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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Developing a trading Expert Advisor from scratch (Part 26): Towards the future (I)

Developing a trading Expert Advisor from scratch (Part 26): Towards the future (I)

Today we will take our order system to the next level. But before that, we need to solve a few problems. Now we have some questions that are related to how we want to work and what things we do during the trading day.
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Introduction to MQL5 (Part 21): Automating Harmonic Pattern Detection

Introduction to MQL5 (Part 21): Automating Harmonic Pattern Detection

Learn how to detect and display the Gartley harmonic pattern in MetaTrader 5 using MQL5. This article explains each step of the process, from identifying swing points to applying Fibonacci ratios and plotting the full pattern on the chart for clear visual confirmation.
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Data Science and Machine Learning (Part 17): Money in the Trees? The Art and Science of Random Forests in Forex Trading

Data Science and Machine Learning (Part 17): Money in the Trees? The Art and Science of Random Forests in Forex Trading

Discover the secrets of algorithmic alchemy as we guide you through the blend of artistry and precision in decoding financial landscapes. Unearth how Random Forests transform data into predictive prowess, offering a unique perspective on navigating the complex terrain of stock markets. Join us on this journey into the heart of financial wizardry, where we demystify the role of Random Forests in shaping market destiny and unlocking the doors to lucrative opportunities
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 32): Creating a Price Action 5 Drives Harmonic Pattern System

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 32): Creating a Price Action 5 Drives Harmonic Pattern System

In this article, we develop a 5 Drives pattern system in MQL5 that identifies bullish and bearish 5 Drives harmonic patterns using pivot points and Fibonacci ratios, executing trades with customizable entry, stop loss, and take-profit levels based on user-selected options. We enhance trader insight with visual feedback through chart objects like triangles, trendlines, and labels to clearly display the A-B-C-D-E-F pattern structure.
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From Novice to Expert: Automating Trade Discipline with an MQL5 Risk Enforcement EA

From Novice to Expert: Automating Trade Discipline with an MQL5 Risk Enforcement EA

For many traders, the gap between knowing a risk rule and following it consistently is where accounts go to die. Emotional overrides, revenge trading, and simple oversight can dismantle even the best strategy. Today, we will transform the MetaTrader 5 platform into an unwavering enforcer of your trading rules by developing a Risk Enforcement Expert Advisor. Join this discussion to find out more.
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Practicing the development of trading strategies

Practicing the development of trading strategies

In this article, we will make an attempt to develop our own trading strategy. Any trading strategy must be based on some kind of statistical advantage. Moreover, this advantage should exist for a long time.
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Reimagining Classic Strategies (Part 21): Bollinger Bands And RSI Ensemble Strategy Discovery

Reimagining Classic Strategies (Part 21): Bollinger Bands And RSI Ensemble Strategy Discovery

This article explores the development of an ensemble algorithmic trading strategy for the EURUSD market that combines the Bollinger Bands and the Relative Strength Indicator (RSI). Initial rule-based strategies produced high-quality signals but suffered from low trade frequency and limited profitability. Multiple iterations of the strategy were evaluated, revealing flaws in our understanding of the market, increased noise, and degraded performance. By appropriately employing statistical learning algorithms, shifting the modeling target to technical indicators, applying proper scaling, and combining machine learning forecasts with classical trading rules, the final strategy achieved significantly improved profitability and trade frequency while maintaining acceptable signal quality.
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Mastering Quick Trades: Overcoming Execution Paralysis

Mastering Quick Trades: Overcoming Execution Paralysis

The UT BOT ATR Trailing Indicator is a personal and customizable indicator that is very effective for traders who like to make quick decisions and make money from differences in price referred to as short-term trading (scalpers) and also proves to be vital and very effective for long-term traders (positional traders).
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Developing a Replay System (Part 27): Expert Advisor project — C_Mouse class (I)

Developing a Replay System (Part 27): Expert Advisor project — C_Mouse class (I)

In this article we will implement the C_Mouse class. It provides the ability to program at the highest level. However, talking about high-level or low-level programming languages is not about including obscene words or jargon in the code. It's the other way around. When we talk about high-level or low-level programming, we mean how easy or difficult the code is for other programmers to understand.
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Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part VIII): Analytics Panel

Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part VIII): Analytics Panel

Today, we delve into incorporating useful trading metrics within a specialized window integrated into the Admin Panel EA. This discussion focuses on the implementation of MQL5 to develop an Analytics Panel and highlights the value of the data it provides to trading administrators. The impact is largely educational, as valuable lessons are drawn from the development process, benefiting both upcoming and experienced developers. This feature demonstrates the limitless opportunities this development series offers in equipping trade managers with advanced software tools. Additionally, we'll explore the implementation of the PieChart and ChartCanvas classes as part of the continued expansion of the Trading Administrator panel’s capabilities.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 14): Adaptive volume change in risk manager

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 14): Adaptive volume change in risk manager

The previously developed risk manager contained only basic functionality. Let's try to consider possible ways of its development, allowing us to improve trading results without interfering with the logic of trading strategies.
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Risk Management (Part 2): Implementing Lot Calculation in a Graphical Interface

Risk Management (Part 2): Implementing Lot Calculation in a Graphical Interface

In this article, we will look at how to improve and more effectively apply the concepts presented in the previous article using the powerful MQL5 graphical control libraries. We'll go step by step through the process of creating a fully functional GUI. I'll be explaining the ideas behind it, as well as the purpose and operation of each method used. Additionally, at the end of the article, we will test the panel we created to ensure it functions correctly and meets its stated goals.
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Data Science and ML (Part 31): Using CatBoost AI Models for Trading

Data Science and ML (Part 31): Using CatBoost AI Models for Trading

CatBoost AI models have gained massive popularity recently among machine learning communities due to their predictive accuracy, efficiency, and robustness to scattered and difficult datasets. In this article, we are going to discuss in detail how to implement these types of models in an attempt to beat the forex market.
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Integrate Your Own LLM into EA (Part 4): Training Your Own LLM with GPU

Integrate Your Own LLM into EA (Part 4): Training Your Own LLM with GPU

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence today, language models (LLMs) are an important part of artificial intelligence, so we should think about how to integrate powerful LLMs into our algorithmic trading. For most people, it is difficult to fine-tune these powerful models according to their needs, deploy them locally, and then apply them to algorithmic trading. This series of articles will take a step-by-step approach to achieve this goal.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 3): Architecture revision

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 3): Architecture revision

We have already made some progress in developing a multi-currency EA with several strategies working in parallel. Considering the accumulated experience, let's review the architecture of our solution and try to improve it before we go too far ahead.
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Data Science and Machine Learning (Part 20): Algorithmic Trading Insights, A Faceoff Between LDA and PCA in MQL5

Data Science and Machine Learning (Part 20): Algorithmic Trading Insights, A Faceoff Between LDA and PCA in MQL5

Uncover the secrets behind these powerful dimensionality reduction techniques as we dissect their applications within the MQL5 trading environment. Delve into the nuances of Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), gaining a profound understanding of their impact on strategy development and market analysis.
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Trading with the MQL5 Economic Calendar (Part 5): Enhancing the Dashboard with Responsive Controls and Filter Buttons

Trading with the MQL5 Economic Calendar (Part 5): Enhancing the Dashboard with Responsive Controls and Filter Buttons

In this article, we create buttons for currency pair filters, importance levels, time filters, and a cancel option to improve dashboard control. These buttons are programmed to respond dynamically to user actions, allowing seamless interaction. We also automate their behavior to reflect real-time changes on the dashboard. This enhances the overall functionality, mobility, and responsiveness of the panel.
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Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part IX): Code Organization (IV): Trade Management Panel class

Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part IX): Code Organization (IV): Trade Management Panel class

This discussion covers the updated TradeManagementPanel in our New_Admin_Panel EA. The update enhances the panel by using built-in classes to offer a user-friendly trade management interface. It includes trading buttons for opening positions and controls for managing existing trades and pending orders. A key feature is the integrated risk management that allows setting stop loss and take profit values directly in the interface. This update improves code organization for large programs and simplifies access to order management tools, which are often complex in the terminal.
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Trading with the MQL5 Economic Calendar (Part 4): Implementing Real-Time News Updates in the Dashboard

Trading with the MQL5 Economic Calendar (Part 4): Implementing Real-Time News Updates in the Dashboard

This article enhances our Economic Calendar dashboard by implementing real-time news updates to keep market information current and actionable. We integrate live data fetching techniques in MQL5 to update events on the dashboard continuously, improving the responsiveness of the interface. This update ensures that we can access the latest economic news directly from the dashboard, optimizing trading decisions based on the freshest data.
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Market Reactions and Trading Strategies in Response to Dividend Announcements: Evaluating the Efficient Market Hypothesis in Stock Trading

Market Reactions and Trading Strategies in Response to Dividend Announcements: Evaluating the Efficient Market Hypothesis in Stock Trading

