Articles on the MQL5 programming and use of technical indicators

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Technical indicators constitute an important part of trading, and every trader tries to find something new. The authors of these articles talk about econometrics and machine learning, automatic marking of Elliott Waves and digital filters - everything from the classical methods of analysis to the modern interpretation of classical ideas.

The category features articles that will teach you how to develop a custom indicator and contains unique collections of ready-to-use mathematically explained William Blau's trading ideas.

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Market Microstructure in MQL5 (Part 4): Volatility That Remembers

Market Microstructure in MQL5 (Part 4): Volatility That Remembers

This article adds eight volatility functions to MicroStructure_Foundation.mqh, including realized volatility, duration-adjusted volatility, fractional volatility, a FIGARCH-inspired proxy, a volatility clustering index, a GJR-GARCH asymmetry measure (using the Dube library), bipower-variation jump detection, and a wrapper function. The MFDFA implementation is revised to return the conventional Legendre-transform Δα with an R² confidence field, replacing the τ-spread proxy used in the original submission. Thresholds are derived from 514 NY sessions of NQ E-mini Nasdaq 100 futures (May 2024–May 2026); no new include file is created.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 95): Using Disjoint Set Union and Deep Belief Network in a Custom Signal Class

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 95): Using Disjoint Set Union and Deep Belief Network in a Custom Signal Class

For this article we switch to a custom MQL5 Wizard class that examines entry Signals. Our custom class is ‘CSignalDSUDBN’ this time around, and is coded by combining the Disjoint Set Union algorithm with a Deep Belief network. As has been the case throughout these series, our model is testable with MQL5 Wizard-Assembled Expert Advisors that can be tuned with different trailing stops and money management classes.
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Market Microstructure in MQL5 (Part 2): Measuring long memory in MQL5 with Hurst estimators

Market Microstructure in MQL5 (Part 2): Measuring long memory in MQL5 with Hurst estimators

Part 2 focuses on practical long-memory detection for intraday data. Three complementary Hurst estimators are implemented and combined into a confidence‑weighted composite, with confidence tied to valid regression scales. The final H and confidence populate the shared analysis struct, enabling indicators to act only when H departs from the neutral 0.40–0.60 band and to select trend‑following above 0.60 or mean‑reversion below 0.40.
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Beyond GARCH (Part IV): Partition Analysis in MQL5

Beyond GARCH (Part IV): Partition Analysis in MQL5

In this article, we shift from Python research to native MQL5 engineering. We build the first module of the MMAR library: a shared constants header, an SVD-based OLS regression class, a Generalized Hurst Exponent estimator, and the partition analysis engine that computes the partition function, extracts tau(q), estimates H via zero-crossing interpolation, and scores multifractality through three diagnostic tests. Tested on 500,000 bars of EURUSD M10, the engine correctly classifies the data as multifractal in under four seconds. Part 4 of an eight-part series. Part 5 fits the tau(q) curve to four candidate distributions via the Legendre transform.
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MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 40): Adding SQLite Persistence and Per-Timeframe Visibility to the Canvas Drawing Layer

MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 40): Adding SQLite Persistence and Per-Timeframe Visibility to the Canvas Drawing Layer

We add SQLite persistence to the canvas tools, saving every drawing and the entire UI session per symbol, then restoring them on startup so the workspace resumes exactly where you left it. The article builds versioned object serialization, a load/save lifecycle with dirty writes, and a timeframe-visibility editor that drives render-time filtering. The toolkit also runs as an indicator, so it can sit alongside other indicators or an Expert Advisor.
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Implementing a Circular Buffer Class in MQL5: Fixed-Memory Rolling Windows for Real-Time Indicator Calculations

Implementing a Circular Buffer Class in MQL5: Fixed-Memory Rolling Windows for Real-Time Indicator Calculations

