Welcome to the official guide for XAU AutoTrader, a fully automated Expert Advisor designed specifically for Gold (XAUUSD) trading. It uses a proven breakout strategy based on dynamic support and resistance levels. Below you will find the recommended setup, a detailed explanation of all input parameters, and important tips for getting the best results.
- Live Signal: Click Here
- EA Product Page: Click Here
⚡ Core Setup Requirements
- Symbol: XAUUSD (Gold)
- Timeframe: H1 (recommended)
- Minimum Deposit: $200
- Account Type: Hedging account
- Leverage: 1:500 recommended
Why Broker Selection Is Critical
XAU AutoTrader is a breakout strategy that places pending orders at dynamic support and resistance levels. Spread and execution quality directly impact your results. The same settings can be highly profitable on one broker and underperform on another — even with identical advertised conditions.
Recommended Broker: IC Markets (Raw Spread account) — From my extensive testing across multiple brokers, IC Markets delivered the best and most consistent results on XAUUSD.
Recommended VPS: TradingVPS — Low latency is important for pending order execution. A VPS close to your broker's server ensures the best fills.
🧠 Signal Settings
On my live signal account, all EA parameters are set to default values. The only modified option is:
- Use Fixed Lot: FALSE — to enable automatic lot sizing based on account balance.
This means you can replicate my signal results by simply loading the EA with default settings and disabling the fixed lot option.
🔧 How It Works
The EA identifies key support and resistance levels using proprietary multi-timeframe analysis. It places pending orders — Buy Stop at resistance and Sell Stop at support — to catch breakout moves. When price breaks through a level, the order is triggered with predefined Stop Loss and Take Profit based on percentage calculations. A smart trailing stop then locks in profits as the trade moves in your favor.
Key Features:
- Dynamic support/resistance detection
- Automatic lot sizing based on risk percentage
- Percentage-based trailing stop to lock in profits
- News filter that pauses trading during high-impact events
- Weekend protection to avoid gap risk
- Trading hours filter for session-based control
- Spread control to prevent trading in bad conditions
- Visual dashboard with drag & drop and real-time info
🛠️ Input Parameters Explained
1. EA Identification
Magic Number (default: 2026) — Unique ID for the EA's trades. Change this if running multiple instances on the same account.
2. Risk Management
Risk Percent (default: 10.0%) — Percentage of account balance risked per trade. Used when fixed lot is disabled.
Stop Loss Percent (default: 0.25%) — Stop Loss distance as percentage from entry price.
Take Profit Percent (default: 10.00%) — Take Profit distance as percentage from entry price.
3. Lot Sizing
Use Fixed Lot (default: TRUE) — If TRUE, uses the fixed lot size below. If FALSE, calculates lot size automatically based on Risk Percent. Set to FALSE for auto lot sizing.
Fixed Lot Size (default: 0.01) — Manual lot size used when Use Fixed Lot is TRUE.
4. Spread Control
Spread Limit (default: 300) — Maximum allowed spread in points. EA pauses trading when spread exceeds this value. For Raw Spread accounts, 300 works well. Increase if your broker has wider spreads.
5. Trailing Stop Settings
Use Trailing Stop (default: TRUE) — Enable/disable trailing stop on open positions. Highly recommended to keep enabled.
Trailing Start Percent (default: 0.06%) — Profit percentage at which trailing stop activates.
Trailing Stop Percent (default: 0.04%) — Distance of trailing stop from current price.
Trailing Step Percent (default: 0.02%) — Minimum move before trailing stop updates.
6. Pending Orders Settings
Pending Order Expiration Hours (default: 24) — Hours before unfilled pending orders expire automatically.
Order Comment (default: "XAU AutoTrader Order") — Comment attached to each order for identification.
Close Pending Outside Hours (default: TRUE) — Remove pending orders when outside trading hours.
7. Trading Hours Settings
Trading Start Time (default: 01:02) — Time to start placing orders (server time, HH:MM).
Trading End Time (default: 22:00) — Time to stop placing orders (server time, HH:MM).
8. Weekend Closure Settings
Use Weekend Closure (default: TRUE) — Enable automatic weekend protection.
Friday Close Hour (default: 20) — Server time hour to close positions on Friday.
Sunday Open Hour (default: 23) — Server time hour to resume trading on Sunday.
Close All On Weekend (default: TRUE) — Close all open positions before the weekend.
Cancel Pending Orders (default: TRUE) — Cancel all pending orders before the weekend.
9. News Filter Settings
Use News Filter (default: TRUE) — Pause trading around high-impact news events. Highly recommended.
News Importance (default: 3) — Minimum news importance to filter (3=High only, 2=Medium+High, 1=All).
Minutes Before News (default: 5) — Minutes to stop trading before a news event.
Minutes After News (default: 5) — Minutes to wait after a news event before resuming.
FOMC Minutes After (default: 45) — Extended wait time after FOMC events (higher volatility).
News Check Interval (default: 300) — Seconds between news calendar checks.
Max News To Track (default: 2) — Maximum upcoming news events shown on dashboard.
10. Support & Resistance Settings
These parameters control how the EA detects support and resistance levels across multiple timeframes. The default values are optimized for XAUUSD and generally do not need to be changed.
11. Buffer Offset Settings
Use Buffer Offset (default: TRUE) — Apply an offset to S/R levels for better order placement.
Support Buffer Percent (default: -0.015%) — Offset applied to support level.
Resistance Buffer Percent (default: -0.015%) — Offset applied to resistance level.
12. GMT Settings
Use Custom GMT Offset (default: FALSE) — Override automatic GMT detection. Only enable if your broker reports incorrect server time.
Custom GMT Offset (default: 0) — Manual GMT offset in hours.
13. Dashboard Control
Show Dashboard (default: TRUE) — Show/hide the visual information panel. You can drag it anywhere on the chart.
Dashboard sections can be individually toggled: Orders Info, Weekend Status, Trading Hours, Trading Info, S/R Levels, Buffer Info, GMT Info, and Upcoming News.
⚠️ Important: Before You Start
- Download the free demo and backtest with your broker's data first.
- Run on a demo account for at least 2-4 weeks before going live.
- Do not expect backtest results to match live performance exactly — execution, spread, and slippage vary.
- Adjust risk parameters based on your account size and risk tolerance.
- Each broker is different — the same settings can produce different results. If backtest results are poor with your broker, this EA may not be suitable for your setup.
⚠️ Disclaimer
Past performance is not indicative of future results. Trading forex and gold involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite before trading. Only invest money you can afford to lose. The signal provider is not responsible for any losses incurred.
For any questions or support, please contact me via my MQL5 profile: https://www.mql5.com/en/users/skauch
(C) 2025 Moreno Dainese — XAU AutoTrader V1.3
