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FX EA & Auto Trading Blog

117 articles — EA operation, backtesting, and broker selection know-how, explained without hype

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2026-07-15

Real Ticks vs 1-Minute OHLC

Switch the Strategy Tester model from real…

BacktestReal TicksOHLC

2026-07-15

Why a 90% Win Rate Is a Warning Sign, Not a Feature

The EAs that lead with 'win rate 90%' are often…

Win RateProfit FactorMartingale

2026-07-15

Why You Can't Trust a Backtest With Few Trades

A profit factor of 5.56 means almost nothing if…

BacktestTrade CountSample Size

2026-07-15

Why the Same EA Loses on a Different Broker: Spread

An EA that was profitable on one broker loses…

BrokerSpreadExecution

2026-07-15

Equity Drawdown vs Balance Drawdown

A sales page says 'max drawdown 3.2%' — but if…

DrawdownEquityBalance

2026-07-15

Don't Be Fooled by a '+5,000%' Backtest

An EA number like '+6,408% over 10 years' is…

CompoundingBacktestChoosing an EA

2026-07-15

Backtest Profitable but Losing Live: The Real Causes

'The backtest showed +300%, but running it live…

BacktestLive TradingForward Test

2026-07-15

How to Tell if an EA's Live Track Record Is Real

'Live verified' is reassuring, but plenty of…

Live Track RecordMyfxbookSignal

2026-07-15

Can You Use an EA on a Prop Firm Account

Can you run an EA on prop firm capital? Most…

Prop FirmFTMOChoosing an EA

2026-07-15

Running an EA on a Cent / Micro Account

If you want to start an EA with a small…

Cent AccountMicro AccountSmall Capital

2026-07-15

MT4 vs MT5 for EAs (2026): Why Real-Tick Testing Decides It

Which platform should you run an EA on, MT4 or…

MT4MT5Choosing an EA

2026-07-15

Can You Trust an EA You Can't Read? Closed-Source (.ex5) EAs

Most commercial EAs ship as a compiled .ex5, so…

Source CodeChoosing an EAVerification

2026-07-14

We Backtested 43 Popular Gold EAs on 11.5 Years of Real Data

We ran 43 best-selling paid gold (XAUUSD) EAs…

Gold EAXAUUSDBacktest

2026-07-07

AutoTrading Disabled in MT5: Fix Retcodes 10027 & 10026

Your MT5 EA loads but never opens a trade? The…

MT5MQL5Error

2026-07-07

Invalid Stops in MT5: Fix Retcode 10016 & MT4 Error 130

EA rejected with 'invalid stops' —…

MT5MQL5Error

2026-07-07

Market Closed in MT5: Fix Error 10018 & 132

Getting 'Market closed'…

MT5MQL5Error

2026-07-07

Off Quotes & Requote in MT5: Fix Errors 10021 / 10004

EA orders rejected with off quotes…

MT5MQL5Error

2026-07-07

Unsupported Filling Mode (MT5 Error 10030)

MT5 rejecting every order with 'Unsupported…

MT5MQL5Error

2026-06-26

The truth behind the ×677 martingale gold EA

A full dissection of 5,358 real trades from a…

Live VerificationMartingale EAMartingale

2026-06-19

MT5 EA Not Working or Not Placing Trades

Attached your EA but nothing happens,…

MT5EATroubleshooting

2026-06-12

ERR_NO_MONEY in MQL5: Fix 'Not Enough Money' (134 & 10019)

EA throwing ERR_NO_MONEY in MQL5 even when your…

MT5MQL5Error

2026-05-31

The Monthly Return Trap

EAs claiming '10%+ monthly returns' — why is…

EAGold EAExpensive Gold EA

2026-05-29

Industry First

Based on analysis of 13 EA failure categories…

failure preventionrisk managementEA validation

2026-05-29

Honest Correction

On 2026-05-29, a 14-year MT5 backtest at Risk…

honest correctionreal backtestnumbers correction

Know-how & Guides

How to Run a Backtest with MT5 Strategy Tester

A detailed guide to configuring, running, and reading the results of a backtest using MT5's Strategy Tester.

Backtest

How to Optimize EA Parameters and What to Watch Out For

A guide to optimizing EA parameters with MT5's optimization feature and precautions for avoiding overfitting.