A templated CCircularBuffer class for MQL5 replaces the O(n) ArrayCopy array-shift pattern with O(1) insertion using a fixed-capacity ring buffer. The implementation is shown end to end and integrated into a rolling standard deviation indicator. Benchmarks across multiple window sizes compare both approaches and quantify the impact on real-time indicator calculations.
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Joint Recurrence Quantification Analysis (JRQA) in MQL5: Detecting Simultaneous Recurrence in Two Series

Joint Recurrence Quantification Analysis (JRQA) in MQL5: Detecting Simultaneous Recurrence in Two Series

We extend the RQA library for MetaTrader 5 with JRQA, which detects when two series simultaneously revisit their own past states. The article covers the joint recurrence matrix, twelve JRQA metrics (including TREND and COMPLEXITY), dual-epsilon configuration, and a rolling-window engine with OpenCL acceleration and automatic CPU fallback. A practical indicator plots JRR, JDET, JLAM, JENTR, and JTREND for any symbol pair with timestamp alignment and normalization.
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Online Linear Regression with Recursive Least Squares in MQL5: A Parameter-Free Adaptive Trend Estimator

Online Linear Regression with Recursive Least Squares in MQL5: A Parameter-Free Adaptive Trend Estimator

This article implements recursive least squares in native MQL5 with a constant O(1) update per bar, avoiding the per‑bar O(n) rebuild of a rolling OLS. It derives and codes the Sherman–Morrison rank‑1 update, explains the forgetting factor through its effective window, and provides a reusable class. Two coordinated indicators plot a 1‑step‑ahead price forecast on the chart and the signed slope in a correctly scaled subwindow for practical trend tracking.
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Beyond GARCH (Part VIII): The MMAR Library And Putting it to Work in an Expert Advisor

Beyond GARCH (Part VIII): The MMAR Library And Putting it to Work in an Expert Advisor

This article finalizes the MMAR project with a CMMAR facade class and a demo Expert Advisor for MetaTrader 5. The facade exposes a compact API—configure, Fit(), Forecast()—that wraps partition analysis, spectrum fitting and Monte Carlo simulation. You will learn how to load data, fit the model and obtain a volatility forecast, with diagnostics and status handling for robust use in EAs.
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Symbolic Aggregate Approximation (SAX) in MQL5: Historical Analog Search and Forecasting

Symbolic Aggregate Approximation (SAX) in MQL5: Historical Analog Search and Forecasting

Symbolic Aggregate approXimation (SAX) encodes price windows as short words to enable fast, sound similarity search on history. We implement SAX in pure MQL5, including Gaussian breakpoints, PAA, and the lower-bounding MINDIST, and validate it with a test harness. An indicator applies a no-lookahead, two-stage search, summarizes forward paths in ATR units, and draws a forecast fan, explicitly indicating when the sample shows no edge.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 97): Using Convex Hull and a miniature GRU Network in a Custom Trailing Stop Class

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 97): Using Convex Hull and a miniature GRU Network in a Custom Trailing Stop Class

For this article we look at a custom MQL5 Wizard class for Trailing Stops. Our implemented custom class ‘CTrailingConvexHullGRU’, is built from merging the Convex Hull algorithm with a GRU network. As always we seek to develop a model that is testable with MQL5 Wizard-Assembled Expert Advisors and can be tuned with various Money Management and entry Signals classes. Our testing is with the 'Envelopes' and the RSI classes for Signal.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 100): Sliding Window Median and Bidirectional LSTM for a Custom Trailing Stop

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 100): Sliding Window Median and Bidirectional LSTM for a Custom Trailing Stop

CTrailingSlidingMedianBiLSTM is a custom MQL5 Wizard trailing module that combines robust median/MAD outlier filtering with a BiLSTM context score in the range [-1, 1]. Four algorithm modes (standard, bands, RSI, adaptive) target noise, mean-reverting bursts and liquidity spikes, reducing premature stop adjustments. This module is intended for side-by-side evaluation with diverse entry signals and money management settings.
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Detecting Structural Breakpoints in Price Series Using CUSUM in MQL5 (Part 1): From Statistical Theory to a Working MQL5 Indicator

