If you encounter a situation where you believe that your Stop loss or take profit did not work properly, it does not necessarily mean that there is a technical problem with the trading platform, but rather:
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1. Slippage - closing price differs from expected

2. Spread - SL triggered unexpectedly

3. Spread - TP did not trigger

4. Spread - Limit order not activated
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Your SL/TP was triggered, but at a different price than expected - the closing price differs from your set level. We have all been there: You risk $200, but the position closes at $300. That gap is slippage. Let´s take a look at the following examples.

In this particular example, the SL was activated, but the closing price is different by 45 ticks.

When looking closely at the situation, it becomes clear that there was a sudden price movement. Due to this, your position could not be closed exactly at your stop-loss of 4711.81, but instead at the next best available price level.

Your SL has been hit, but at first glance, the price is not visible in the chart, and you wonder, "How did it get closed when the price did not reach my SL?" In situations like this, a widened spread, not only during news or rollovers, might eventually trigger your SL.

In the following example above, this EURUSD sell position with SL of 1.17380 has been triggered during news. Based on the candle, it looks like the price only reached a maximum of 1.17360, but the spread increased above 2 pips, and the ask price (Spread) triggered the SL.

The price clearly went past your take profit, but the trade did not close. Again, this is most likely due to the logic of bid and ask price - The bid price truly went past your TP, but not the ask price at which sell positions are closed.

With the sell position shown above, it appears that the price of gold exceeded your take-profit level by more than 20 ticks. However, the spread was around 30 ticks at that time; only the bid price went past your take profit, but not the ask price.

The same logic applies to buy limit orders. Since a buy limit order executes at the ask price, the ask price must reach your set level for the order to trigger. In the example below, the bid price moved past the order level - but the ask price did not. As a result, the order was not activated.
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Bid price is the price you receive when you sell, while ask price is known as offer price and the price you pay if you are buying - the difference is the spread. Theory is good, but this article explains how this can affect you from a technical standpoint.

The chart is based on changes in bid price. Changes in ask price, however, are not displayed in the chart. This is why an order might trigger or close outside the visible price levels - or, on the other hand, why a pending order might not activate even if the chart looks like it touched your price level.
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