week, but it doesn’t justify trading during high spread periods.
Check your rebate percentage first.
I calculated once and it was like ten dollars back per week for me.