Optimization

EA Portfolio Strategy — Risk Diversification with Multiple EAs

Learn the portfolio theory behind combining low-correlation EAs to smooth drawdowns. Covers correlation coefficients, lot allocation, and practical risk management.

Portfolio

What is Forward Testing? vs Backtest

Understand the difference between backtesting and forward testing. Learn how to read forward test results and use them to validate your EA in live market conditions.

Forward Test

Walk-Forward Analysis and Detecting Over-Optimization

A validation method that separates EAs with genuine edge from those merely curve-fitted to historical data. Covers in-sample/out-of-sample splitting and how to interpret Walk-Forward Efficiency.

Walk-Forward

How to Spot Scam and Low-Quality EAs

Unlimited martingale, no stop-loss, backtest-blocking DRM, compound-interest hype, and reselling the same EA under a new name — a checklist of red flags to check before you spend any money.

EA Selection

VPS Setup and 24/7 MT5 Trading Environment

How to choose a VPS and set up MT5 so your EA never stops. Covers required specs, the difference between broker-provided free VPS and commercial VPS, and daily checks for stable around-the-clock operation.

VPS & Operations

Backtest Pitfalls — What Only Live Testing Can Reveal

An honest look at why backtest results often look better than reality. Covers modeling quality, frequently overlooked costs, and why multi-period and live forward testing matter.

Backtesting

EA Risk & Money Management — How to Calculate Lot Size and Set Your Risk %

How to set your per-trade risk %, calculate lot sizes, understand the difference between compounding and fixed-lot trading, and the basics of margin levels. Essential knowledge for protecting your account while running EAs.

Money Management

Evaluating the Risk of Nanpin/Martingale EAs

How to properly assess high-risk EAs designed to eventually blow up. Covers survival rate, cumulative withdrawal amount, Monte Carlo simulation, daily withdrawal strategies, and other key operating rules.

Nanpin

How to Read Backtest Performance Metrics

How to correctly interpret the numbers in a backtest report — profit factor, expected payoff, recovery factor, maximum consecutive losses, Sharpe Ratio — from the perspectives of profitability, risk, and stability.

Performance Metrics

Handling Drawdown — Surviving Losing Streaks

How to deal with the drawdowns that inevitably come with running EAs. Covers the asymmetry of recovery, what not to do during a losing streak, and how to set a stop-trading line.

Drawdown

MT5 Error Codes — Why Your EA Stops Trading and How to Fix It

Common error codes and causes when an EA stops executing trades, along with step-by-step troubleshooting. Covers how to read the Journal and Expert tabs in MT5.

Troubleshooting

Setting Up the Economic News Filter — Protecting Your Account from Volatile Moves

Why trading around news releases is risky, which high-impact events to avoid, how to configure the filter parameters, and how to decide whether your EA needs one.

Economic News

Moving from Demo to Live — Before You Run Your EA on Real Money

What to verify on demo, the criteria for switching to a live account, how to size your initial lot, and the key differences between demo and live environments.

Account Migration

Running Multiple EAs at Once — MagicNumber and Interference Prevention

How MagicNumber manages position ownership, preventing EAs from interfering with each other, thinking about combined risk, and how many EAs one MT5 instance can handle.

Multi-EA Operation

Choosing a Broker for Your EA — Your Broker Affects Your EA's Performance

A practical guide to how spread, execution method, and slippage affect EA performance, the differences between account types, and how to verify compatibility between an EA and a broker.

Broker Selection

Swap and Trading Costs — The Silent Drain on EA Profits

How the four trading costs — spread, slippage, commission, and swap — affect EA performance, how swap works, and practical strategies for keeping costs under control.

Trading Costs

EA & Automated Trading Profits and Taxes — What You Must Check in Your Country

A country-neutral overview of principles that apply everywhere: EA profits may be taxable, the types of taxation, the importance of keeping trading records, and why consulting a professional matters.

Taxes

EA Lifespan and the Retirement Decision — Recognizing When an EA Has Stopped Working

Why EAs stop working as market conditions change, how to tell the difference between performance deterioration and a normal drawdown, and the criteria and steps for retiring an EA.

EA Lifespan

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