From the desk
Practical guides to position sizing, risk management, MT5 trade reviews, and using AI at your trading desk.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
Sharpe vs Sortino Ratio: Check the Return Series Before Comparing Traders
Calculate a small Sharpe and Sortino example, state the downside-deviation convention, and check frequency, targets, costs, and data coverage in an MT5 review.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Recovery Factor: Compare Profit with Drawdown, Not Recovery Time
Calculate recovery factor using matching profit and drawdown amounts. Check why identical ratios can hide different loss paths, duration, and account funding.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
How to Measure MT5 Slippage: Compare the Right Quote with the Fill
Build an execution-quality worksheet with direction-aware slippage, weighted fills, timestamps, and broker records. Avoid mixing spread with quote-to-fill movement.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Cent Accounts: Check Balance Currency and Lot Units Before Sizing
Avoid mixing cent-denominated balances with dollar tick values. Follow a hypothetical risk calculation and verify the broker contract before using AI sizing.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
GDP on a Forex Calendar: Annualized Growth, Quarterly Growth, and Revisions
Convert a quarterly GDP change into an annualized rate, separate real from nominal measures, and preserve release vintages before interpreting a forex event.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
PCE vs CPI for Forex and Gold: Identify the Inflation Measure First
Distinguish PCE from CPI and headline from core before reading a calendar surprise. Check the Fed’s inflation reference, units, and release-time evidence.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
Weekend Gap Risk in Forex and Gold: Review the Position Before the Break
Model a stop fill beyond its requested price, inspect broker trading sessions, and review open and pending exposure before holding forex or gold through a closure.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
Binance Spot Order Filters: Minimum Notional, Step Size, and Price Precision
Check why a valid-looking crypto quantity can fail minimum-notional or step-size rules. Follow a hypothetical BTC order example and separate spot filters from MT5 lots.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
Walk-Forward Testing for AI Trading: Keep Selection Behind the Test Date
Design rolling development and test windows, preserve parameter and prompt versions, and combine forward results without leaking later information into earlier decisions.
Oct 21, 2026 · 4 min read
AI Trading Strategy Prompt Template: Turn Instructions into Testable Rules
Write an AI trading strategy with explicit data, entries, invalidation, management, and no-trade conditions. Separate session settings from guidance in TickerAI.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
NFP Explained: Payrolls, Unemployment, and Revisions Before a Forex Trade
Read an NFP release beyond the headline. Separate payroll jobs from unemployment, inspect revisions, and keep a release-time record for forex and gold analysis.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
FOMC Statement, Press Conference, and Minutes: A Trader’s Event Checklist
Separate an FOMC rate decision from its statement, press conference, projections, and later minutes. Build a timestamped event plan for forex and gold exposure.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Swap and Rollover: Calculate an Overnight Holding Cost
Check swap units, long and short rates, rollover multipliers, and account-currency conversion. Follow a hypothetical points-based financing calculation.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
NAS100 and US30 Lot Size: Calculate Index CFD Risk per Point
Size an index CFD using tick size, tick value, stop distance, and broker volume steps. Compare two hypothetical NAS100-style contracts with different point values.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
Crypto Spot vs Perpetual Futures: Funding, Basis, and Chart Differences
Distinguish a spot crypto pair from a perpetual contract before using an AI chart. Calculate hypothetical funding and basis, and check TickerAI’s actual data source.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
MAE and MFE Explained: Review What Happened Before a Trade Closed
Calculate maximum adverse and favorable excursion with a worked example. Check data resolution, position size, and why chart extremes are not executable exit promises.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
Trade Entry Zones: Why Midpoint Risk Differs from Your Actual Fill
Compare risk and reward across an entry zone, not just its midpoint. Calculate how the same volume can exceed an estimated budget at a different fill price.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
Crypto Scanner Backtests: Avoid Survivorship Bias in the Coin List
Check whether a historical crypto scanner test used the assets available then or only today’s survivors. Follow a simple basket example and record universe changes.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Demo vs Live Trading: What an AI Test Can and Cannot Prove
Separate demo workflow testing from live performance expectations. Compare fills, costs, account settings, and model changes before interpreting AI trading results.
Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Order Timeout: Check Broker State Before Retrying a Trade
Distinguish an order timeout from an explicit rejection. Reconcile pending orders, positions, and deals, and understand how TickerAI reuses an idea reference on retries.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Invalid Stops: Check Stop Level, Freeze Level, and Price Units
Troubleshoot an MT5 invalid stops rejection using broker distance rules, point size, current prices, and valid price increments without removing risk controls.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Pending Orders: When to Cancel, Expire, or Recheck an Entry
Give pending MT5 orders a clear lifetime and cancellation rule. Review stale entries, expiry settings, activation risk, and TickerAI session behavior.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
Tick Volume vs Real Volume: Read Forex and Crypto Charts Correctly
Distinguish MT5 tick counts from traded volume and Binance candle volume. Check units, unfinished bars, and how TickerAI uses a volume spike in its scanner.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
XAGUSD Lot Size: Calculate Silver Trade Risk from the Contract
Calculate silver CFD lot size with explicit XAGUSD contract assumptions. Compare stop distances, volume rounding, and minimum-lot constraints before trading.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
AI Scalping: Check Spread, Response Time, and Credit Cost First
Evaluate an AI scalping workflow using target size, execution costs, decision delay, and usage budgets. Understand TickerAI check intervals and holding-time limits.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
Headline vs Core CPI: Read an Inflation Release Before a Forex or Gold Trade
Separate headline and core CPI, monthly and annual readings, and actual-versus-forecast surprises. Use a release worksheet without assuming a guaranteed price reaction.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
OHLC Backtest Problem: What If Stop and Target Hit in the Same Candle?
See why candle OHLC data cannot always identify which exit came first. Compare two intrabar paths and document conservative assumptions before trusting a backtest.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
Auto Trading Profit Goals: Equity Progress Is Not Realized Profit
Understand how TickerAI measures auto-trading goals from account equity, why floating P/L matters, and what a completed session does to open positions and orders.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
SMA vs EMA: Compare Moving Averages Without Changing the Test
Calculate a simple and exponential moving average example, check warm-up and candle settings, and compare SMA with EMA using TickerAI charts and a fixed rule.
Oct 19, 2026 · 4 min read
Compare Multiple MT5 Accounts with AI: Identity, Currency, and Risk First
Compare connected MT5 accounts without mixing balances, currencies, or trade samples. Use explicit account names, matched date ranges, and normalized results.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Symbol Suffixes: Why EURUSD and XAUUSD Charts Can Differ
Troubleshoot MT5 symbol suffixes, missing instruments, and mismatched broker charts. Verify the exact symbol, contract, feed, and candle settings before trading.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
Pip vs Point vs Tick: Calculate Forex Pip Value on USDJPY
Separate forex pips, quoted points, and minimum ticks. Calculate USDJPY pip value in JPY and USD, and check why account currency changes the result.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Netting vs Hedging Accounts: What Happens to Your Positions?
Compare MT5 netting and hedging with same-direction and opposite-order examples. Check position counts, stop settings, and automation assumptions on demo.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
Bollinger Band Squeeze: How to Evaluate a Breakout Setup
Define a Bollinger Band squeeze using bandwidth, then check breakout rules, completed candles, and trade costs. Includes a worked band-width calculation.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
MACD Line, Signal Line, and Histogram: Read the Difference
Distinguish MACD zero-line crosses from signal crosses, calculate a histogram example, and check why TickerAI and MT5 can show different indicator values.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Stop Loss vs Trailing Stop: What Keeps Working When You Disconnect?
Compare a broker-held stop loss with MT5 terminal trailing logic and AI stop updates. Follow a trailing-stop example and verify what happens after disconnection.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
Forex Session Times and Daylight Saving: Avoid a One-Hour Calendar Error
Convert London, New York, UTC, and Pakistan time correctly around clock changes. Check broker server timestamps and use a dated trading-session review process.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
Partial Close Trading: Calculate Realized R After Scaling Out
Calculate total realized R across partial exits, remaining stops, and costs. Compare scaling out with holding full size using a transparent hypothetical example.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
Trading Losing Streaks: Model Drawdown with Fixed Fractional Risk
Model ten losing trades at different risk fractions, distinguish a specified streak from any streak in a sample, and build a practical loss-review rule.
