Bid chart versus ask chart: why a sell stop triggers on the ask
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 7:33 pm
Most platforms draw candles from the bid price. That's a convention, and it hides something every scalper should know.
Orders for buying execute at the ask. Orders for selling execute at the bid. So a buy stop above the market triggers when the ask reaches the level, while a sell stop below triggers when the bid does. The chart only shows one of them.
For a long entry on a breakout, the chart might show a candle that never quite touches the buy stop, yet the order triggers because the ask is higher by the spread. For a short, the reverse can happen.
Putting the ask line on the chart is a simple way to see this. In MT4 and MT5 there is a setting to display it. With the ask visible, the gap between what the chart shows and what orders respond to becomes obvious.
The same logic applies to take-profits and stop-losses placed on short trades. A sell position closes at the ask, so a target set at a chart low can sit a full spread away from where the order actually triggers. Many unexplained near misses come from exactly this.
Does anyone keep the ask line on and use it for entries?
Orders for buying execute at the ask. Orders for selling execute at the bid. So a buy stop above the market triggers when the ask reaches the level, while a sell stop below triggers when the bid does. The chart only shows one of them.
For a long entry on a breakout, the chart might show a candle that never quite touches the buy stop, yet the order triggers because the ask is higher by the spread. For a short, the reverse can happen.
Putting the ask line on the chart is a simple way to see this. In MT4 and MT5 there is a setting to display it. With the ask visible, the gap between what the chart shows and what orders respond to becomes obvious.
The same logic applies to take-profits and stop-losses placed on short trades. A sell position closes at the ask, so a target set at a chart low can sit a full spread away from where the order actually triggers. Many unexplained near misses come from exactly this.
Does anyone keep the ask line on and use it for entries?