GW CRT Candle Range Theory

It is not a high-frequency or scalping system. It trades at most once a day per symbol, and only when the full pattern is confirmed — it prioritizes signal quality over trade frequency.

I built this EA because the CRT pattern has become very popular within the ICT / Smart Money Concepts space, but it's rarely accompanied by verifiable backtests — it's claimed that "this is how it's traded," and that claim is backed by the appearance of success and lifestyle of whoever teaches it, not by data. With GW CRT v2 I wanted to give the community a direct way to trade the pattern automatically, without having to go through the whole design and coding process, with the test results laid out on the table instead of plain claims.

How it works

• Session (configurable time range) — during the window you define (for example, the London or New York open), the EA builds the CRT-High / CRT-Low range from the highs and lows of the chosen analysis timeframe.
• Breakout + reclaim (two separate candles, not a single wick) — a candle must close outside the range (a real breakout, not just a wick), and a later candle must close back inside without crossing the midpoint. This confirms the direction of the pattern.
• Retrace → entry — price must return to touch (or close beyond, depending on the mode chosen) the swept level before the trade is opened — entry never happens at the moment of the breakout.
• Optional bias filter — a directional filter based on the D1 candle (with or against the trend), plus minimum-range ATR filters for both the bias candle and the session range, to discard days with insufficient volatility.

Only one trade per symbol per day: once the pattern triggers (or is discarded) the EA won't try again until the next day.

Exit management — up to 3 simultaneous modes

Unlike v1 (a single exit mode), GW CRT v2 lets you activate any combination of:

• Opposite level of the CRT range (with a minimum Risk:Reward ratio)
• Midpoint of the CRT range (with a minimum Risk:Reward ratio)
• Fixed Risk:Reward ratio

If you activate more than one mode, each one opens its own independent position with its own magic number and its own share of the total configured risk — which is why, as soon as more than one mode is active, the account must be a hedging account (a netting account cannot hold two simultaneous positions on the same symbol).

Risk management

• Position size calculated by percentage account risk, not a fixed lot — automatically split across the active exit modes.
• Stop Loss always present, placed beyond the real extreme of the sweep (with a configurable ATR buffer) and with a minimum safety distance to avoid broker rejections for "invalid stops."
• Lot size is automatically adjusted to available free margin and to the broker's own volume limits (min/max/step and maximum aggregate volume per symbol) before being sent — an order is never sent with a volume the broker would reject.
• No martingale, no grid, no averaging down. Every trade is an independent decision with its own SL and TP defined at the moment it opens.

Controls built for prop firm accounts

• Daily loss limit (configurable %, based on balance or equity), with an optional forced close of positions once reached.
• Profit target (configurable %) with an optional forced close once reached.
• Time-based forced close ("force-flat") for accounts that don't allow holding positions outside an intraday window.

Flexibility

• Works on any symbol (forex, gold, indices, whatever your broker offers) — the session time range and the analysis timeframe are input-configurable, not tied to a single market. My own tests were run on NDX (Nasdaq 100), using Darwinex broker historical data — it's the market where I have verified results; on other symbols the behavior hasn't been tested by me, and will depend on the configured session actually making sense for that specific symbol.
• Configurable trade direction: long and short, long only, or short only.
• Configurable entry timing: can trigger on the breakout, on the reclaim, or (by default) on the retrace.
• Optional on-chart visual panel showing session status, the range, and active trades.

About the backtests

GW CRT v2 doesn't rely on any external data source or on WebRequest — all logic runs on the symbol's own price data, so Strategy Tester behavior is representative of live account behavior, subject to the normal spread/execution/slippage differences between brokers.

Since this is a broker-time session window model, verify that your broker's timezone matches the one you used when configuring the time range before trading live.

Test setup: symbol NDX (Nasdaq 100), broker Darwinex (Tradeslide Trading Tech Limited), M5 timeframe, period 2021.07.01 – 2026.07.01 (5 years), initial deposit €5,000, leverage 1:100, history quality 98%.

Two separate bias-filter configurations are shown (counter-trend and with-trend), plus a third test with both filters active at the same time, each running as an independent position with the same per-trade risk as in the individual tests — to illustrate the time diversification effect of combining both modes, not as a separate product from the one being sold. The two filters are mutually exclusive based on the day's D1 bias, so positions from both never coexist at the same time.

Strategy Tester screenshots (balance curve and trade dispersion) available as graphic material for the listing.

Past backtest performance, subject to normal market and execution conditions — not a guarantee of future results.

Live sessions

You can watch the EA trading live on our YouTube channel — search for the username "greaterwaves".

FAQ

1. What symbols can I use GW CRT on? Any symbol your broker offers. The CRT pattern is a range/liquidity behavior, not exclusive to one market. My own tests were run on NDX (Nasdaq 100) using Darwinex data; on other symbols I have no verified results, so before trading live on a different market, test on demo first and make sure the session range you configure actually makes sense for that symbol.

2. Do I need a hedging account? Only if you activate more than one exit mode at once. With a single mode active, it works the same on netting accounts.

3. Does it use grid, martingale, or averaging? No. Every trade is independent, with its own SL and TP fixed at opening. At most one new trade per symbol per day.

4. Can I use my own risk settings? Yes — risk per trade, minimum Risk:Reward ratios per exit mode, the SL buffer, and the bias/ATR filters are all input-configurable.

5. Are backtest results representative of live trading? The EA doesn't rely on any external data source (no WebRequest ), so yes, within the normal spread/execution/slippage differences between brokers. That said, since it's a time-window model, confirm your broker's time matches the one configured.

6. Is there support after purchase? Yes. You can post any question about setup or issues with the EA in the Product's comments section here on MQL5.

7. Are updates free? Yes. Updates to GW CRT v2 (fixes and improvements within this version) are free for life for anyone who has purchased the product.

Risk warning

Trading carries a risk of loss. No automated system guarantees profits, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Test the EA on a demo account and review its parameters before using it on a live account.