MetaTrader 5 feeds
How quoting sessions gate the MetaTrader 5 price flow.
In MT5, quoting sessions govern when a symbol receives and broadcasts prices. Trading sessions govern when clients may trade it.
- Quoting and trading sessions are configured separately.
- Several intervals can cover one weekday.
- The first tick after a break needs its own validation.
Sessions gate the symbol
An active feed process does not make a symbol quote outside its configured schedule.
Calendars overlap
Symbol sessions, holidays, server working hours, and the time zone must agree.
Openings are special
Test the first quote and first complete book after every scheduled break.
On this page
MT5 keeps quoting and trading schedules separately in the symbol configuration.
Swipe or scroll horizontally to see all columns
| Schedule | Main effect |
|---|---|
| Quoting session | When the platform may receive and broadcast the symbol’s market data |
| Trading session | When client trade requests may be accepted |
A feed can be healthy while the symbol is intentionally quiet. Conversely, a symbol may continue to quote while trading is closed.
Several intervals and several calendars
Instrument schedules often need multiple intervals for lunch breaks, maintenance, or exchange auctions. Their result also depends on server working hours, holiday rules, and the platform time zone.
Normalize the provider and platform schedules to one reference zone before comparing them. Document daylight-saving behavior for the market and for the server host.
Date limits are not daily sessions
MT5 can also restrict a symbol to a date range, which is useful for expiring instruments. Do not confuse those lifetime dates with weekday quoting and trading sessions.
For futures or other expiring contracts, test the final trading day, expiry boundary, successor symbol, and any continuous or spliced series separately.
The first tick after a break
The first update after a platform restart, session opening, holiday, or off-hours period deserves special attention. It may not follow the same filtration path as an ordinary mid-session tick.
Your upstream feed should validate opening prices before publication. On MT5, capture the first source tick, first accepted tick, and first client-visible tick. For depth-enabled instruments, also wait for a complete book snapshot.
Diagnose repeatable symptoms
Swipe or scroll horizontally to see all columns
| Symptom | Check first |
|---|---|
| Same daily stop time | Quoting session and server time |
| Prices visible, orders refused | Trading session, holiday, symbol date range |
| Quote-only feed appears off on a holiday | Server calendar and feed working state |
| First tick bypasses expected checks | Opening behavior and upstream protection |
| Depth returns later than Bid/Ask | Snapshot recovery after the session break |
Test the schedule as a system
For every instrument group, verify a normal opening and closing, each daily break, weekend behavior, holidays, daylight-saving transitions, and expiry where applicable.
Save timestamps in provider time, server time, and UTC. This turns “the feed was late” into a measurable path rather than a guess.
The upstream pricing engine should publish only during the intended source schedule. MT5 quoting sessions then remain the final platform-side gate.
A feed shaped around your setup
Get instrument hours right the first time.
Send the instruments whose sessions cause questions. We’ll propose a schedule approach that matches your feed and platform.