Pending order expiration: the order that outlived its idea
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 2:17 pm
A limit order placed for a setup that lasts thirty seconds should not remain alive for thirty minutes. Yet forgotten pending orders trigger at the worst times, long after the original reasoning expired.
Most platforms support expiration times on pending orders. Setting it to a short window, matched to the setup's life, prevents stale orders from firing. In MT4, the expiry is a server time stamp. In MT5, several time-in-force options exist, including good till cancelled, good till day, and good till specified time.
Be careful with server time. Setting an expiry in local time instead of server time can shorten or lengthen the order's life by hours.
A related issue is day-based expiry. An order set to expire at the end of the day may last until the server's midnight, which could be in the middle of a busy session.
Automated systems should cancel orders explicitly as part of their logic, rather than rely solely on expiry. Belt and suspenders.
How long do pending orders live in the current setup, and how is that decided?
Most platforms support expiration times on pending orders. Setting it to a short window, matched to the setup's life, prevents stale orders from firing. In MT4, the expiry is a server time stamp. In MT5, several time-in-force options exist, including good till cancelled, good till day, and good till specified time.
Be careful with server time. Setting an expiry in local time instead of server time can shorten or lengthen the order's life by hours.
A related issue is day-based expiry. An order set to expire at the end of the day may last until the server's midnight, which could be in the middle of a busy session.
Automated systems should cancel orders explicitly as part of their logic, rather than rely solely on expiry. Belt and suspenders.
How long do pending orders live in the current setup, and how is that decided?