Core terms
Time stop
An exit rule that closes a trade after a set time if neither the target nor the price stop has been reached.
Price stops and targets cover two outcomes: the idea works, or it is wrong. A time stop covers the third: nothing happens. It gives a stalled trade an end, so the trade can be counted as its own outcome (often a small scratch) instead of drifting until it reaches the stop or is closed at an arbitrary moment.
The rule is usually written as minutes after entry or as a clock time, for example 10 minutes or 09:55 ET. In an Illustrative example from the Advanced course, a time stop closed a chopping trade at +0.13R; the same position later reached its stop for −1.04R, which is known only in hindsight. A time stop can also exit just before a move that would have worked.
What traders should verify
Write the time stop in the plan next to the target and the stop, and log time-stop exits as a separate outcome category. Time-stop exits sent as marketable orders pay the spread, so record their cost in R.
Do not conflate
Trader usage; there is no official definition. A time stop does not predict that a stalled trade would fail; it limits how long an unplanned situation lasts. Changing the time after entry turns it into a different rule.
Primary source
Trader usage: there is no official definition, and platforms and tools may calculate it differently.