Even with a fixed signal, the second at which the order is sent affects the fill. Orders at the start of a new minute coincide with algorithmic activity and data bursts. Orders mid-minute often face calmer conditions.
Examining tick data around entry times might reveal that slippage or adverse movement is concentrated in the first seconds of each minute. If so, a small delay in sending orders improves average fills.
The idea sounds trivial but can shave a fraction of a pip per trade. Over thousands of trades, that matters.
Similarly, exits at the top of the minute may face worse prices. Placing exits with limit orders ahead of time avoids the issue.
Testing requires logged data on entry times, slippage, and subsequent price movement. A few hundred trades give a rough pattern.
Even a one or two second pause before sending an order is easy to automate and costs nothing to test on a small account first.
Has the time within the minute been studied, and did it reveal any pattern in fills?
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Timing the entry within the minute
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