Articles on manual and algorithmic trading in MetaTrader 5

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This category features articles on all aspects of trading - from manual to fully automatic trading, from Expert Advisor ideas to trading robot creation using the MQL5 Wizard. Position management, processing of trade events and money management - these integral parts of trading are covered in theses articles.

Learn how to copy trading signals and how to provide around-the-clock operation of Expert Advisors, how to create a trading robot and how to run MetaTrader on Linux and MacOS, what social trading is and how to order a trading robot.

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MetaTrader 5 on Linux
MetaTrader 5 on Linux

MetaTrader 5 on Linux

In this article, we demonstrate an easy way to install MetaTrader 5 on popular Linux versions — Ubuntu and Debian. These systems are widely used on server hardware as well as on traders’ personal computers.
MetaTrader 5 on Mac OS
MetaTrader 5 on Mac OS

MetaTrader 5 on Mac OS

Apple products have become very popular. MetaQuotes Software Corp. attentively follows the progress of the IT industry and has already released the special mobile applications for iOS-based devices - MetaTrader 4 for iPhone and MetaTrader 5 for iPhone. There are many topics on MQL5.community forum, where people are seeking a solution for running MetaTrader 5 under Mac OS operating system. In this article, you will find out how to work with MetaTrader 5 via the Apple's popular operating system.
General information on Trading Signals for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5
General information on Trading Signals for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5

General information on Trading Signals for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5

MetaTrader 4 / MetaTrader 5 Trading Signals is a service allowing traders to copy trading operations of a Signals Provider. Our goal was to develop the new massively used service protecting Subscribers and relieving them of unnecessary costs.
How to Prepare MetaTrader 5 Quotes for Other Applications
How to Prepare MetaTrader 5 Quotes for Other Applications

How to Prepare MetaTrader 5 Quotes for Other Applications

The article describes the examples of creating directories, copying data, filing, working with the symbols in Market Watch or the common list, as well as the examples of handling errors, etc. All these elements can eventually be gathered in a single script for filing the data in a user-defined format.
Machine Learning: How Support Vector Machines can be used in Trading
Machine Learning: How Support Vector Machines can be used in Trading

Machine Learning: How Support Vector Machines can be used in Trading

Support Vector Machines have long been used in fields such as bioinformatics and applied mathematics to assess complex data sets and extract useful patterns that can be used to classify data. This article looks at what a support vector machine is, how they work and why they can be so useful in extracting complex patterns. We then investigate how they can be applied to the market and potentially used to advise on trades. Using the Support Vector Machine Learning Tool, the article provides worked examples that allow readers to experiment with their own trading.
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How to become a Signals Provider for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5

How to become a Signals Provider for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5

Do you want to offer your trading signals and make profit? Register on MQL5.com website as a Seller, specify your trading account and offer traders a subscription to copy your trades.
Advantages of MQL5 Signals
Advantages of MQL5 Signals

Advantages of MQL5 Signals

Trading Signals service recently introduced in MetaTrader 5 allows traders to copy trading operations of any signals provider. Users can select any signal, subscribe to it and all deals will be copied at their accounts. Signals providers can set their subscription prices and receive a fixed monthly fee from their subscribers.
Statistical Carry Trade Strategy
Statistical Carry Trade Strategy

Statistical Carry Trade Strategy

An algorithm of statistical protection of open positive swap positions from unwanted price movements. This article features a variant of the carry trade protection strategy that allows to compensate for potential risk of the price movement in the direction opposite to that of the open position.
How to Subscribe to Trading Signals
How to Subscribe to Trading Signals

How to Subscribe to Trading Signals

The Signals service introduces social trading with MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. The Service is integrated into the trading platform, and allows anyone to easily copy trades of professional traders. Select any of the thousands of signal providers, subscribe in a few clicks and the provider's trades will be copied on your account.
Trading Signals in MetaTrader 5: A Better Alternative to PAMM Accounts!
Trading Signals in MetaTrader 5: A Better Alternative to PAMM Accounts!

Trading Signals in MetaTrader 5: A Better Alternative to PAMM Accounts!

