ConfirmedTrades
Guides
Long-form, plain-English explanations of how track records are verified, what the numbers on an account page mean, and how to vet an EA or signal before you trust it.
Metrics · 6 min read · 26 Aug 2026
Why broker credit and bonus are not deposits — and why your numbers may change
Credit and bonus raise an account balance without the trader funding it. Here is why ConfirmedTrades records them separately, and why an account's deposits can fall (and its return rise) once they are reclassified.
Metrics · 9 min read · 24 Aug 2026
MAE and MFE explained: what a trade did while it was open, not just how it ended
How MAE and MFE are measured on a live account, how to read the profit-vs-MFE and profit-vs-MAE charts, and what they reveal about stops, targets and exits.
Due diligence · 10 min read · 24 Aug 2026
How to avoid EA seller scams: Telegram sellers, crypto-only payment and screenshot track records
Warning signs of a fake Expert Advisor seller, why MT4/MT5 history screenshots prove nothing, and what a verified track record looks like before you pay.
Publishing · 8 min read · 23 Aug 2026
EA heartbeat monitoring: how to know your trading robot is actually running
A track record shows what a system did; a heartbeat shows whether it is alive now. How EA heartbeat monitoring works and how to get an alert when your EA stops.
EA development · 8 min read · 19 Aug 2026
From backtest to live: what to monitor every week once your EA is running
A weekly checklist for a live Expert Advisor: heartbeat, execution costs in points, rolling expectancy and win rate, losing streaks, drawdown and review flags.
Publishing · 7 min read · 18 Aug 2026
Anti-copy privacy settings for signal sellers: prove the record without leaking the trades
How signal sellers publish a verified record without leaking live entries: reveal delay, open-positions modes, trade-table columns, row caps and visibility.
Strategy types · 7 min read · 17 Aug 2026
Arbitrage and latency EA: near-perfect win rates, seconds-long trades, and why the broker always ends it
Latency and triangular arbitrage EAs exploit stale quotes. What the record looks like, why it cannot be copied, and how to tell it from a real edge.
Brokers & accounts · 8 min read · 16 Aug 2026
Choosing the best broker for an Expert Advisor: a working checklist
There is no single best broker for an Expert Advisor, only the best fit for a strategy. A checklist: account type, costs, execution, MT4/MT5, swap, leverage.
Signals & EAs · 7 min read · 13 Aug 2026
Using Custom Analysis to stress-test a signal before you copy it
Custom Analysis filters any account by date, symbol, EA, hour or lot size and recomputes every statistic. Seven filters that expose a weak signal fast.
EA development · 8 min read · 10 Aug 2026
Position sizing and risk of ruin for algo traders: fixed-fractional, Kelly and the ruin equation
The lot size decides whether a profitable Expert Advisor survives. Fixed-fractional sizing, the Kelly criterion and risk of ruin explained with worked numbers.
Strategy types · 7 min read · 5 Aug 2026
Hedging EA: locked positions, swap bleed, and why most hedging forex robots are grids in disguise
A hedging Expert Advisor holds buys and sells on one symbol at once. What that does to risk, the swap cost, the equity gap, and how to check one.
Publishing · 7 min read · 5 Aug 2026
Embedding verified results on MQL5 and your website: widgets, links and what to put where
Show a live, verified EA track record on an MQL5 listing, your own site and forums: the four widget types, PNG vs SVG vs iframe, themes, sizes and placement.
Getting started · 11 min read · 3 Aug 2026
Forex and EA glossary: 59 terms beginners meet in the first month, in plain English
Pip, lot, leverage, drawdown, EA, martingale, copy trading, backtest, VPS and more: every term a beginner needs to read a forex robot's track record.
Signals & EAs · 7 min read · 30 Jul 2026
Is this EA prop firm safe? How to check before you risk a challenge
Most EAs fail prop-firm rules before they fail to make money. Test drawdown, daily loss, lot sizing and news behaviour against challenge rules on a real record.
EA development · 8 min read · 27 Jul 2026
Drawdown anatomy for EA developers: balance vs equity, depth, duration and recovery
Max drawdown is one number hiding four. Balance vs equity drawdown, why depth, duration and recovery all matter, the Ulcer index, and the permanent ledger.
Strategy types · 7 min read · 24 Jul 2026
News trading EA: event-driven forex robots, slippage, and why demo results mean nothing
A news trading Expert Advisor trades the minutes around releases. The tiny trade count, the slippage that eats the edge, and why demo results mean nothing.
Brokers & accounts · 7 min read · 24 Jul 2026
Forex spreads, commissions and swaps explained, with the numbers per lot
The three costs every forex trade pays, in points and dollars per lot: how spread is quoted, how commission is charged, and why swap triples on Wednesday.
