A broker changed an executed trade — what should you check?

An execution confirmation does not rule out a later dispute or correction to account records. It also does not establish that every broker adjustment is justified. If the price, profit or balance changed after the trade, you need both versions of the records and a reconciliation of the difference. Establish what changed and on what basis; a label saying “correction” answers neither question.

Was an order cancelled or an execution changed?

Separate the events behind similar messages. A pending order can be removed before execution, leaving no executed quantity to reverse. After a partial fill, only the unfilled remainder may be cancelled. History should distinguish that remainder from the actual deal. If your cancellation click coincided with a fill, check the server response and current state before assuming the instruction prevented execution.

Last look describes a trade-request check before acceptance or rejection in electronic FX, principally in the wholesale market. The FX Global Code sets good-practice principles for that market; it does not grant every retail broker a universal right to reverse confirmed trades. A later correction is a different event. Ask for separate times for receipt, acceptance, execution and the subsequent decision.

For an executed order, establish the original price, quantity and deal identifier. If these were confirmed and later changed, examine the history revision and cash postings. If the only message said “accepted”, first determine whether an execution occurred at all. Understanding order execution requires the records beyond the screen containing the Buy or Sell button. Preserve the full response rather than a remembered label.

Which agreement and legal entity apply?

Record the contracting entity's full name, jurisdiction, regulator, account classification and product. A single brand can serve customers through different companies. An OTC CFD, an exchange-traded share and a bank FX service may follow different procedures. Identify the agreement applicable when the event happened rather than relying only on the newest PDF currently offered on a website. Keep the relevant version with your other evidence.

A Poland-specific example: XTB S.A.'s terms dated 30 September 2026. Clauses 6.73–6.77 distinguish withdrawal for an erroneous price from an agreed correction; 6.76 also describes restoring a position when its closing trade is reversed. Clause 6.71 addresses a separate external-data or transaction-withdrawal situation. These are this entity's product terms, not a rule for every broker. Read the full conditions and limitations.

XTB's legal index lists that version as effective from 30 September through 26 October 2026. For a later event, obtain the applicable document from XTB's Polish legal-information page. This example does not export Polish contract terms, complaint deadlines or consumer rights to international readers. A clause also does not by itself settle whether a particular action complies with applicable law. Separate the evidence review from your view of a fair price.

How can you preserve both versions?

Download deal history and cash activity before a refreshed display replaces older information. Keep the original file, later export, confirmation and adjustment notice. Record download time and the time zone for every timeline. A screenshot is supporting evidence: it may omit the symbol, date, quantity or fee. Mark missing information as unknown rather than filling gaps from memory, which would turn an uncertain detail into an apparently documented fact.

Your comparison table should contain order, deal and position identifiers; the symbol including its suffix; direction and quantity; original and revised prices; execution and adjustment times; currency; profit, commission, financing and the separate correction posting. Add the support-reference number and cited clause. This joins a provider decision to a specific account operation instead of merely illustrating a balance decline. Use a consistent currency for each total.

Keep originals privately. For a public question or sample file, remove account numbers, contact details, personal identifiers and unrelated trades. Never provide passwords, one-time codes or card details. Send complete records only through a verified channel to the relevant provider or authorised dispute body. A redacted copy should not overwrite the source file. Keep enough identifiers in your private version to match the response to the trade.

How do you reconcile without deducting twice?

Our hypothetical example uses a flat USD account starting at 1,000 USD. Its only trade originally earned 50 USD and incurred a 2 USD fee. Balance became 1,000 + 50 − 2 = 1,048 USD. The provider then changes profit to 30 USD while retaining the same fee. Assume no other activity. These are illustrative accounting inputs, not a claim about a provider's actual incident.

The profit adjustment is 30 − 50 = −20 USD. Apply that difference to the preceding balance: 1,048 − 20 = 1,028 USD. An independent check gives 1,000 + 30 − 2 = the same 1,028 USD. Deducting the entire new 30 USD profit from 1,048 would be wrong. The new result replaces the old one; a difference posting is not a second closing trade.

The conclusion: check arithmetic through two routes: previous balance plus the adjustment, and starting balance plus the revised result. Both must reach the same total. Matching totals do not prove that the price change was justified. They establish only that it was reconciled under the stated assumptions. Keep the question about contractual justification separate from the question about cash arithmetic.

Fully reversing a trade is a different scenario. In a separate model, removing the 50 USD profit and refunding the 2 USD fee would give 1,048 − 50 + 2 = 1,000 USD. If the fee remained charged, balance would be 998 USD. These compare possible accounting treatments rather than promise a fee refund. Ask which costs and linked operations were actually reversed and where those entries appear.

For a busy account, include only operations between the two compared moments. Deposits, withdrawals, subsequently posted commission or financing can obscure the difference. Where currency conversion occurred, record the source amount, rate and account-currency amount separately. Our article on profit versus price movement helps break ordinary trade results into components; the additional component here is a documented change to an earlier settlement. Do not silently merge different report currencies.

Does a negative posting always mean a second loss?

No. MT5 supports Canceled buy and Canceled sell historical deal types: the cancelled execution's result is zeroed and its previous profit or loss is reversed through a separate balance operation. The deal-properties reference explains that record format. Do not mechanically combine an old export's profit with revised history and the new cash operation. You could count the same event twice.

Keep two tasks separate. A balance bridge compares the amount immediately before adjustment with the amount afterwards and the new postings. Reconstruction of the whole period uses one internally consistent report version. If you cannot determine whether a row was replaced or appended, ask the provider to link the identifiers and explain how to reconstruct balance. A software record explains the format; it does not establish the legality of the decision.

A useful dispute record connects three facts: what was confirmed, what changed later and which cash entry represents the difference.

What exactly should you ask the provider?

Request the original and revised confirmation, the affected executions, contractual basis with document version, price rationale and posting list. When comparing prices, specify Bid or Ask, symbol, timestamp and zone. Another provider's chart may help formulate a question, but does not establish the price available for your product and quantity. A candle can also omit the quote side or moment relevant to the fill.

Ask separately about current state: is the position closed, restored, reduced or facing the other direction; which SL/TP remain; and what happened to related pending orders? Do not assume a dispute suspends market exposure. Preserve the observed state before issuing another instruction, so a subsequent voluntary trade does not obscure the event under investigation. Distinguish the adjustment itself from actions you took after learning about it.

Make a one-line summary: original profit, revised profit, difference, changed costs, currency and observed balance. Mark unknowns as questions. Delay conclusions about strategy performance. One revised execution can affect several reports; ask which documents will be replaced.

Describe the numerical discrepancy and requested explanation without assigning unproven motives. If the response does not resolve it, check the entity's formal complaint process and the available local dispute or legal route. There is no single worldwide deadline or identical protection for every account. Our stop-execution check complements this process with the checks for an individual stop execution. Seek jurisdiction-appropriate help where the contractual dispute warrants it.

What to do tomorrow before assessing performance?

1. Preserve the original confirmation and later export. Record times, currency and identifiers; mark missing details as unknown. Keep private originals and a redacted copy for investigation rather than overwriting earlier documents or filling gaps from memory.
2. Reconcile through two routes: previous balance plus the adjustment, and starting balance plus current results and costs. Include every intervening operation. Separate correct arithmetic from the contractual and legal justification for changing the execution price.
3. Check current positions and protection before another instruction. Mark the case resolved or disputed and keep both result versions in your journal. This process does not replace jurisdiction-specific legal advice or an assessment of investment decisions.