We are pleased to announce that MetaTrader 5 now features Trading Signals, thus giving a powerful tool to investors and managers. While you are following the trades of a successful trader, the terminal will be automatically reproducing them in your account!
Automata-Based Programming as a New Approach to Creating Automated Trading Systems
Automata-Based Programming as a New Approach to Creating Automated Trading Systems

Automata-Based Programming as a New Approach to Creating Automated Trading Systems

This article takes us to a whole new direction in developing EAs, indicators and scripts in MQL4 and MQL5. In the future, this programming paradigm will gradually become the base standard for all traders in implementation of EAs. Using the automata-based programming paradigm, the MQL5 and MetaTrader 5 developers will be anywhere near being able to create a new language - MQL6 - and a new platform - MetaTrader 6.
How to purchase a trading robot from the MetaTrader Market and to install it?
How to purchase a trading robot from the MetaTrader Market and to install it?

How to purchase a trading robot from the MetaTrader Market and to install it?

A product from the MetaTrader Market can be purchased on the MQL5.com website or straight from the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 trading platforms. Choose a desired product that suits your trading style, pay for it using your preferred payment method, and activate the product.
MetaQuotes ID in MetaTrader Mobile Terminal
MetaQuotes ID in MetaTrader Mobile Terminal

MetaQuotes ID in MetaTrader Mobile Terminal

Android and iOS powered devices offer us many features we do not even know about. One of these features is push notifications allowing us to receive personal messages, regardless of our phone number or mobile network operator. MetaTrader mobile terminal already can receive such messages right from your trading robot. You should only know MetaQuotes ID of your device. More than 9 000 000 mobile terminals have already received it.
Trade Operations in MQL5 - It's Easy
Trade Operations in MQL5 - It's Easy

Trade Operations in MQL5 - It's Easy

Almost all traders come to market to make money but some traders also enjoy the process itself. However, it is not only manual trading that can provide you with an exciting experience. Automated trading systems development can also be quite absorbing. Creating a trading robot can be as interesting as reading a good mystery novel.
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How to Make a Trading Robot in No Time

How to Make a Trading Robot in No Time

Trading on financial markets involves many risks including the most critical one - the risk of making a wrong trading decision. The dream of every trader is to find a trading robot, which is always in good shape and not subject to human weaknesses - fear, greed and impatience.
Limitless Opportunities with MetaTrader 5 and MQL5
Limitless Opportunities with MetaTrader 5 and MQL5

Limitless Opportunities with MetaTrader 5 and MQL5

In this article, I would like to give an example of what a trader's program can be like as well as what results can be achieved in 9 months, having started to learn MQL5 from scratch. This example will also show how multi-functional and informative such a program can be for a trader while taking minimum space on the price chart. And we will be able to see just how colorful, bright and intuitively clear to the user trade information panels can get. As well as many other features...
A Few Tips for First-Time Customers
A Few Tips for First-Time Customers

A Few Tips for First-Time Customers

A proverbial wisdom often attributed to various famous people says: "He who makes no mistakes never makes anything." Unless you consider idleness itself a mistake, this statement is hard to argue with. But you can always analyze the past mistakes (your own and of others) to minimize the number of your future mistakes. We are going to attempt to review possible situations arising when executing jobs in the same-name service.
The Simple Example of Creating an Indicator Using Fuzzy Logic
The Simple Example of Creating an Indicator Using Fuzzy Logic

The Simple Example of Creating an Indicator Using Fuzzy Logic

The article is devoted to the practical application of the fuzzy logic concept for financial markets analysis. We propose the example of the indicator generating signals based on two fuzzy rules based on Envelopes indicator. The developed indicator uses several indicator buffers: 7 buffers for calculations, 5 buffers for the charts display and 2 color buffers.
The Last Crusade
The Last Crusade

The Last Crusade

Take a look at your trading terminal. What means of price presentation can you see? Bars, candlesticks, lines. We are chasing time and prices whereas we only profit from prices. Shall we only give attention to prices when analyzing the market? This article proposes an algorithm and a script for point and figure charting ("naughts and crosses") Consideration is given to various price patterns whose practical use is outlined in recommendations provided.
Trademinator 3: Rise of the Trading Machines
Trademinator 3: Rise of the Trading Machines

Trademinator 3: Rise of the Trading Machines

In the article "Dr. Tradelove..." we created an Expert Advisor, which independently optimizes parameters of a pre-selected trading system. Moreover, we decided to create an Expert Advisor that can not only optimize parameters of one trading system underlying the EA, but also select the best one of several trading systems. Let's see what can come of it...
Universal Regression Model for Market Price Prediction
Universal Regression Model for Market Price Prediction

