Measuring Internal Quote Delay Beyond Network Ping

Summary

This document explains that a trading terminal can add quote delay beyond the network ping to the trade server. Its indicator estimates this internal lag in milliseconds by comparing the timestamp gap between successive ticks with elapsed time measured inside the terminal. The displayed value is intended to show how that delay changes, and the author notes it can remain material even on a clean terminal with only one chart.

The text describes implementation limits: measurement depends on millisecond tick timestamps and a warm-up period, accumulated observations are lost when the indicator resets, and the calculation is tied to the platform’s indicator update events. It also notes that different display modes are available and that event timing can be affected by other factors. The estimate should not be treated as a complete measure of trading latency or proof of execution speed; the document itself cautions that platform and event effects complicate interpretation, and supplies no independent benchmark or validation results.

Key ideas

• Network latency does not capture all quote delay experienced inside a trading terminal.
• The indicator estimates internal lag by comparing tick timestamp changes with local elapsed time.
• Measurements are reported in milliseconds and may be affected by indicator event timing.
• Resetting the indicator discards accumulated observations, and initial calculation events are needed for warm-up.
• The document provides no independent validation or full measure of order execution latency.

Tags

This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.