Grid MACD Signal EA

Judge it on real price history before you pay anything: open Grid MACD Signal EA in the MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester, tick visual mode, and watch the MACD main line cut through its signal line on the far side of zero while the grid waits for that cross to close before it lays its first level.

TRADE THE TURN THE MOMENTUM CONFIRMS.

Grid MACD Signal EA lets Gerald Appel's classic momentum oscillator say when a stretched move has started to turn, then hands the position to a complete grid management engine that keeps shrinking the oldest exposure, one closure and one slice at a time.

The short version, for busy traders

• A cycle starts only when the MACD main line crosses its signal line on a closed candle: upward while MACD is still below zero for a BUY, downward while it is still above zero for a SELL. Closed bars only, so the history never repaints.

• The new Histogram Momentum Guard refuses lazy, flat crosses. The histogram must swing hard enough compared with its own recent average, and the main line must already be sloping the trade's way.

• Profits are taken by groups made of the oldest and the newest orders, and a heavy old order is retired in partial slices instead of being left to wait for a full return.

• No stop loss and no forced close-all. When a limit is reached, new levels are refused while the existing book keeps being managed.

• Works on hedging and netting accounts, and every limit is a visible input you can change.

START HERE

First chart: EURUSD H1 or XAUUSD D1. First lot: the default 0.01 with the additive ladder. First mode: Scan only, so the panel shows every plan it would make before one order is sent; press the button for Armed once you like what you see. Run the Strategy Tester on your own broker's data before going live, because spreads, swaps and commission differ from broker to broker. On a small balance keep the default lot and let the tester show how deep the book can grow on your symbol.

Why MACD, and why the zero line matters

MACD measures the gap between a fast and a slow exponential moving average, then smooths that gap into a signal line. The difference between the two is the histogram. When the main line climbs back over the signal line, downside momentum is losing its grip; when it falls back under, upside momentum is fading. On its own, a cross happens far too often to be useful. This EA adds the rule many experienced traders use by eye: a BUY cross only counts while MACD is still below zero, where selling has already been stretched, and a SELL cross only counts while MACD is still above zero, where buying has already been stretched. A cross on the wrong side of zero is usually a late chase, so it is ignored. That makes the start of each cycle a turn from an extreme, which is exactly where a grid prefers to begin.

What is new in this release

The Histogram Momentum Guard is this EA's own improvement. Anyone who has watched MACD on a quiet market knows the problem: the two lines lie on top of each other and cross back and forth on tiny moves that mean nothing. The guard measures how far the histogram jumped on the cross bar and compares it with the average size of the histogram over a window of bars you choose. A cross made by a tiny wobble is refused; a cross with real push behind it is accepted. It also checks that the MACD main line is moving in the trade's direction on that bar. Set the ratio to 0 to switch the guard off. The panel shows a HIST GUARD row with the live histogram, the swing as a multiple of its average, and whether the guard says OPEN or WEAK hold. The MACD can also be drawn in its own sub-window on the live chart. Margin-level timeframe safety is included and is off by default.

How one cycle runs

1. The read. On every closed bar the EA reads the MACD main line and the signal line from the built-in MetaTrader 5 MACD indicator. The forming candle is never used, so what you see in history is what the EA saw at that moment.

2. The cross. A BUY is considered when the main line closes above the signal line after being at or below it on the previous bar; a SELL is the mirror.

3. The zero line rule. By default a BUY cross must happen below zero and a SELL cross above zero. Set the rule to 0 and any cross counts.

4. The gap check. If you want a firmer cross, require a minimum distance in points between the main line and the signal line on the cross bar.

5. The Histogram Momentum Guard. The histogram swing on the cross bar must reach your chosen multiple of its average size, with the main line sloping the right way.

6. The optional trend filter. An EMA can confirm the side: trade only with it, trade only against it as a fade, or leave it off.

7. The rhythm. A quiet gap of bars between accepted signals keeps a choppy session from starting one cycle after another, and a signal stays valid for a few bars if a level cannot be placed at once.

8. The ladder. Levels are spaced by fixed points or by ATR, with a floor, a ceiling and an option to freeze the distance for the whole cycle. BUY and SELL grids can run side by side or in one direction only.