Detecting Structural Breakpoints in Price Series Using CUSUM in MQL5 (Part 1): From Statistical Theory to a Working MQL5 Indicator

This article builds a sequential CUSUM breakpoint detector for MetaTrader 5, starting from the statistical construction and ending with a working indicator. It explains standardized log-returns, dual accumulators, the role of k and h, and the ARL₀ baseline from Siegmund. The code walkthrough covers buffer persistence, recalculation handling, idempotent chart objects, and a three-pass engine, so you can compile, attach, and use the detector to flag structural regime shifts earlier than fixed-window smoothers.
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Heatmap Visualization of Intraday Return Patterns in MQL5 Using CCanvas

Heatmap Visualization of Intraday Return Patterns in MQL5 Using CCanvas

MetaTrader 5 provides no native tool for visualizing intraday return patterns across time dimensions simultaneously. This article implements a custom indicator that aggregates historical bar returns into a 5×24 matrix indexed by weekday and hour of day, then renders the result as a color-interpolated heatmap inside an indicator subwindow using CCanvas. Green cells represent positive average returns, red cells negative, with color intensity encoding return magnitude.
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Market Microstructure in MQL5 (Part 5): Microstructure Noise

Market Microstructure in MQL5 (Part 5): Microstructure Noise

The article extends MicroStructure_Foundation.mqh with a MicrostructureAnalysis struct and five functions that decompose M1 price variation into a quoted spread proxy, Roll-implied spread, OHLC-based noise ratio, order imbalance, and an adverse selection component. A wrapper populates these fields and links them to the volatility suite from Part 4. Empirical thresholds come from 602 NQ E-mini NY sessions (Jan 2024–Jun 2026), helping you gate volatility signals, size risk, and recognize spread-driven frictions.
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Extreme Value Theory in MQL5: Building a Tail-Risk Crash Gauge Beyond Monte Carlo VaR

Extreme Value Theory in MQL5: Building a Tail-Risk Crash Gauge Beyond Monte Carlo VaR

Standard MQL5 risk tools read risk from recent history and miss how heavy the downside tail can be. We implement Extreme Value Theory in MetaTrader 5: a Peaks‑Over‑Threshold fit of the Generalized Pareto Distribution via ALGLIB, a live indicator that reports EVT VaR/ES and tail shape, and an EA that sizes positions from the tail estimate. A controlled backtest illustrates reduced drawdown for unchanged entries.
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Building a Traditional Point and Figure Indicator in MQL5

Building a Traditional Point and Figure Indicator in MQL5

This article implements a custom Point and Figure indicator in MQL5 that maps price movement into X/O columns using a fixed box size and three-box reversal logic. We define the base price, convert prices into box intervals, manage trends and reversals, auto-scale the indicator window, and render symbols with objects, providing a clean, time-independent view of trends, breakouts, and support/resistance.
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Mapping Dealer Gamma Exposure (GEX) in MetaTrader 5: Walls, the Zero-Gamma Flip, and a Chart Overlay

Mapping Dealer Gamma Exposure (GEX) in MetaTrader 5: Walls, the Zero-Gamma Flip, and a Chart Overlay

In this article we build a dealer gamma-exposure map in MQL5. From an option chain, the tool computes per-strike GEX, finds the call and put walls, and solves for the zero-gamma flip that separates a mean-reverting regime from a trending one, then draws it all on the chart. CSV and native-symbol data paths included.
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Recurrence Network Analysis (RNA) in MQL5: From Recurrence Matrices to Complex Networks

Recurrence Network Analysis (RNA) in MQL5: From Recurrence Matrices to Complex Networks

