Waiting for update, stuck in MetaTrader 4

What is causing it

The terminal cannot pull history for that symbol, often after a reconnect.

Why this happens

MT4 will not draw a chart until it has the bar history for that symbol and timeframe. It requests that history from the broker and shows a waiting state while it arrives, so the message is the terminal telling you it has asked and is still waiting rather than that something has failed. When the request is never answered, most often because the connection dropped at the moment it was made, the terminal keeps waiting indefinitely rather than retrying, which is why the state can persist for as long as you leave it.

It is particularly common after a reconnection, on a symbol newly added to Market Watch, and on higher timeframes where MT4 builds bars from the history it holds. Switching timeframe forces a fresh request, which is why cycling down and back up frequently clears it in seconds.

The fix, step by step

1. Right-click the chart and Refresh.
2. Switch to a lower timeframe, then back up.
3. Remove and re-add the symbol from Market Watch.
4. Log out and back in to the trade account.

How to confirm it is fixed

Candles should appear and the most recent one should extend as prices move. Scroll left and confirm the history continues rather than ending abruptly at the point where the chart opened. If a second chart on the same symbol also loads normally, the problem is resolved rather than momentarily hidden.

Stopping it happening again

Add symbols to Market Watch and open them before you need them, so history is fetched in advance rather than while you are trying to analyse. If your connection drops frequently, expect to see this state and treat a timeframe cycle as the routine fix. Persistent failure on one symbol only is worth raising with your broker, since their server may not be serving history for it.