Why Time Zone Misalignment Silently Breaks Forex Backtests

Time zone misalignment in forex data pipelines isn't just a cosmetic issue—it can silently corrupt backtests and trigger trading decisions on the wrong timeline. As brokerages and algorithmic systems increasingly ingest quotes from multiple sources across global markets, proper timestamp normalization and alignment become essential infrastructure. This guide provides developers with battle-tested patterns to unify data streams and eliminate one of the most insidious bugs in quantitative finance.