Publishing · 6 min read · 22 Jul 2026
Uptime as a selling point: heartbeat monitoring for EA vendors
A buyer cannot tell from a history whether your robot is trading today. Heartbeat status, the Terminal card and outage alerts make uptime visible.
Signals & EAs · 7 min read · 16 Jul 2026
Comparing two EAs side by side: which metrics decide it
A practical method for comparing two Expert Advisors head to head: normalise for risk, weigh drawdown and consistency, check execution, then use Compare.
Strategy types · 7 min read · 15 Jul 2026
Breakout EA: session-open forex robots, false breakouts and the fat right tail
A breakout Expert Advisor buys new highs and sells new lows at session opens. The 40% win rate, the streaks, the hour signature, and how to check one.
Getting started · 8 min read · 13 Jul 2026
Five forex scams that target beginners, and the one question that stops them
Free signals, guaranteed robots, copy-trading gurus, recovery scams and the hidden demo. How each works, with numbers, and the one question that stops them.
EA development · 8 min read · 13 Jul 2026
How many trades before you trust your EA? Sample size, Monte Carlo and the Z-score
Forty trades is an anecdote. How to work out the sample size your Expert Advisor needs, what a 1,000-run Monte Carlo adds, and how the Z-score catches streaks.
Publishing · 6 min read · 8 Jul 2026
Magic numbers: naming strategies on one account so buyers can tell your EAs apart
Several Expert Advisors on one MetaTrader account? How magic numbers become named strategies on your public page, and when to split accounts instead.
Brokers & accounts · 7 min read · 8 Jul 2026
ECN vs STP vs market maker: what the account label means for your EA
ECN, STP, NDD and market maker are labels with mechanics underneath. How each fills orders, what it costs in spread and commission, and which suits your EA.
Strategy types · 7 min read · 6 Jul 2026
Scalping expert advisor: the stats of a forex scalping EA and why spread decides everything
A scalping Expert Advisor holds for minutes and wins a few pips a time. Win rate, payoff, trades per week, the cost ratio that decides it, and how to check one.
Signals & EAs · 8 min read · 2 Jul 2026
Reading an EA track record before you buy: a 15-minute walkthrough
Read an Expert Advisor's live track record like a pro: trust labels, sample size, drawdown, expectancy, per-symbol results, execution in points and red flags.
EA development · 8 min read · 29 Jun 2026
Backtest vs forward test: overfitting explained for EA developers
Why a beautiful MT4/MT5 strategy tester report usually dies live. Curve fitting, degrees of freedom, walk-forward testing and backtest-to-forward degradation.
Strategy types · 8 min read · 26 Jun 2026
Martingale EA: why the highest win rate in forex is the most dangerous, with the arithmetic
A martingale EA raises lot size after every loss. 1.8x progression, six losses, a 34x lot: the arithmetic, the stats on a verified account, how it is caught.
Publishing · 7 min read · 24 Jun 2026
Execution quality audit for EA sellers: publish spread and slippage before buyers ask
Buyers of scalping and news EAs ask what spread and slippage the record paid. How the Execution panel measures both in points, and how to present the numbers.
Getting started · 7 min read · 22 Jun 2026
How to read the rankings as a beginner: Score, badges and the columns that matter
A beginner's walkthrough of the ConfirmedTrades rankings: what the Score and grade mean, which filters to tick first, and why not to pick the steepest line.
Brokers & accounts · 6 min read · 22 Jun 2026
Netting vs hedging account on MT5: why your EA's positions look different
MT5 netting and hedging modes change how positions, stops and history appear. What each mode does, which EAs break on the wrong one, and how to tell them apart.
Signals & EAs · 6 min read · 18 Jun 2026
Free EA vs paid EA: what you actually get for the money
Does paying for an Expert Advisor buy you an edge? Free vs paid forex robots compared on support, track records and risk, with a worked example.
Strategy types · 8 min read · 17 Jun 2026
Grid trading EA: how a grid EA makes money, how it loses it all, and how to spot one
A grid trading EA stacks positions and closes the basket together: smooth balance curve, ugly equity curve, a worked blow-up, and how the pattern is detected.
EA development · 8 min read · 15 Jun 2026
EA statistics that actually matter: the metric matrix for judging your first Expert Advisor
Net profit tells you almost nothing. The expectancy, profit factor, drawdown, Sharpe and sample-size numbers that decide whether an EA keeps working.
Publishing · 7 min read · 10 Jun 2026
Publishing an EA track record that sells: what buyers check before they pay
A verified EA track record does the selling a screenshot cannot. What experienced buyers check, which verification rungs matter, and how to set the page up.
Getting started · 6 min read · 8 Jun 2026
Demo vs real account: what the badge means on a trading track record
A demo account trades pretend money; a real account trades the trader's own. Why that changes how you read an EA track record, and what the badges show.