Universal Regression Model for Market Price Prediction

The market price is formed out of a stable balance between demand and supply which, in turn, depend on a variety of economic, political and psychological factors. Differences in nature as well as causes of influence of these factors make it difficult to directly consider all the components. This article sets forth an attempt to predict the market price on the basis of an elaborated regression model.
Dr. Tradelove or How I Stopped Worrying and Created a Self-Training Expert Advisor
Dr. Tradelove or How I Stopped Worrying and Created a Self-Training Expert Advisor

Dr. Tradelove or How I Stopped Worrying and Created a Self-Training Expert Advisor

Just over a year ago joo, in his article "Genetic Algorithms - It's Easy!", gave us a tool for implementation of the genetic algorithm in MQL5. Now utilizing the tool we will create an Expert Advisor that will genetically optimize its own parameters upon certain boundary conditions...
Using MetaTrader 5 as a Signal Provider for MetaTrader 4
Using MetaTrader 5 as a Signal Provider for MetaTrader 4

Using MetaTrader 5 as a Signal Provider for MetaTrader 4

Analyse and examples of techniques how trading analysis can be performed on MetaTrader 5 platform, but executed by MetaTrader 4. Article will show you how to create simple signal provider in your MetaTrader 5, and connect to it with multiple clients, even running MetaTrader 4. Also you will find out how you can follow participants of Automated Trading Championship in your real MetaTrader 4 account.
Creating Custom Criteria of Optimization of Expert Advisors
Creating Custom Criteria of Optimization of Expert Advisors

Creating Custom Criteria of Optimization of Expert Advisors

The MetaTrader 5 Client Terminal offers a wide range of opportunities for optimization of Expert Advisor parameters. In addition to the optimization criteria included in the strategy tester, developers are given the opportunity of creating their own criteria. This leads to an almost limitless number of possibilities of testing and optimizing of Expert Advisors. The article describes practical ways of creating such criteria - both complex and simple ones.
Applying The Fisher Transform and Inverse Fisher Transform to Markets Analysis in MetaTrader 5
Applying The Fisher Transform and Inverse Fisher Transform to Markets Analysis in MetaTrader 5

Applying The Fisher Transform and Inverse Fisher Transform to Markets Analysis in MetaTrader 5

We now know that probability density function (PDF) of a market cycle does not remind a Gaussian but rather a PDF of a sine wave and most of the indicators assume that the market cycle PDF is Gaussian we need a way to "correct" that. The solution is to use Fisher Transform. The Fisher transform changes PDF of any waveform to approximately Gaussian. This article describes the mathematics behind the Fisher Transform and the Inverse Fisher Transform and their application to trading. A proprietary trading signal module based on the Inverse Fisher Transform is presented and evaluated.
The Player of Trading Based on Deal History
The Player of Trading Based on Deal History

The Player of Trading Based on Deal History

The player of trading. Only four words, no explanation is needed. Thoughts about a small box with buttons come to your mind. Press one button - it plays, move the lever - the playback speed changes. In reality, it is pretty similar. In this article, I want to show my development that plays trade history almost like it is in real time. The article covers some nuances of OOP, working with indicators and managing charts.
MQL5 Wizard for Dummies
MQL5 Wizard for Dummies

MQL5 Wizard for Dummies

In early 2011 we released the first version of the MQL5 Wizard. This new application provides a simple and convenient tool to automatically generate trading robots. Any MetaTrader 5 user can create a custom Expert Advisor without even knowing how to program in MQL5.
MQL5 Wizard: New Version
MQL5 Wizard: New Version

MQL5 Wizard: New Version

The article contains descriptions of the new features available in the updated MQL5 Wizard. The modified architecture of signals allow creating trading robots based on the combination of various market patterns. The example contained in the article explains the procedure of interactive creation of an Expert Advisor.
How to Order an Expert Advisor and Obtain the Desired Result
How to Order an Expert Advisor and Obtain the Desired Result

How to Order an Expert Advisor and Obtain the Desired Result

How to write correctly the Requirement Specifications? What should and should not be expected from a programmer when ordering an Expert Advisor or an indicator? How to keep a dialog, what moments to pay special attention to? This article gives the answers to these, as well as to many other questions, which often don't seem obvious to many people.
The Indicators of the Micro, Middle and Main Trends
The Indicators of the Micro, Middle and Main Trends

