Delayed and real-time data: knowing what you are looking at

Before you read a chart, check how current it is. BigTape puts that answer in words on every screen with market data. This guide explains what each label means.

The data state

Every screen with market data shows one data state. It always uses words and an icon, never color alone. These are the states you can see.

Live.: Real-time data, updating now. BigTape shows Live only when real-time display is licensed and data is arriving normally.
Delayed 15 min.: Updating now, and each data point is at least 15 minutes old.
Replay.: A past session, showing only what was known at the replay clock.
Stale.: Updates have stopped. You are seeing the last data received, with the time of the last update.
Unavailable.: There is nothing to show for this item, and the screen says why, such as “Not covered” or “History still loading”.
No unusual activity.: Data is current and nothing met the threshold.
Sample.: Generated demonstration data, not real market data.

When more than one state applies, the screen shows the one that matters most. The order is Sample, Unavailable, Stale, Replay, Delayed 15 min, then Live.

When the market is closed, you see a session line instead, such as “Market closed · Data as of 16:00:00 ET”. A quiet evening is normal, so it never shows as Stale.

Data states. Pick one, or tap the chip to step through them.

Trade time and the time you see it

Every print keeps the time it happened. If data is delayed, you see the print later than that. With a 15-⁠minute delay, a trade at 10:27:04 a.m. appears on your chart at about 10:42 a.m., and its label still says 10:27:04. With real-time data, the two times are close together.

All times in BigTape are Eastern time, the time zone of the U.S. stock market, wherever you are.

Next to the data state, a line such as “Data as of 10:42:07 ET” tells you when the screen last updated. Together, the state and that time tell you how current the screen is.

Alerts use the same data as the chart, so they carry the same delay. Each alert shows both times. With a 15-⁠minute delay, its evidence might read “printed 10:27:04 ET · delivered 10:42:06”. The first time is when the trade happened. The second is when the alert reached you.

Late, stale and corrected data

Data does not always arrive in order. Three things can change what you see.

A Late Report is a trade published late and out of order. BigTape marks it Late Report, and its time may differ from when it happened.

If data stops arriving during a session, the state turns Stale and shows the last update time. Alerts sent after the gap say so, for example “Sent late: our data was interrupted from 10:40 to 10:52 a.m. ET.”

A reported trade can be corrected or canceled later. A Canceled print stays on the chart, crossed out, and ranks update around it. If an alert was based on that trade, the alert is updated as well.

Each of these changes is marked where it happens, so you can see what changed and when.

Replay shows only what was known

Replay plays back a past session. The state reads Replay, with the session date and the replay clock. Prints, ranks and Dark Levels show only what was known at that clock. Price after a print appears only up to the replay clock.

Replay is a good way to learn how a session unfolded. Pick a past day, press play and watch prints, levels and price arrive in order, at the speed you choose.

While you replay, your alerts keep running. New ones add to the bell count, and the Since you last looked card waits until you return to the latest data.

Before you read a chart, check how current it is. BigTape puts that answer in words on every screen with market data. This guide explains what each label means.

The data state

Every screen with market data shows one data state. It always uses words and an icon, never color alone. These are the states you can see.

Live.: Real-time data, updating now. BigTape shows Live only when real-time display is licensed and data is arriving normally.
Delayed 15 min.: Updating now, and each data point is at least 15 minutes old.
Replay.: A past session, showing only what was known at the replay clock.
Stale.: Updates have stopped. You are seeing the last data received, with the time of the last update.
Unavailable.: There is nothing to show for this item, and the screen says why, such as “Not covered” or “History still loading”.
No unusual activity.: Data is current and nothing met the threshold.
Sample.: Generated demonstration data, not real market data.

When more than one state applies, the screen shows the one that matters most. The order is Sample, Unavailable, Stale, Replay, Delayed 15 min, then Live.

When the market is closed, you see a session line instead, such as “Market closed · Data as of 16:00:00 ET”. A quiet evening is normal, so it never shows as Stale.

Data states. Pick one, or tap the chip to step through them.

Trade time and the time you see it

All times in BigTape are Eastern time, the time zone of the U.S. stock market, wherever you are.

Next to the data state, a line such as “Data as of 10:42:07 ET” tells you when the screen last updated. Together, the state and that time tell you how current the screen is.

Late, stale and corrected data

Data does not always arrive in order. Three things can change what you see.

A Late Report is a trade published late and out of order. BigTape marks it Late Report, and its time may differ from when it happened.

A reported trade can be corrected or canceled later. A Canceled print stays on the chart, crossed out, and ranks update around it. If an alert was based on that trade, the alert is updated as well.

Each of these changes is marked where it happens, so you can see what changed and when.

Replay shows only what was known

Replay is a good way to learn how a session unfolded. Pick a past day, press play and watch prints, levels and price arrive in order, at the speed you choose.

While you replay, your alerts keep running. New ones add to the bell count, and the Since you last looked card waits until you return to the latest data.