Traders are not willing to wait longer than 4 ms — MetaQuotes study

MetaQuotes' research focused on traders utilizing virtual servers for automated trading. The analysis covered the users of MetaTrader VPS, the virtual hosting service for automatic round-the-clock trading with minimal network delays. The results have been compiled into infographics to present a comprehensive overview of the user audience.

One of the key findings of the research concerns the network latency between the virtual machine and the broker's server: 86% of traders prefer working with ultra-low latencies, not exceeding 4 ms. This preference can be easily explained, as high speed ensures predictable and stable operation of algorithms running on virtual machines. This minimizes the likelihood of price changes occurring before the order reaches the server.

Another part of the study concerning VPS purposes reveals that trading robots are more than seven times more popular than trading signal subscriptions. Thus, 86% of users run automated systems on virtual machines, and only 12% use hosting to copy signals. The results also show the geographical distribution of the most popular trading servers: 75% of them are located in just three countries. Additionally, a curious revelation was made regarding the geographical statistics of traders utilizing VPS: the top 3 countries are located on different continents.