# OTC vs real-market quotes: seven checks before a claim

Version: 1.0
Format: caption-led explainer with no voiceover
Duration: 8:30
Canonical method: https://kostrade.pro/en/otc-binary-options

## 00:00 — A difference is not a cause

Two charts can differ without either screenshot proving manipulation. First align the data. This is an educational comparison protocol, not a finding about a named platform, feed or trade.

## 00:30 — Check 1: provider

Record the market-data provider, venue or documented internal source on each side. A provider can aggregate different venues, liquidity sources or tick filters. If either provider is unknown, preserve that gap rather than inventing equivalence.

## 01:20 — Check 2: instrument identifier

Match the exact instrument identifier and quote mode. EUR/USD, a broker-specific EUR/USD symbol and EUR/USD OTC are not automatically the same series. Record the platform symbol, contract type and any provider code.

## 02:15 — Check 3: bid / ask / mid

Identify the price basis: bid / ask / mid or last trade. A visible spread means those values can differ at the same moment. Compare like with like and record decimals, tick size and the actual opening and closing quotes.

## 03:10 — Check 4: timestamp and timezone

Capture date and timestamp to the second or millisecond, platform server time and timezone. Convert both records to UTC. Clock drift or a different timezone can put the same tick into another candle.

## 04:05 — Check 5: candle interval

Match the candle interval and construction. Record one minute, five seconds or another timeframe, plus standard OHLC, Heikin Ashi or any transformation. Tick inclusion and session boundaries can change the candle shape.

## 05:00 — Check 6: market session

Record the market session: regular, pre-market, after-hours, holiday or weekend. A closed external market may have no current comparison tick while a platform-labelled OTC instrument remains available.

## 05:55 — Check 7: quote context

Document whether the contract uses an external market-data source or a separate internal algorithmic OTC feed. An internal symbol is not expected to reproduce an external chart tick for tick. That limitation is context, not proof of fairness or manipulation.

## 06:50 — Classify the comparison

Use three outcomes. Matched means all seven fields align and the difference is within the recorded tolerance. Explainable mismatch means a documented provider, spread, time, candle or session difference accounts for it. Unresolved means required metadata or records are missing.

## 07:45 — Escalate evidence, not rhetoric

Preserve the original screen recording, file metadata, trade or request ID, opening and closing quote, server response and applicable quote clause. Reproduce the issue before making a platform-specific claim. If the comparison cannot be aligned, mark SKIP or unresolved. Binary options can result in loss of the full stake.