Indexium EA v1.0: Complete Feature Guide — Adaptive SMC Trading for Global Indices with RL Engine
Indexium EA
Indexium EA v1.0: Complete Feature Guide — Adaptive SMC Trading for Global Indices with RL Engine
A comprehensive walkthrough of every mode, feature, and setting in Indexium EA — the self-learning index-dedicated Smart Money Concepts auto-trader with VWAP Confluence, Gap Fill Engine, Opening Range Breakout, Index Correlation Guard, and Q-Learning Reinforcement Learning for MetaTrader 5.
Introduction
No Grid. No Martingale. No Averaging. Indexium EA is a pure Smart Money Concepts trading system designed specifically for global stock indices. Every trade has a fixed stop loss and a defined risk-to-reward ratio.
Important — Backtesting Does NOT Work: Indexium EA is powered by a real-time Q-Learning Reinforcement Learning engine that adapts to live market conditions — real spreads, order flow, gap dynamics, and tick-by-tick index price action. The Strategy Tester cannot replicate these conditions:
- RL Learning: The Q-Table starts empty in backtests — no learning history, no adaptive scoring
- Live Gaps: Index market-open gaps are a critical feature of index trading — backtests cannot simulate realistic gap behavior
- VWAP: Volume-Weighted Average Price requires real volume data from live sessions — simulated volume is unreliable
- Session Dynamics: Cash open/close timing, Opening Range formation, and session-specific liquidity are impossible to simulate accurately
How to test properly: Open a demo account with your broker, attach Indexium EA to any chart, and let it run with live data. This is the ONLY way to see accurate performance. The RL engine needs approximately 50-100 trades to begin showing its adaptive advantage.
Stock indices (NAS100, US30, SPX500, DAX40, UK100) have fundamentally different price dynamics than forex or commodities. Indices gap at market open, have defined trading sessions tied to their home exchange, exhibit VWAP-anchored institutional activity, and show strong intraday mean-reversion patterns around the opening range. Generic forex EAs ignore all of this — resulting in poorly timed entries, missed gap-fill opportunities, and trades during low-liquidity pre-market hours.
Indexium EA v1.0 is purpose-built for indices. It includes per-index profiles with custom SL ranges, spread limits, and session windows for NAS100, US30, SPX500, DAX40, and UK100. The VWAP Confluence Filter adds score bonuses when signals align with the day's volume-weighted average price. The Gap Fill Engine detects overnight gaps and creates tradeable patterns. The Opening Range Breakout (ORB) system identifies breakout setups from the first 30 minutes of trading. The Index Correlation Guard prevents overexposure to correlated indices. Combined with the Q-Learning RL engine (14 features, persistent Q-Table), News Guard, OPEX Day Protection, Friday Close Protection, and session-aware cash open/close cooldowns — Indexium EA is the most comprehensive index-native SMC trading system available.
Part 1: Getting Started
Installation:
- Copy Indexium_EA.ex5 to your MetaTrader 5 Experts folder (MQL5/Experts)
- Restart MT5 or click "Refresh" in the Navigator panel
- Drag Indexium EA onto any chart (the chart symbol does not matter)
- Enable "Allow Algo Trading" in the toolbar and EA properties dialog
- The EA auto-detects your broker's index symbol names (NAS100/USTEC/US100, US30/DJ30/WS30, DAX40/GER40/DE40, etc.)
On first load, the EA maps all index symbols to your broker's format using its extensive alias database, loads preserved stats from Indexium_Stats.csv, loads the Q-Table from Indexium_QTable.csv (if present), initializes the VWAP engine, applies per-index profiles, configures session windows, applies the selected Trading Mode, and displays the interactive dashboard.
Default Index List:
Index List: NAS100, US30, SPX500, DAX40, UK100
Index Only Mode: true (blocks non-index symbols)
Custom Mapping: auto (or manual: NAS100=USTEC, US30=DJ30, etc.)
Part 2: Per-Index Profiles
Each index has unique volatility, spread behavior, and session characteristics. Indexium EA applies custom profiles automatically:
| Index | SL Range (pts) | Session | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAS100 | 40-250 | US (13:30-21:00 GMT) | US Index |
| US30 | 60-400 | US (13:30-21:00 GMT) | US Index |
| SPX500 | 5-40 | US (13:30-21:00 GMT) | US Index |
| DAX40 | 20-150 | EU (07:00-16:30 GMT) | EU Index |
| UK100 | 10-70 | EU (07:00-16:30 GMT) | EU Index |
Part 3: Trading Mode Presets
Index-specific mode names: Institutional (conservative), Standard (balanced), Momentum (aggressive), and Custom.
| Parameter | Institutional | Standard | Momentum | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Timeframe | M15 | M5 | M1 | User input |
| Min Confluence Score | 14+ | 9+ | 5 or less | User input |
| Min R:R | 2.5+ | 1.5+ | 1.0 or less | User input |
Default score threshold of 9 (out of 28 maximum — higher than forex due to VWAP, gap fill, and ORB bonus sources).
