Description
What it is:
- An H1 volatility-breakout cBot for XAUUSD (Gold) that trades both long and short.
- Built around ATR to scale entries and exits to current volatility.
- Designed to capture multi-hour momentum and avoid micro breakouts.
Trading approach, logic, and behavior
- Breakout engine:
- Computes the highest high and lowest low over the last N closed bars.
- A trade triggers only if price closes beyond that channel by an ATR offset (EntryOffsetATR), filtering weak breaks.
- Orders are placed at the next bar open (no lookahead).
- Exits and protection:
- Stop-loss and take-profit are set at entry as ATR multiples (SL=SlAtr×ATR, TP=TpAtr×ATR).
- Only one position per symbol/label at a time; no martingale, no grid, no averaging-down.
- Noise controls:
- CooldownBars enforces a pause after an exit.
- RearmBars requires price to return inside the channel before the same-direction entry is allowed again.
- Optional session filter (UTC by default) lets you focus on London/NY hours.
- Optional market-hours guard can block trades near session close/open.
- Direction:
- Long and short enabled by default. You can switch to long-only or short-only.
Risk management and capital principles
- Sizing modes:
- Fixed lots (simple, constant exposure).
- Fixed risk $ per trade (size adapts to SL distance).
- Risk % of equity (compounds with balance).
- Recommended risk: 0.25%–1.0% of equity per trade for most accounts. Keep margin headroom; avoid running near stop-out.
- Always test broker costs (spread, commission, swap) and set realistic expectations for slippage on news and at session edges.
Key trade parameters (user-configurable)
- Lookback N (channel length)
- ATR Period (Wilder)
- EntryOffsetATR (how far beyond the channel price must close)
- SlAtr / TpAtr (ATR-based SL/TP)
- ATR Min (pips) filter (skip ultra-low volatility)
- Min. Breakout Candle Close Location
- CooldownBars and RearmBars
- Trade window (start/end hour; UTC by default)
- AllowLong / AllowShort
- SizingMode + risk settings (fixed lots, $ risk, % risk)
- Label (so multiple symbols/instances can be isolated)
Who it’s suited for
- Account size:
- Works on small accounts if your broker supports micro volumes; practically, $500+ can run tiny risk, $1,000+ recommended for smoother sizing.
- Trader profile:
- Swing/day traders who prefer clear, rule-based entries and capped risk.
- Users comfortable with periods of flat or negative performance during ranges.
- Experience level:
- Intermediate and up.
Important limitations and usage notes
- Market regime sensitivity: Breakout systems typically perform best in trending/volatile conditions and can chop during ranges. Expect streaks.
- Timeframe: Designed and validated on H1. Other timeframes are allowed but not validated by default settings.
- Next-bar execution: Signals are taken after the bar closes; fills occur at the next bar open and can gap through SL/TP in fast markets.
- Costs matter: Spread/commission/swaps significantly impact net results—configure risk and sessions accordingly. Avoid ultra-thin hours if your broker’s costs widen.
- Session/time zone: By default the session filter uses UTC. If you prefer broker/server time, switch the bot’s time zone accordingly.
- One instance per symbol/label: Do not run multiple instances on the same symbol with the same label unless you intend to manage multiple positions.
- News and weekends: Consider pausing around major news and avoid holding through weekend gaps if your risk tolerance is low.
- No guarantees: Past backtests or examples are not promises of future returns.
Summary
Risk management features include ATR-multiplied stop-loss and take-profit levels set at entry, with only one position allowed per symbol/label at a time. The bot offers noise reduction controls such as cooldown periods after exits and requirements for price to re-enter the channel before re-entry in the same direction. Optional session filters focus trading on specific market hours.
Position sizing supports fixed lots, fixed dollar risk per trade, or risk as a percentage of equity, with recommended risk between 0.25% and 1.0% per trade. The bot suits intermediate and advanced swing or day traders with accounts of $1,000 or more, emphasizing rule-based entries and capped risk. It is validated on H1 timeframe and designed to operate under trending or volatile market conditions.
