Corrections and re-checks

Fixed in place, with a date

When we get something wrong, the correction is made on the same page and the note carries the date it was made. We do not delete the old sentence and pretend it never existed, because a reader who relied on an earlier figure deserves to see what changed and when. The corrected text and the note sit together so the page keeps its own history.

This matters most with figures that move: a leverage cap, a margin requirement, a platform list or the entity that serves Australian clients. If a page said one thing in March and another in June, the reader should be able to see both the change and the reason for it, rather than wonder whether they misremembered.

A change is not always an error

A condition that has merely changed since we checked it is a re-check, not an error. If a broker raised its leverage cap, altered its funding methods or moved Australian clients to a different entity after our dated figure was published, the original page was accurate when written. In that case we re-check the page, restate the current position with a new date, and note what changed.

We draw that line deliberately, because conflating the two would make the corrections log useless. An error is something we got wrong against the source we read; a change is something the source did afterwards. Both are worth reporting, and both are handled, but only the first is recorded as a correction.

Nothing is deleted because a deleted correction cannot be checked

Nothing is deleted because a correction that has been removed cannot be verified by the reader who needs it. If we logged an error, corrected the page and then deleted the log entry, a reader who had relied on the wrong figure would have no evidence that the page had ever said it. The log therefore retains every entry, including entries for pages that have since been rewritten or retired, and including entries where the correction was later found to be unnecessary. The only thing that changes is the status of the entry, which can be marked as superseded, but the original text and date remain visible.

Nothing is deleted because the value of the log is in its completeness, not in its tidiness. A log that only shows the corrections we are proud of is a marketing document, not a record. We keep entries for errors that were embarrassing, for updates that were overtaken by a second change, and for clarifications that were later expanded. If a page is removed entirely, its log entries remain and are linked from the page’s former location, so the history is not lost when the content is. A reader checking whether a figure was ever different can therefore find the answer even if the figure no longer appears anywhere on the live site.

Nothing is deleted because deletion is the one action that would make the log untrustworthy in a way no amount of new entries could repair. Once a reader knows that entries can disappear, every remaining entry becomes suspect, and the log stops doing the job it was created for. We therefore treat the log as append-only: new entries are added, statuses can be changed, but text is not removed. That rule applies equally to errors, updates and clarifications, and it applies to entries about the regulator caveat for Australian readers as much as to entries about pip values or margin figures. The log is a record, and a record that can be edited away is not a record.

An error worth logging is a factual claim that is wrong, not a matter of taste

An error worth logging is a factual statement on the page that is demonstrably incorrect against the source we cited, such as a wrong leverage cap, an incorrect pip value for gold, a misstated margin figure, or a funding method attributed to the wrong provider. If the page says the maximum leverage available in Australia is up to 1:200 and the regulator’s published cap says otherwise, that is a loggable error. A different opinion about risk, a stylistic preference, or a debate about whether trading is suitable for you is not an error, because it cannot be checked against a source and corrected in a factual way.

An error worth logging must be specific enough that another reader could verify it without asking us what we meant. A claim that 'gold is volatile' is too vague to log, but a claim that one pip on XAU/USD equals 0.01 in price is precise and can be checked against the instrument specification. Likewise, a statement that a 0.10-lot gold position needs about $85.50 margin at 1:200 is checkable arithmetic, so if the arithmetic is wrong it belongs in the log. Vague discomfort with a sentence, or disagreement with the editorial angle, does not meet that bar and is handled as feedback rather than a correction.

An error worth logging is one that changes what a reader would do with the information, not a typo that leaves the meaning intact. A misspelt word in a paragraph about margin is not logged as an error because it does not alter the calculation or the decision. A wrong currency symbol, a wrong instrument code, or a wrong regulator name does change the reader’s understanding and is logged. We apply that test consistently: if correcting the item would alter a reader’s funding, position sizing, or regulatory expectations, it is an error; if it would not, it is a tidy-up and is handled outside the correction log.

The page owner decides, and the decision is made within a fixed number of business days

The page owner decides whether a reported issue is an error, an update or a clarification, and the decision is made within five business days of the report being received. The page owner is the person whose name sits on the page’s editorial record, not a general support queue, so there is a single accountable decision-maker rather than a committee. If the report is incomplete, the page owner may ask one round of clarifying questions, and the five-day clock restarts when the answer arrives. The decision, the marker applied, and the date are all recorded in the log, so the reader who reported the issue can see the outcome without asking again.

The page owner decides on the basis of the source, not on the basis of who reported the issue or how forcefully they argued. If the source supports the original wording, the report is closed as not an error and the reasoning is noted; if the source contradicts the original wording, the report is logged as an error and corrected. The page owner does not have discretion to leave a known error in place because correcting it would be embarrassing or because the page is due for a rewrite. The only judgement call is the marker, and that call is constrained by the definitions of error, update and clarification. The time limit exists so that judgement is exercised promptly rather than deferred.