9. The harvest. The closer looks for groups of the oldest and newest orders and closes a group as soon as its combined result, after swap and commission, beats your target. When the oldest order is still too heavy, only a slice of it is closed, paid for with profit already on the table.

10. The safety checks. A reopen guard blocks any closure that would reopen the same level straight away. Every leg is checked against the deal history, failed legs go into a retry queue, and a plan is dropped if the book changes between the scan and the send.

11. The optional hedge cycle. Off by default. When switched on it holds a balanced pair on a symbol you choose and retires it in equal slices, paid for by a small surcharge on closures the grid is already making.

The panel

The panel sits on the left of the chart and keeps the right side and the price scale clear. It shows the symbol and magic number, a status pill (ARMED, SCAN ONLY or PAUSED), grid mode, lot step, spacing, banked profit, the book in lots with its net result, the closing plan for each side with its own close button, and the order list. The MACD PULSE row shows the main and signal values in points, whether MACD is above or below zero, and how many bars have passed since the last cross. The HIST GUARD row shows the histogram, the momentum ratio, the guard state and the trend filter. Buttons switch Armed / Scan only, Pause / Resume, chart marks and slicing. The Hedge Vault card is docked directly under the main panel and follows it when you drag or minimise. Arrows mark the candles where a cycle was armed. The panel scales with the screen and draws nothing in a non-visual backtest, so optimisation stays fast.

Protection you control

No stop loss and no forced close-all. A reached limit stops new levels; it never throws away the book at a bad moment.

Before each order the money check asks a single plain question: is there enough free margin, with a safety buffer, for this order?

Limits on levels per grid, orders per side and lot per order keep the ladder bounded, and the lot ladder stops growing at the level limit.

On netting accounts the margin of the merged position is capped as a percentage of equity.

Optional margin-level timeframe safety moves the signal and the spacing to a higher timeframe when the margin level falls to your chosen levels, and moves back only after margin recovers past a cushion. Off by default.

Every copy isolates itself by symbol and magic numbers, so several charts never touch each other's orders or saved state.

Scan only mode shows every decision without sending any order.

Who it is for, and who it is not for

It suits traders who want a clear, visible reason for every new cycle, who prefer many small closures to one distant target, and who are ready to size the lot for their own account. It does not suit anyone who needs a stop loss on every order, a promised monthly figure, or a set-and-forget robot running large lots on a tiny balance.

Quick answers

Does it repaint? No. Signals come from closed bars only.

Can I use it on gold or indices? Yes. It runs on any symbol and timeframe; ATR spacing adapts the distance between levels to the symbol.

Can I run it on several charts? Yes. Give each copy its own magic numbers and they stay fully separate.

Can I make it trade more or less often? Yes. Lower SignalBarsDelay or the momentum ratio for more cycles; raise them, or switch on the trend filter, for fewer.

Every setting explained

Grid - how levels are opened

TradeMode - dual grid by default (BUY and SELL side by side), or one direction only.

GridSpacePoints - fixed distance between levels in points when ATR spacing is off (25).

GridSpaceMultiplier - 1.0 keeps levels evenly spaced; a higher value spreads deeper levels further apart.

MaxGridLevels - the most levels one grid may hold (1000).

UpDirectionIsBuy - decides which side an upward move belongs to.

EAMagicNumber - the ID written on this EA's grid orders (9754250).

GridOrderComment - the comment on each grid order (GMAC).

OneOrderPerBar - no more than one new level per bar.

Lot ladder

InitialLotSize - volume of the first level (0.01).

LotSizingMode - additive by default, or multiply.

LotMultiplier - in multiply mode, each level is the previous lot times this value (1.25).

LotAddStep - in additive mode, the volume added at each level (0.01; 0 means the starting lot).

MaxOrderVolume - the largest lot any single order may use (1.0).

UseAutoLot - scales the starting lot with the balance (off).

AutoLotBaseBalance - the balance that matches the starting lot (1000).

AutoLotAllowDecrease - lets auto lot go below the starting lot (off).

ATR spacing

GridSpacingMode - ATR by default, or fixed points.

ATRTimeframe - the timeframe volatility is measured on (current chart).

ATRPeriod - ATR length (14).

ATRSpacingFactor - spacing equals ATR times this value (1.0).

