Skip to main content

​
Data freshness explained

Tendrill uses different data sources with different update frequencies. Understanding this helps you interpret the information you receive and know when to expect updates.

​
Data sources and timing

​
Real-time data

​
Stock prices

During market hours (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET), Tendrill uses real-time stock prices:
  • Alerts: Price movement alerts use live data
  • Questions: “What’s AAPL trading at?” gives you the current price
  • Impact calculations: Your position value updates continuously
Extended hours: Pre-market (4:00-9:30 AM) and after-hours (4:00-8:00 PM) pricing is available but may be less reliable due to lower volume.

​
News and events

News monitoring runs 24/7:
  • Breaking news is processed within minutes
  • Earnings results are analyzed immediately after release
  • Overnight news is captured for morning briefings

​
Delayed/daily data

​
Portfolio holdings (via Plaid)

Your holdings data syncs from your brokerage accounts daily:
Manual refresh: Text “refresh my portfolio” to trigger an on-demand sync. This may pull more recent data, but some brokerages still have delays.

​
Cost basis and transactions

Transaction history and cost basis update daily:
  • Recent trades appear in your transaction list
  • Cost basis calculations update after trades settle (T+1 or T+2)
  • Dividend reinvestments show after processing

​
How this affects your experience

​
Scenario: You buy a stock

​
Scenario: Intraday price alerts

​
Scenario: Evening question

​
Data timing indicators

Tendrill tells you when data might be stale:
Your Portfolio Total: $131,200 (as of 4:00 PM ET) Holdings synced: Today 5:30 AM Note: Any trades made today will appear after tonight’s sync.

​
Why isn’t everything real-time?

​
Brokerage limitations

Brokerages don’t provide instant APIs for all data:
  • Most brokerages update Plaid connections daily, not continuously
  • Some data (cost basis, transactions) has processing delays
  • This is an industry-wide limitation, not specific to Tendrill

​
What we optimize

Given these constraints, Tendrill prioritizes:
  1. Real-time prices - What matters most for alerts
  2. Fast news - Breaking information that affects decisions
  3. Accurate holdings - Daily sync ensures completeness

​
Interpreting data in alerts

When you see portfolio impact numbers:
This calculation uses:
  • Price change: Real-time (accurate to the minute)
  • Share count: From last sync (may be up to 24 hours old)
  • Impact: Real-time price × synced shares
If you traded that stock today, the impact calculation may be off until the next sync. The price is correct; the share count may be outdated.

​
Manual refresh options

​
Force a portfolio sync

​
Check data freshness

​
Tips for best experience

Trade in the morning?

Data syncs overnight, so morning trades appear next day

Need today's trades reflected?

Use manual refresh, but expect some delay

Price alerts

These use real-time data - always accurate to the minute

Portfolio summaries

Best viewed after overnight sync for full accuracy

​
FAQ

Common reasons:
  1. Timing: Your brokerage may show real-time; Tendrill uses last sync for shares
  2. Price source: Slight differences in quote timing
  3. Pending transactions: Your brokerage may include unsettled items
Differences are usually small and resolve after the next sync.
Currently, Plaid connections update daily. We’re working with data providers to improve this, but it’s an industry-wide limitation.
  • Market data: Always Eastern Time (ET)
  • Your updates: Delivered in your registered time zone
  • Sync times: Typically overnight in Eastern Time

​
Next steps

Data Sync Details

Full details on sync frequency

Portfolio Impact

How impact calculations work