Part 4: Q-Learning Reinforcement Learning Engine
The core intelligence. Identical 14-feature architecture as the ium series, but learns index-specific patterns — which indices perform best in which sessions, which POI types work for indices, and how gap/VWAP conditions affect outcomes.
14 Features Per Signal:
Feature 1: H4 Bias | Feature 2: H1 Structure | Feature 3: Entry Pattern
Feature 4: Session Code | Feature 5: RSI Zone | Feature 6: Volume Zone
Feature 7: Spread Zone | Feature 8: ADX Zone | Feature 9: Hour Block
Feature 10: Day of Week | Feature 11: H4 Price Zone | Feature 12: POI Type
Feature 13: Symbol Category (US Index / EU Index) | Feature 14: Divergence
Max Q-Table Size: 2,000 states | Score Modifier: -4 to +4
Adaptive Risk: 0.5x to 2.0x | Learning Rate: 0.15
Min Trades Before Learning: 30 | Min Trades Per Symbol: 10
Persistence: Indexium_QTable.csv
Pure MQL5. No Python, no DLL, no external dependencies.
Part 5: Index-Native SMC Analysis (5 Layers)
Index-calibrated parameters throughout:
Layer 1 — H4 Macro Trend:
EMA Fast: 50 | EMA Slow: 200 | ADX Period: 14 | ADX Threshold: 20.0
Layer 2 — H1 Structure:
Swing Lookback: 40 bars (Indices: faster structures than forex's 50)
Layer 3 — M15 POI Detection:
OB Max Age: 60 bars (Indices: medium-life OBs)
FVG Min Size: ATR auto
Layer 4 — M5 Momentum (Index-Tuned):
RSI Period: 14 (Indices: 14 vs forex 7 — smoother for index noise)
Stochastic: K=8, D=3, Slow=5 (wider settings for index volatility)
Volume Threshold: 1.5x (Indices: real exchange volume available)
Layer 5 — Entry Patterns:
Pin Bar Wick/Body: 2.0
Engulfing Coverage: 0.7 (Indices: gap-candle friendly — slightly looser)
Retest Lookback: 8 bars (Indices: retest faster than forex)
Part 6: VWAP Confluence Filter
Volume-Weighted Average Price is the institutional benchmark for index trading. Indexium EA calculates intraday VWAP in real time for each index and uses it as a confluence filter:
VWAP Filter: true
VWAP Alignment Bonus: +2 (signal direction aligns with price vs VWAP)
Counter-VWAP Penalty: -1 (signal conflicts with VWAP positioning)
How It Works:
- Price above VWAP + BUY signal = bullish alignment, +2 bonus
- Price below VWAP + SELL signal = bearish alignment, +2 bonus
- Price above VWAP + SELL signal = counter-VWAP, -1 penalty
- VWAP resets daily at session open for each index
VWAP is one of the most reliable indicators of institutional sentiment in index markets. Trades aligned with VWAP direction have statistically higher win rates.
Part 7: Gap Fill Engine
Stock indices regularly gap at market open (the difference between previous close and current open). Many of these gaps "fill" — price returns to the previous close level. Indexium EA detects these patterns:
Gap Fill Pattern: true
Min Gap Size: 0.10 ATR (filters insignificant gaps)
When a significant gap is detected at market open, the Gap Fill Engine creates a tradeable pattern in the direction of the gap fill. This is a well-documented institutional pattern — market makers frequently drive price back to the previous close to fill orders left overnight.
Part 8: Opening Range Breakout (ORB)
The first 30 minutes of the cash session establishes the Opening Range — a key reference for the rest of the day:
Opening Range Breakout: true
ORB Duration: 30 minutes (first 30 minutes of cash session)
After the Opening Range is established, Indexium EA monitors for breakouts above the high or below the low. These breakouts, when combined with SMC confluence (trend, structure, POI), provide high-probability directional signals.
