MT4 expert advisor backtesting 100% accurate TICK DATA For Scalping Strategy

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Hi, I have just had a scalping strategy built into an expert advisor for MT4. As it's a scalping strategy it's important for me to backtest using 100% accurate tick data as every tick will count towards the performance of the EA.


I'm having a great deal of difficulty sourcing this data from a third party for MT4. Does anybody know how i can access this highly accurate tick data for backtesting? I'm wanting it for the Nas100 cash index, DOW  Jones cash index, DAX and XAUUSD. I'm looking for a source of this data which is institutional quality.


Thanks

 
Josward1: Hi, I have just had a scalping strategy built into an expert advisor for MT4. As it's a scalping strategy it's important for me to backtest using 100% accurate tick data as every tick will count towards the performance of the EA. I'm having a great deal of difficulty sourcing this data from a third party for MT4. Does anybody know how i can access this highly accurate tick data for backtesting? I'm wanting it for the Nas100 cash index, DOW  Jones cash index, DAX and XAUUSD. I'm looking for a source of this data which is institutional quality.

Firstly, if you are going to trade those symbols, it would have been better to focus on MetaTrader 5 instead of 4.

Secondly, you can easily export that data from MetaTrader 5 data feeds. Find a MT5 broker that offers those symbols, open a demo account and the export the tick data or bar data available. Sometimes the real accounts offer more tick data than demo accounts, so consider those as well.

To export the data, call up the Symbols List (Ctrl-U), select the desired symbol, then click on the Bars or Ticks tab, ten select the time period, and then finally the Export Button. For the tick data it will take some time, to collect the data from the broker before it can export it in CSV file format, so be patient.

You will then have to use 3rd party tools to convert the CSV data in to FXT file format for MT4 Strategy Tester, ad HST format for the bar data.

Alternatively, code your own MQL5 Script to read the tick data and export to FXT and HST file format directly, instead of going through the CSV file intermediate step.

 

Hi thanks for your response. I realise i should have had this made for MT5 but my developer had already started work when this came to light. I will have this made on MT5 but in the short term i need to get what i have up and running on MT4.


The broker i use does have MT5 so i can set up a live account no problem. Will this exported data be accurate to every tick? and will i need to import this through the history centre on MT4?


Are there any reliable third party companies i can buy this data from and import through the history centre on MT4? I don't actually need the tick chart my EA's work using the 1 minute chart up to the 1 hour chart, i just need the back test to run on chart data which is accurate to every tick. I will also need updated chart data weekly for forward testing.


Thanks

 
Josward1 #: Hi thanks for your response. I realise i should have had this made for MT5 but my developer had already started work when this came to light. I will have this made on MT5 but in the short term i need to get what i have up and running on MT4. The broker i use does have MT5 so i can set up a live account no problem. Will this exported data be accurate to every tick? and will i need to import this through the history centre on MT4? Are there any reliable third party companies i can buy this data from and import through the history centre on MT4? I don't actually need the tick chart my EA's work using the 1 minute chart up to the 1 hour chart, i just need the back test to run on chart data which is accurate to every tick. I will also need updated chart data weekly for forward testing.

The data exportable from MetaTrader 5 is real tick data (every tick), as provided by the broker's data feed, and you can also export it as OHLC bar data.

As for, MT4, that is more tricky. MT4 does not support historical tick data nor can it be imported via the "History Center" (that only supports OHLC bar data). You have to use 3rd party tools (or make your own), to generate FXT files that can be used by the MT4 Strategy Tester (and only in the tester) to be able to test against real tick data. Tick data however cannot be accessed via the chart or the terminal in any way. Only during the back test.

As it stands now, the work you will have and the experience and knowledge you will need to gain, to get the data into MT4 and get around many of its limitations to use its Strategy Tester, would be better spent and invested into having it converted for MT5 instead. That is my opinion, have gained the knowledge and experience over many years working with both platforms.

Currently, there are basically only two well known and related 3rd party tools for generating tick data files for MT4's Strategy Tester (namely TickStory and Birt's Tick Data Suite), and both source the tick data from Dukascopy, a broker which offers their data freely via their website. According to your symbol list, I believe these are the relevant symbols, provided by Dukascopy — XAUUSD (Gold), DAX30 Index, Dow Jones 30 Index, NASDAQ 100 Technical Index.


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