H4 Zone Retest EA (MQL5)

An automated trading Expert Advisor (EA) for MetaTrader 5, developed in MQL5.
The EA trades gold (XAUUSD) using a multi-timeframe breakout and retest strategy: it defines the first H4 candle of each day as a trading zone, detects breakouts on the M5 chart, waits for a retest, and executes trades with risk management, trailing stops, and optional news filtering.

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Features

• H4 → M5 breakout and retest trading logic
• Configurable fixed lot or risk-based position sizing
• Trailing stop management
• Smart news filter that avoids trading around high-impact events
• Spread and terminal safety checks
• Dynamic lot calculation based on risk percentage

Strategy Overview

1. Zone identification (H4)
   The EA marks the first H4 candle of the current day and stores its high and low as the trading zone boundaries.

2. Breakout detection (M5)
   On each new M5 candle:

   • A bullish breakout occurs when the candle closes above zoneHigh.
   • A bearish breakout occurs when the candle closes below zoneLow.
     When a breakout occurs, the EA starts waiting for a retest.

3. Retest entry

   • If price returns to the broken zone within a specified window (MaxWaitSeconds):
     • Buy on bullish retest → SL = breakout candle low, TP = 1.5 × risk distance.
     • Sell on bearish retest → SL = breakout candle high, TP = 1.5 × risk distance.
   • Uses either a fixed lot (Lots) or a risk-based lot (UseRiskPercent, RiskPercent).

4. Trade management and protection

   • Trailing stop control (UseTrailingStop, TrailingStart, TrailingStep).
   • Spread and trade-permission checks (MaxSpreadPoints, TERMINAL_TRADE_ALLOWED).
   • Built-in news filter: the EA checks the MetaTrader 5 economic calendar (CalendarValueHistory) and automatically avoids opening new trades within the defined window around high-impact news events for a selected currency (NewsFilterCurrency, NewsFilterMinutes).
   • This filter helps prevent entries during volatile periods and improves stability during major market announcements.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default
Lots	Fixed lot size per trade	0.01
UseRiskPercent	Enable dynamic lot sizing by risk	false
RiskPercent	Percent of balance risked per trade	1.0
MaxWaitSeconds	Maximum time allowed for retest	86400
UseTrailingStop	Enable trailing stop	true
TrailingStart	Profit (points) before trailing begins	200
TrailingStep	Distance (points) of trailing stop	100
UseNewsFilter	Enable high-impact news filter	true
NewsFilterMinutes	Minutes before/after news to avoid trading	30
MagicNumber	Unique identifier for EA positions	202503

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Requirements

• MetaTrader 5 platform
• Broker supporting XAUUSD (gold) trading
• MQL5 environment (MetaEditor)
• Historical data for backtesting

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Installation

1. Open MetaEditor → File → Open Data Folder
2. Copy the .mq5 file into MQL5/Experts/
3. Compile the EA
4. In MetaTrader 5, open Navigator → Expert Advisors
5. Attach the EA to a XAUUSD chart
6. Adjust input parameters as needed

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Backtest

Symbol: XAUUSD
Timeframe: M5
Period: Jan 2022 – Oct 2025
Model: Every tick (MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester)

This backtest covers almost three years of market data, including different volatility phases in gold.
The EA demonstrates consistent trade execution, controlled drawdown, and stable risk-adjusted returns under the default settings.

Notes

• Default parameters were used unless otherwise stated.
• The test includes realistic spreads and commissions.
• Results are for research and educational purposes only and do not guarantee future performance.