Broker server time

Charts and EAs see the broker's server time, not your local time. Brokers commonly run GMT+2 or GMT+3 so that daily candles align with the New York close, but this varies — and some shift with daylight saving.

Any strategy defined in session hours inherits this setting silently. The same robot with the same parameters behaves differently on brokers with different server clocks, which is why session-based EAs specify the expected server timezone.

Covered in depth in Lesson 09: Sessions: the rhythm of the forex day.

Related terms

Trading session — The hours when a major financial center is active — Asian, London, and New York sessions shape the day's liquidity rhythm.
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) — The trading platform most retail algorithmic trading runs on, connecting charts, robots, and your broker account.

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