I run one min. behind Time.nist.gov, why?

[jpatri]

Hi All,
I have a time / latency question. Before I trade each morning, I sync my Windows computer clock in my task bar to the time server: Time.nist.gov. In each of my strategies I use the bar timer indicator. It always runs 1 min behind Time.nist.gov. A friend of mine in California has his NinjaTrader and computer settings set to match mine but his NinjaTrader bar timer indicator runs two min behind Time nsit.gov. and one min behind mine, My internet connection is better than his.
Does anyone know why:

1. Why am I one min. behind Time.nist.gov?
2. Why I would be one min. and he would be two min.?
3. Is this a latency issue since my connection is better? Or is there something else effecting this time difference.
4. Has anyone else seen this issue?
5. Has anyone else had different time differences?

[NinjaTrader_BrandonH]

Hello jpatri,

Thanks for your post.

To clarify, do you mean you have the Bar Timer indicator that comes with NinjaTrader applied to a chart? Or, are you referring to plotting a bar time on the chart from a custom NinjaScript strategy?

If you are using NinjaTrader's Bar Timer indicator, do you have the indicator's Calculate property set to "On each tick"?

What instrument symbol (and expiry if applicable) have you selected? For example, ES 03-22, AAPL, EURUSD, etc.

(For a chart) what interval is selected? For example, 5 minute, 1 day, 2000 volume, 4 Renko, etc.

You may use the steps below to sync your PC's internal clock that NinjaTrader's Charts use for its timestamps.

• Shutdown NinjaTrader
• Right-click on the clock in the lower-right corner of your desktop
• Select "Adjust date and time"

For Windows 10, select 'Date, Time, and regional formatting' > 'Additional date, time, and regional settings' > 'Set the time and date'

• Select the 'Internet Time' tab at the top
• Set the server to time.nist.gov and click "Update".
• If the message that appears says successful your PC clock should now be updated.
• If not, select a different server from the Server: drop-down and try again (repeat until one of the servers is successful)

For Windows 11, select Sync Now under Additional Settings. We would also recommend enabling your computer to set the time and the time zone automatically if they are not already enabled.

After updating the PC clock, reopen NinjaTrader, then right-click in the Chart and select "Reload All Historical Data".

If the behavior persists after following the steps above, please send a screenshot demonstrating the issue you are reporting with the Bar Timer indicator.

• To send a screenshot with Windows 10 or newer I would recommend using the Windows Snipping Tool.
  • Click here for instructions
• Alternatively to send a screenshot press Alt + PRINT SCREEN to take a screenshot of the selected window. Then go to Start--> Accessories--> Paint, and press CTRL + V to paste the image. Lastly, save it as a jpeg file and send the file as an attachment.
  • Click here for detailed instruction

Please let us know if we may be of further assistance.

[jpatri]

Hello,
Thank you for your reply,

The two timers I am referring to are the computer clock, down in the right corner of my computer, which is set to "time.nist.gov" and the time shown at the bottom of each bar. The bar time is 1 min. ahead of the computer time (time.nist.gov).

I am using a 1 min chart on ES 06-24 instrument.
I have shut down NinjaTrader, successfully reset the computer clock to time.nist.gov, restarted NinjaTrader, reloaded all historical data and the bar time is still 1 min ahead of computer clock time, see the screen shot below.

[NinjaTrader_BrandonH]

Hello jpatri,

Thanks for your notes.

This is an expected behavior in NinjaTrader.

When using 1-Minute bars, the timestamp on the chart will show as 1 minute past the current time because the bars are timestamped for the close of the bar.

The bar timestamped 22:50 on the chart will contain all data from 22:49 to 22:50.

As another example, the 22:45 bar would contain all data from 22:44 to 22:45.

[jpatri]

Thank you,
So I know this may be over kill and a bit simple, but I want to make I get this right.

So, if my computer clock in the central time zone shows10:00 am, my chart bar clock will show 10:01 am, (always 1 min ahead because it shows the time at the end of the 10:00 am bar. So my friend in California should see the same 1 min difference with the added Time Zone difference.

So, if it is 10:00 am here, it is 8:00 am in California, his bar chart time would show 8:01 am. Conversely all NinjaTrader users in NY, Eastern time zone would see 11:00 am on their computer clocks and 11:01 am on the bar chart time, correct?

[NinjaTrader_BrandonH]

Hello jpatri,

Thanks for your notes.

Correct, the bar timestamp on the chart window will show 1 minute ahead of the current time on your PC when using a 1-Minute Chart since the bars are timestamped for the close of the bar.

If you are using a 1-Minute Chart and the time on your PC is 10:00AM Central Time, the current bar on the chart would be timestamped 10:01AM and this bar would contain all data from 10:00AM to 10:01AM.

If you are using a 1-Minute Chart and the time on the PC is 11:00AM Eastern Time, the current bar on the chart would be timestamped 11:01AM and this bar would contain all data from 11:00AM to 11:01AM.

[jpatri]

Excellent Brandon,
Thank you for your precise and simple explanation!
Joe P.