The article extends the MQL5 recurrence library to Recurrence Network Analysis (RNA) by treating recurrence matrices as adjacency matrices of undirected graphs. It implements core network metrics—clustering, transitivity, average path length, betweenness, assortativity, and density—and applies them in rolling windows for single-series RNA and Joint RNA (JRNA). A modular metrics engine and two indicators visualize the evolving network structure on MetaTrader 5 charts for practical time-series analysis.
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Unified Multi-Timeframe Renko: Synthesizing the Market's Temporal Dimensions

Unified Multi-Timeframe Renko: Synthesizing the Market's Temporal Dimensions

The article presents an innovative concept for a multi-timeframe Renko chart that combines signals from four timeframes (M5, M15, H1, H4) into a unified synthetic instrument. The system creates a virtual symbol in MetaTrader 5 by using the EMA of each timeframe to generate a composite signal through three methods: simple average, weighted average, and consensus. The implementation includes ATR-based adaptive brick sizing, real-time operation, and full integration with MetaTrader 5.
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Bayesian Online Change-Point Detection (BOCPD) in MQL5: One Regime-Break Signal, Three Ways to Use It

Bayesian Online Change-Point Detection (BOCPD) in MQL5: One Regime-Break Signal, Three Ways to Use It

This article delivers Bayesian Online Change-Point Detection as a single, dependency-free MQL5 class that maintains a per-bar, causal probability of a regime break. We use it three ways: a live monitor, a moving average that flushes on breaks, and a risk overlay with a matched-frequency random control. Readers get a reusable primitive to watch structural change, adapt indicators, and gate exposure after detected shifts.
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Entropy-Based Market Efficiency Indicator in MQL5: Measuring Randomness in Price Returns Using Approximate Entropy

Entropy-Based Market Efficiency Indicator in MQL5: Measuring Randomness in Price Returns Using Approximate Entropy

A rolling-window Approximate Entropy oscillator for MQL5, built without external dependencies. Covers the full mathematics of template matching, Chebyshev distance, and the Phi-function derivation before presenting a reusable CApEnCalculator class and a color-zoned subwindow indicator. Includes a synthetic-data verification script and an honest discussion of bias, parameter sensitivity, and computational cost.
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Ordinal Pattern Transition Networks in MQL5

Ordinal Pattern Transition Networks in MQL5

We implement ordinal pattern transition networks in MQL5: a Lehmer-code encoder, a directed network over ordinal price patterns, and three complexity metrics. Two indicators expose a trend-versus-range regime from time-irreversibility and an efficiency gauge from permutation entropy, with a transparent parameter sweep showing how to tune settings on FX data.
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 78): Extending the Indicator Search Panel with Symbol Selection in MQL5

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 78): Extending the Indicator Search Panel with Symbol Selection in MQL5

We continue enhancing our modular indicator search panel by adding symbol selection capabilities. The implementation allows users to search for built-in indicators, choose a destination symbol, and attach the selected indicator without opening multiple charts or running separate Expert Advisor instances.
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From Static MA to Adaptive Filtering (Part 1): Introducing SAMA with NLMS in MQL5

From Static MA to Adaptive Filtering (Part 1): Introducing SAMA with NLMS in MQL5

This article introduces the Self-Adaptive Moving Average (SAMA), an adaptive filter leveraging the Normalized Least Mean Squares (NLMS) algorithm. It explores why fixed-period averages fail, how NLMS adapts bar by bar, and the engineering protections required for production. This conceptual and mathematical foundation prepares you for the MQL5 code implementation in Part 2.
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Detecting and Visualizing Outlier Bars in MQL5 Using Modified Z-Score on OHLCV Features

Detecting and Visualizing Outlier Bars in MQL5 Using Modified Z-Score on OHLCV Features

Abnormal bars inflate mean and standard deviation estimates, distorting ATR, Bollinger Bands, and moving averages. We implement a native MQL5 indicator that detects such bars with the Modified Z-Score applied to four features: body, upper wick, lower wick, and tick volume. The indicator marks flagged bars on the chart and plots a composite score in a separate subwindow, helping you diagnose contamination in rolling-window indicators.
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Beyond GARCH (Part V): Fitting the Multifractal Spectrum in MQL5

