Signal Status Lifecycle — Pending, Active, History

CSAPP signals are living trades. They move through a lifecycle from creation to closure, and the current state on the card tells you exactly what action to take. This article walks through every state and what to do in each.

The four states

Pending — the signal is published but not yet tradeable

A new signal is created when the analyst sees a setup forming. Price isn't there yet. The card shows everything (entry, TPs, stop) but you cannot enter — there's nothing at the right price.

What to do:

• Make sure you understand the signal anatomy so you can act fast when it turns Active.
• Keep the app open or push notifications on so you're notified when the signal turns Active.
• Pre-calculate your position size — once Active, every minute of decision is a minute of slipping past optimal entry.

Don't:

• Open the position early "in case I miss it." 70% of the time, price doesn't reach the zone and the signal expires — you'd be stuck in a fakeout trade.

Active — the entry window is open

Price has reached the entry zone. You can open the position now. The Active status will remain as long as price stays inside the zone — usually a few minutes to a few hours.

What to do:

• Open the position. Use the price inside the zone, not the exact entry number.
• Place your stop loss order at the analyst's level (or your own, if you have a personal plan).
• Optionally use DCA to spread fills across the zone for a better average entry.
• Move stop to breakeven after TP1.

Don't:

• Wait for the "perfect" entry inside the zone. Every minute increases the chance price moves past.
• Use leverage you wouldn't be comfortable with at 2× the calculated position size — slippage and stop hits happen.

Late — you missed the window

The most important status to recognize. Price has driven through the entry zone without you getting filled. The signal may still be open (price hasn't hit stop or TP4), but the entry zone is in the past.

What to do:

• Skip the trade. The signal's RR was calculated based on the entry zone. Entering Late breaks the math.
• A new signal will appear. Be patient.

Don't:

• "Chase" by buying at the new, worse price. Your effective stop distance is now larger and your RR is worse, often badly worse. You're taking a trade with the same dollar risk for a smaller expected return.

History — the signal closed

The signal reached either TP4 (full win) or the stop loss (full loss). It's logged for performance tracking. You missed this one, but the History view is where you learn:

What to do:

• Compare TPs hit vs stop. Did the trade play out as planned?
• Read the analyst's reasoning (in the signal detail). Did the chart pattern work as expected?
• Look at your own behavior: were you in this trade? At what entry? Did you take partial profits at TP1, TP2, TP3?
• Look at scaled outcomes: even if you didn't hit TP4, did TP1 + TP2 cover at least the risk?

Don't:

• Try to "re-enter" the same signal at the current price. That's a different trade with different math.

Edge cases

Signal expires without reaching entry

Sometimes price approaches the entry zone, then reverses. The signal hangs in Pending state. Eventually the analyst (or the system) closes it as expired. No position was opened.

What to do: nothing. You correctly waited and avoided a fakeout. Move on.

Signal closes between TP1 and TP4

The most common scenario. Signal hits TP1, then reverses and stops out before TP2. If you scaled out as recommended:

• Closed 25% at TP1 → +0.5% on account (example)
• Remaining 75% stops at breakeven (because you moved stop to BE after TP1) → 0%
• Net: +0.5% gain on the signal

If you didn't move stop to BE and let it run all the way to the original stop:

• Closed 25% at TP1 → +0.5%
• Remaining 75% stops at original stop → −1.5% × 0.75 = −1.125%
• Net: −0.625%

Same trade, different management. See Take Profit.

Stop hit before any TP

A losing trade. Stop fires automatically, position closes at the stop level. Loss equals your position size × stop distance.

What to do:

• Don't take it personally. Every strategy loses ~30–60% of trades. The math is in Risk/Reward.
• Don't revenge-trade. Take 30 minutes off the screen before opening the next position.
• Journal it: was the entry inside the zone, or did you chase Late? Was the position size correct?

Reading status at a glance

The status badge in the signal card is color-coded for fast scanning:

• Gray (Pending) — neutral, waiting
• Green (Active) — go
• Amber (Late) — stop
• Closed (History) — past

After 50 signals, you'll glance at the badge and know what to do without reading anything else.

In CSAPP

The Signals tab has filters for status: All, Pending, Active, History. Most traders set the default filter to Active so the feed shows only signals ready to enter right now. Toggle to Pending to plan upcoming entries.

Related

• How to Read a CSAPP Signal
• DCA & Execution Inside the Entry Zone
• Entry Strategy
• Risk/Reward