Analytical Capabilities of MetaTrader 5
Use MT5's native tools to analyze markets: indicators, visual testing, DOM, and the built-in economic calendar. Finish by assembling a simple rules-based system.
- Use built-in indicators/oscillators and read their values via Data Window
- Run Strategy Tester in indicator visual mode (no EAs)
- Understand Depth of Market (DOM) and when it's available
- Navigate the Economic Calendar and align events with charts
- Build and save a simple rules-based trading system using MT5 tools
MT5 includes dozens of built-in studies across categories: Trend (Moving Average, Bollinger Bands, MACD), Oscillators (RSI, Stochastic, CCI), Volumes, Bill Williams, and more.
How to add:
- Insert → Indicators → choose category → select indicator
- Or drag from Navigator → Indicators onto the chart
Customization:
- Set periods, applied price, smoothing methods, colors, and visualization timeframes
- To edit/remove later: right-click indicator line → Properties/Delete, or use Chart → Indicators List
Data Window:
View → Data Window (or Ctrl+D). Hover the chart to see indicator values for the current bar — useful for precise signal reading.
- Keep charts clean; use 1–2 complementary indicators plus 1 oscillator
- Use "Visualization" to limit indicators to specific timeframes
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Navigator with indicator categories
Adding indicators from Navigator (placeholder).
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Data Window with indicator values
Reading RSI/MA values (placeholder).
Use Strategy Tester to visualize how an indicator behaves over time on historical data — no robots required.
How to open:
View → Strategy Tester (or Ctrl+R).
Setup:
- What to test: Select "Indicators" (not Expert Advisor)
- Indicator: choose e.g., Moving Average or RSI
- Symbol & timeframe: pick the market you analyze (e.g., EURUSD H1)
- Date range & model: set From/To; choose "Every tick based on real ticks" for realism
- Visualization: enable "Visual mode" to see the chart progress and indicator signals bar by bar
Run:
Click Start; use speed slider to control playback; pause to tweak inputs and restart.
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Strategy Tester set to Indicators
Indicator visual test (placeholder).
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Visual mode playback
Watching indicator behavior over time (placeholder).
DOM displays buy/sell liquidity around the current price and allows quick order placement for supported symbols.
How to open:
- Right-click symbol in Market Watch → Depth of Market
- Or right-click chart → Depth of Market
Reading DOM:
- Left side (bids) vs right side (asks), ladder of prices and volumes
- Some brokers offer full Level II (Exchange mode) for futures/stocks; many FX symbols show a synthetic DOM (not an aggregated exchange book)
Trading via DOM:
One-click buttons to place/modify orders at specific price levels (availability depends on broker).
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Depth of Market ladder
DOM for a supported symbol (placeholder).
Stay informed about market-moving events directly within MT5.
Where:
Toolbox → Calendar tab.
How to use:
- Filter by country/importance; click an event to see details (forecast, previous, actual)
- Time display follows server time (cannot be changed in platform). Align with your local time manually.
Chart alignment:
Note event times and mark your chart (vertical lines/labels) to contextualize spikes and volatility.
- Avoid entering just before high-impact events unless your plan accounts for volatility
- Consider widening stops or switching to demo during major news while learning
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Economic Calendar tab
Filtering and reading event details (placeholder).
Assemble a simple rule-based approach using only built-in tools, and save it as a reusable template.
- Trend: 50-period EMA (close) on H4 to define bias (up/down)
- Execution: 20-period EMA + RSI(14) on M15
- Long: H4 price above 50 EMA; on M15, price pulls back near 20 EMA; RSI crosses up from below 50.
- Short: Opposite conditions.
- Stop-Loss: Below/above recent swing on M15 or ATR(14) × 1.5.
- Take-Profit: At 1–2R or next structure level; optional partial close at +1R.
In MT5:
- Configure the two charts (H4 and M15) for the same symbol
- Add the indicators, set colors/periods, enable Chart Shift, disable grid if preferred
- Save as template "system-basic.tpl" (right-click chart → Templates → Save Template…) and as a profile for multi-chart layout (File → Profiles → Save)
- Create Alerts: Right-click chart → Trading → Alert… (or Terminal → Alerts) to get notified on conditions like price levels (basic alerts)
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Two-chart layout H4/M15 with EMA and RSI
Example system layout saved as a template/profile (placeholder).
Frequently Asked Questions
Lesson 6 Quiz
Mini-Quiz
Test your understanding with 5 questions. Pass with 4/5 correct.
Resources
You've explored MT5's analytical tools: indicators, Strategy Tester, DOM, Economic Calendar, and building a simple system. In Lesson 7, we'll cover journaling and logging.