When the platform disconnects with trades open
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 9:54 pm
When the platform disconnects with trades open
The connection drops. The chart freezes. Somewhere on the broker's server, positions are still open, stops and targets still live, and the account is exposed.
Where the stop orders sit matters. Stops held on the broker's server continue working. Stops managed by an expert advisor or a client-side script do not, because the software on the trader's machine is no longer running.
The same applies to trailing stops. A server-side trailing stop does not exist on most retail platforms. The trailing is done by the terminal, and when the terminal disconnects, the stop stays wherever it was last moved.
Good practice is to place a hard stop on the server for every trade, even if the strategy manages exits actively, as a safety net against exactly this scenario.
It is also worth knowing how the broker handles disconnects and how to reach a dealing desk by phone, since the web chat tends to be crowded in a crisis.
A final habit: keep the broker's emergency phone number and an alternative login on a mobile device, and check once a month that both still work.
Is there a hard stop on every trade, or only on those managed by hand?
The connection drops. The chart freezes. Somewhere on the broker's server, positions are still open, stops and targets still live, and the account is exposed.
Where the stop orders sit matters. Stops held on the broker's server continue working. Stops managed by an expert advisor or a client-side script do not, because the software on the trader's machine is no longer running.
The same applies to trailing stops. A server-side trailing stop does not exist on most retail platforms. The trailing is done by the terminal, and when the terminal disconnects, the stop stays wherever it was last moved.
Good practice is to place a hard stop on the server for every trade, even if the strategy manages exits actively, as a safety net against exactly this scenario.
It is also worth knowing how the broker handles disconnects and how to reach a dealing desk by phone, since the web chat tends to be crowded in a crisis.
A final habit: keep the broker's emergency phone number and an alternative login on a mobile device, and check once a month that both still work.
Is there a hard stop on every trade, or only on those managed by hand?