Turtle trading strategy ea

1.1 Purpose

The purpose of this EA is to automate the Turtle Trading System, originally developed by Richard Dennis and William Eckhardt, using Donchian Channel breakouts and ATR-based volatility stops. The EA will execute entries, exits, and risk management automatically.

1.2 Scope

The EA should:

• Trade any MT5-compatible instrument (Forex, Crypto, Commodities, Indices, Synthetic Indices).

• Support backtesting and live trading.

• Implement both System 1 (short-term) and System 2 (long-term) Turtle breakout rules.

• Manage trade sizing, pyramiding, stop-loss, and trailing stops based on ATR volatility.

⚙️ 2. Functional Requirements

2.1 Entry Logic

• System 1 (Short-term):

  • Buy when price closes above the Donchian Channel high (N = 20).

  • Sell when price closes below the Donchian Channel low (N = 20).

• System 2 (Long-term):

  • Buy when price closes above the Donchian Channel high (N = 55).

  • Sell when price closes below the Donchian Channel low (N = 55).

• Filter Option:

  • Enable/disable each system independently.

  • Optionally confirm with trend filter (e.g., 200 EMA direction).

2.2 Exit Logic

• Exit all long positions when price closes below the Donchian Channel low (N = 10).

• Exit all short positions when price closes above the Donchian Channel high (N = 10).

• Optional trailing stop exits (ATR-based).

2.3 Stop Loss

• Each trade has a fixed stop loss equal to:

  Stop Distance = ATR(20) × ATR_Multiplier

• Default ATR_Multiplier = 2.0.

2.4 Position Sizing

• Risk-based sizing:

  
          
  
              
  
                  
  
              
          
  
  
          
  
              Position Size = (Account Balance × Risk%) / (Stop Distance)
  
          
      

• Default Risk% = 1% per trade.

• Minimum lot size enforced by broker specifications.

2.5 Pyramiding

• Allow multiple entries (up to 4) in the direction of profit.

• New positions are opened every +0.5 ATR move in favor of trade.

• Each added position has its own stop-loss based on most recent ATR.

2.6 Take Profit

• Optional Take Profit at user-defined R:R ratio (default = 2.0).

• If disabled, rely solely on Donchian or trailing exits.

2.7 Trailing Stop (optional)

• Dynamic trailing stop based on ATR(20) × Trailing Multiplier.

• Updates on every new candle or tick.

2.8 Filters (optional)

• Volatility Filter: Trade only when ATR > ATR_SMA(20).

• Session Filter: Trade only during selected hours (e.g., London/NY).

• Trend Filter: Only take trades aligned with a higher timeframe trend (EMA direction).

🧮 3. Parameters and Inputs

🧠 4. Non-Functional Requirements

4.1 Performance

• EA must execute in under 100 ms per tick.

• Backtest-compatible across all timeframes (1M–1D).

4.2 Compatibility

• Platform: MetaTrader 5.

• Accounts: Supports both Hedging and Netting modes.

• Broker Types: ECN, Market Maker, Deriv, Forex.com, etc.

4.3 Error Handling

• Check all indicator handles before use.

• Prevent duplicate entries.

• Handle “Off Quotes” and “Invalid Volume” gracefully with retry logic.

4.4 Logging

• Print trade entries, exits, and risk calculations to the Experts tab.

• Store key variables (ATR, Donchian levels, stops) for debugging.

📈 5. Example Trade Flow

1. Setup Detection

   • ATR(20) = 120 pips.

   • Donchian high = 1.1200; Donchian low = 1.1000.

   • Price closes at 1.1205 → Long breakout triggered.

2. Order Calculation

   • Stop Distance = ATR × 2.0 = 240 pips.

   • Risk = 1% of $10,000 = $100.

   • Lot size = 100 / 240 = 0.0416 ≈ 0.04 lots.

3. Execution

   • Buy 0.04 lots at 1.1205.

   • Stop Loss at 1.0965.

   • Take Profit at 1.1685 (2R).

4. Management

   • If price rises by 0.5 ATR, add 0.04 lots (pyramid #1).

   • If price closes below Donchian(10) low → Exit all longs.

🔒 6. Safety & Protections

• Equity stop: close all trades if drawdown exceeds MaxDrawdown% .

• Spread filter: disable new entries if spread > average × 2.

• News filter (optional): disable entries during major news events (via external calendar or user input).

• Slippage protection on order placement.

🧰 7. Deliverables

1. Source Code ( TurtleTrader.mq5 )

2. Compiled EA ( TurtleTrader.ex5 )

3. User Guide (parameters, setup, and backtest instructions)

4. Backtest Report (e.g., EURUSD and Boom1000 examples)

5. Optimization Template ( .set files)