Oct 18, 2026 · 4 min read
AI Trading Journal Template: Record Decisions Before Reviewing Results
Use a practical trading journal template for entry evidence, initial risk, execution, and weekly AI review. Separate rule adherence from profitable outcomes.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
MT5 Order Types Explained: Market, Limit, and Stop Orders
Compare MT5 market, buy limit, sell limit, buy stop, and sell stop orders using worked price examples, then check how TickerAI selects an order type.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Forex Trading Costs: Spread, Commission, Swap, and Slippage
Calculate forex trading costs without double-counting the spread. Follow EURUSD examples showing commission, slippage, overnight charges, and net results.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Forex Leverage and Margin Explained: Why Margin Is Not Trade Risk
Understand forex leverage, used margin, free margin, and margin level with a worked EURUSD example. Separate broker collateral from stop-based trade risk.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
RSI Overbought, Oversold, and Divergence: How to Check the Signal
Learn what RSI 70, RSI 30, and bullish or bearish divergence describe. Use a reproducible chart-review process instead of treating an extreme as an entry.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
ATR Stop Loss Explained: Volatility, Stop Distance, and Position Size
Use average true range to compare a stop with recent volatility. Follow an ATR calculation and see how wider stops change lot size at a fixed cash budget.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Multiple Timeframe Analysis for Forex: A Reproducible AI Workflow
Give each forex timeframe a clear role: context, setup, and trigger. Avoid unfinished-candle look-ahead and keep AI analysis tied to timestamped evidence.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Trading Expectancy vs Profit Factor: Why Sample Size Matters
Calculate trading expectancy and profit factor from net outcomes. See how one outlier, unequal risk, and a small sample can change the story behind a strategy.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Correlated Forex Pairs: How to Review Total Account Exposure
Map forex positions into currency exposure, add planned stop risk, and test shared scenarios. Learn why several symbols can still represent one dollar bet.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Connect MT5 to an AI Trading Assistant with Read-Only Access
Understand MT5 investor passwords versus full trading access. Connect a supported account to TickerAI for analysis, check the server, and verify permissions.
Oct 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Backtesting vs Forward Testing an AI Trading Strategy
Separate historical backtests, out-of-sample validation, and demo forward tests. Build an AI strategy test that records costs, timestamps, and rule changes.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
How to Calculate Forex Position Size from Your Stop Loss
Calculate forex lot size from account risk, stop-loss distance, and pip value. Follow a worked EURUSD example and learn when to round down or skip a trade.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
XAUUSD Lot Size Calculator: How to Size a Gold Trade
Work out gold lot size using stop distance and your MT5 broker's contract specifications. Includes an XAUUSD example and a table of planned dollar risk.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
How to Analyze Your MT5 Trade History with AI
Review MT5 trading performance using expectancy, profit factor, drawdown, and symbol breakdowns. Learn which questions to ask AI and how to verify its answers.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
AI Trading Assistant vs Trading Bot: What Is the Difference?
Compare AI trading assistants, automated trading bots, and MT5 Expert Advisors by execution authority, risk controls, data access, and testing requirements.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
Risk-to-Reward Ratio Explained: Formula and Trading Examples
Calculate risk-to-reward and reward-to-risk ratios, compare break-even win rates, and see why a 1:2 trade setup can still lose money after costs.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
A Forex and Gold Pre-Trade Checklist You Can Reuse
Use this pre-trade checklist for forex and XAUUSD: verify market data, economic releases, stop loss, lot size, account exposure, and order details.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
How to Read an Economic Calendar for Forex and Gold Trading
Understand actual, forecast, previous, and impact ratings on a forex economic calendar. Build a practical review process for CPI, NFP, and FOMC events.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
How to Test AI Auto Trading on an MT5 Demo Account
Set up a TickerAI auto-trading demo test with a supported MT5 account, symbol whitelist, strategy instructions, risk limits, and an execution review checklist.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
Trading Drawdown vs Daily Loss Limit: What Each Measures
Learn the difference between balance drawdown, equity drawdown, and a daily loss limit, with recovery calculations and examples for MT5 account reviews.
Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
How to Use an AI Crypto Market Scanner to Build a Watchlist
Build a crypto trading watchlist using trend, RSI, breakouts, and volatility. Learn what TickerAI's scanner scores mean and how to verify a shortlist before trading.
Sep 22, 2026 · 4 min read
Introducing TickerAI: an advisor, not a chatbot
Most AI trading tools are a chat window with a price feed. We built the thing that sits next to you on the desk instead.
Sep 22, 2026 · 5 min read
How TickerAI sizes a trade
Risk per trade in, lot size out. The arithmetic is simple; getting it exactly right at the broker is not.
Sep 22, 2026 · 4 min read
Four rules that keep the AI honest
Max risk per trade, max open positions, a daily loss limit, and a minimum reward-to-risk. Every idea passes all four or it cannot be executed.