The Indicators of the Micro, Middle and Main Trends

The aim of this article is to investigate the possibilities of trade automation and the analysis, on the basis of some ideas from a book by James Hyerczyk "Pattern, Price & Time: Using Gann Theory in Trading Systems" in the form of indicators and Expert Advisor. Without claiming to be exhaustive, here we investigate only the Model - the first part of the Gann theory.
Random Walk and the Trend Indicator
Random Walk and the Trend Indicator

Random Walk and the Trend Indicator

Random Walk looks very similar to the real market data, but it has some significant features. In this article we will consider the properties of Random Walk, simulated using the coin-tossing game. To study the properties of the data, the trendiness indicator is developed.
Econometric Approach to Analysis of Charts
Econometric Approach to Analysis of Charts

Econometric Approach to Analysis of Charts

This article describes the econometric methods of analysis, the autocorrelation analysis and the analysis of conditional variance in particular. What is the benefit of the approach described here? Use of the non-linear GARCH models allows representing the analyzed series formally from the mathematical point of view and creating a forecast for a specified number of steps.
Filtering Signals Based on Statistical Data of Price Correlation
Filtering Signals Based on Statistical Data of Price Correlation

Filtering Signals Based on Statistical Data of Price Correlation

Is there any correlation between the past price behavior and its future trends? Why does the price repeat today the character of its previous day movement? Can the statistics be used to forecast the price dynamics? There is an answer, and it is positive. If you have any doubt, then this article is for you. I'll tell how to create a working filter for a trading system in MQL5, revealing an interesting pattern in price changes.
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Trade Events in MetaTrader 5

Trade Events in MetaTrader 5

A monitoring of the current state of a trade account implies controlling open positions and orders. Before a trade signal becomes a deal, it should be sent from the client terminal as a request to the trade server, where it will be placed in the order queue awaiting to be processed. Accepting of a request by the trade server, deleting it as it expires or conducting a deal on its basis - all those actions are followed by trade events; and the trade server informs the terminal about them.
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Orders, Positions and Deals in MetaTrader 5

Orders, Positions and Deals in MetaTrader 5

Creating a robust trading robot cannot be done without an understanding of the mechanisms of the MetaTrader 5 trading system. The client terminal receives the information about the positions, orders, and deals from the trading server. To handle this data properly using the MQL5, it's necessary to have a good understanding of the interaction between the MQL5-program and the client terminal.
How to Copy Trading from MetaTrader 5 to MetaTrader 4
How to Copy Trading from MetaTrader 5 to MetaTrader 4

How to Copy Trading from MetaTrader 5 to MetaTrader 4

Is it possible to trade on a real MetaTrader 5 account today? How to organize such trading? The article contains the theory of these questions and the working codes used for copying trades from the MetaTrader 5 terminal to MetaTrader 4. The article will be useful both for the developers of Expert Advisors and for practicing traders.
Create Your Own Expert Advisor in MQL5 Wizard
Create Your Own Expert Advisor in MQL5 Wizard

Create Your Own Expert Advisor in MQL5 Wizard

The knowledge of programming languages is no longer a prerequisite for creating trading robots. Earlier lack of programming skills was an impassable obstacle to the implementation of one's own trading strategies, but with the emergence of the MQL5 Wizard, the situation radically changed. Novice traders can stop worrying because of the lack of programming experience - with the new Wizard, which allows you to generate Expert Advisor code, it is not necessary.
Technical Analysis: How Do We Analyze?
Technical Analysis: How Do We Analyze?

Technical Analysis: How Do We Analyze?

This article briefly describes the author's opinion on redrawing indicators, multi-timeframe indicators and displaying of quotes with Japanese candlesticks. The article contain no programming specifics and is of a general character.
Guide to Testing and Optimizing of Expert Advisors in MQL5
Guide to Testing and Optimizing of Expert Advisors in MQL5

Guide to Testing and Optimizing of Expert Advisors in MQL5

This article explains the step by step process of identifying and resolving code errors as well as the steps in testing and optimizing of the Expert Advisor input parameters. You will learn how to use Strategy Tester of MetaTrader 5 client terminal to find the best symbol and set of input parameters for your Expert Advisor.
Technical Analysis: What Do We Analyze?
Technical Analysis: What Do We Analyze?

Technical Analysis: What Do We Analyze?

This article tries to analyze several peculiarities of representation of quotes available in the MetaTrader client terminal. The article is general, it doesn't concern programming.