In this article, we will analyse the impact of dividend announcements on stock market returns and see how investors can earn more returns than those offered by the market when they expect a company to announce dividends. In doing so, we will also check the validity of the Efficient Market Hypothesis in the context of the Indian Stock Market.
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Archery Algorithm (AA)

Archery Algorithm (AA)

The article takes a detailed look at the archery-inspired optimization algorithm, with an emphasis on using the roulette method as a mechanism for selecting promising areas for "arrows". The method allows evaluating the quality of solutions and selecting the most promising positions for further study.
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Creating Custom Indicators in MQL5 (Part 4): Smart WaveTrend Crossover with Dual Oscillators

Creating Custom Indicators in MQL5 (Part 4): Smart WaveTrend Crossover with Dual Oscillators

In this article, we develop a custom indicator in MQL5 called Smart WaveTrend Crossover, utilizing dual WaveTrend oscillators—one for generating crossover signals and another for trend filtering—with customizable parameters for channel, average, and moving average lengths. The indicator plots colored candles based on the trend direction, displays buy and sell arrow signals on crossovers, and includes options to enable trend confirmation and adjust visual elements like colors and offsets.
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Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 14): Birth of the SIMULATOR (IV)

Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 14): Birth of the SIMULATOR (IV)

In this article we will continue the simulator development stage. this time we will see how to effectively create a RANDOM WALK type movement. This type of movement is very intriguing because it forms the basis of everything that happens in the capital market. In addition, we will begin to understand some concepts that are fundamental to those conducting market analysis.
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Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 11): Birth of the SIMULATOR (I)

Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 11): Birth of the SIMULATOR (I)

In order to use the data that forms the bars, we must abandon replay and start developing a simulator. We will use 1 minute bars because they offer the least amount of difficulty.
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Design Patterns in software development and MQL5 (Part 2): Structural Patterns

Design Patterns in software development and MQL5 (Part 2): Structural Patterns

In this article, we will continue our articles about Design Patterns after learning how much this topic is more important for us as developers to develop extendable, reliable applications not only by the MQL5 programming language but others as well. We will learn about another type of Design Patterns which is the structural one to learn how to design systems by using what we have as classes to form larger structures.
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MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 4): Improving the Multi-Timeframe Scanner Dashboard with Dynamic Positioning and Toggle Features

MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 4): Improving the Multi-Timeframe Scanner Dashboard with Dynamic Positioning and Toggle Features

In this article, we upgrade the MQL5 Multi-Timeframe Scanner Dashboard with movable and toggle features. We enable dragging the dashboard and a minimize/maximize option for better screen use. We implement and test these enhancements for improved trading flexibility.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 6): Automating the selection of an instance group

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 6): Automating the selection of an instance group

After optimizing the trading strategy, we receive sets of parameters. We can use them to create several instances of trading strategies combined in one EA. Previously, we did this manually. Here we will try to automate this process.
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Developing Trading Strategy: Pseudo Pearson Correlation Approach

Developing Trading Strategy: Pseudo Pearson Correlation Approach

Generating new indicators from existing ones offers a powerful way to enhance trading analysis. By defining a mathematical function that integrates the outputs of existing indicators, traders can create hybrid indicators that consolidate multiple signals into a single, efficient tool. This article introduces a new indicator built from three oscillators using a modified version of the Pearson correlation function, which we call the Pseudo Pearson Correlation (PPC). The PPC indicator aims to quantify the dynamic relationship between oscillators and apply it within a practical trading strategy.
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 8): Metrics Board

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 8): Metrics Board

As one of the most powerful Price Action analysis toolkits, the Metrics Board is designed to streamline market analysis by instantly providing essential market metrics with just a click of a button. Each button serves a specific function, whether it’s analyzing high/low trends, volume, or other key indicators. This tool delivers accurate, real-time data when you need it most. Let’s dive deeper into its features in this article.
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Building A Candlestick Trend Constraint Model (Part 9): Multiple Strategies Expert Advisor (II)

Building A Candlestick Trend Constraint Model (Part 9): Multiple Strategies Expert Advisor (II)

The number of strategies that can be integrated into an Expert Advisor is virtually limitless. However, each additional strategy increases the complexity of the algorithm. By incorporating multiple strategies, an Expert Advisor can better adapt to varying market conditions, potentially enhancing its profitability. Today, we will explore how to implement MQL5 for one of the prominent strategies developed by Richard Donchian, as we continue to enhance the functionality of our Trend Constraint Expert.
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From Novice to Expert: Implementation of Fibonacci Strategies in Post-NFP Market Trading

