Trend FollowingOpen Source – Free

Pipsgrowth EX18049 TrendFollow

Name: Pipsgrowth EX18049 TrendFollow
Author: PipsGrowth

MT5 Expert Advisor (Open Source) · XAUUSD · M5

Pipsgrowth.com EX18049 HHHH -- T3+HeikinAshi trend-follow, full 12-layer stack.

Overview

Traders seeking closed-bar price candle + inlined tillson t3 (zero-lag, gd-form from ema(price,n) chain e1..e6) slope confirmation plus inlined heikin-ashi close smoothing. 12 mandatory layers wired into ontick: regime, signal (ha+t3), entry, confirm, no-trade, capital-allocation-cap, risk, sizing, manage/exit (be + atr trail + partial tp + regime-change + opposite-signal + time), scaling (pyramid off, capped), exec, ontester custom criterion. 12 layers: regime, signal, entry, confirm, no-trade, capital cap, risk, sizing, manage, exit, scaling, ontester will find Pipsgrowth EX18049 TrendFollow a complete, transparent MT5 Expert Advisor. Optimized for XAUUSD on M5, the EA includes full source code — no compiled-only black boxes, no hidden logic.

Pipsgrowth.com EX18049 HHHH -- T3+HeikinAshi trend-follow, full 12-layer stack.

No-Trade Gate

The EA blocks new entries when: market is closed, spread exceeds maximum, cooldown is active after losses, consecutive loss limit is reached, kill switch is enabled, or drawdown exceeds the hard threshold.

Session and safety parameters:

_SESSION_LONDON_START = 8 — London session start hour
_SESSION_LONDON_END = 16 — London session end hour (exclusive)
_SESSION_NY_START = 13 — New York session start hour
_SESSION_NY_END = 21 — New York session end hour (exclusive)
InpCooldownMinutes (default: 240) — Cooldown minutes after N consecutive losses (min)

Signal Generation Logic

Closed-bar price candle + inlined Tillson T3 (zero-lag, GD-form from EMA(price,N) chain e1..e6) slope confirmation plus inlined Heikin-Ashi close smoothing. 12 mandatory layers wired into OnTick: REGIME, SIGNAL (HA+T3), ENTRY, CONFIRM, NO-TRADE, CAPITAL-ALLOCATION-CAP, RISK, SIZING, MANAGE/EXIT (BE + ATR trail + partial TP + regime-change + opposite-signal + time), SCALING (pyramid off, capped), EXEC, OnTester custom criterion. 12 layers: REGIME, SIGNAL, ENTRY, CONFIRM, NO-TRADE, CAPITAL CAP, RISK, SIZING, MANAGE, EXIT, SCALING, OnTester.

The signal engine is configured via 18 internal constants:

_ATR_REG_PERIOD = 50 — ATR lookback for volatility-percentile rank
_BB_PERIOD = 20 — Bollinger period (regime width detection)
_BB_DEV = 2.0 — Bollinger deviation (standard 2-sigma)
_RSI_PERIOD = 14 — RSI period (confirm OB/OS sanity)
_HTF_EMA_PERIOD = 50 — Higher-timeframe EMA period for trend agreement
_ADX_STRONG_MIN = 22.0 — ADX floor for StrongTrend regime
_ADX_WEAK_RATIO = 0.7 — ADX floor for WeakTrend regime (×StrongMin)
_ATR_PCT_STRONG = 60.0 — ATR percentile floor for StrongTrend
...and 10 more

User-adjustable signal parameters:

InpATRPeriod (default: 14) — ATR period (bars)
InpADXPeriod (default: 14) — ADX period (bars)
InpATRSLmult (default: 2.0) — ATR multiplier for SL (ratio)
InpATRTPmult (default: 4.0) — ATR multiplier for TP (ratio)
InpATRTrailMult (default: 2.5) — ATR multiplier for trailing stop (ratio)

Technical Architecture

The EA is built on a 12-layer architecture: Regime Detection, Signal Generation, Entry Dispatch, Confirmation, No-Trade Gate, Capital Allocation Cap, Risk Management, Position Sizing, Trade Management, Exit Logic, Scaling Gate, and OnTester fitness optimization. The source code defines 47 tunable constants and exposes 20 input parameters across 6 groups. Key indicator handles include standard MT5 indicators. The codebase implements 32 custom functions including PointSize(), TickSize(), TickValue(), StopsLevelPts(), FreezeLevelPts() and others.

Risk Management

Position sizing uses a medium risk profile. Default risk is 0.5% of effective capital per trade. Daily loss is capped at 3.0%. Weekly loss limit: 6.0%.

