diff --git a/src/operator-dashboard/static/pages/StrategyPage.jsx b/src/operator-dashboard/static/pages/StrategyPage.jsx
index c06bb35..4db4ddf 100644
--- a/src/operator-dashboard/static/pages/StrategyPage.jsx
+++ b/src/operator-dashboard/static/pages/StrategyPage.jsx
@@ -8,11 +8,9 @@ import { formatAgeFromTimestamp, formatBoolean, formatEur, formatTimestamp, trun
 
 const RESPONDED_STATES = new Set(['submitted', 'awaiting_outcome', 'not_filled', 'completed']);
 const TRADING_PAIR_MODES = new Set(['maker', 'taker', 'both']);
-const COMPETITIVENESS_REFRESH_MS = 5_000;
 const COMPETITIVENESS_GROUP_ROW_COUNT = 12;
 const COMPETITIVENESS_DETAIL_ROW_COUNT = 8;
 const COMPETITIVENESS_LATENCY_ROW_COUNT = 6;
-const QUOTE_LIFECYCLE_REFRESH_MS = 5_000;
 const QUOTE_LIFECYCLE_ROW_COUNT = 20;
 
 async function copyIdentifier(value) {
@@ -24,6 +22,17 @@ async function copyIdentifier(value) {
   }
 }
 
+function useNow(intervalMs = 1000) {
+  const [now, setNow] = useState(() => Date.now());
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const timer = window.setInterval(() => setNow(Date.now()), intervalMs);
+    return () => window.clearInterval(timer);
+  }, [intervalMs]);
+
+  return now;
+}
+
 function formatRelativeAge(value, now) {
   const age = formatAgeFromTimestamp(value, now);
   return age === 'Unavailable' ? 'Age unavailable' : `${age} ago`;
@@ -274,7 +283,6 @@ function fixedRows(items, count) {
 function MakerCompetitivenessSection({ summary, pairConfig }) {
   const latestSummaryRef = useRef(summary || {});
   const [displaySummary, setDisplaySummary] = useState(() => summary || {});
-  const [displayUpdatedAt, setDisplayUpdatedAt] = useState(() => new Date().toISOString());
   const [updatesPaused, setUpdatesPaused] = useState(false);
   const total = displaySummary?.total || {};
   const groups = displaySummary?.groups || [];
@@ -290,23 +298,14 @@ function MakerCompetitivenessSection({ summary, pairConfig }) {
 
   useEffect(() => {
     latestSummaryRef.current = summary || {};
-  }, [summary]);
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (updatesPaused) return undefined;
-    const timer = window.setInterval(() => {
-      setDisplaySummary(latestSummaryRef.current || {});
-      setDisplayUpdatedAt(new Date().toISOString());
-    }, COMPETITIVENESS_REFRESH_MS);
-    return () => window.clearInterval(timer);
-  }, [updatesPaused]);
+    if (!updatesPaused) setDisplaySummary(summary || {});
+  }, [summary, updatesPaused]);
 
   function toggleUpdatesPaused() {
     setUpdatesPaused((current) => {
       const nextPaused = !current;
       if (current) {
         setDisplaySummary(latestSummaryRef.current || {});
-        setDisplayUpdatedAt(new Date().toISOString());
       }
       return nextPaused;
     });
@@ -325,7 +324,7 @@ function MakerCompetitivenessSection({ summary, pairConfig }) {
         <div className="pills">
           <Pill label={`${total.count || 0} rows`} stateLabel="info" />
           <Pill label={`${total.quote_not_found_or_finished_count || 0} stale/finished`} stateLabel={(total.quote_not_found_or_finished_count || 0) > 0 ? 'warning' : 'unknown'} />
-          <Pill label={updatesPaused ? 'Updates paused' : 'Timed snapshot'} stateLabel={updatesPaused ? 'warning' : 'healthy'} />
+          <Pill label={updatesPaused ? 'Updates paused' : 'Live updates'} stateLabel={updatesPaused ? 'warning' : 'healthy'} />
           <button
             aria-pressed={updatesPaused}
             className="button secondary trace-copy-button"
@@ -337,7 +336,7 @@ function MakerCompetitivenessSection({ summary, pairConfig }) {
         </div>
       </div>
       <div className="status-subtle competitiveness-snapshot-note">
-        Display snapshot {formatTimestamp(displayUpdatedAt)}. Live updates are applied every {COMPETITIVENESS_REFRESH_MS / 1000}s to keep table height stable.
+        Live rows update as they arrive. Fixed row slots and clamped cells keep the table height stable.
       </div>
       <div className="metric-stack">
         <MetricCard label="Accepted" meta={formatRate(total.accepted_rate)} value={String(total.accepted_count || 0)} />
@@ -564,23 +563,17 @@ function QuoteLifecycleTable({ items }) {
   const latestItemsRef = useRef(items || []);
   const [quoteDisplayPaused, setQuoteDisplayPaused] = useState(false);
   const [displayItems, setDisplayItems] = useState(() => items || []);
+  const liveNow = useNow();
   const [displayNow, setDisplayNow] = useState(() => Date.now());
-  const [displayUpdatedAt, setDisplayUpdatedAt] = useState(() => new Date().toISOString());
 
