Trading during high volatility, news releases and connection drops
The short answer
Trading during high volatility, such as a Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) news release, is when a weak connection drops. A drop then can delay price updates or hold up an order. It can start on your Wi-Fi, on the internet or at your broker.
Markets move hardest at the exact moment the internet gets busiest
Gold (XAUUSD) and US indices (US30, NAS100) move hardest at Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) and market opens. Those same seconds make the internet busiest.
If one piece of data is lost, price updates wait in line while your computer sends it again. Meanwhile the candle keeps moving, and your order waits.
When MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5) drops out during a release, three places can be the cause. They are your own Wi-Fi and provider, the internet between you and your broker, and your broker’s trade server. Our news-release guide helps you tell them apart.
Each needs a different fix, so find which one it is before you change anything.
Four checks to do before the release, because mid-candle is too late
Once your connection drops in a fast gold or index candle, it is too late to change your settings. Run these four checks before the release starts.
Four checks before a scheduled release
- 01
Switch from Wi-Fi to an Ethernet cable
Plug your computer into your router with a cable before the session starts. Then a weak wireless signal can’t be the thing that drops your prices.
- 02
Check that stop-loss and take-profit orders are in place
In MT4 and MT5, stop-loss and take-profit orders sit on your broker’s trade server. Trailing stops run in your terminal and cannot update while the terminal is disconnected. Then you know what still protects you if your terminal drops.
- 03
Know how to check an unconfirmed order
If an order times out during a spike, check your Trade and History tabs before you click again. That way you do not open a duplicate position. See order rejected on timeout.
- 04
Keep the Journal tab open
Open View → Terminal → Journal in MT4, or the Toolbox Journal in MT5. It stamps every disconnect and requote to the second. Afterwards, those times show whether the problem was your line, the internet or your broker.
Some spike problems are your broker’s, and no connection changes them
Match what you saw to a row below. That shows whether a connection service can change it.
| What you see during the spike | Where it happens | Can a proxy change it? |
|---|---|---|
| Wider spreads, or a price gap across your stop or limit | The market and your broker’s liquidity | No. A proxy never changes your broker’s spreads, quotes or fill prices. |
| A requote in MT4 | The price moved before your broker filled the order | No. Your broker decides when to requote, and a proxy does not change that. |
| Your Wi-Fi or internet provider drops out | Your own connection, before our server | No. We can’t make a weak signal stronger, so use a cable or another line. |
| Many platforms reconnecting at once after a drop | Connections arriving at our server together | Yes, on our server. Our server blocks connection floods while letting your terminal reconnect straight away. |
| Data lost between our server and your broker | The connection inside your broker’s city | Yes. Our server recovers lost data inside your broker’s city and puts trading ports first when our server is busy. |
Around a release, our server recovers lost data in your broker’s city and frees dead links fast
Standard internet settings make everything behind a lost piece of data wait (the internet standard). Our server in your broker’s city opens its own connection to your broker and recovers lost data inside that city. Nagle’s algorithm is off so small order packets leave as they arrive.
Why it matters. Your order waits on a short distance, not the whole way. Trading ports go first when our server is busy.
On a quiet connection, if data sent again is lost again, the wait before the next try doesn’t double. That holds on our server’s side, for the first few tries. Normally each repeat doubles the wait, which is how one bad moment becomes a long freeze.
When many platforms reconnect at once, our server lets the first ones straight in. It admits the rest in a steady stream. Our service also restarts itself if a process stops.
If your device drops, our server notices the dead connection quickly and frees its place. From the same network, your device can reconnect straight away.
Our server can’t change your broker’s spreads, requotes or fill prices, or your connection to our server. Ping, the time data takes there and back, is set by distance. We don’t promise lower ping. Distance sets the minimum.
Your questions about trading through a news release, answered
Frequently asked questions
What does Traders Proxy change during a news release?
Our server recovers data lost between it and your broker inside your broker’s city and puts trading ports first. It also frees dead connections quickly and admits reconnecting platforms in a steady stream. We don’t change your spreads or fill prices, and we don’t promise lower ping.
What happens to my open positions if MT4 or MT5 disconnects during NFP?
Stop-loss and take-profit orders are held on your broker’s trade server, so they remain active while your terminal is disconnected. Trailing stops run inside the terminal and need it connected.
What happens if many platforms reconnect at once during a fast move?
Our server lets the first connections straight in and admits the rest in a steady stream. If your connection drops and returns from the same network soon after, your device gets straight back in. Your device limit still applies.
When is the US Non-Farm Payrolls release?
The US Employment Situation report is usually published on the first Friday of each month at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Check the official release calendar for holiday changes.
Should I use a VPS instead for news trading?
If an expert advisor must run while your computer is off, use a VPS. Compare both in Traders Proxy or a VPS. If your broker prohibits proxies, don’t use one.
Field reports · Verified forum threads
Real forum reports, what our system does, and where it stops.
Every quote below links to the forum thread or vendor guide where it appeared. Underneath each quote, see which parts of our system work together on it and where our server stops.
'Ping failed' and drops with disconnects every few minutes, re-login loops and dropped sessions
“Is the chart freezing, or is it the terminal? If it is the terminal, then it is likely a broken indicator.”
What our system reduces. If your device drops off, our server notices quickly and frees its place, so your platform can reconnect instead of hanging.
- Dead connections found and freedPrimary
- Straight back in after a dropPrimary
- Reconnect surges admitted in a steady streamSupporting
- Own separate connection to your brokerSupporting
Where it stops. We do not prevent internet drops or fix broker faults. After a disconnect, your platform logs in again, so always use broker-side stop-loss orders.
cTrader picks a far or 'wrong' Spotware proxy and the trader cannot choose (Sydney-3, Netherlands, Jakarta-2, London-6 from Korea)
“Because my London VPS connects to Netherland proxy and my NY VPS connects to NY Proxy.”
Why a proxy can backfire here. cTrader for Windows has a proxy setting and Traders Proxy supports it over HTTP. cTrader still chooses its own servers.
- Built-in
HTTPproxy loginBoundary
Where it stops. In cTrader on Windows, the Connection proxy setting routes your connection to Spotware’s cloud. Spotware still picks its own cloud node on the far side.
Shared server address where a broker block affects every account on that server
“So, I tried swapping IPs and found that it worked normally.”
Why a proxy can backfire here. Your broker sees one steady address, our server’s, shared by people on a Traders Proxy plan in that city.
- One steady addressBoundary
- City switchingSupporting
Where it stops. Our server address is shared by people on a Traders Proxy plan in that city. Switch city in your dashboard if a broker blocks that address.
cTrader stuck on 'Reconnecting' after a release, outage or weekend maintenance
“We see continuous reconnections that we do not see on other machines in the same LAN using other software.”
Why a proxy does not change this. Traders Proxy doesn't fix faults inside your platform or on its maker's servers. It only changes the route between your platform and ours.
Where it stops. Never mention 'Reconnecting' as a symptom we cure.