What Is Automated Trading?

Modern technologies allow us not only to trade in financial markets using personal computers, but we can fully automate a trading system now. Using a computer program you can relieve yourself from the routine of analyzing financial markets and performing trades.
Our client terminal has all functions that allow you to develop, test and use your trading system. The development environment named MQL4 is integrated into the terminal. MQL4 consists of MetaEditor, Strategy Tester and Compiler.
Using these tools, you can develop:

• Expert Advisors - programs that allow you to automate fully both analyzing and trading processes. Expert Advisors can relieve you from the routine of analyzing financial markets and performing trades;
• Custom Indicators - applications similar to the embedded technical indicators that will help you to analyze markets;
• Scripts - programs that automate single frequently repeated operations. For example, using a script you can close all positions by a single keystroke.

It is rather easy to develop trading systems using the development environment of MQL4. In MetaEditor, you will find detailed help topics and description of the programming language. Having developed your own trading system, you will be able to test it on historical data in the Strategy Tester. This will allow you to evaluate your trading system's profitability, risk factor, and stability in a quick and easy way.
Naturally, it may be difficult to start developing one's own trading system <from scratch>. The detailed description of the programming language is often insufficient for this. To make your initial steps to creating a trading system, you can visit the MQL4.Community website. This site represents a place where developers of trading systems meet, develop strategies, publish their articles and share their codes. You will find at the website of MQL4.Community:

• Detailed description of the MQL4 programming language
  If you have any questions about any elements of the MQL4, visit this section. You will surely find the detailed description of the language construction you are interested in.
• A huge database of ready-made Expert Advisors, technical indicators and scripts
  Many developers publish their codes for free. The Code Base counts hundreds of useful Expert Advisors, indicators and scripts. You will find something interesting there for sure.
• Articles about various problems of programming trading systems
  Developing a trading system, you may face one or another problem. Try to find a ready solution in the УArticlesФ section. Another developer might have experienced your problem before and has already published a solution for it. You can publish your own articles devoted to solving various problems. This will get you fame and money - authors are paid for their materials published.
• Forum of developers of trading systems
  If you canТt find a solution for your problem in any sections described above, you can ask your question in the forum. Thousands of people participate in discussions, they will surely help you. Moreover, you can use the forum for just mixing with Community members or sharing your successes in the sphere of development of Expert Advisors.

As any other new phenomenon, automated trading has its critics and skeptics. However, automated trading is quite a serious technology. Visit the website of the Automated Trading Championship and you will see it yourself. This is an annual championship with total prize pool of USD80 000. Hundreds of developers from all over the world participate in it. Their Expert Advisors operate fully independently within three months. Three Winners will share the total prize amount at the end of the contest. The Championship will prove to you that Expert Advisors can really be effective and successful.
On the Championship website, you will find much useful practical information and see how different trading systems work under identical conditions. In the News section, various materials devoted to development and use of Expert Advisors are published on a daily basis. If you feel something to be unclear, you may ask any Participants about this. Moreover, you can participate in this Championship yourself and get one of three money prizes and the title of The Best Developer of Expert Advisors!

Source:www.avafx.com