Key risk parameters from source:

InpRiskPercent (default: 0.5) — Risk per trade (% of effective capital) (%)
InpMaxLot (default: 1.0) — Hard ceiling on lot size (lots)
InpDailyLossLimitPct (default: 3.0) — Max daily loss (% of effective capital) (%)
InpWeeklyLossLimitPct (default: 6.0) — Max weekly loss (% of effective capital) (%)
InpMaxConcurrent (default: 1) — Max concurrent positions (count)
InpCapitalCapAmount (default: 0.0) — Cap on real-money equity ($)

Trade Management

The EA manages positions using these hardcoded rules:

_PARTIAL_TP_R = 1.0 — R multiple for partial TP trigger
_PARTIAL_TP_FRACTION = 0.5 — Fraction of position to close at TP1
_EXIT_OPP_SIGNAL = true — Exit on opposite signal
_EXIT_REGIME_CHOPPY = true — Exit when regime degrades to choppy
_USE_PARTIAL_TP = true — Enable partial TP
_NEWS_BLOCK_MINUTES = 30 — Manual news blackout window (each side)

User-configurable exit parameters:

InpCooldownMinutes (default: 240) — Cooldown minutes after N consecutive losses (min)
InpATRTrailMult (default: 2.5) — ATR multiplier for trailing stop (ratio)

Optimized For

Pairs: XAUUSD
Timeframes: M5
Recommended Brokers: Exness, IC Markets
Minimum Deposit: $100
Risk Level: MEDIUM
Magic Number: 22218049
Source Code: Pipsgrowth_com_EX18049.mq5 (20 inputs, 47 constants)

Download This MT5 Expert Advisor

This EA provides complete, open-source .mq5 code — no DLLs, no account restrictions, no hidden logic. Read every line of the TrendFollow strategy, modify parameters, and optimize for your broker. Test in the MT5 Strategy Tester before going live.

⚠️ Risk Warning: Trading forex and CFDs involves significant risk. 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money. This EA is for educational purposes only. Test thoroughly before any live use.

Strategy Deep Dive

Pipsgrowth EX18049 TrendFollow (EX18049) is an open-source MT5 Expert Advisor built for XAUUSD on M5. The strategy runs on 20 configurable input parameters with 32 custom functions in the source code. According to the source code header: Closed-bar price candle + inlined Tillson T3 (zero-lag, GD-form from EMA(price,N) chain e1..e6) slope confirmation plus inlined Heikin-Ashi close smoothing. 12 mandatory layers wired into OnTick: REGIME, SIGNAL (HA+T3), ENTRY, CONFIRM, NO-TRADE, CAPITAL-ALLOCATION-CAP, RISK, SIZING, MANAGE/EXIT (BE + ATR trail + partial TP + regime-change + opposite-signal + time), SCALING (pyramid off, capped), EXEC, OnTester custom criterion. 12 layers: REGIME, SIGNAL, ENTRY, CONFIRM, NO-TRADE, CAPITAL CAP, RISK, SIZING, MANAGE, EXIT, SCALING, OnTester. The EA operates on a 12-layer architecture: regime detection, signal generation, entry dispatch, confirmation, no-trade gate, capital allocation cap, risk management, position sizing, trade management, exit logic, scaling gate, and OnTester fitness optimization. Cooldown and consecutive loss limits prevent overtrading after drawdowns. All strategy logic is visible in the downloadable .mq5 source file.

Entry Signal

Long when the fast EMA crosses above the slow EMA and ADX reads above 14 to confirm trend strength. Short on the reverse with ADX validation. Entries use closed-bar (shift=1) to prevent signal repainting.

Exit Signal

Exit when the opposite EMA crossover fires (trend reversal signal) or when the trailing stop catches the trade after the trend exhausts. No fixed take-profit — the philosophy is to let winners run until momentum dies. The trailing stop is ATR-based and adjusts with each new swing high/low.

Stop Loss

Initial stop placed below the last significant swing low for longs (or above the last swing high for shorts). The stop distance is calculated from ATR — typically 1.5–2× the 14-period ATR on the entry timeframe. Once in profit, the stop trails behind price to lock in gains without cutting the trend short.

Take Profit

No fixed take-profit — the EA uses a trailing stop to capture the full trend movement. The trailing stop uses a chandelier exit — it trails 2–3× ATR behind price. Trend EAs are designed to catch large moves (50–200+ pips) with a few large wins offsetting many small losses.