ATRBarShift - 1 uses the last closed bar.

ATRMinSpacingPts - the smallest allowed spacing in points (50; 0 means none).

ATRMaxSpacingPts - the largest allowed spacing in points (5000; 0 means none).

ATRFreezeOnStart - keeps one spacing for the whole cycle (off).

Profit target

DesiredProfitPerClosure - the base target in account currency (2.0).

ProfitMultiplier - scales the final target between 1.00 and 2.00.

ProfitTargetMode - scaled by default, so a bigger and deeper book must earn a bigger result.

ProfitVolumePower - how strongly closing volume lifts the target (1.0; 0 turns it off).

ProfitDepthBonus - extra target for each additional open level (0.10).

ProfitMaxMultiple - the cap on the scaled target as a multiple of the base (50).

ProfitMaxReachFraction - keeps the target within a fraction of one grid step so it stays reachable (0.50).

Fragment scanner

UseMultiLegScan - tests combinations of several orders before the simple pair (on).

MaxOldestLegs - the most oldest orders allowed in one closure (3).

MaxNewestLegs - the most newest orders allowed in one closure (6).

ScanPriority - how qualifying groups are ranked; most orders first by default.

NeverBankLessThanPair - a group must also beat the plain pair target (on).

RequireCloseVolumeExceedsTarget - the newest volume must outweigh the oldest volume (on).

MinCloseVolumeRatio - minimum ratio of closing volume to target volume (1.5).

Target slicing - partial closes

EnableTargetSlicing - closes a slice of the oldest order when the whole lot cannot be paid off yet (on).

FragProfitWeightPower - how profit is weighted per closing lot (1.5).

FragMinSlicePercent - the smallest slice as a percent of the target order (20).

FragAllowMultiCloser - lets several newest orders pool their profit to pay for one slice (on).

FragPreferFullClosure - a full closure wins over a slice whenever both qualify (on).

Reopen guard

ReopenGuard - blocks closures that would immediately reopen a level (step based).

ReopenGuardCushion - the safe distance as a fraction of one grid step (0.90).

Account protection

MinMarginLevelPercent - no new levels below this margin level percent (0 = off).

MaxAccountRiskPercent - no new levels above this floating loss as a percent of balance (0 = off).

NetMaxMarginPercent - on netting accounts, the largest margin of the net position as a percent of equity (5.0).

MaxTotalOrders - absolute cap on grid orders per side (1000).

Execution and verification

RunMode - Armed or Scan only; Scan only is the gentle first step.

CloseSequence - the order in which legs are sent; oldest first by default.

MaxSlippagePoints - maximum slippage (30 points).

MaxSpreadPoints - trading pauses above this spread (7500 points).

MinSecondsBetweenClosures - minimum pause between two closures on the same side (5 seconds).

CloseAttemptsPerLeg - send attempts before a leg moves to the retry queue (3).

VerifyTimeoutSeconds - how long a stuck leg keeps being checked (90 seconds).

DeferWhenMarketClosed - waits for the session instead of halting when the market is closed (on).

MarketClosedRetrySeconds - retry interval while the broker refuses orders (30 seconds).

AutoResumeAfterSeconds - clears a halt by itself after this many seconds (300; 0 waits for the panel button).

NoPartialRetryMinutes - tries partial closes again this many minutes after a broker refusal (15; 0 never).

AbortIfBookChanged - drops a plan if a leg changed between the scan and the send (on).

UseFullCommission - counts commission for both sides of a trade (on).

CommissionPerLot - fallback commission when history has none (0 reads it from history).

CloseOrderComment - the comment on closing deals.

Hedge cycle

EnableHedgeCycle - off by default.

HedgeSymbols - comma-separated list of hedge symbols; repeating one gives it more turns (XAGUSD).

HedgeSymbolRotation - how the next cycle's symbol is picked (per cycle).

HedgeMaxSymbolsInTester - limits rotation in the Strategy Tester only (2; 0 means no limit).

HedgeCycleLots - lots on each side of the balanced pair (0.01).

HedgeSliceLots - lots retired from each side per slice (0.01).

HedgeFragmentBonus - extra amount added on top of the slice cost (100).