From Novice to Expert: Implementation of Fibonacci Strategies in Post-NFP Market Trading

In financial markets, the laws of retracement remain among the most undeniable forces. It is a rule of thumb that price will always retrace—whether in large moves or even within the smallest tick patterns, which often appear as a zigzag. However, the retracement pattern itself is never fixed; it remains uncertain and subject to anticipation. This uncertainty explains why traders rely on multiple Fibonacci levels, each carrying a certain probability of influence. In this discussion, we introduce a refined strategy that applies Fibonacci techniques to address the challenges of trading shortly after major economic event announcements. By combining retracement principles with event-driven market behavior, we aim to uncover more reliable entry and exit opportunities. Join to explore the full discussion and see how Fibonacci can be adapted to post-event trading.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 15): Preparing EA for real trading

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 15): Preparing EA for real trading

As we gradually approach to obtaining a ready-made EA, we need to pay attention to issues that seem secondary at the stage of testing a trading strategy, but become important when moving on to real trading.
Terminal Service Client. How to Make Pocket PC a Big Brother's Friend
Terminal Service Client. How to Make Pocket PC a Big Brother's Friend

Terminal Service Client. How to Make Pocket PC a Big Brother's Friend

The article describes the way of connecting to the remote PC with installed MT4 Client Terminal via a PDA.
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From Novice to Expert: The Essential Journey Through MQL5 Trading

From Novice to Expert: The Essential Journey Through MQL5 Trading

Unlock your potential! You're surrounded by opportunities. Discover 3 top secrets to kickstart your MQL5 journey or take it to the next level. Let's dive into discussion of tips and tricks for beginners and pros alike.
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From Novice to Expert: Animated News Headline Using MQL5 (VI) — Pending Order Strategy for News Trading

From Novice to Expert: Animated News Headline Using MQL5 (VI) — Pending Order Strategy for News Trading

In this article, we shift focus toward integrating news-driven order execution logic—enabling the EA to act, not just inform. Join us as we explore how to implement automated trade execution in MQL5 and extend the News Headline EA into a fully responsive trading system. Expert Advisors offer significant advantages for algorithmic developers thanks to the wide range of features they support. So far, we’ve focused on building a news and calendar events presentation tool, complete with integrated AI insights lanes and technical indicator insights.
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Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part VI):Trade Management Panel (II)

Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part VI):Trade Management Panel (II)

In this article, we enhance the Trade Management Panel of our multi-functional Admin Panel. We introduce a powerful helper function that simplifies the code, improving readability, maintainability, and efficiency. We will also demonstrate how to seamlessly integrate additional buttons and enhance the interface to handle a wider range of trading tasks. Whether managing positions, adjusting orders, or simplifying user interactions, this guide will help you develop a robust, user-friendly Trade Management Panel.
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Polynomial models in trading

Polynomial models in trading

This article is about orthogonal polynomials. Their use can become the basis for a more accurate and effective analysis of market information allowing traders to make more informed decisions.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 16): Impact of different quote histories on test results

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 16): Impact of different quote histories on test results

The EA under development is expected to show good results when trading with different brokers. But for now we have been using quotes from a MetaQuotes demo account to perform tests. Let's see if our EA is ready to work on a trading account with different quotes compared to those used during testing and optimization.
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Data Science and Machine Learning (Part 16): A Refreshing Look at Decision Trees

Data Science and Machine Learning (Part 16): A Refreshing Look at Decision Trees

Dive into the intricate world of decision trees in the latest installment of our Data Science and Machine Learning series. Tailored for traders seeking strategic insights, this article serves as a comprehensive recap, shedding light on the powerful role decision trees play in the analysis of market trends. Explore the roots and branches of these algorithmic trees, unlocking their potential to enhance your trading decisions. Join us for a refreshing perspective on decision trees and discover how they can be your allies in navigating the complexities of financial markets.
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Fortified Profit Architecture: Multi-Layered Account Protection

Fortified Profit Architecture: Multi-Layered Account Protection

In this discussion, we introduce a structured, multi-layered defense system designed to pursue aggressive profit targets while minimizing exposure to catastrophic loss. The focus is on blending offensive trading logic with protective safeguards at every level of the trading pipeline. The idea is to engineer an EA that behaves like a “risk-aware predator”—capable of capturing high-value opportunities, but always with layers of insulation that prevent blindness to sudden market stress.