Best For

Works best on H4 and Daily timeframes with trending conditions. Top pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, XAU/USD. Medium risk profile with moderate drawdown tolerance. Minimum recommended: $500.

Strategy Logic

Pipsgrowth EX18049 TrendFollow — Strategy Logic Analysis (from .mq5 source)

Family: TrendFollow Magic: 22218049 Version: 2.00

BRIEF: Closed-bar price candle + inlined Tillson T3 (zero-lag, GD-form from EMA(price,N) chain e1..e6) slope confirmation plus inlined Heikin-Ashi close smoothing. 12 mandatory layers wired into OnTick: REGIME, SIGNAL (HA+T3), ENTRY, CONFIRM, NO-TRADE, CAPITAL-ALLOCATION-CAP, RISK, SIZING, MANAGE/EXIT (BE + ATR trail + partial TP + regime-change + opposite-signal + time), SCALING (pyramid off, capped), EXEC, OnTester custom criterion. 12 layers: REGIME, SIGNAL, ENTRY, CONFIRM, NO-TRADE, CAPITAL CAP, RISK, SIZING, MANAGE, EXIT, SCALING, OnTester

INDICATOR STACK:

Standard MT5 indicators

KEY FUNCTIONS:

PointSize()
TickSize()
TickValue()
StopsLevelPts()
FreezeLevelPts()
NormPrice()
EffectiveCapital()
RealizedPnLTodayForMagic()
DebugLog()
CopyBufSafe()
RegimeAllowsEntry()
RegimeName()
...and 20 more

INTERNAL CONSTANTS (47 total):

_ATR_REG_PERIOD = 50 // ATR lookback for volatility-percentile rank
_BB_PERIOD = 20 // Bollinger period (regime width detection)
_BB_DEV = 2.0 // Bollinger deviation (standard 2-sigma)
_RSI_PERIOD = 14 // RSI period (confirm OB/OS sanity)
_HTF_EMA_PERIOD = 50 // Higher-timeframe EMA period for trend agreement
_ADX_STRONG_MIN = 22.0 // ADX floor for StrongTrend regime
_ADX_WEAK_RATIO = 0.7 // ADX floor for WeakTrend regime (×StrongMin)
_ATR_PCT_STRONG = 60.0 // ATR percentile floor for StrongTrend
_ATR_PCT_BREAKOUT = 75.0 // ATR percentile floor for Breakout
_ATR_PCT_RANGE = 25.0 // ATR percentile ceiling for Range
_BB_EXPAND_RATIO = 1.20 // BB width ratio for Expand regime
_BB_COMPRESS_RATIO = 0.85 // BB width ratio for Compress regime
_HTF_TIMEFRAME = PERIOD_H1 // Higher timeframe for trend EMA confirm
_SIGNAL_TIMEFRAME = PERIOD_CURRENT // Signal timeframe (chart)
_RSI_OB_CEILING = 80 // RSI ceiling blocking long entries
...and 32 more

INPUT PARAMETERS (20 total across 6 groups):

[=== Identity ===] InpTradeComment = "Psgrowth.com Expert_18049" // Trade comment (string)
[=== Identity ===] InpMagicNumber = 22218049 // Magic number (int)
[=== Identity ===] InpDryRun = true // Dry-run: skip actual order sends (bool)
[=== Identity ===] InpKillSwitch = false // Kill switch: stop trading immediately (bool)
[=== Risk & Sizing ===] InpRiskPercent = 0.5 // Risk per trade (% of effective capital) (%)
[=== Risk & Sizing ===] InpMaxLot = 1.0 // Hard ceiling on lot size (lots)
[=== Risk & Sizing ===] InpDailyLossLimitPct = 3.0 // Max daily loss (% of effective capital) (%)
[=== Risk & Sizing ===] InpWeeklyLossLimitPct = 6.0 // Max weekly loss (% of effective capital) (%)
[=== Risk & Sizing ===] InpMaxConcurrent = 1 // Max concurrent positions (count)
[=== Risk & Sizing ===] InpCooldownMinutes = 240 // Cooldown minutes after N consecutive losses (min)
[=== Capital Allocation Cap ===] InpCapitalCapAmount = 0.0 // Cap on real-money equity ($)
[=== Capital Allocation Cap ===] InpCapitalCapFloor = 50.0 // Floor below which new entries are blocked ($)
[=== Signal ===] InpT3Period = 14 // T3 Tillson period (bars)
[=== Signal ===] InpT3HotFactor = 0.7 // T3 hot coefficient / volume factor (0..1)
[=== Regime / Confirm ===] InpATRPeriod = 14 // ATR period (bars)
[=== Regime / Confirm ===] InpADXPeriod = 14 // ADX period (bars)
[=== Regime / Confirm ===] InpMinRR = 1.5 // Minimum reward:risk ratio (ratio)
[=== Exit / Manage ===] InpATRSLmult = 2.0 // ATR multiplier for SL (ratio)
[=== Exit / Manage ===] InpATRTPmult = 4.0 // ATR multiplier for TP (ratio)
[=== Exit / Manage ===] InpATRTrailMult = 2.5 // ATR multiplier for trailing stop (ratio)