HedgeBonusIsPercent - the bonus is a percent of the slice cost; false makes it a fixed amount (on).

HedgeMaxSurcharge - money cap on what one closure may be surcharged (0 = no cap).

HedgeMaxSurchargePercent - the most the hedge may raise any closure target, in percent (50).

HedgeMagicNumber - the hedge legs' ID; it must differ from the grid's (9754251).

HedgeReopenOnFinish - opens a fresh cycle when one finishes (on).

HedgeStartRequiresTrade - waits for the grid to open something before the first cycle (on).

HedgeIntegritySeconds - how often both legs are checked to be equal (5 seconds).

HedgeAutoRepair - repairs a lone leg automatically (on).

HedgeNakedAction - what to do with a lone leg; re-hedge by default.

HedgeMaxSpreadPoints - no hedge orders above this spread (0 = off).

HedgeSlippagePoints - maximum slippage on hedge orders (30 points).

HedgeAttemptsPerLeg - send attempts per hedge leg (3).

HedgeVerifyTimeout - how long a stuck hedge leg keeps being checked (90 seconds).

HedgeCommissionPerLot - fallback hedge commission (0 reads it from history).

HedgeOrderComment - the comment on hedge deals.

Weekly cash day

WeeklyCashDay - no new hedge cycle and no slice during your withdrawal window (off).

CashDayOfWeek - 0 Sunday, 1 Monday and so on (1).

CashCutoffHour - server hour after which no new slice is fired (21).

Panel and chart

ShowPanel - shows or hides the panel.

PanelX and PanelY - panel offsets from the chart edges (12 and 15).

PanelFontSize - base font size (9).

ShowArabic - adds an Arabic line under the English on the panel (on).

ShowChartMarks - draws plans and levels on the chart (on).

MaxTableRows - order rows shown per grid (13).

PanelCorner - the chart corner the panel is anchored to.

Entry trigger

EntryTriggerMode - the MACD strategy arms the first level by default.

SignalBarShift - 1 means the last closed bar.

SignalBarsDelay - bars that must pass between accepted signals (30; 0 accepts every signal).

SignalValidBars - a signal stays usable for this many bars (3).

SignalAllowBuy and SignalAllowSell - turn each direction on or off separately.

SignalReverse - inverts the direction (off).

MACD signal - the signal

InpMACDFast - the fast EMA length (12).

InpMACDSlow - the slow EMA length; must be longer than the fast one (26).

InpMACDSignal - the smoothing length of the signal line (9).

InpMACDPrice - the price MACD is built on (close).

InpMACDZeroRule - 1 means a BUY cross must happen below zero and a SELL cross above zero; 0 accepts any cross (1).

InpMACDMinGapPts - the minimum distance, in points, between the main and signal lines on the cross bar (0 = off).

InpMACDMomentumRatio - Histogram Momentum Guard: the histogram swing on the cross bar must be at least this multiple of its average size (0.20; 0 = off).

InpMACDMomentumLookback - bars used for the average histogram size (50).

InpMACDTrendFilter - 0 off, 1 trade with the EMA side, 2 trade against it as a fade.

InpMACDTrendMAPeriod - the trend EMA length (200).

InpShowSignalArrows - arrows on the candles where a cycle was armed (on).

InpShowMACDOnChart - draws the MACD in its own sub-window of the live chart (off, so the panel keeps the full chart height; switch it on on a large screen).

Debug

DebugMode - detailed journal logging (off).

Margin timeframe safety

UseMarginTFSafety - off by default.

Level1MarginPct and Level1TF - at or below 6000 percent margin level, work on M15.

Level2MarginPct and Level2TF - at or below 5000 percent, work on H1.

MarginTFHysteresisPct - how far margin must recover above a level before stepping back (500).

Honest expectations

A grid manages a position; it cannot see the future. Grid MACD Signal EA is selective about when a cycle begins and works steadily to keep each cycle short and each old order shrinking, but a strong trend can keep MACD on one side of zero for a long time and keep the book open. Choose a lot your account can carry through that, test on your own broker first, and let the Strategy Tester show you how it behaves before you trade it live. It runs on any symbol and timeframe and needs no DLLs and no extra files.

If you use it, an honest review of how it worked on your account, good or bad, helps other traders decide.