Time Zone Setting

General Information

All dates and times within Sierra Chart are obtained and stored in UTC/GMT time. This is the standard default time zone for the world which can be converted to any other time zone.

This also applies to historical data. Therefore, you never need to re-download historical data when you want to change the time zone the data is displayed in.

Within Sierra Chart using the Time Zone settings, you can therefore use any time zone to display the Date-Times in and change this any time you require.

The global Time Zone settings are located in the Time Zone Settingswindow, which can be accessed from the menu by selecting Global Settings >> Time Zone Settings on the main menu.

The Time Zone setting sets the time zone to display times in throughout Sierra Chart. The Time Zone setting offers a list of common time zones around the world. These time zones are listed by one major city that the time zone contains.

From the list of time zones, select the time zone you want to use. If the time zone you want to use is not represented in the list, you can set up a Custom Time Zone.

It is also supported to set a Different Time Zone in Individual Charts.

For troubleshooting information related to the Time Zone setting control, refer to help topic 38.

In the case of Historical Daily data, the time zone for the open to close for the daily bars is according to the time zone of the exchange for the symbol of the Historical Daily chart. In the case of the Sierra Chart Real-time and Historical Forex/CFD Data Service, the time zone for the Daily data is US Eastern. However, you can always use Intraday charts to work around this to use any time zone you require.

Time Zone (Global Settings >> Time Zone)

Settings For 'Other/Custom DST' Time Zone Setting (Global Settings >> Time Zone)

When the option for Other/Custom DST... has been selected and the A button selected, then the additional options to enter a customized Time Zone will be displayed on the Time Zone window.

Using Different Time Zone in Individual Charts

It is supported to use a different time zone in a chart compared to the global time zone setting in Global Settings >> Time Zone Settings.

If you set a different time zone in a chart, be aware that you have done this so that you understand the timescale that you are seeing.

To set a separate time zone for a chart, select Chart >> Chart Settings >> Session Times. Set the Time Zone setting to a setting other than Use Global Time Zone.

You also need to be aware that if you use a different time zone in a chart compared to the global time zone, when using the Tools >> Global Cursor On, the exact time that you see highlighted on each of the charts will be different if the time zone is different on those charts. However, the corresponding time highlighted based upon the time zone of each of the charts, will be correct.

In newer versions of Sierra Chart, when changing the Time Zone setting in a chart, the Session Times for Intraday Charts are automatically changed by a time amount equal to the difference in time from the current time zone, to the new time zone that you select.

However, it is always very important to check the Session Times (Chart >> Chart Settings >> Session Times) in the chart after changing its Time Zone so they are set as you require. Understand that the time zone of the Session Times is going to be what the chart is set to.

Updating Session Times in Chart after Time Zone Changes

Whenever the time zone has been changed globally within Sierra Chart or for an individual chart, it is necessary to check the Session Times in the affected charts.

When you have changed the Global Time Zone, then all charts are going to be affected.

The Session Times for the chart are always relative to the time zone the chart is using. To adjust the session times select Chart >> Chart Settings >> Session Times.

If the Session Times >> Start Time is set to 00:00:00 and the Session Times >> End Time is set to 23:59:59, then no changes are necessary. If they are set to follow the exchange trading sessions, then verify they are correct relative to the time zone the chart is using. Make any changes as needed and press OK.

Resolving Differences with the Transition To/From Daylight Savings Time in Different Time Zones

When the Global Time Zone setting or the chart specific Time Zone differs from the time zone the Symbol of the chart trades in and these two time zones have different rules for when transitioning to Daylight Saving Time and transitioning from Daylight Saving Time, then there will be a problem with the display of accurate times in the chart near the time where Daily Saving Time changes or when Daylight Saving Time is in effect.

The only definitive solution to this, is that you must set either the Time Zone in the chart if you are using the chart specific Time Zone setting, or the Global Time Zone to the same time zone of the exchange where the symbol trades. Or use a Time Zone that follows the exact same Daylight Saving Time rules.

There is no other possibility to solve this kind of issue.

General Strategy to Use Time Zones

Set the Global Time Zone to the Time Zone that you predominantly want to use within Sierra Chart.

Set the chart specific Time Zone to the Time Zone of the exchange where the symbol trades or what is appropriate for the symbol, if this Time Zone differs from the Global Time Zone setting you have set.

You can also use a time zone in a chart, which is related to the time zone of the exchange where the symbol trades. Related means in this case, that the time zone uses the same Daylight Savings Time rules. For example, if the symbol trades at an exchange which is located in the US central time zone (Chicago), then you could also use the US Eastern time zone (New York) or the US Pacific Time zone (Los Angeles).