# Journaling US30 and NAS100 During High-Impact News

> US indices (Dow Jones/US30 and Nasdaq/NAS100) react strongly to news events. How to journal news-driven trades and measure your performance around economic releases.

**URL:** https://traderjournal.app/gold-and-indices/journaling-us30-nas100-during-high-impact-news

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# Journaling US30 and NAS100 During High-Impact News

US30 (Dow Jones) and NAS100 (Nasdaq 100) are among the most traded indices in the world. They react sharply to economic data, Fed decisions, and earnings releases. Journaling news context is essential for understanding performance on these instruments.

## High-Impact Events for US Indices

**FOMC (Federal Reserve):** 8 meetings per year. Rate decisions and policy statements cause major moves. NAS100 is particularly sensitive because tech valuations depend on interest rates.

**NFP (Non-Farm Payrolls):** First Friday of every month at 08:30 ET. Strong jobs data can push indices higher (strong economy) or lower (rate hike fears).

**CPI (Consumer Price Index):** Monthly inflation data. Hot CPI = rate hike fear = indices fall. Cool CPI = relief rally.

**Earnings season:** Q1 (April), Q2 (July), Q3 (October), Q4 (January). Major tech earnings (Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia) move NAS100 significantly.

**US30 vs NAS100 sensitivity:** US30 (blue chip) is less sensitive to rate expectations than NAS100 (tech heavy). During rising rate environments, NAS100 typically falls more.

## What to Log for US Index Trades

```
Instrument: US30 / NAS100 / SPX500
Direction: Long / Short
Session: Pre-market / Regular / After-hours
Major news event today: Yes / No (list event)
Pre-event or post-event: Pre / Post / No event
Fed meeting this week: Yes / No
Earnings from major component: Yes / No (which stock)
VIX level: Low (<15) / Medium (15–25) / High (>25)
Setup: Technical / News play / Both
Result: Win / Loss / BE
```

Tags: `us30-fomc`, `nas100-cpi`, `us30-nfp`, `index-earnings`, `index-vix-high`

## News Day Trading Decisions

Log a specific field: **"Chose to trade despite news: Yes / No."** Over 50 trades, compare:
- Win rate on news days vs non-news days
- Whether trading through FOMC adds or destroys edge

Most traders who track this find their win rate drops significantly on FOMC days. That alone can justify a rule: "No trading 30 minutes before or after major Fed announcements."

## Summary

US indices are news-sensitive instruments. Logging event context alongside technical setup data gives you a complete picture — and often reveals that certain news events are worth stepping aside for, saving you from avoidable losses.