Beyond GARCH (Part V): Fitting the Multifractal Spectrum in MQL5

This article builds the Spectrum Fitter: from tau(q) we compute f(alpha) with a discrete Legendre transform, then fit Normal, Binomial, Poisson, and Gamma spectra under box constraints using BLEIC. The best model by SSE is selected, and its parameters (eg, alpha min, alpha max or alpha_0, gamma) become the cascade inputs for multifractal simulation.
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Market Microstructure in MQL5 (Part 7): Regime Classification

Market Microstructure in MQL5 (Part 7): Regime Classification

We integrate eleven one-minute microstructure measurements from Parts 2–6 into a composite regime label with confidence and direction. A rule-based RegimeClassifier() assigns one of six regimes—Normal, Stressed, Noisy, Informed, Trending, Mean-Reverting—using empirically derived thresholds from 514 NQ M1 sessions (May 2024–May 2026). The deliverable includes MARKET_REGIME, RegimeAnalysis, and PopulateRegimeAnalysis(), enabling position sizing, stop placement, and signal filtering from a single call.
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From Option Chain to 3D Volatility Surface in MetaTrader 5

From Option Chain to 3D Volatility Surface in MetaTrader 5

This article walks through creating an MT5 indicator that ingests option chains from native symbols or CSV, inverts prices to implied volatility via a hybrid Newton–Raphson/bisection method, and assembles a clean strike–expiry grid. It then renders a shaded, rotatable 3D surface with the platform's DirectX layer, enabling clear, in-terminal analysis of skew and term structure using live or file-based data.
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Beyond GARCH (Part VI): Fractional Brownian Motion And The Multiplicative Cascade in MQL5

Beyond GARCH (Part VI): Fractional Brownian Motion And The Multiplicative Cascade in MQL5

This article implements the MMAR Simulation Engine that turns fitted parameters (H, distribution, coefficients, sample volatility) into synthetic price paths. It builds multifractal trading time via a multiplicative cascade, synthesizes fractional Brownian motion with Davies–Harte or Cholesky, scales it to target volatility, and composes the process by time deformation. Readers get a reusable MQL5 class, method choices by path length, and validation steps for scenario testing and Monte Carlo use in the next part.
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Exporting Custom Indicator Buffers to CSV for Python Backtesting Pipelines

Exporting Custom Indicator Buffers to CSV for Python Backtesting Pipelines

We build a CSV exporter for MQL5 custom indicators that preserves the exact values seen on the chart. The script creates the indicator handle with iCustom, waits for BarsCalculated, aligns buffers to CopyRates, and writes a locale-safe CSV that pandas loads with parsed dates and NaN for warm-up bars. It addresses compile-time argument limits, jagged-array workarounds, and EMPTY_VALUE handling, enabling reliable Python backtests without re-coding the indicator.
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Beyond GARCH (Part VII): Monte Carlo Volatility Forecasting in MQL5

Beyond GARCH (Part VII): Monte Carlo Volatility Forecasting in MQL5

We implement the CMonteCarlo module that turns the fitted MMAR parameters into a volatility forecast via Monte Carlo. It runs N independent simulations over a chosen horizon and reports mean, median, standard deviation, and a percentile-based 95% confidence interval, with access to per-run values if needed. Adaptive cascade depth selects the minimal k such that b^k covers the horizon, keeping the run fast and consistent.
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Rolling Sharpe Ratio with Statistical Significance Bands in MQL5

Rolling Sharpe Ratio with Statistical Significance Bands in MQL5

This article presents a custom MetaTrader 5 indicator that computes a rolling annualized Sharpe ratio and plots configurable z-score significance bands based on Lo's asymptotic standard error. It uses a circular return buffer with incremental variance to keep O(1) updates. We explain the n^(-1/2) uncertainty scaling, the inflation of intervals at high Sharpe values, and how to set per-instrument annualization for correct deployment.
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Feature Engineering for ML (Part 8): Entropy Features in MQL5