Pseudocode

// Pipsgrowth EX18049 TrendFollow — Execution Flow (from source analysis)
// Family: TrendFollow
// Closed-bar price candle + inlined Tillson T3 (zero-lag, GD-form from EMA(price,N) chain e1..e6) slope confirmation plus inlined Heikin-Ashi close smoothing. 12 mandatory layers wired into OnTick: REGIME, SIGNAL (HA+T3), ENTRY, CONFIRM, NO-TRADE, CAPITAL-ALLOCATION-CAP, RISK, SIZING, MANAGE/EXIT (BE + ATR trail + partial TP + regime-change + opposite-signal + time), SCALING (pyramid off, capped), EXEC, OnTester custom criterion. 12 layers: REGIME, SIGNAL, ENTRY, CONFIRM, NO-TRADE, CAPITAL CAP, RISK, SIZING, MANAGE, EXIT, SCALING, OnTester

ON_INIT:
    Create indicator handles: standard set
    Initialize state variables
    Detect broker GMT offset

ON_TICK:
    1. Refresh indicator buffers (closed-bar shift=1)
    2. Manage existing positions:
       - Break-even check
       - ATR trailing stop
       - Profit lock ratchet
       - Time-based exit
       - Opposite-signal exit
    3. If new bar:
       a. ClassifyRegime() — ADX/ATR/BB regime detection
       b. NoTradeGate() checks:
          - Market open + session filter
          - Spread limit
          - Cooldown after loss
          - Consecutive loss limit
          - Kill switch
          - Max drawdown
          - Max concurrent positions
          - Daily/weekly loss limits
       c. GenerateSignal() — strategy-specific entry logic
       d. CheckConfirm() — HTF alignment + R:R + ADX minimum
       e. Calculate position size from risk %
       f. Execute with retry logic
       g. Mark bar to prevent duplicates

ON_TESTER:
    Custom fitness = weighted(RecoveryFactor, ROI, ProfitFactor, TradeCount, Sharpe, Drawdown)

Optimization Profile

Optimized Brokers:

ExnessIC Markets

Optimized Symbols:

XAUUSD

Optimized Timeframes:

How to Install This EA on MT5

1Download the .mq5 file using the button above
2Open MetaTrader 5 on your computer
3Click File → Open Data Folder in the top menu
4Navigate to MQL5 → Experts and paste the .mq5 file there
5In MT5, right-click Expert Advisors in the Navigator panel → Refresh
6Drag the EA onto an H4 or Daily chart for best results
7Configure EMA periods, ADX threshold, and lot size in the dialog
8Enable Allow Algo Trading and click OK

EA Parameters

Parameter	Default	Description
InpTradeComment	"Psgrowth.com Expert_18049"	Trade comment (string)
InpMagicNumber	22218049	Magic number (int)
InpDryRun	true	Dry-run: skip actual order sends (bool)
InpKillSwitch	false	Kill switch: stop trading immediately (bool)
InpRiskPercent	0.5	Risk per trade (% of effective capital) (%)
InpMaxLot	1.0	Hard ceiling on lot size (lots)
InpDailyLossLimitPct	3.0	Max daily loss (% of effective capital) (%)
InpWeeklyLossLimitPct	6.0	Max weekly loss (% of effective capital) (%)
InpMaxConcurrent	1	Max concurrent positions (count)
InpCooldownMinutes	240	Cooldown minutes after N consecutive losses (min)
InpCapitalCapAmount	0.0	Cap on real-money equity ($)
InpCapitalCapFloor	50.0	Floor below which new entries are blocked ($)
InpT3Period	14	T3 Tillson period (bars)
InpT3HotFactor	0.7	T3 hot coefficient / volume factor (0..1)
InpATRPeriod	14	ATR period (bars)
InpADXPeriod	14	ADX period (bars)
InpMinRR	1.5	Minimum reward:risk ratio (ratio)
InpATRSLmult	2.0	ATR multiplier for SL (ratio)
InpATRTPmult	4.0	ATR multiplier for TP (ratio)
InpATRTrailMult	2.5	ATR multiplier for trailing stop (ratio)

