Check the spread before every order, every time
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 7:24 am
The spread on the screen at the moment of entry decides a lot of the trade's economics. Yet many scalpers glance at it only occasionally.
A habit of reading the spread before each order catches the widening moments. At rollover, before news, or in thin conditions, a spread twice the normal level turns a good setup into a bad deal.
Automating the check is better than relying on attention. A script that blocks entries when the spread exceeds a threshold enforces the rule without effort. Some platforms support spread alerts or custom indicators that colour the display.
The threshold should relate to the strategy. A system with 3 pip targets might refuse trades above 0.8 pips of spread, while one with 10 pip targets tolerates more.
Logging the spread at entry across all trades reveals how often the rule would have blocked a trade, and what those trades produced.
Is there a spread cap for entries, and is it enforced automatically?
A habit of reading the spread before each order catches the widening moments. At rollover, before news, or in thin conditions, a spread twice the normal level turns a good setup into a bad deal.
Automating the check is better than relying on attention. A script that blocks entries when the spread exceeds a threshold enforces the rule without effort. Some platforms support spread alerts or custom indicators that colour the display.
The threshold should relate to the strategy. A system with 3 pip targets might refuse trades above 0.8 pips of spread, while one with 10 pip targets tolerates more.
Logging the spread at entry across all trades reveals how often the rule would have blocked a trade, and what those trades produced.
Is there a spread cap for entries, and is it enforced automatically?