Part 9: Index Correlation Guard & SPX Sentiment
US indices (NAS100, US30, SPX500) are highly correlated. Trading the same direction on all three simultaneously creates concentrated risk. The Correlation Guard manages this:
Max Same-Direction Trades: 3 (across all indices)
SPX Sentiment Bonus: +1 (when SPX500 confirms direction for other US indices)
SPX500 serves as a market-wide sentiment indicator. When SPX500's trend aligns with a signal on NAS100 or US30, an additional +1 bonus is applied.
Part 10: Session Management
Session Filter: true
Cash Open Cooldown: 30 minutes (skip first 30 min after market open)
Cash Close Buffer: 30 minutes (stop trading 30 min before close)
GMT Offset: 99 (auto-detect)
The Cash Open Cooldown avoids the chaotic first 30 minutes when spreads are wide and price action is erratic. The Close Buffer prevents entering new trades near session end when liquidity drops.
News Guard:
News Guard: true (MQL5 Calendar integration)
Pre-Event Buffer: 15 minutes | Post-Event Buffer: 10 minutes
OPEX Day Protection: false (optional — skip options expiration days)
Friday Close Protection:
Friday Protection: true
Friday Stop Hour: 19 (GMT — 1 hour before market close)
Part 11: Risk Management (Index-Calibrated)
Risk Per Trade: 1.0%
Lot Mode: Fixed (default) or Risk Percent
Fixed Lot: 0.02
Min R:R: 1.5
ATR Period: 14
BE Buffer: 3.0 points (per-index dynamic)
Trailing Step: 3.0 pips | Trailing Start: 5.0 pips
TP1: 35% | TP2: 40% | TP3: 30% (larger runner for index trends)
Slippage: 30 points (higher for indices — index execution can be slower)
Part 12: Configuration Recommendations
New Index Traders:
Trading Mode: Institutional (Conservative)
Risk Per Trade: 0.5%
Trade Filter: PAPER_FIRST
VWAP Filter: true
Gap Fill: true
ORB: true
News Guard: true
Friday Protection: true
Standard Index Trading (Recommended):
Trading Mode: Standard (Balanced)
Risk Per Trade: 1.0%
Trade Filter: WR_GUARD
All filters enabled
RL Enabled: true
Experienced Scalpers:
Trading Mode: Momentum (Aggressive)
Risk Per Trade: 1.0-2.0%
RL Enabled: true
Part 13: Persistent Data
Indexium_Stats.csv — Per-index win/loss statistics
Indexium_QTable.csv — Q-Learning state-action values (your index learning history)
Indexium_TradeLog.csv — Complete trade history with 14 features per trade
Conclusion
Indexium EA v1.0 provides a dedicated, self-learning index trading system:
- Per-Index Profiles — Custom SL ranges, spread limits, sessions for NAS100, US30, SPX500, DAX40, UK100
- Q-Learning RL Engine — 14 features, learns which index setups work for your broker
- VWAP Confluence — Institutional benchmark alignment with +2/-1 score impact
- Gap Fill Engine — Detects and trades market-open gap patterns
- Opening Range Breakout — 30-minute ORB pattern detection
- Index Correlation Guard — Prevents overexposure to correlated US indices
- SPX Sentiment — Market-wide sentiment confirmation bonus
- Session-Aware — Cash open/close cooldowns, News Guard, OPEX protection, Friday protection
Complete ium Trading Series
Indexium EA is part of the ium Series. Each product uses the same proven SMC + Reinforcement Learning architecture but is fully optimized for its specific asset class:
| Product | Asset Class | Specialty | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stratum EA | Forex (20 FX pairs) | OCM Currency Strength Filter, FX Only Mode, 20-pair scanning | View Product | Read Guide |
| Goldium EA | Gold (XAUUSD) | DXY USD Strength Filter, Kill Zone Trading, Asian Range Breakout, News Guard | View Product | Read Guide |
| Indexium EA (You Are Here) | Indices (NAS100, US30, SPX500, DAX40, UK100) | VWAP Confluence, Gap Fill Engine, Opening Range Breakout, Index Correlation Guard | View Product |
| Satoshium EA | Bitcoin (BTCUSD) | 24/7 BTC sessions, Weekend Protection, BTC volatility calibration | View Product | Read Guide |
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Disclaimer: Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Stock indices are volatile instruments with gap risk and session-specific liquidity. Indexium EA assists with automated Smart Money Concepts analysis and trade execution — it does not guarantee results. Past performance does not indicate future results. Always trade responsibly and never risk more than you can afford to lose.
