Five Most Useful Tools MT4

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The main 5 most useful tools MT4:

  • 1

    Strategy tester - for backtest trading strategies based on historical data.

  • 2

    Indicators - for visual representations of market data to help traders analyze trends.

  • 3

    Different types of charts - for diverse visual representations of price movements (e.g., candlestick, line, bar charts).

  • 4

    Expert advisors and scripts - to execute trades or perform specific functions in the market.

  • 5

    Signal service - for real-time trading signals or recommendations.

MetaTrader 4 (MT4) is a Forex trading platform developed by MetaQuotes Software. It was released in 2005 and has since become one of the most popular Forex trading platforms in the world.

MT4 offers a wide range of tools and features that can help traders in their trading. These include:

  • A trading terminal, which is the main tool used to place orders and manage trades;

  • Indicators, which are tools that use historical data to predict future prices;

  • Oscillators, which are a type of indicator that measures the momentum and strength of price movements;

  • Charts, which are tools used to visualize price data;

  • Orders, which are the types of orders that traders can use to enter and exit trades;

  • Expert Advisors (EAs), which are computer programs that can automatically trade on behalf of the trader.

MT4 is available for download on a variety of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It is also available as a web-based version.

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Strategy tester

Strategy tester. This tool allows traders to test their trading strategies on historical data. This can be very helpful for traders who want to make sure that their strategies are profitable before they start using them on a live account.

To use the strategy tester, traders must first create a strategy. The strategy can be based on various factors, such as technical indicators, fundamental data, or a combination of these factors.

Once the strategy is created, traders can load it into the strategy tester. The Strategy tester will then use historical data to simulate how the strategy would have performed in the past.

Traders can customize a number of parameters in the strategy tester to tailor it to their needs. These parameters include:

Once the strategy is created, traders can load it into the strategy tester. The Strategy tester will then use historical data to simulate how the strategy would have performed in the past.

Traders can customize a number of parameters in the strategy tester to tailor it to their needs. These parameters include:

The strategy tester provides traders with a number of results that they can use to evaluate the effectiveness of their strategy. These results include:

  • Accuracy;

  • Profitability;

  • Average profit;

  • Average loss;

  • Percentage of profitable trades;

  • Percentage of losing trades;

  • Percentage of profitable trades with stop loss;

  • Percentage of profitable trades with take profit.

The Strategy Tester is a valuable tool that can help traders improve their trading results. It allows traders to test their strategies on historical data to see how they would have performed in the past. This can help traders identify which strategies are profitable and which strategies need to be improved.

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Indicators

Indicators. MT4 offers a wide range of indicators that can be used to analyze the market and make trading decisions. Some of the most popular indicators include Moving Averages, Bollinger Bands, and MACD.

MetaTrader 4 offers a wide range of indicators that can be used for various purposes. Some of the most popular indicators include:

  • Moving averages are indicators that smooth prices to identify trends;

  • Bollinger bands are indicators that are used to identify support and resistance areas;

  • MACD is an indicator that measures the strength of a trend;

  • RSI is an indicator that is used to identify overbought and oversold conditions;

  • Stochastik is an indicator that measures market volatility.

Indicators can be used in a variety of ways. Some traders use them to confirm their trading signals, while others use them to generate trading signals on their own.

Indicators can be divided into two main categories:

  • Line indicators are indicators that are displayed as a line on a chart;

  • Volume indicators are indicators that are displayed as columns or areas on a chart.

Line indicators

Line indicators are the most common type of indicators. They can be used to measure various parameters, such as trend, volatility, support and resistance levels.

Some of the most popular line indicators include:

  • Moving averages;

  • Bollinger bands;

  • MACD;

  • RSI;

  • Stochastik.

Volume Indicators

Volume indicators are used to measure trading volume. Trading volume can be used to confirm trading signals or to identify potential volatility.

Some of the most popular volume indicators include:

  • Volume;

  • On Balance Volume;

  • Accumulation/Distribution.

Charts

Charts. MT4 offers a variety of charting tools that traders can use to analyze the market. These tools include line charts, candlestick charts, and bar charts. Traders can also add technical indicators to their charts to get a better understanding of the market.

