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Basics6 min read · beginner

Why does my order keep getting requoted or rejected?

Requotes and 'off quotes' errors frustrate beginners but usually have plain causes: fast markets, wide spreads, or broker execution type. Here is what they mean and how to reduce them.

Important: This is educational content only, not investment advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Never trade money you cannot afford to lose.

What a requote actually is

A requote happens when you click to trade at a shown price, but by the time your order reaches the broker the price has already moved, so the broker offers you a new price to accept or decline instead of filling your original one. An 'off quotes' or 'no prices' rejection is similar — the platform cannot fill at the price you asked for.

This is most common when prices are moving fast. It is not necessarily the broker being difficult; it is the gap between the price you saw and the price available a fraction of a second later.

Common causes

Requotes and rejections cluster around: high volatility and news releases, when prices jump between your click and the fill; low liquidity, such as late-night or holiday sessions, when there is no counterparty at your price; and very tight limits you set, where even a tiny move breaches your accepted price.

Execution model also matters. Dealing-desk (market-maker) brokers can issue requotes; many 'straight-through' or ECN-style brokers instead fill at the next available price (which can mean slippage rather than a requote). Neither is automatically better, but it explains why you see requotes on one platform and slippage on another.

How to reduce them

Practical steps: avoid firing orders straight into major news releases; trade liquid instruments during their busy hours; and use the platform's 'deviation' or 'maximum slippage' setting to allow a small tolerance, so a tiny move fills at a slightly different price instead of bouncing back as a requote.

For entering or exiting at a specific level, consider pending orders (limit and stop orders) rather than trying to click a fast-moving live price. They wait patiently at your level instead of chasing a number that keeps changing.

When it looks abusive

Occasional requotes in fast markets are normal. Persistent requotes that only ever appear when a trade is going your way, or that consistently give you worse prices while never giving better ones, are worth scrutinising. Keep records of the times and prices.

If the pattern is one-sided and the broker's answers are vague, verify the firm on its regulator's register and consider whether its execution is being run fairly. Legitimate execution issues have neutral, market-based explanations; systematically one-sided ones do not.

Important: This is educational content only, not investment advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Never trade money you cannot afford to lose.

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