Greetings Traders!
With increased volatility on GBP throughout last week I thought it would be a good time to talk about Automated Trading. During periods such as these, those who use Automated Trading Systems can often face unexpected changes in their account balance, this is simply because robots don't watch the news. Well... Not yet anyway... So let's dive right into today's article and discover some of the benefits and drawbacks of automated trading!
Automated trading essentially means a robot trading on your behalf, wouldn’t we all love to have a robot produce profits for us without having to do anything. There are many automated trading systems out there, and we will be identifying those questions on the subject that need to be answered.
I WANT TO PERFECT MANUAL TRADING FIRST!
These types of systems allow traders to place parameters for their trade entries and exits, these will be automatically carried out by the automated trading system. The systems can be based both on simple strategies and complex ones which is custom to the trader’s computer.
Many Beginners to trading don’t have the knowledge to trade the markets themselves, this is one of the reasons automated systems tend to be so popular. Automated systems allow traders to get involved in the market straight away, it can also enable better risk management as this can be programmed into the system.
Some systems tend to be formed by expert advisors (EA). These are very highly skilled professionals who are able to programme algorithms to analyse the markets and take trades.
Automated trading systems will require software which can be used via a broker. The most popular platforms to use are MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.
These types of platforms have accessible tools to use with technical analysis and indicators, this will enable traders to build a set of rules around these tools.
Traders have control over the type of orders they place i.e. limit orders based on the platforms default features. But the vast majority of traders will program custom trading strategies and indicators. This provides a much larger variety of strategies to traders however it will take longer to program.
Once the parameters have been set, the automated system will monitor the market to place buy and sell orders based on your strategy.
As with any trading, there is no guarantee of profits. But they do ensure you make the most of market conditions. EAs are very easy to handle, therefore don’t require vast training to use them to start making profits.
The best EA is the system that fits into exactly what you would do, but automatically. Therefore, it is efficient and saving you a lot of time. Trading on the MT4 platform will require the trader to program their own robot using the MQL language.
Unfortunately, there are many scams in the automated trading sector, you will see many ads of EAs that produce 100% daily returns. But of course, as we all know, these should be red flags when it comes to investing in them.
Most of these types of guaranteed profit ads will be scams, in general, you should avoid paying for any EA as you will not only lose money on the market but on purchasing the EA too.
One of the benefits of having an automated system is that will it minimise your emotional investment through trading, which can be the largest hinderance for most traders. Being able to backtest your EA is a big advantage to see how profitable it will be in the future.
Auto-trading systems will always remain disciplined in the volumes of trades even through volatile markets. Discipline is one of the best advantages to automated systems as psychology is a big factor for the majority of traders.
One of the drawbacks is if you experience a weak connection, this would interrupt your EA and therefore your orders in the market. Automated systems also require constant monitoring, for issues like internet connectivity or power loss.
One of the biggest cons is the misconception that a robot will make you a millionaire, auto trading systems are not the holy grail, so always be realistic with the types of returns to be made.
From this article, you can clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of using automated trading systems. We would always say regardless of using a system, you should always learn how to trade the markets yourself. This will provide you with enough knowledge to use EAs efficiently and program them correctly.
I WANT TO PERFECT MANUAL TRADING FIRST!
Hopefully, you have enjoyed today’s article. Thanks for reading!
Have a fantastic day!
Nisha Patel
Live from the Platinum Trading Floor.
