Candle opens that do not match between platforms
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 8:40 pm
The open of a one-minute candle should be the first price in that minute. Platforms handle it differently. Some use the last tick of the previous minute as the open, others the first tick of the new one.
That small difference changes the shape of bars, especially in fast moments. A candle that looks like a bullish engulfing on one platform might look like an inside bar on another.
Candle timing also depends on the server clock. Two brokers using the same time zone may still have bars cut at slightly different moments, because their clocks are not perfectly synchronized.
The practical result is that pattern based scalping, where exact candle shapes matter, behaves differently across platforms. Rules based on thresholds, like 'close above the previous high by 0.5 pips', are sensitive to these differences.
If a strategy depends on exact bar shapes, test it on the actual trading platform's data. A pattern that works in a screenshot from another source may not appear in the live feed at all.
Do the candle patterns on your platform match those shown by other sources, and has it ever caused a mistake?
That small difference changes the shape of bars, especially in fast moments. A candle that looks like a bullish engulfing on one platform might look like an inside bar on another.
Candle timing also depends on the server clock. Two brokers using the same time zone may still have bars cut at slightly different moments, because their clocks are not perfectly synchronized.
The practical result is that pattern based scalping, where exact candle shapes matter, behaves differently across platforms. Rules based on thresholds, like 'close above the previous high by 0.5 pips', are sensitive to these differences.
If a strategy depends on exact bar shapes, test it on the actual trading platform's data. A pattern that works in a screenshot from another source may not appear in the live feed at all.
Do the candle patterns on your platform match those shown by other sources, and has it ever caused a mistake?