Why a stop can fill 8 pips past its level on news
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 8:13 am
A stop order is not a promise of that price. It is a trigger that turns into a market order once price touches the level. In calm conditions the difference is a fraction of a pip. During a release the book can be empty between two prices, so the market order takes whatever sits next, and that can be a long way off.
Picture a short with a stop at 1.0850 and a hawkish print. Quotes jump from 1.0838 to 1.0861 with nothing traded in between. The stop fires on the first price at or beyond the level, so the fill comes at 1.0861 or worse. That is 11 pips of loss on a trade planned to lose 6. Nothing is broken, that is simply how stops work.
Also worth remembering: a stop on a short triggers off the ask. A widened spread alone can hit it with no real move in the mid price, which is why a chart can show the candle never reached the level while the journal shows a stop-out.
Things to check:
- Whether the account fills stops at market, or offers guaranteed stops for a premium
- Stop fill price versus stop level across every news trade in the history
- Whether average news slippage is a big fraction of planned risk, because then risk per trade is understated
Do the stops in your history show news-window slippage at double the usual, or is the gap even bigger?
Picture a short with a stop at 1.0850 and a hawkish print. Quotes jump from 1.0838 to 1.0861 with nothing traded in between. The stop fires on the first price at or beyond the level, so the fill comes at 1.0861 or worse. That is 11 pips of loss on a trade planned to lose 6. Nothing is broken, that is simply how stops work.
Also worth remembering: a stop on a short triggers off the ask. A widened spread alone can hit it with no real move in the mid price, which is why a chart can show the candle never reached the level while the journal shows a stop-out.
Things to check:
- Whether the account fills stops at market, or offers guaranteed stops for a premium
- Stop fill price versus stop level across every news trade in the history
- Whether average news slippage is a big fraction of planned risk, because then risk per trade is understated
Do the stops in your history show news-window slippage at double the usual, or is the gap even bigger?