MetaQuotes-Demo Python API timestamps approximately 2 hours ahead of UTC
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MT5 Python API Timestamp Discrepancy on MetaQuotes-Demo — Build 6259
Sergey Golubev, 2026.10.14 09:02
It was already discussed many times, for example:Can MQL5 uniquely determine the UTC open time of historical CopyRates bars?
Forum on trading, automated trading systems and testing trading strategies
MetaTrader 5 build 6231: clock basis of historical Symbols → Ticks timestamps and exported CSV
Alain Verleyen, 2026.10.08 16:00
ALL data MT5 returns are ALWAYS broker server time data.
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Hello,
I am using MetaTrader 5 with a MetaQuotes-Demo account and the official MetaTrader5 Python library.
The timestamps returned by symbol_info_tick("USDJPY").time, time_msc, and M5 rates appear approximately 7,200 seconds ahead of independently verified UTC.
Could you please confirm:
Are these timestamps UTC or MetaQuotes-Demo server time?
If server time, what UTC offset applies, during which dates, and with what accuracy?
How can I independently verify the freshness of quotes before submitting automated demo orders?
Thank you.