dbasket-EA/[agent]docs/QUICK_START.md

D-Basket EA - Quick Start Guide

Installation

1. Copy Files to MT5

Copy the entire MQL5 folder structure to your MetaTrader 5 data directory:

Windows: C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes\Terminal\[Instance]\MQL5\

File Structure:

MQL5/
├── Experts/
│   └── DBasketEA.mq5
└── Include/
    └── DBasket/
        ├── DBasket_Defines.mqh
        ├── DBasket_Structures.mqh
        ├── DBasket_Logger.mqh
        ├── DBasket_CorrelationEngine.mqh
        ├── DBasket_SignalEngine.mqh
        ├── DBasket_TradeWrapper.mqh
        ├── DBasket_PositionManager.mqh
        └── DBasket_RiskManager.mqh

2. Compile in MetaEditor

1. Open MetaEditor (F4 in MT5)
2. Navigate to Experts/DBasketEA.mq5
3. Click Compile (F7)
4. Verify: 0 errors, 0 warnings ✅

3. Attach to Chart

1. Open AUDCAD chart (any timeframe, M15 or H1 recommended)
2. Drag DBasketEA from Navigator onto chart
3. Configure parameters (see below)
4. Enable AutoTrading (Ctrl+E)

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Essential Parameters

Minimum Configuration

Symbol Suffix: [leave blank or enter broker suffix like ".m"]
Entry Z-Score: 2.5
Exit Z-Score: 0.5
Min Correlation: 0.75
Fixed Lot Size: 0.01
Max Drawdown: 15.0
Daily Loss Limit: 100.0

Critical Settings

⚠️ MUST CONFIGURE

• Symbol Suffix: If your broker uses suffixes (e.g., AUDCAD.m), enter it here
• Magic Number: Change if running multiple EAs
• Max Drawdown: Set according to your risk tolerance

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Pre-Flight Checklist

Before running the EA, verify:

• ✅ Hedging account (not netting) - EA will fail on netting accounts
• ✅ All 3 symbols available: AUDCAD, NZDCAD, AUDNZD
• ✅ AutoTrading enabled in MT5 (Ctrl+E)
• ✅ EA allowed to trade (Tools → Options → Expert Advisors)
• ✅ Sufficient margin for 3 positions
• ✅ Spreads reasonable (< 3 pips per symbol)

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First Backtest

Strategy Tester Setup

1. Symbol: AUDCAD
2. Timeframe: M15 or H1
3. Period: 2023.01.01 - 2025.01.01 (1 year minimum)
4. Model: Every tick based on real ticks
5. Deposit: 10,000 (or your account size)
6. Leverage: 1:100 (or your broker's leverage)

Expected Results

• Trade Count: 50-200 baskets per year (depends on parameters)
• Win Rate: Target > 65%
• Profit Factor: Target > 1.3
• Max Drawdown: Should stay below configured limit

Visual Mode

Enable visual mode to see:

• When baskets open/close
• Z-score values in real-time
• Circuit breaker status
• Performance metrics on chart

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Understanding the Display

The EA shows real-time metrics on the chart:

=== D-Basket EA Risk Monitor ===
Status: NORMAL
Net P/L: $125.50 (1.3%)
Daily P/L: $45.20
Drawdown: 3.2% (Max: 5.8%)
Baskets: 12 | Win Rate: 75.0%
Consecutive Losses: 0

Status Indicators

• NORMAL: Trading allowed, all systems operational
• WARNING: Risk levels elevated, warnings logged
• HALTED: Circuit breaker tripped, trading stopped

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Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: EA Opens a Basket

What happens:

1. Z-score exceeds entry threshold (e.g., -2.7)
2. All 8 filters pass
3. EA opens 3 positions simultaneously:
   • AUDNZD: BUY 0.01 lots
   • AUDCAD: SELL 0.01 lots
   • NZDCAD: BUY 0.01 lots

What to check:

• All 3 positions opened successfully
• Magic number matches on all positions
• Comment shows basket ID (e.g., "DBasket_1")

Scenario 2: EA Closes a Basket

What happens:

1. Z-score returns to exit threshold (e.g., -0.3)
2. EA closes all 3 positions
3. P&L is recorded and metrics updated

What to check:

• All 3 positions closed
• Win/loss recorded correctly
• Metrics updated on chart

Scenario 3: Circuit Breaker Trips

What happens:

1. Drawdown reaches 15% (or configured limit)
2. EA status changes to "HALTED"
3. No new baskets will open
4. Existing basket may be closed (emergency exit)

What to do:

• Review what caused the drawdown
• Check if parameters need adjustment
• Manually reset circuit breaker if appropriate
• Consider reducing risk parameters

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Troubleshooting

EA Not Opening Trades

Check:

1. Circuit breaker status (should be NORMAL)
2. Current z-score (use visual mode to see)
3. Correlation level (must be > min threshold)
4. Spreads (must be < max threshold)
5. Trading hours (must be within configured window)
6. Logs for filter rejection reasons

Partial Basket Opened

What happened:

• One or two legs opened, but not all three
• EA automatically rolled back (closed opened positions)

Check:

• Logs for error messages
• Broker execution quality
• Margin availability
• Symbol tradability

High Drawdown

Actions:

1. Stop EA immediately
2. Review recent trades
3. Check if correlation broke down
4. Consider more conservative parameters:
   • Increase entry z-score (e.g., 3.0)
   • Increase min correlation (e.g., 0.80)
   • Reduce lot size
   • Lower max drawdown limit

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Parameter Optimization

Optimization Ranges

Use Strategy Tester's optimization feature:

Parameter	Min	Max	Step
Entry Z-Score	2.0	3.5	0.25
Exit Z-Score	0.3	1.0	0.1
Min Correlation	0.70	0.85	0.05
Lookback Period	150	350	50

Optimization Criterion

The EA's OnTester() function returns a custom score:

score = (profit / drawdown) × profit_factor × win_rate

This prioritizes:

• Risk-adjusted returns
• Consistent profitability
• High win rate

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Risk Management

Circuit Breaker Triggers

Condition	Warning	Trip
Drawdown	8%	15%
Daily Loss	-	$100 or 5%
Margin Level	500%	200%
Consecutive Losses	-	6

Manual Intervention

When to intervene:

• Circuit breaker trips repeatedly
• Win rate drops below 50%
• Correlation between pairs breaks down
• Broker execution quality degrades

How to intervene:

1. Stop EA
2. Close any open baskets manually
3. Review parameters
4. Restart with adjusted settings

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Best Practices

1. Start Small

• Begin with minimum lot size (0.01)
• Test on demo account for 1+ month
• Gradually increase lot size after validation

2. Monitor Daily

• Check circuit breaker status
• Review daily P&L
• Verify correlation remains stable
• Check for error logs

3. Regular Optimization

• Reoptimize parameters quarterly
• Use walk-forward analysis
• Compare live results to backtest

4. Broker Selection

• Choose broker with tight spreads
• Ensure hedging is allowed
• Verify fast execution (< 500ms)
• Check commission structure

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Support

Log Files

Enable file logging for detailed records:

Log Level: INFO (or DEBUG for troubleshooting)
Log to File: true

Logs saved to: MQL5/Files/DBasket_[date].log

Documentation

• README.md - User guide and installation
• TECHNICAL_DOCUMENTATION.md - Architecture and diagrams
• DEVELOPMENT_SUMMARY.md - Project overview

Common Questions

Q: Can I run this on a netting account?
A: No, hedging account is mandatory. The EA will fail initialization on netting accounts.

Q: How many trades per week?
A: Typically 2-10 signals per week at default parameters. Depends on market volatility.

Q: What's the minimum account size?
A: Recommended minimum $1,000 for 0.01 lot size with proper risk management.

Q: Can I run multiple instances?
A: Yes, but use different magic numbers for each instance.

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Next Steps

1. ✅ Install and compile EA
2. ⏳ Run backtest on 1 year of data
3. ⏳ Optimize parameters
4. ⏳ Deploy to demo account
5. ⏳ Monitor for 1+ month
6. ⏳ Consider live deployment

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📄 License & Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Dineth Pramodya
Website: www.dineth.lk
All rights reserved.

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Last Updated: December 28, 2025
Developed by: Dineth Pramodya
For detailed technical information, see TECHNICAL_DOCUMENTATION.md