Source Code (.mq5)Open Source

Pipsgrowth_com_EX18049.mq5

#property copyright "Pipsgrowth.com"
#property link      "https://pipsgrowth.com"
#property version   "2.00"
#property strict
#property description "Pipsgrowth.com EX18049 HHHH -- T3+HeikinAshi trend-follow, full 12-layer stack."
#include <Trade\Trade.mqh>
#include <Trade\PositionInfo.mqh>
#include <Trade\SymbolInfo.mqh>
#include <Trade\AccountInfo.mqh>
#include <Trade\OrderInfo.mqh>
#include <Trade\DealInfo.mqh>

//================== TUNABLE CONSTANTS (#define, not inputs) ==================
// NOTE: T3 period/hot and ATR/ADX periods are operator-tunable via inputs (InpT3Period,
// InpT3HotFactor, InpATRPeriod, InpADXPeriod). All other tunables are compile-time below.
#define _ATR_REG_PERIOD         50       // ATR lookback for volatility-percentile rank
#define _BB_PERIOD              20       // Bollinger period (regime width detection)
#define _BB_DEV                 2.0      // Bollinger deviation (standard 2-sigma)
#define _RSI_PERIOD             14       // RSI period (confirm OB/OS sanity)
#define _HTF_EMA_PERIOD         50       // Higher-timeframe EMA period for trend agreement

// Regime thresholds
#define _ADX_STRONG_MIN         22.0     // ADX floor for StrongTrend regime
#define _ADX_WEAK_RATIO         0.7      // ADX floor for WeakTrend regime (×StrongMin)
#define _ATR_PCT_STRONG         60.0     // ATR percentile floor for StrongTrend
#define _ATR_PCT_BREAKOUT       75.0     // ATR percentile floor for Breakout
#define _ATR_PCT_RANGE          25.0     // ATR percentile ceiling for Range
#define _BB_EXPAND_RATIO        1.20     // BB width ratio for Expand regime
#define _BB_COMPRESS_RATIO      0.85     // BB width ratio for Compress regime

// Signal confirmation gates
#define _HTF_TIMEFRAME          PERIOD_H1  // Higher timeframe for trend EMA confirm
#define _SIGNAL_TIMEFRAME       PERIOD_CURRENT  // Signal timeframe (chart)
#define _RSI_OB_CEILING         80       // RSI ceiling blocking long entries
#define _RSI_OS_FLOOR           20       // RSI floor blocking short entries
#define _SIGNAL_TOL_POINTS      5        // Tolerance points for slope/close tests

// Sessions (broker server time hours, 0-23)
#define _SESSION_LONDON_START   8        // London session start hour
#define _SESSION_LONDON_END     16       // London session end hour (exclusive)
#define _SESSION_NY_START       13       // New York session start hour
#define _SESSION_NY_END         21       // New York session end hour (exclusive)
#define _SESSION_ASIA_START     0        // Asian session start hour
#define _SESSION_ASIA_END       8        // Asian session end hour (exclusive)
#define _TRADE_LONDON           true     // Trade London session
#define _TRADE_NY               true     // Trade NY session
#define _TRADE_ASIA             false    // Trade Asian session
#define _ALLOW_LONG             true     // Allow long entries
#define _ALLOW_SHORT            true     // Allow short entries

// Exit / management tunables
#define _BE_ACTIVATE_R          1.0      // R multiples to activate break-even
#define _BE_OFFSET_POINTS       10       // Lock-in offset at BE (points)
#define _PARTIAL_TP_R           1.0      // R multiple for partial TP trigger
#define _PARTIAL_TP_FRACTION    0.5      // Fraction of position to close at TP1
#define _EXIT_OPP_SIGNAL        true     // Exit on opposite signal
#define _EXIT_REGIME_CHOPPY     true     // Exit when regime degrades to choppy
#define _MAX_BARS_HOLD          500      // Time-based exit ceiling (bars)
#define _USE_BREAK_EVEN         true     // Enable break-even management
#define _USE_PARTIAL_TP         true     // Enable partial TP

Full source code available on download

Educational purposes only. Do NOT use with real money. Test on demo accounts only.

Tags:ex18049trendfollowpipsgrowthfreemt5xauusd

Clear Warning: Educational Purposes Only

Clear Warning: This Expert Advisor is for educational and testing purposes only. Do NOT use it with real money. Test only on demo accounts. Trading with real money involves substantial risk of capital loss. This does not constitute investment advice.