   useEffect(() => {
     latestItemsRef.current = items || [];
-  }, [items]);
+    if (!quoteDisplayPaused) setDisplayItems(items || []);
+  }, [items, quoteDisplayPaused]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (quoteDisplayPaused) return undefined;
-    const timer = window.setInterval(() => {
-      const now = Date.now();
-      setDisplayItems(latestItemsRef.current || []);
-      setDisplayNow(now);
-      setDisplayUpdatedAt(new Date(now).toISOString());
-    }, QUOTE_LIFECYCLE_REFRESH_MS);
-    return () => window.clearInterval(timer);
-  }, [quoteDisplayPaused]);
+    if (!quoteDisplayPaused) setDisplayNow(liveNow);
+  }, [liveNow, quoteDisplayPaused]);
 
   const rejectedCount = useMemo(
     () => displayItems.filter((item) => isStrategyRejected(item)).length,
@@ -607,10 +600,8 @@ function QuoteLifecycleTable({ items }) {
   }
 
   function applyLatestLifecycleDisplay() {
-    const now = Date.now();
     setDisplayItems(latestItemsRef.current || []);
-    setDisplayNow(now);
-    setDisplayUpdatedAt(new Date(now).toISOString());
+    setDisplayNow(Date.now());
   }
 
   function toggleQuoteDisplayPaused() {
@@ -637,10 +628,10 @@ function QuoteLifecycleTable({ items }) {
         >
           {quoteDisplayPaused ? 'Resume display' : 'Pause display'}
         </button>
-        <Pill label={quoteDisplayPaused ? 'Display paused' : 'Timed snapshot'} stateLabel={quoteDisplayPaused ? 'warning' : 'healthy'} />
+        <Pill label={quoteDisplayPaused ? 'Display paused' : 'Live updates'} stateLabel={quoteDisplayPaused ? 'warning' : 'healthy'} />
       </div>
       <div className="status-subtle quote-lifecycle-snapshot-note">
-        Display snapshot {formatTimestamp(displayUpdatedAt)}. Live rows are applied every {QUOTE_LIFECYCLE_REFRESH_MS / 1000}s to keep table height stable.
+        Live rows update as they arrive. Fixed row slots and clamped cells keep the table height stable.
       </div>
 
       <TableFrame className="quote-lifecycle-frame">
diff --git a/test/operator-dashboard-ui-static.test.mjs b/test/operator-dashboard-ui-static.test.mjs
index bccc565..57a1510 100644
--- a/test/operator-dashboard-ui-static.test.mjs
+++ b/test/operator-dashboard-ui-static.test.mjs
@@ -27,9 +27,12 @@ test('strategy page owns consolidated quote lifecycle and successful trade table
   assert.match(strategySource, /quoteDisplayPaused/);
   assert.match(strategySource, /Pause display/);
   assert.match(strategySource, /Resume display/);
-  assert.match(strategySource, /QUOTE_LIFECYCLE_REFRESH_MS/);
   assert.match(strategySource, /QUOTE_LIFECYCLE_ROW_COUNT/);
   assert.match(strategySource, /latestItemsRef/);
+  assert.match(strategySource, /setDisplayItems\(items \|\| \[\]\)/);
+  assert.match(strategySource, /useNow\(\)/);
+  assert.match(strategySource, /Live updates/);
+  assert.match(strategySource, /Live rows update as they arrive/);
   assert.match(strategySource, /visibleRows/);
   assert.match(strategySource, /quote-lifecycle-placeholder-row/);
   assert.match(stylesSource, /\.quote-lifecycle-table tbody tr\.quote-lifecycle-row/);
@@ -144,7 +147,8 @@ test('strategy page exposes maker timing waterfall and competitiveness summaries
   assert.match(strategySource, /Resume updates/);
   assert.match(strategySource, /displaySummary/);
   assert.match(strategySource, /fixedRows/);
-  assert.match(strategySource, /COMPETITIVENESS_REFRESH_MS/);
+  assert.match(strategySource, /latestSummaryRef/);
+  assert.match(strategySource, /Live updates/);
   assert.match(strategySource, /latencyStageRows/);
   assert.match(stylesSource, /\.metric-stack/);
   assert.match(stylesSource, /\.competitiveness-table-stack/);