Strategy types · 7 min read · 8 Jun 2026
Mean reversion EA: high win rate, bigger losers, and where the risk hides
A mean reversion Expert Advisor wins often and loses big. The stats it produces, why stop-loss usage matters most, and how to check one on an account page.
Brokers & accounts · 7 min read · 5 Jun 2026
A-book vs B-book broker: who is on the other side of your EA's trades
What A-book and B-book mean, why a B-book forex broker is not automatically bad, how hybrid models work, and how to spot the difference in fills.
Signals & EAs · 7 min read · 4 Jun 2026
How to choose a forex signal provider without getting burned
A working checklist for picking a forex signal provider: verification, sample size, drawdown, execution costs and the questions most buyers forget to ask.
Strategy types · 7 min read · 29 May 2026
Trend following EA: what a trend following forex robot looks like on a verified account
Low win rate, big winners, long losing streaks and slow drawdowns: how a trend following Expert Advisor trades and how to check one on a verified account.
Strategy types · 9 min read · 20 May 2026
Types of forex Expert Advisors: the nine EA categories and how to tell them apart from the numbers
The nine EA categories: how each one trades, the statistics that give it away on a verified account, and which types blow up and why.
Due diligence · 8 min read · 18 May 2026
Due diligence before buying a signal: a working process, not a hunch
A repeatable process for any signal or copy-trading offer: verify the source, size the risk, stress the record, check costs, test small, set an exit rule.
Getting started · 7 min read · 18 May 2026
Forex for complete beginners: what a track record is and why you should ask for one
New to forex? Learn what a trading track record is, why a screenshot is not one, and how to tell a real record from a story before you follow any trader or EA.
Publishing · 7 min read · 11 May 2026
Sharing your results: widgets, portfolios, privacy controls and the anti-copy delay
Show a verified record on your site or MQL5 listing without leaking live trades: widgets, portfolios, section visibility, open-position modes and reveal delay.
Due diligence · 9 min read · 4 May 2026
How to vet an EA before you buy: the full checklist
Before paying for an Expert Advisor: verified record, real vs demo, drawdown, martingale and grid flags, stop-losses, sample size, costs and seller conduct.
Getting started · 7 min read · 4 May 2026
What is an Expert Advisor? A plain-English guide to forex robots and auto trading
An Expert Advisor (EA) is a program that trades your MetaTrader account for you. What it can and cannot do, what a free EA really gets you, how to check one.
Due diligence · 7 min read · 27 Apr 2026
How long before a track record means anything? Sample size, longevity and Monte Carlo
Three months and forty trades is an anecdote, not evidence. How many trades and months you need, what the Score does about it, and what Monte Carlo adds.
Metrics · 7 min read · 20 Apr 2026
Win rate is lying: expectancy, profit factor, AHPR and GHPR
A 90% win rate can lose money and a 35% win rate can be excellent. The numbers that actually show whether a strategy has an edge, and where to find them.
Due diligence · 8 min read · 13 Apr 2026
Spotting fake EA results: the patterns that give manufactured curves away
Backtest curves, demo accounts, cherry-picked windows, hidden baskets and martingale staircases: how each looks, why it works, and which checks expose it.
Metrics · 7 min read · 6 Apr 2026
Broker cost audit: spread, slippage, commission and swap on a track record
Execution costs are where a marginal EA goes to die. How to read spread and slippage in points on the Execution panel, and where commission and swap hide.
Metrics · 7 min read · 30 Mar 2026
Maximum drawdown explained: balance vs equity, and why ours can't be reset
The difference between balance and equity drawdown, how ConfirmedTrades measures both, and why the anti-cheat ledger keeps the worst value forever.
Metrics · 6 min read · 23 Mar 2026
Time-weighted return explained: why deposits don't count as gains
ConfirmedTrades reports gain as a time-weighted return. What that means, why a plain balance change misleads, and how to read a growth chart with deposits.
Due diligence · 7 min read · 16 Mar 2026
Reading a trading account page: Glance, Score, AI review and Execution
A tour of a ConfirmedTrades account page in the order a careful reader should take it: Glance hub, Score breakdown, AI strategy review and the Execution panel.
Publishing · 6 min read · 9 Mar 2026
How to verify your account: from live-synced to broker-verified to trading privileges
Climb the ConfirmedTrades trust ladder step by step: connect the Pulse connector, earn the broker-verified badge, then pass the trading-privileges check.
Verification · 6 min read · 2 Mar 2026
Verified vs unverified track records: what the badge actually proves
Self-reported, live-synced and broker-verified prove different things. What each label proves, what it cannot, and how to read them on an account page.
Put the guides to work
Browse verified accounts on Rankings, run the numbers through the free calculators, or connect your own MetaTrader account and publish a record others can check.