FX EA & Auto Trading Blog

2026-05-10

How to Get Started with XAUUSD (Gold) Automated Trading EAs

A practical guide to launching EA-based…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.