Holding past 5pm New York and the swap surprise
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 8:34 pm
Rollover happens at 5pm New York time for most brokers. Any position still open at that moment gets a swap credit or debit. For a scalper, that is rarely the plan, but a trade that drifts into the window can end up carrying it.
The charge can be small or large depending on the pair, the direction, and the broker. Carry heavy pairs like USDTRY or AUDJPY can show substantial numbers, and on Wednesdays the charge triples to cover the weekend.
The sneaky part is that a scalp closed at breakeven at 5:01pm may show as a loss in the account history because of the swap.
Also, spreads often widen around the same time, so closing a trade right at rollover gets a poor price on top of the charge.
A simple rule is enough: flat before 4:45pm New York unless a deliberate decision was made to hold.
Check the swap table in the platform for the pairs being traded. The numbers are listed, and most traders never look at them.
Has a surprise swap charge ever turned a scalp into a loss in your account history?
The charge can be small or large depending on the pair, the direction, and the broker. Carry heavy pairs like USDTRY or AUDJPY can show substantial numbers, and on Wednesdays the charge triples to cover the weekend.
The sneaky part is that a scalp closed at breakeven at 5:01pm may show as a loss in the account history because of the swap.
Also, spreads often widen around the same time, so closing a trade right at rollover gets a poor price on top of the charge.
A simple rule is enough: flat before 4:45pm New York unless a deliberate decision was made to hold.
Check the swap table in the platform for the pairs being traded. The numbers are listed, and most traders never look at them.
Has a surprise swap charge ever turned a scalp into a loss in your account history?