Your Stop Loss (SL) or Take Profit (TP) may not have triggered because the applicable market price did not reach your specified level. Other factors, such as spread widening, market closures, or unsuccessful order modifications, may also affect whether your SL or TP is triggered.
What factors can affect my stop loss or take profit?
Several factors may affect when your Stop Loss or Take Profit is triggered or executed.
- Bid and Ask prices: Buy positions close at the Bid price, while Sell positions close at the Ask price. The applicable price must reach your SL or TP level to trigger it.
- Spread widening: During volatile market conditions, the difference between Bid and Ask prices may increase, causing the applicable trigger price to differ from the price displayed on your chart.
- Market gaps: If the market moves past your specified level without trading at that price, your Stop Loss may be executed at the next available market price. This means the execution price may differ from your specified level.
- Unsuccessful order modification: If your request to add or modify a Stop Loss or Take Profit was rejected, the new level may not have been applied to your position.
- Market closure: Stop Loss and Take Profit orders can only be triggered during the trading product's operating hours. If the market moves beyond your specified level while trading is closed, the order may be triggered when trading resumes and executed at the next available market price, which may differ significantly from your specified level due to a market gap.
You can check the trading hours and conditions of your trading product under Market Watch → Specification in MT4/MT5.
What should I check if my stop loss or take profit did not trigger?
If you believe your Stop Loss or Take Profit should have triggered, follow these steps:
- Check the applicable price: Confirm whether your position is Buy or Sell. For Sell positions, enable the Ask price line to compare it with your specified level.
- Verify your Stop Loss or Take Profit level: Check that the correct price was successfully applied to your position. Review the exact number and confirm no decimal place errors.
- Review the Journal: Check the Journal tab for available order modification messages or errors.
- Check the trading hours: Confirm that the trading product was open when you expected your Stop Loss or Take Profit to trigger. If it was closed, your stop may have triggered immediately at market open at the next available price.
If you still believe your Stop Loss or Take Profit did not trigger correctly, contact Customer Support with your trading account number, order number, and relevant details for further investigation.
For more information about how Bid and Ask prices affect SL and TP orders, refer to "Which Price Triggers My Stop Loss or Take Profit?"
Please note that a Stop Loss or Take Profit level does not guarantee execution at the specified price. Execution is subject to applicable order conditions, market availability and the trading product's execution rules.
