Strategy tester ends fast

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Whatever I do. It ends after less than a second. It starts 2 trades, and it generates about 25-30 bars. I suspect the problem might be because I do the test on the <broker-name-redacted> prop account. It is not meant for demo trading. My usual demo account is with MT4. Getting a new broker with MT5 seems too bothersome. Or should the strategy tester load more data no matter who your broker is? 
 
Erlend Christiansen:
Whatever I do. It ends after less than a second. It starts 2 trades, and it generates about 25-30 bars. I suspect the problem might be because I do the test on the <broker-name-redacted> prop account. It is not meant for demo trading. My usual demo account is with MT4. Getting a new broker with MT5 seems too bothersome. Or should the strategy tester load more data no matter who your broker is? 

I doubt it has anything to do with the brokerage account (<broker-name-redacted> prop account).

As long as there is enough historical data, tests should run fine, on any brokerage account.

But first, make sure you have at least 1 year minimum historical data on the brokerage platform.

Also, it depends on what you are testing.

EA? Indicator? What timeframe?

The best approach is to use the Journal in your Strategy Tester to debug the errors / bugs that are being printed.

Also, its 2026! MT4 was released in 2005. MT5 is better in every aspect, why not use the latest technologies built to leverage modern trading.

 
George Kamwanga #:

I doubt it has anything to do with the brokerage account (<broker-name-redacted> prop account).

As long as there is enough historical data, tests should run fine, on any brokerage account.

But first, make sure you have at least 1 year minimum historical data on the brokerage platform.

Also, it depends on what you are testing.

EA? Indicator? What timeframe?

The best approach is to use the Journal in your Strategy Tester to debug the errors / bugs that are being printed.

Also, its 2026! MT4 was released in 2005. MT5 is better in every aspect, why not use the latest technologies built to leverage modern trading.


I have downloaded some history. I test EAs. Timeframes are 1H, 4H and daily. I can post the journal here, but it does not say a lot. I wonder if it is too demanding for my simple acer aspire 1. Strategy tests on MT4 works fine though. Back when I started a few years ago they said nobody used MT5. At least Rob Booker said it. Also they said MT¤ is best for forex. The plan is to use it from now on.

 
Erlend Christiansen #:


I have downloaded some history. I test EAs. Timeframes are 1H, 4H and daily. I can post the journal here, but it does not say a lot. I wonder if it is too demanding for my simple acer aspire 1. Strategy tests on MT4 works fine though. Back when I started a few years ago they said nobody used MT5. At least Rob Booker said it. Also they said MT¤ is best for forex. The plan is to use it from now on.

Post the log ! Please.
 

I am trying to learn coding. I am not doing this idiotic EA to profit from it. Of course I want the strategy tester to work anyway.


2026.01.19 19:25:58.551 MetaTester 5 started on 127.0.0.1:3000

2026.01.19 19:25:58.564 cloud network mode is off

2026.01.19 19:25:58.564 initialization finished

2026.01.19 19:25:58.977 login (build 5474)

2026.01.19 19:25:59.356 14664 bytes of account info loaded

2026.01.19 19:25:59.356 1478 bytes of tester parameters loaded

2026.01.19 19:25:59.357 2756 bytes of input parameters loaded

2026.01.19 19:25:59.357 239 bytes of symbols list loaded (40 symbols)

2026.01.19 19:25:59.357 expert file added: Experts\BollingerbandsEA.ex5. 32696 bytes loaded

2026.01.19 19:25:59.376 initial deposit 10000.00 USD, leverage 1:100

2026.01.19 19:25:59.376 successfully initialized

2026.01.19 19:25:59.376 33 Kb of total initialization data received

2026.01.19 19:25:59.376 Intel Celeron N4500 @ 1.10GHz, 3901 MB

2026.01.19 19:25:59.420 USDJPY: symbol to be synchronized

2026.01.19 19:25:59.430 USDJPY: symbol synchronized, 3720 bytes of symbol info received

2026.01.19 19:25:59.431 USDJPY: history synchronization started

2026.01.19 19:25:59.447 USDJPY: load 27 bytes of history data to synchronize in 0:00:00.015

2026.01.19 19:25:59.447 USDJPY: history synchronized from 2023.01.02 to 2026.01.16

2026.01.19 19:25:59.489 USDJPY,H4: history cache allocated for 1628 bars and contains 1555 bars from 2025.01.01 20:00 to 2025.12.31 20:00