  • Line charts are the simplest type of charts. They display prices as lines connecting the opening, closing, high, and low points for a given period of time.

  • Digital charts are a variation of line charts that display prices as points.

  • Candlestick charts are the most popular type of charts among traders. They display prices as candles, each of which represents one trading period.

  • Bar charts are a variation of candlestick charts that display prices as vertical or horizontal bars.

  • Volume charts are charts that display trading volume for a given period of time.

Expert advisors and scripts

Expert Advisors (EAs). EAs are computer programs that can automatically trade on behalf of the trader. EAs can be used to implement a variety of trading strategies, such as breakout strategies, trend following strategies, and mean reversion strategies.

Scripts. Scripts are short computer programs that can be used to automate various tasks in MT4. For example, a script can be used to automatically open and close trades, or to calculate risk and reward.

Signal service

Signal Service. MT4 allows traders to subscribe to signal services. Signal services provide traders with trading signals, which are recommendations to buy or sell a particular asset.

Conclusion

Metatrader 4 is one of the most popular platforms for Forex trading. Its advantages: an intuitive interface, a maximum of the most necessary tools, the presence of a strategy tester, a built-in economic calendar and a signal service. And most importantly: you can add any custom scripts, indicators, charts, information panels and trading advisors to MT4.

FAQ

What is the most powerful MT4 indicator?

There are no better or worse technical indicators. You need to be able to select settings and be able to find market situations in which the tool will work best.

Is MT4 or 5 better?

MT5 has more advanced functionality and added the ability to trade futures. But under MT4 there are many more free advisors, scripts and indicators. That’s why MT4 remains more popular for now.

What is the best setup for MT4?

Information panels, scripts, software for testing strategies, advisors.

Why do traders prefer MT4?

The platform is popular due to its minimalist functionality, intuitive interface and the ability to add any custom software.

Glossary for novice traders

  • 1 Broker

    A broker is a legal entity or individual that performs as an intermediary when making trades in the financial markets. Private investors cannot trade without a broker, since only brokers can execute trades on the exchanges.

  • 2 Trading

    Trading involves the act of buying and selling financial assets like stocks, currencies, or commodities with the intention of profiting from market price fluctuations. Traders employ various strategies, analysis techniques, and risk management practices to make informed decisions and optimize their chances of success in the financial markets.

  • 3 Volatility

    Volatility refers to the degree of variation or fluctuation in the price or value of a financial asset, such as stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrencies, over a period of time. Higher volatility indicates that an asset's price is experiencing more significant and rapid price swings, while lower volatility suggests relatively stable and gradual price movements.

  • 4 Forex Trading

    Forex trading, short for foreign exchange trading, is the practice of buying and selling currencies in the global foreign exchange market with the aim of profiting from fluctuations in exchange rates. Traders speculate on whether one currency will rise or fall in value relative to another currency and make trading decisions accordingly.

  • 5 Expert Advisor

    An Expert Advisor (EA) is a piece of software or script used in the MetaTrader trading platform to automate trading strategies. EAs are programmed to execute trading decisions based on predefined criteria, rules, and algorithms, allowing for automated and systematic trading without the need for manual intervention.

Team that worked on the article

Alex Smith
Cryptocurrency and stock expert

Alex Smith is a professional day trader for a proprietary trading firm within the foreign exchange (forex) and crypto markets. His area of expertise is day trading and swing trading within the 15min-4hr time frames for both the London and NY open.

Dr. BJ Johnson
Dr. BJ Johnson
Developmental English Editor

Dr. BJ Johnson is a PhD in English Language and an editor with over 15 years of experience. He earned his degree in English Language in the U.S and the UK. In 2020, Dr. Johnson joined the Traders Union team. Since then, he has created over 100 exclusive articles and edited over 300 articles of other authors.

Mirjan Hipolito
Cryptocurrency and stock expert

Mirjan Hipolito is a journalist and news editor at Traders Union. She is an expert crypto writer with five years of experience in the financial markets. Her specialties are daily market news, price predictions, and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO).