Naji El ChemalyNANDR ORB + Order Block EA
A MetaTrader 5 Expert Advisor for scalping XAUUSD (Gold/USD) on M15 (also supports M5 and M1), combining two strategies:
- Opening Range Breakout (ORB) — tracks the high/low of the first 15 real minutes of each trading session and trades confirmed breakouts + retests
- Order Block Detection — identifies institutional order blocks using volume pivot analysis (LuxAlgo methodology) and uses them as trade confirmation and SL anchors
Strategy Logic
Opening Range Breakout
- At the start of each enabled session, accumulate the ORB High and ORB Low over the first 15 real-time minutes
- Detect a confirmed breakout (candle closing beyond the range; optional strict N-bar filter to avoid false breaks)
- Wait for price to retest the broken ORB level
- Enter on the retest, sized and stopped by the selected ORB Risk Method
ORB Risk Methods (coupled SL + Reward:Risk)
The InpOrbRiskMethod input selects a risk profile that fixes both the stop-loss
placement and the reward:risk target together, per the ORB strategy specification:
| Method | Stop Loss | Reward:Risk |
|---|---|---|
Boundary 1:2 (default) |
Broken range boundary (long=ORH, short=ORL) | 1:2 |
Mid 1:1.5 |
Range midpoint (50%) | 1:1.5 |
Opposite 1:1 |
Opposite range boundary (long=ORL, short=ORH) | 1:1 |
Legacy |
Uses InpSLMode / InpTPMode / InpRRRatio manually |
— |
If the chosen method produces an invalid stop (wrong side of entry), the EA falls
back to the legacy InpSLMode / InpTPMode settings.
Daily Bias
The InpDailyBiasMode input controls which trade directions are permitted each day:
| Mode | Behaviour |
|---|---|
Auto (default) |
The first confirmed ORB breakout of the day sets the tradeable direction; later trades must align with it |
Off |
No trades taken today (use on news / high-uncertainty days) |
Long only |
Only long entries processed |
Short only |
Only short entries processed |
Breakout detection is never suppressed — only trade execution is gated, so levels and structure keep updating regardless of bias.
Order Block Confirmation
- A volume pivot is identified where the bar at index
[length]has the highest volume in a symmetric window - Market structure determines direction: bullish OB if the pivot was a swing low, bearish OB if a swing high
- Bullish OB zone:
[low, hl2]of the pivot bar - Bearish OB zone:
[hl2, high]of the pivot bar - OBs are removed (mitigated) when price penetrates the zone
Entry is taken when the ORB retest aligns with a nearby Order Block (optional add-on, disabled by default via InpUseOBRetestEntry).
Active exposure is session-scoped: one open trade is allowed per session, and different sessions may each hold one trade on the same day.
Session Level Ladder (optional, disabled by default)
- After a confirmed session breakout direction, the EA can trade between that session's ORB levels:
- Bullish ladder:
Low -> Mid, thenMid -> High - Bearish ladder:
High -> Mid, thenMid -> Low - Confirmation for ladder entries uses wick retest plus bar-close context.
- Priority is ORB retest first, with ladder as fallback.
- Ladder TP is always the next session level. SL is user-selectable (fixed pips or source-level buffer).
Timeframe Scaling
The ORB window is always 15 real minutes regardless of chart timeframe:
| Timeframe | ORB Bars | Breakout Confirm | OB Pivot Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| M15 (default) | 1 | 2 bars | 5 |
| M5 | 3 | 3 bars | 5 |
| M1 | 15 | 5 bars | 10 |
All values auto-configured by timeframe and individually overrideable via inputs.
Sessions
All sessions are disabled by default — enable the ones you want to trade:
| Session | UTC Start | Best for XAUUSD |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Open | 22:00 | Asian range setup |
| Tokyo | 00:00 | Low volume, range-bound |
| London | 08:00 | High volatility ✓ (8AM GMT) |
| NY | 12:00 | High volatility ✓ |
| NY ORB (Stock open) | 13:30 | Strong momentum ✓ (9:30 EDT) |
All session start times are UTC-based and individually configurable via the
Inp<Session>Hour / Inp<Session>Min inputs. The EA converts them to broker
server time internally.
Input Parameters
Symbol Settings
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpSymbolName |
XAUUSD |
Symbol base name — auto-detected from broker (supports XAUUSD, XAUUSD.s, XAUUSD_, etc.) |
Timeframe Settings
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpOrbTimeframe |
M15 |
Chart timeframe for ORB (M1 / M5 / M15) |
InpBreakoutConfBars |
0 |
Breakout confirmation bars — 0 = auto by TF |
Session Settings
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpUseDailyOpen |
false |
Enable Daily Open session |
InpUseTokyoSession |
false |
Enable Tokyo session |
InpUseLondonSession |
false |
Enable London session |
InpUseNYSession |
false |
Enable NY session |
InpUseNYOrbSession |
false |
Enable NY ORB session (13:30 UTC) |
InpDailyOpenHour / InpDailyOpenMin |
22 / 0 |
Daily Open start (UTC) |
InpTokyoHour / InpTokyoMin |
0 / 0 |
Tokyo start (UTC) |
InpLondonHour / InpLondonMin |
8 / 0 |
London start (UTC = 8AM GMT) |
InpNYHour / InpNYMin |
12 / 0 |
NY start (UTC) |
InpNYOrbHour / InpNYOrbMin |
13 / 30 |
NY ORB start (UTC = 9:30 EDT) |
Order Block Settings
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpOBPivotLength |
0 |
Pivot window length — 0 = auto by TF |
InpOBMaxCount |
5 |
Max active OBs stored per direction |
InpOBMitig |
Wick |
Mitigation method: Wick or Close |
InpOBRequireConf |
false |
Require OB near entry to take trade |
InpOBProximityPips |
50 |
Distance in pips to consider OB "nearby" |
Entry Settings
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpEntryMode |
Market |
Market order on retest close, or Limit at ORB level |
InpUseStrictFilter |
false |
Strict N-bar breakout filter (false = simple close-cross) |
InpWaitForRetest |
true |
Wait for an ORB retest before entering |
InpBreakoutExpireBars |
20 |
Bars before an armed breakout expires (0 = never) |
InpUseOBRetestEntry |
false |
Order Block retest entry add-on (optional, default OFF) |
InpMaxRetestsPerSession |
3 |
Max retest entries per session (per breakout) |
InpDailyBiasMode |
Auto |
Daily bias: Auto / Off (no trades) / Long-only / Short-only |
InpUseBreakoutVolFilter |
false |
Require a volume spike on the breakout bar (fakeout filter) |
InpBreakoutVolMult |
1.5 |
Breakout bar volume must be ≥ this × average volume |
InpBreakoutVolAvgBars |
20 |
Number of bars used for the volume average |
Session Level Ladder Settings
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpUseSessionLevelLadder |
false |
Enable level-to-level ladder entries after breakout direction confirmation (optional, default OFF) |
InpLadderOnDailyOpen |
true |
Enable ladder entries on Daily Open session |
InpLadderOnTokyo |
true |
Enable ladder entries on Tokyo session |
InpLadderOnLondon |
true |
Enable ladder entries on London session |
InpLadderOnNY |
true |
Enable ladder entries on NY session |
InpLadderOnNYORB |
true |
Enable ladder entries on NY ORB session |
InpUseLadderATRVolCeiling |
false |
Enable ATR volatility ceiling filter for ladder entries |
InpLadderATRMaxPips |
200.0 |
Skip ladder entries when ATR exceeds this pips threshold |
InpUseLadderSessionCaps |
false |
Enable per-session ladder trade caps |
InpLadderCapDailyOpen |
2 |
Daily Open ladder cap (0 = unlimited) |
InpLadderCapTokyo |
2 |
Tokyo ladder cap (0 = unlimited) |
InpLadderCapLondon |
2 |
London ladder cap (0 = unlimited) |
InpLadderCapNY |
2 |
NY ladder cap (0 = unlimited) |
InpLadderCapNYORB |
2 |
NY ORB ladder cap (0 = unlimited) |
InpLadderSLMode |
Fixed Pips |
Ladder SL mode: fixed pips or buffer beyond source level |
InpLadderSLBufferPips |
5.0 |
Buffer size when ladder SL mode is level-buffer |
InpLadderMaxTradesPerSession |
2 |
Global ladder cap per session (0 = unlimited); combined with per-session cap using the stricter limit |
Lot Size & Risk
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpLotMode |
Risk % |
Fixed lot or auto-calculated from risk % |
InpFixedLotSize |
0.05 |
Fixed lot (used when LotMode = Fixed) |
InpRiskPercent |
0.05 |
% of balance to risk per trade |
Stop Loss
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpOrbRiskMethod |
Boundary 1:2 |
Coupled risk method (sets SL + RR together); Legacy uses the manual settings below |
InpSLMode |
OB Boundary |
SL placement (Legacy only): OB Boundary / Fixed Pips / ATR-based / ORB Opposite Boundary / ORB Range Midpoint |
InpSLPips |
100.0 |
SL in pips (Fixed mode) |
InpATRMultiplier |
1.5 |
ATR multiplier for SL (ATR mode) |
InpATRPeriod |
14 |
ATR period |
Take Profit
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpTPMode |
RR Ratio |
TP by fixed pips or Risk:Reward ratio (Legacy only) |
InpTPPips |
100.0 |
TP in pips (Fixed mode) |
InpRRRatio |
2.0 |
Risk:Reward ratio (Legacy RR mode) — 2.0 = 1:2 |
Trade Management
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpBreakevenTrigPips |
15.0 |
Move SL to breakeven when profit reaches this |
InpBreakevenOffPips |
2.0 |
Breakeven SL offset above/below entry |
InpTrailingStopPips |
0.0 |
Trailing stop distance — 0 = disabled |
InpMaxTradesPerDay |
8 |
Max trades opened per calendar day |
InpMaxPosPerSession |
1 |
Max simultaneous positions per session |
Risk Management
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpMaxDailyLossUSD |
0.0 |
Halt trading if daily loss exceeds this USD amount — 0 = off |
InpMaxDailyLossPct |
0.0 |
Halt trading if daily loss exceeds this % of equity — 0 = off |
Display Settings
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
InpShowDashboard |
true |
Corner stats panel |
InpShowORBLines |
true |
ORB High/Low/Mid lines on chart |
InpShowOBZones |
true |
Order block rectangles on chart |
InpShowTradeLabels |
true |
Entry arrows and SL/TP lines on chart |
Dashboard
A real-time HUD is drawn in the top-left corner showing:
▌ NANDR ORB+OB EA
─────────────────────────
Symbol : XAUUSD TF: M15
OrbTF : M15 BarsNeeded: 1
─────────────────────────
London H:2685.50 L:2672.30 [BULL↑]
NY H:2690.10 L:2681.00 [ARMED]
─────────────────────────
BullOBs: 2 BearOBs: 1
─────────────────────────
Trades : 1 / 3
W/L : 1 / 0 WR: 100%
Today PnL: +48.20 USD
Equity : 10048.20
Chart Visuals
| Object | Color | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ORB High/Low lines | Session color | Solid horizontal lines at ORB levels |
| ORB Mid line | Session color (dotted) | Midpoint of ORB range |
| Bullish OB zone | Green rectangle | Active bull order block |
| Bearish OB zone | Red rectangle | Active bear order block |
| Entry arrow | Green (buy) / Red (sell) | Trade entry marker |
| SL line | Red dashed | Stop loss level |
| TP line | Green dashed | Take profit level |
Session line colors: Tokyo = Blue · London = Red · NY / NY ORB = Gold · Daily = Silver
Installation
- Copy
NANDR_ORB_OB_EA.mq5to your MetaTrader 5MQL5/Experts/folder - Open MetaEditor (F4 in MT5) and compile the file (F7) — should produce zero errors
- In MT5, open a XAUUSD M15 chart
- Drag the EA onto the chart, enable "Allow Algo Trading"
- In the inputs dialog, enable at least one session (e.g.
InpUseLondonSession = true) - Click OK — the EA will auto-detect the broker's XAUUSD symbol variant
Requirements
- MetaTrader 5 (build 2755+)
- XAUUSD (or broker equivalent: XAUUSD.s, XAUUSD_, GOLD, etc.)
- Recommended chart timeframe: M15
- Account type: any (ECN recommended for tighter spreads on Gold)
Files
| File | Description |
|---|---|
NANDR_ORB_OB_EA.mq5 |
Expert Advisor source code |
orb.pine |
Reference Pine Script — ORB indicator (TradingView) |
order_block_detector.pine |
Reference Pine Script — LuxAlgo Order Block Detector |
Disclaimer
This EA is provided for educational purposes. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always test thoroughly on a demo account before using on live funds. Trading Gold (XAUUSD) carries significant risk.