Clock drift and the trade that was filed at the wrong second

[Amanhasnoname]

Computers keep time imperfectly. Without regular synchronization, a clock can drift by seconds over days. That does not matter for browsing the internet. It matters when timing is part of the strategy.

For scalpers who trade right at scheduled releases, such as 8:30 New York, a clock that is two seconds fast or slow causes real issues. Orders get sent early or late, and trade logs show timestamps that cannot be matched with the broker's records.

Journal analysis also suffers. If timestamps are off, assigning trades to the correct minute or news window becomes unreliable.

The fix is simple. Turn on automatic time synchronization, and use a time server regularly. Many traders also run a small clock tool that syncs more often than the system default, for example every few minutes.

It is worth checking the platform's server time against the computer clock occasionally. A gap of more than a second is a sign that something needs fixing.

How accurate is the clock on your trading machine, and has it ever caused confusion in the logs?