The page owner decides, but the decision is reviewable by a second editor if the reporter disagrees with the outcome. The second editor sees the report, the source, the original wording and the page owner’s reasoning, and can overturn the marker or confirm it. That review is completed within a further five business days, and the outcome is added to the same log entry rather than replacing it. The purpose is not to create an appeals industry but to make sure a single person’s misreading of a source cannot keep a wrong figure on a page about gold trading, where a wrong pip value or margin figure has a direct cost in Australian dollars.

Error, update and clarification are three markers with three different meanings

An error marker means the page stated something that was factually wrong against its source, and the entry quotes the original wording and the corrected wording. An update marker means the page stated something that was accurate when published but an external fact has since changed, and the entry names the date the external change took effect. A clarification marker means the page stated something that was accurate but could reasonably be misread, and the entry explains the original wording and the clearer wording now used. The three markers are never used interchangeably, because each tells the reader something different about whether they were misled.

An error marker is the strongest of the three and is used sparingly, because it is an admission that the page failed its own sourcing standard. An update marker carries no such admission; it is a record that the world moved, such as a regulator revising a leverage cap or a broker changing the entity that serves Australian residents. A clarification marker sits between them: the original text was not wrong, but it invited a misreading, for example by saying 'leverage' without making clear that up to 1:200 is a cap rather than a setting to aim at. Each marker has a fixed definition, and we apply it the same way every time.

An error, an update and a clarification are all dated and all public, but only the error marker changes the reader’s understanding of whether the page can be trusted on that point. A page with several update markers is not a less reliable page; it is a page covering a moving subject. A page with several error markers is telling the reader that its sourcing failed repeatedly, and the reader can weigh that. A page with clarification markers is telling the reader that the wording was tightened without any factual change. Keeping the three distinct means the log reports the type of change, not just the fact of change.

A reader can check a page’s history from the log, the page note and the archived versions

A reader can check a page’s history by opening the correction log linked at the foot of the page and reading the entries in date order, newest first. Each entry names the claim, the marker, the date and the corrected wording, so the reader can see whether the figure they are looking at has ever changed. If the page carries a visible note that a correction has been made, that note points to the same log entry, so the reader does not have to search. The log is public and does not require a login, which means a reader can check it before funding an account or sizing a gold position in Australian dollars.

A reader can check a page’s history by comparing the current wording with the archived versions we keep for each substantive revision, which are dated and linked from the log entry that triggered them. The archive shows the page as it stood before the change, so a reader can see the exact sentence that was corrected rather than a paraphrase of it. If the change was an update rather than an error, the archive shows the earlier wording alongside the date the external fact changed, so the reader can judge whether their own information is current. The archive is not a full version-control system, but it covers every logged change, which is the set of changes that matter for accuracy.

A reader can check a page’s history by looking at the page’s revision date, which is separate from the publication date and is updated whenever a logged change is applied. The revision date tells the reader how fresh the page is; the log tells them what changed and why. If a reader believes a figure is still wrong after checking both, they can report it through the same channel, and the report will be handled under the same five-business-day decision rule. The combination of log, page note, archive and revision date means a reader never has to guess whether a page has been corrected, which is the standard we hold ourselves to across every page about gold (XAU/USD) and the brokers that offer it.

A correction fixes a wrong fact; an update reflects a change in the world

A correction fixes something that was wrong when it was written, while an update reflects something that was right when it was written but has since changed. If the page said the maximum leverage available in Australia was a figure other than up to 1:200, and that was wrong at the time, correcting it is a correction. If the regulator later changed the cap and the page moved from the old figure to up to 1:200, that is an update, because the original statement was accurate when published. The distinction matters because it tells the reader whether we made a mistake or whether the facts moved.

A correction is triggered by evidence that the original claim did not match its source, and it is recorded with the original wording quoted. An update is triggered by a change in an external fact, such as a regulator revising a leverage cap, a broker changing its entity structure, or a funding method being added or removed. An update does not quote the old wording as an error; it notes the date the external change took effect and the date the page was revised. For Australian readers, a change to the regulator caveat about FxPro UK Limited and ASIC would be handled as an update, not a correction, provided the earlier caveat was accurate when written.

A correction and an update are kept in the same log but marked differently, so a reader can tell at a glance whether the page was ever wrong or merely refreshed. The correction marker means the earlier text failed its own source; the update marker means the earlier text passed but the world moved. Neither marker is used for a clarification, which is reserved for wording that was accurate but could be misread. Keeping the three markers separate stops us from hiding a mistake inside a routine refresh, and it stops a routine refresh from looking like a mistake. The log therefore reads as a history of the page, not a list of apologies.

