When the chart freezes right as news hits

[Amanhasnoname]

A common scene: a data release goes out, the number is big, and the chart stops updating for two or three seconds. Then it jumps. The trade entered just before is now far in the red or far in the green, with no chance to react.

The freeze is real. Brokers' servers get a flood of quote updates and order requests at once. Feeds slow down, and some brokers deliberately pause quoting while their liquidity providers reprice.

For a scalper, it is a reminder that screen prices are not live. During high impact events, the visible price might be one to five seconds behind.

The practical conclusion is not to rely on quick reactions in those windows. Entries based on the first candle after the number are made with stale information, and the fills reflect it.

A calmer approach is waiting for the feed to normalize, which usually takes a minute or two, and trading the aftermath instead of the spike.

How long does your feed freeze during major releases, and has it ever caught you in a position?