Your GTT order gets activated when the stock price reaches or crosses your set trigger price, based on live market ticks. Since there are hundreds of price updates every second, the system samples these ticks — if the trigger price movement is missed during that sampling, your GTT order may not get triggered, and it stays pending until the price hits the trigger level again.
Why can't every tick be checked?
A stock can update hundreds of times a second in a fast market. Checking every single tick for every active GTT isn't how the system works — it samples ticks instead. If the price only briefly touches your trigger level between samples, that touch can be missed, and the GTT keeps waiting for the price to hit the trigger again.
What can I do about it?
If you notice the price clearly crossed your trigger level but the GTT stayed pending, give it a wider trigger — a level the price is more likely to sit at or move through, rather than just briefly touch — or check the GTT again the next time the price approaches that level.
Things to keep in mind
- This isn't unique to GTT — it's a general limitation of trigger-based orders reacting to sampled ticks rather than a continuous price feed.
- A GTT that hasn't triggered is still Active, not failed — it will fire the next time the price reaches your trigger.