How to report an error

Report an error by writing to editor@yarracourseau.com with the page link, the sentence you believe is wrong, and, where you have it, the broker document that shows the correct position and the date it was published. We do not promise a response time, but every report that includes a source is read and checked against the broker's own material.

The strongest reports are specific. Quoting the exact clause or the exact figure from the broker's terms lets us confirm or reject the point without guesswork, and it means a genuine error can be corrected quickly. A general complaint that a broker is expensive or unreliable cannot be corrected, because it is not a statement of fact we made.

A correction is recorded in a dated entry that names the claim, the source and the fix

A correction is recorded as a dated entry in the page’s correction log, and the date is the day the corrected page is published, not the day the report arrived. Each entry names the claim as it originally appeared, the source that showed it was wrong, and the corrected wording now on the page. For example, an entry might read that a margin figure for a 0.10-lot gold position at 1:200 was corrected to about $85.50, with the source being the broker’s published leverage and contract specification. The original wording is quoted rather than paraphrased, so a reader can see exactly what changed.

A correction is recorded with enough detail that the log entry can be read on its own, without the rest of the page. That means the entry states the instrument, the currency, and the figure or fact in question, rather than saying only that 'a number was fixed'. If the correction concerns the regulator caveat for Australian readers, the entry quotes the caveat as it now stands and notes that FxPro is licensed by the FCA (UK) and CySEC and does not hold an ASIC licence. Dates are written in full, with day, month and year, so there is no ambiguity between Australian and overseas date formats.

A correction is recorded against the page it affects, and the page itself carries a visible note that a correction has been made, so a reader who never opens the log still knows the content has changed. The log entry and the page note share the same date and the same short description, which prevents the two drifting apart. We do not backdate an entry to make a page look as though it was right from the start, and we do not remove the original wording from the log. The record shows what was said, what it became, and when, which is the whole point of keeping a dated log rather than silently editing.

When a source changes silently, the page is frozen and the change is logged as an update

When a source changes silently, meaning the page it feeds has been altered without any notice or version history, we freeze the affected claim and log the change as an update rather than pretending the original wording was always wrong. The freeze means the claim is marked as under review and is not relied on for new calculations until the source is confirmed. An example would be a broker’s specification page changing a contract size or a leverage cap without a changelog; the page’s statement about one lot of gold being 100 oz, or about up to 1:200 leverage, would be held rather than silently rewritten. The log entry records the date we detected the change, not a date we infer.

When a source changes silently, we do not treat the earlier statement as an error, because it matched the source at the time it was written. Treating it as an error would misrepresent the page’s history and would wrongly suggest the original writer had failed to check. Instead, the entry is marked as an update, and it names the source, the claim affected, the date the change was detected, and the date the page was revised to match. If the source cannot be confirmed, the claim is removed from the page and the removal is logged, with the reason stated. That way a reader can see that the fact disappeared because its source became unreliable, not because we changed our mind.

When a source changes silently, the risk is that a reader who relied on the earlier version has no way of knowing the ground moved, which is why the detection date is published even when the source gives no date of its own. We do not guess when the source changed; we state when we found out, and we state that the source provided no notice. For Australian readers, this matters most with leverage caps and entity details, because a silent change to either can alter what a reader expects to be dealing with. The log therefore records the uncertainty as well as the change, rather than presenting a clean date that the source never supplied.

The log stays public because a private correction log is indistinguishable from no log

The log stays public because a correction record that only the publisher can see does nothing to help the reader who relied on the wrong figure. A reader who sized a gold position using an incorrect margin number needs to be able to find out that the number changed and when. If the log were private, the reader would have no way to tell whether the page had always said about $85.50 for a 0.10-lot position at 1:200, or whether it had been corrected after they read it. Public access is what makes the dated entry useful rather than decorative.

The log stays public because it is the only mechanism that lets a reader audit our accuracy over time rather than taking our word for it. Anyone can claim to fix errors; a public log shows the pattern, including the errors we would rather not have made. That is especially important on a page about gold trading, where a wrong pip value or a wrong leverage cap can lead to a real financial loss in Australian dollars. A public record lets a reader see whether corrections are rare and minor or frequent and material, and that judgement should be made by the reader, not by us.

The log stays public because it keeps the correction process honest in a way an internal note cannot. When an entry will be read by anyone, the description of the error tends to be specific rather than vague, and the date tends to be accurate rather than convenient. We do not require registration to view the log, and we do not put the log behind a client login, because a reader checking a figure should not have to become a customer to do it. The log is part of the page, not a support document, and it is treated with the same care as the content it records.