2026.01.19 19:25:59.489 USDJPY,H4: history begins from 2025.01.01 20:00

2026.01.19 19:25:59.491 USDJPY,H4 (FivePercentOnline-Real): OHLC bar states generating. OnTick executed on the bar begin only

2026.01.19 19:25:59.491 execution delay discarded because of open prices testing mode

2026.01.19 19:25:59.491 USDJPY,H4: testing of Experts\BollingerbandsEA.ex5 from 2026.01.01 00:00 to 2026.01.18 00:00 started with inputs:

2026.01.19 19:25:59.491   Lots=0.1

2026.01.19 19:25:59.491   Timeframe=0

2026.01.19 19:25:59.491   Periods=20

2026.01.19 19:25:59.491   Deviation=2.0

2026.01.19 19:25:59.491   AppPrice=1

2026.01.19 19:25:59.514 2026.01.01 00:00:00   10

2026.01.19 19:25:59.532 2026.01.09 04:00:00   close is above the upper...

2026.01.19 19:25:59.532 2026.01.09 04:00:00   market sell 0.1 USDJPY sl: 158.046 tp: 156.268 (157.157 / 157.158 / 157.157)

2026.01.19 19:25:59.532 2026.01.09 04:00:00   deal #2 sell 0.1 USDJPY at 157.157 done (based on order #2)

2026.01.19 19:25:59.532 2026.01.09 04:00:00   deal performed [#2 sell 0.1 USDJPY at 157.157]

2026.01.19 19:25:59.532 2026.01.09 04:00:00   order performed sell 0.1 at 157.157 [#2 sell 0.1 USDJPY at 157.157]

2026.01.19 19:25:59.534 2026.01.09 04:00:00   CTrade::OrderSend: market sell 0.10 USDJPY sl: 158.046 tp: 156.268 [done at 157.157]

2026.01.19 19:25:59.536 2026.01.09 07:59:57   position stop out triggered at 10001.89$ [#2 sell 0.1 USDJPY 157.157 sl: 158.046 tp: 156.268]

2026.01.19 19:25:59.536 2026.01.09 07:59:57   deal #3 buy 0.1 USDJPY at 157.121 done (based on order #3)

2026.01.19 19:25:59.536 2026.01.09 07:59:57   deal performed [#3 buy 0.1 USDJPY at 157.121]

2026.01.19 19:25:59.536 2026.01.09 07:59:57   order performed buy 0.1 at 157.121 [#3 buy 0.1 USDJPY at 157.121]

2026.01.19 19:25:59.536 final balance 10001.89 USD

2026.01.19 19:25:59.547 stop out occurred on 49% of testing interval

2026.01.19 19:25:59.547 USDJPY,H4: 64 ticks, 32 bars generated. Environment synchronized in 0:00:00.074. Test passed in 0:00:00.120 (including ticks preprocessing 0:00:00.016).

2026.01.19 19:25:59.547 USDJPY,H4: total time from login to stop testing 0:00:00.194 (including 0:00:00.074 for history data synchronization)

2026.01.19 19:25:59.547 35 Mb memory used including 0.47 Mb of history data, 64 Mb of tick data

2026.01.19 19:25:59.547 log file "C:\Users\erlen\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes\Tester\10CE948A1DFC9A8C27E56E827008EBD4\Agent-127.0.0.1-3000\logs\20260119.log" written

2026.01.19 19:25:59.547 test Experts\BollingerbandsEA.ex5 on USDJPY,H4 thread finished

2026.01.19 19:25:59.984 prepare for shutdown

2026.01.19 19:25:59.984 shutdown finished


 
Erlend Christiansen #:
2026.01.19 19:25:59.547 stop out occurred on 49% of testing interval
There was a stop out, which means you had no more enough free margin.
 
Alain Verleyen #:
There was a stop out, which means you had no more enough free margin.
Increased deposit, and I increased testing time. Now I got 184 trades. So I guess that was the simple solution? A bit embarassing. Still though. How could such a small loss in the test lead to no free margin?
 
Erlend Christiansen #:
Increased deposit, and I increased testing time. Now I got 184 trades. So I guess that was the simple solution? A bit embarassing. Still though. How could such a small loss in the test lead to no free margin?

It's not indicated in the log unfortunately. I could only check with EA.

2026.01.19 19:25:59.491 execution delay discarded because of open prices testing mode

By the way, I am suggesting you to avoid "open prices" mode. Use at least 1 Minute OHLC or Every ticks.

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