DST shift checklist so London open is still London open
Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2026 6:15 pm
Clocks go back in the UK on the last Sunday of October, and in the US a week later. That one-week gap, plus a similar one in March, is when my process is most likely to break. This year I've written a checklist, and I'm sharing it because I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been caught.
Before the UK change:
Check the broker's server time. Many brokers keep their server on a time zone that moves with New York, so my chart's candle times relative to London shift by an hour at different points. Note the new offset.
Check every EA or indicator that uses hard-coded hours. My session-range indicator uses server time inputs. I keep a spreadsheet with the correct inputs for each period.
Review the calendar for the gap week. US releases at 13:30 London will come at 12:30. The US cash open moves from 14:30 to 13:30.
Check alarms on my phone that reference market events rather than clock times.
After the UK change:
Confirm that the Asian range indicator is measuring the right hours. Look at the chart and check that the range boxes line up with what you expect.
Make sure the daily rollover break is where you think it is.
After the US change:
Repeat all of the above, put the inputs back, and check again on Monday morning before 07:00.
It's tedious. It's also about twenty minutes, compared with a morning spent trading the wrong range.
Before the UK change:
Check the broker's server time. Many brokers keep their server on a time zone that moves with New York, so my chart's candle times relative to London shift by an hour at different points. Note the new offset.
Check every EA or indicator that uses hard-coded hours. My session-range indicator uses server time inputs. I keep a spreadsheet with the correct inputs for each period.
Review the calendar for the gap week. US releases at 13:30 London will come at 12:30. The US cash open moves from 14:30 to 13:30.
Check alarms on my phone that reference market events rather than clock times.
After the UK change:
Confirm that the Asian range indicator is measuring the right hours. Look at the chart and check that the range boxes line up with what you expect.
Make sure the daily rollover break is where you think it is.
After the US change:
Repeat all of the above, put the inputs back, and check again on Monday morning before 07:00.
It's tedious. It's also about twenty minutes, compared with a morning spent trading the wrong range.