The first quote after login can be stale
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 2:22 pm
After connecting or reconnecting, the platform sometimes displays prices that are not current for the first second or two. The terminal shows the last known quote from its cache or from a snapshot, before the live stream starts.
For manual traders, clicking too quickly after login risks a fill at a price that differs from the displayed one, or a requote. For EAs that start trading the moment they initialize, the stale quote can trigger a signal based on old data.
A defensive habit is waiting for a number of live ticks before allowing any trade. For example, require at least five fresh ticks with changing timestamps, or a minimum elapsed time since connection.
Also check the server time against the latest tick time. If the gap is more than a few seconds during active hours, the data is probably not live.
This is especially relevant after weekend restarts and VPS reboots, where an EA might begin acting on the Friday close price.
How does the EA verify that the data is live before the first trade after a restart?
For manual traders, clicking too quickly after login risks a fill at a price that differs from the displayed one, or a requote. For EAs that start trading the moment they initialize, the stale quote can trigger a signal based on old data.
A defensive habit is waiting for a number of live ticks before allowing any trade. For example, require at least five fresh ticks with changing timestamps, or a minimum elapsed time since connection.
Also check the server time against the latest tick time. If the gap is more than a few seconds during active hours, the data is probably not live.
This is especially relevant after weekend restarts and VPS reboots, where an EA might begin acting on the Friday close price.
How does the EA verify that the data is live before the first trade after a restart?