Maintenance windows: when the broker's server takes a nap
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 8:49 pm
Brokers schedule maintenance, usually on weekends, but sometimes during the week at odd hours. During those windows trading may be disabled, spreads can behave strangely, and platforms disconnect.
Many scalpers never read the notices. The first sign is a connection drop at an inconvenient moment, with positions open.
Subscribing to the broker's status notifications or checking announcements before the week starts takes a minute. Some brokers publish maintenance schedules in advance, and others post them in the platform's mailbox.
Also worth knowing is what happens to open orders. Some are preserved, others are cancelled, and a few get processed at the first price when trading resumes. Reading the terms avoids unpleasant surprises.
After maintenance, the first minutes can have poor liquidity and wide spreads. Waiting for conditions to settle before trading again is wise.
A simple checklist covers it: check notices, close positions, verify the connection afterward, and look at the spread before trading.
How does your broker communicate maintenance, and has an unannounced window ever hit during a trade?
Many scalpers never read the notices. The first sign is a connection drop at an inconvenient moment, with positions open.
Subscribing to the broker's status notifications or checking announcements before the week starts takes a minute. Some brokers publish maintenance schedules in advance, and others post them in the platform's mailbox.
Also worth knowing is what happens to open orders. Some are preserved, others are cancelled, and a few get processed at the first price when trading resumes. Reading the terms avoids unpleasant surprises.
After maintenance, the first minutes can have poor liquidity and wide spreads. Waiting for conditions to settle before trading again is wise.
A simple checklist covers it: check notices, close positions, verify the connection afterward, and look at the spread before trading.
How does your broker communicate maintenance, and has an unannounced window ever hit during a trade?