Gold Quant Engine Hardened

Gold Quant Engine Hardened is a trend-following Expert Advisor designed for Gold (XAUUSD). It trades one position at a time, always with a stop loss, and uses no martingale, grid or averaging.

HOW IT WORKS

- Entry: at the start of each new H4 bar, the EA compares price with the highest high (or lowest low) of the previous Donchian period. If price breaks that level by more than the breakout padding, it opens a buy (or sell) at market. Signals are checked once per bar.

- Initial stop loss: ATR x multiplier from the entry price.

- Exit: there is no fixed take profit. Once the trade is in profit, the stop trails behind price at an ATR-based Chandelier distance and only ever moves in the trade's favor.

- Session filter (optional): new entries can be limited to a time window in broker time (default 07:00 to 18:00). Trailing stops and protection rules keep working outside the window.

- Spread filter: no new entries when the spread is above the set maximum.

BACKTEST (XAUUSD, H4, 2021 to September 2026, default settings, 6,000 USD deposit, 0.05 lots, 100% history quality)

- Net profit: 4,678.90 USD (78%)

- Profit factor: 1.76

- Total trades: 75 (58.7% profitable)

- Maximum equity drawdown: 2,273 USD (18.4%)

- Longest losing streak: 5 trades (1,152 USD)

Backtest results do not guarantee future results. Settings, broker, spreads and execution will change your own results.

WHAT TO EXPECT

This is a low-frequency trend system: about 13 trades per year in the test. There can be weeks or months with no trades, losing streaks, and most of the profit comes from a small number of large trends. It is not suitable for short rental periods or for anyone expecting frequent activity.

EXAMPLE RUNS WITH TARGET MODE

The last two screenshots show backtests with Phase 1 mode selected: one that reached the 8% target within the built-in drawdown limits (started [date]), and one that did not reach the target (started [date], ended at -105 USD). Of 18 monthly start dates tested between 2021 and 2026, 16 reached the target and 2 did not: one ended at -105 USD (see pic) and one ended at +215.40 USD without reaching the 480 USD target. Start dates overlap and share the same market history, so these runs are not independent tests. The settings were chosen using this same historical period, so future results may differ, and the outcome depends heavily on when the EA is started. This does not guarantee that any funded-account challenge will be passed.

BUILT-IN PROTECTION

- Baseline: the starting balance used to size all limits. By default it is the account balance when the EA starts, or you can enter it manually.

- Daily loss limit: if equity falls by the set percentage of the baseline (default 4.5%) from the day's starting equity, all positions are closed and no new trades are opened until the next day.

- Maximum drawdown limit: if equity falls below the baseline by the set percentage (default 9.5%), all positions are closed and trading stops until the EA is restarted. This limit is measured from the baseline, not from the highest equity reached, so after a profitable period the account can lose more than that percentage from its peak before the limit acts.

- Profit target mode: Continuous (default, no target), Phase 1 (8% of baseline) or Phase 2 (5% of baseline). In Phase 1 or Phase 2, when the target is reached the EA closes all positions and stops opening trades until it is restarted.

- Safety checks: lot size is adjusted to the broker's minimum, maximum and step; free margin, stop level and freeze level are checked before orders and stop modifications.

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS

- Symbol: XAUUSD (Gold). The EA uses H4 data; attach it to an XAUUSD chart (H4 recommended).

- Account type: any (hedging or netting)

- Lot size is fixed (default 0.05). Given the 2,273 USD maximum equity drawdown seen in the test at 0.05 lots, a balance of about 10,000 USD or more is recommended at that size. On smaller accounts, reduce the lot size.

- A broker with low spreads and fast execution is recommended.

INPUTS

- Target mode and the Phase 1 and Phase 2 target percentages

- Baseline override (0 = use the balance at start), daily drawdown %, maximum drawdown %, maximum lot ceiling

- Lot size, magic number, ATR multiplier, ATR period, maximum spread

- Donchian lookback and breakout padding

- Session filter on/off with start and end hour

NOTE FOR FUNDED ACCOUNTS

The built-in limits are percentages of the baseline you set. Funded-account providers measure drawdown in different ways, and the drawdown seen in the backtest may exceed some providers' limits. Check your provider's rules and adjust the inputs yourself.

RISK WARNING

Trading leveraged products carries a high risk of loss. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Test on a demo account before using real money.