How the portfolio numbers are computed

Why figures differ from your broker

Reason	What happens
Live pricing	During the session, U.S. stocks and ETFs are valued at Sterling’s live prices. Your broker may show a delayed quote or a settlement price. Hover a Price in Positions to see how recent it is
Sync delay	Changes at your broker reach Sterling after a delay that varies by broker. Hover a brokerage in the page header to see when it last synced
Separate reads	Balances, positions and account value come from separate broker reads and can be briefly out of step
Securities Sterling doesn’t price	Over-the-counter names, foreign ordinaries, very new listings and fixed income use your broker’s figures, or are marked as missing a price
Sweep funds	Money-market sweep funds are counted as cash, so Sterling’s cash can differ from your broker’s home screen
Maintenance	Brokers have maintenance windows when their figures don’t update

Trading hours

The KPI cards and the charts use regular trading hours only. Price in Positions can include after-hours trades, so after the close a position’s price can differ from the cards.

When a total is missing

Sterling doesn’t show a total when part of it is unknown. This happens when a holding has neither a live price nor a figure from your broker, when the account holds cash in another currency, or when an option’s contract size is unknown. The KPI cards then show a row of dots, and the Positions totals show a dash with an info icon. Hover either for the reason. The positions that can be priced are still listed.

Special cases

Case	How Sterling handles it
Stock splits	The value and compare charts carry through a split smoothly. Positions and the KPI cards depend on your broker updating the share count. Until it does, a symbol can show a large false loss, and its cost basis and realized P&L are withheld
Options	Each leg is its own row at the figures your broker last reported. Options aren’t priced live and aren’t included when Sterling explains a move. A leg with an unknown contract size stops totals from being shown
Margin	A margin loan appears as negative cash. Sterling doesn’t show a margin balance or requirement. Gross exposure above 100% means your positions add up to more than the book is worth
Cash	Cash is the figure your broker reports. Cash in another currency appears as its own row, isn’t converted to dollars, and stops totals from being shown
Cash-only accounts	Positions shows the cash rows, the value chart is a flat line at the cash balance, and most KPI cards show dots
History	Value history goes back to May 2018 at the earliest, and no earlier than your youngest holding that can be priced. The same limit applies to risk figures that cover the book’s whole history. Sharpe covers only the past year

Frequently asked questions

Why does a price look out of date?

Sterling uses the most recent trade in a symbol. On a thinly traded symbol, that trade can be minutes or hours old. Holdings Sterling doesn’t price live, such as options, show your broker’s last reported price. Hover the Price in Positions to see when it was set.

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Why figures differ from your broker

Trading hours

When a total is missing

Special cases

Frequently asked questions

Why does a price look out of date?

​Why figures differ from your broker

​Trading hours

​When a total is missing

​Special cases

​Frequently asked questions

​Why does a price look out of date?

​Related articles

Why figures differ from your broker

Trading hours

When a total is missing

Special cases

Frequently asked questions

Why does a price look out of date?

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