What a widening spread means
The spread is the gap between the buy and sell price, and it is a cost you pay on every trade. When it widens, that cost rises — a stop can be reached sooner, and it takes a bigger move just to break even. Spreads are not fixed; they breathe with the market.
Common causes
Low liquidity: overnight, at the daily rollover, at the Friday close and Sunday open, and on holidays, fewer participants mean wider spreads. Major news releases, where uncertainty spikes. Volatile instruments and exotic pairs that are naturally wide. And the specific moment of rollover, when spreads on many symbols balloon briefly.
How to avoid the worst of it
Trade during the busy overlap of major sessions, when spreads are tightest. Avoid the seconds around big news and the daily rollover for entries and exits. Watch the live spread before clicking, and be cautious with thin instruments.
How to protect yourself
Do not place tight stops just before news or at rollover, when a temporary spread spike can trigger them. Factor the typical and worst-case spread into your plan for each symbol.
Broker's fault or yours?
Spreads widening at illiquid times and around news is normal market behaviour, not manipulation. Persistently wide spreads in busy hours, or spikes far beyond what other brokers show at the same moment, are a legitimate reason to compare pricing and consider switching.