diff --git a/tests/test_graph_end_to_end.py b/tests/test_graph_end_to_end.py
index 7259108a8..b8092327a 100644
--- a/tests/test_graph_end_to_end.py
+++ b/tests/test_graph_end_to_end.py
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ def offline(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     monkeypatch.setattr(sentiment_analyst, "fetch_stocktwits_messages", lambda *a, **k: "no posts")
     monkeypatch.setattr(sentiment_analyst, "fetch_reddit_posts", lambda *a, **k: "no posts")
     monkeypatch.setattr(yahoo_market.yf, "Ticker", lambda s: type("T", (), {"info": {"longName": "NVIDIA"}})())
-    context.resolve_instrument_identity.cache_clear()
+    context._identity.cache_clear()
     return called
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_instrument_identity.py b/tests/test_instrument_identity.py
index 11c79e67c..c4216f110 100644
--- a/tests/test_instrument_identity.py
+++ b/tests/test_instrument_identity.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ from unittest.mock import patch
 import pytest
 
 from tradingagents.agents.context import (
+    _identity,
     build_instrument_context,
     get_instrument_context_from_state,
     resolve_instrument_identity,
@@ -16,7 +17,7 @@ from tradingagents.agents.context import (
 @pytest.mark.unit
 class ResolveInstrumentIdentityTests(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
-        resolve_instrument_identity.cache_clear()
+        _identity.cache_clear()
 
     def test_resolves_company_metadata_from_yfinance(self):
         with patch("tradingagents.dataflows.vendors.yahoo.market.yf.Ticker") as mock:
@@ -54,6 +55,15 @@ class ResolveInstrumentIdentityTests(unittest.TestCase):
         ):
             self.assertEqual(resolve_instrument_identity("TOTDY"), {})
 
+    def test_a_failed_lookup_is_asked_again(self):
+        # A long process (a backtest) must not run every later cell without an
+        # identity because one request failed.
+        with patch("tradingagents.dataflows.vendors.yahoo.market.yf.Ticker") as mock:
+            type(mock.return_value).info = property(lambda self: (_ for _ in ()).throw(TimeoutError()))
+            self.assertEqual(resolve_instrument_identity("TOTDY"), {})
+            type(mock.return_value).info = {"longName": "TOTO LTD."}
+            self.assertEqual(resolve_instrument_identity("TOTDY")["company_name"], "TOTO LTD.")
+
     def test_result_is_cached(self):
         with patch("tradingagents.dataflows.vendors.yahoo.market.yf.Ticker") as mock:
             mock.return_value.info = {"longName": "TOTO LTD."}
diff --git a/tests/test_symbol_normalization_paths.py b/tests/test_symbol_normalization_paths.py
index f3ed1b21d..eb8a4dc35 100644
--- a/tests/test_symbol_normalization_paths.py
+++ b/tests/test_symbol_normalization_paths.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ def test_identity_lookup_normalizes_symbol(monkeypatch):
             return {"longName": "Gold Futures", "quoteType": "FUTURE"}
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(yahoo_market.yf, "Ticker", FakeTicker)
-    au.resolve_instrument_identity.cache_clear()
+    au._identity.cache_clear()
 
     identity = au.resolve_instrument_identity("XAUUSD")
 
diff --git a/tradingagents/agents/context.py b/tradingagents/agents/context.py
index e2a754369..fd6a77169 100644
--- a/tradingagents/agents/context.py
+++ b/tradingagents/agents/context.py
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ def _clean_identity_value(value: Any) -> str | None:
     return cleaned
 
 
-@functools.lru_cache(maxsize=256)
 def resolve_instrument_identity(ticker: str) -> dict:
     """Resolve deterministic identity metadata (company name, sector, …) for a ticker.
 
@@ -64,18 +63,23 @@ def resolve_instrument_identity(ticker: str) -> dict:
 
     Best-effort by design: if yfinance is unavailable, rate-limited, or doesn't
     recognise the ticker, we return ``{}`` and the caller falls back to
-    ticker-only context rather than failing before analysis starts. Cached so
-    the lookup happens at most once per ticker per process.
+    ticker-only context rather than failing before analysis starts. An answer
+    is cached for the process; a failed lookup is asked again next time.
 
     Identity resolves for the same instrument the price path fetches
     (``XAUUSD`` -> ``GC=F``, #983).
     """
     try:
-        info = get_company_profile(ticker)
+        return _identity(ticker)
     except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — fail open, never block the run
         logger.debug("Could not resolve instrument identity for %s: %s", ticker, exc)
         return {}
 
+
+@functools.lru_cache(maxsize=256)
+def _identity(ticker: str) -> dict:
+    """The vendor's identity fields for ``ticker``; raises if the lookup fails."""
+    info = get_company_profile(ticker)
     identity: dict[str, str] = {}
     company_name = _clean_identity_value(info.get("longName")) or _clean_identity_value(
         info.get("shortName")