Feature Engineering for ML (Part 8): Entropy Features in MQL5

An MQL5 port of four entropy estimators — Shannon, Plug-In, Lempel-Ziv, and Kontoyiannis — operating on the intrabar tick-rule sequence. CopyTicksRange() limits data to the broker's cached tick window, so features apply to recent bars only. The implementation encodes bid-direction ticks from MqlTick, replaces NumPy-dependent steps with array-based methods, and ships CEntropyFeatures.mqh and EntropyViewer.mq5 for EA and indicator use.
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The Avellaneda-Stoikov Model: Inventory-Aware Quoting for Two-Sided Strategies

The Avellaneda-Stoikov Model: Inventory-Aware Quoting for Two-Sided Strategies

This article builds the Avellaneda–Stoikov formulas in MQL5, feeds them with rolling estimates of mid-price volatility and a proxy for order-flow intensity, and plots the reservation price with bid and ask in real time. A bar-by-bar simulation contrasts adaptive and fixed quoting under the same fill rules. The result is a tested class, an indicator, and a backtest to improve inventory control in two‑sided strategies.
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Implementing Anchored VWAP Indicator in MQL5: A Step-by-Step Guide

Implementing Anchored VWAP Indicator in MQL5: A Step-by-Step Guide

A step-by-step guide to building an anchored VWAP indicator with an interactive draggable anchor line in MQL5. The article covers the complete implementation, including calculation methodology, session resets, standard deviation bands, and custom visualization. Learn the architectural design decisions behind stateless boundary detection, multi-instance support, and cross-asset volume handling to build a versatile indicator with benchmarking, technical, and analytical capabilities.
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Implementing and Benchmarking Bag-of-SFA-Symbols (BOSS) Against Dynamic Time Warping (DTW)

Implementing and Benchmarking Bag-of-SFA-Symbols (BOSS) Against Dynamic Time Warping (DTW)

This article implements BOSS from scratch in MQL5 and applies it to regime classification: SFA turns windows into words, bags record word frequencies, and an ensemble over window lengths votes on labels. We cover the encoding steps, the BOSS distance, training with auto-generated regime labels, and practical parameters. A BTCUSD benchmark versus DTW shows higher macro accuracy on clean data and markedly faster inference.
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Building a Future Swing Projection Indicator in MQL5

Building a Future Swing Projection Indicator in MQL5

We implement a Future Swing Projection indicator in MQL5 that analyzes historical swing structure and estimates the next move from recent price behavior. It locates six alternating swing points, measures five completed legs, and uses their average distance to project a target five bars ahead. The indicator draws swing legs, a projection line, ATR‑based support and resistance zones, and a label with the projected price to keep the process rule‑based and reproducible.
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 78): Extending the Indicator Search Panel with Symbol Selection in MQL5

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 78): Extending the Indicator Search Panel with Symbol Selection in MQL5

We continue enhancing our modular indicator search panel by adding symbol selection capabilities. The implementation allows users to search for built-in indicators, choose a destination symbol, and attach the selected indicator without opening multiple charts or running separate Expert Advisor instances.
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Detecting Structural Breakpoints in Price Series Using CUSUM in MQL5 (Part 2): Implementing the Detector as a Native MQL5 Indicator

Detecting Structural Breakpoints in Price Series Using CUSUM in MQL5 (Part 2): Implementing the Detector as a Native MQL5 Indicator

This article benchmarks CUSUM_Breakpoint.mq5 against the Siegmund ARL₀ prediction on live‑like data. The empirical false‑alarm rate is about five times higher than theory for all tested symbols and timeframes, and confirmations show sensitivity to variance changes over mean changes. Practitioners should calibrate h and k on the target instrument's history and apply the signal to manage volatility regimes, not to infer directional shifts.