Description
Gold Scalper Pro XAU M15 – Release Notes
Version 1.0 / 2.0 – ATR‑Based Scalping Robot for XAU/USD
1. Introduction
Gold Scalper Pro XAU M15 is a fully automated, risk‑managed scalping cBot specifically engineered for Gold (XAU/USD) on the M15 timeframe. Version 2.0 represents a major evolution from earlier internal prototypes, incorporating extensive optimisations based on rigorous backtesting, new advanced order‑flow filters, and granular risk controls.
The strategy combines multi‑timeframe trend confirmation, momentum‑divergence oscillators, volatility‑based position sizing, and dynamic trailing stops. Every aspect — from entry triggers to daily loss limits — is parameterised to give the trader full control.
2. What’s New in Version 2.0
Area | Improvement
Risk / Reward : TP multiplier raised to 4.0× ATR (was 3.0). Break‑even moved to 1.5R (was 1.0), reducing premature stops.
Trailing : Trail distance increased to 2.0× ATR (was 1.5). Trailing now only activates after break‑even, and is throttled (10‑pip dead zone) to avoid whip‑saw modifications.
Drawdown Protection : Daily drawdown limit tightened to 3% (was 5%). Max trades per day reduced to 3 (was 5). After a loss, a 4‑bar cooldown (was 3) suspends new entries, preventing revenge trading.
Volatility Floor : Minimum ATR lowered to 150 pips (was 300) to capture more tradeable sessions while still filtering deadly low‑volatility markets.
Spread Filter : Spread limit widened to 60 points (was 40) to accommodate typical XAU spreads during news/rollover while remaining realistic.
Volume Cap : New Maximum Volume parameter (default 100,000 units) prevents oversized positions on small accounts when risk% would calculate excessive lots.
Scaling : Scale‑in distance tightened to 1.5× ATR (was 1.0), ensuring a meaningful correction before adding. Max scaling positions fixed at 2.
New Filters
– Opening Range (e.g., 09:00‑10:00 UTC) blocks entries unless price breaks the range.
– Break of Structure (BOS): demands price clears the most recent swing high/low.
– Liquidity Sweep: requires a false break of a swing level followed by a reclaim, confirming a stop‑run.
– Engulfing Mode: optional strict engulfing candle requirement; otherwise a strong‑close directional candle is accepted.
– Minimum Candle Body relative to ATR ensures the trigger bar is decisive.
HTF Robustness
If the requested higher timeframe is unavailable, the bot now gracefully falls back to using the M15 EMA200 as trend filter instead of stopping.
3. Strategy Logic Overview
3.1 Multi‑Timeframe Trend Alignment
- Higher Timeframe (default H1) : price must be above the fast EMA (50) and the fast EMA above the slow EMA (200) for a bullish bias, or the mirror for bearish.
- M15 (trade timeframe) : same EMA alignment plus a slope filter (fast EMA must be rising/falling over the last *n* bars).
3.2 Entry Triggers
All of the following must simultaneously be true:
- Stochastic (14,3,3) bullish cross below buy zone (K<40) or bearish cross above sell zone (K>60).
- RSI (14) rising above 45 (buy) or falling below 55 (sell).
- ADX(14) ≥ 20 → trending environment.
- ATR within acceptable range: >150 pips (floor) and <2.5× its 20‑period average (ceiling).
- Candle confirmation: either an engulfing candle (if enabled) or a strong‑close candle with body ≥20% of ATR and close in the top/bottom 55% of the range.
- All enabled structural filters (Opening Range / BOS / Liquidity Sweep) pass.
3.3 Order Execution & Position Management
- Risk: fixed fractional (% of balance) using
VolumeForFixedRiskwith the initial ATR‑based stop. - Two‑step opening: the market order is placed without protection, then SL & TP are immediately applied to avoid execution rejections due to tight limits.
- Break‑even: SL is moved to entry + buffer (2 pips) only after price moves 1.5× the initial risk.
- Partial TP: 50% of the position is closed at 2.0× initial risk, locking in profit early.
- Trailing: once break‑even is reached, the stop trails the price at a distance of 2.0× current ATR, but only when a 10‑pip improvement is detected to reduce modification calls.
- Scaling: if the initial entry moves further against the trader by 1.5× ATR, a second (and final) position is added, averaging in.
3.4 Safeguards
- Daily reset at midnight UTC.
- Max daily trades, daily equity drawdown limit.
- Cooldown bars after a losing trade.
- Spread & ATR extreme filters block trading in adverse conditions.
- Minimum stop distance enforced (2 pips).
4. Complete Parameter List
Indicators
ParameterDefaultDescription
Fast EMA 50
Period of the fast exponential moving average
Slow EMA 200
Period of the slow EMA (trend filter)
RSI Period 14
RSI calculation period
Stoch K 14
Stochastic %K period
Stoch D 3
%D period
Stoch Slowing 3
Smoothing factor
ATR Period 14
ATR period (used for SL/TP/trail)
ADX Period 14
ADX calculation period
Min ADX 20.0
Minimum ADX value for trend
EMA Slope Bars 3
Bars to check for EMA slope direction
Risk & Money Management
ParameterDefaultDescription
Risk % 1.0
% of balance risked per trade
ATR SL Multiplier 2.0
Stop loss distance = ATR × this value
ATR TP Multiplier 4.0
Take profit distance = ATR × this value
Trailing ATR 2.0
Trailing distance in ATR multiples
BreakEven R 1.5
R‑multiple at which SL moves to entry+ buffer
Break‑Even Buffer (pips) 2.0
Pips added to entry when going BE
Partial TP R 2.0
R‑multiple for first partial close
Partial Close % 50
Percentage of volume closed at partial TP
Maximum Volume 100,000
Hard cap on position size (in units)
Signal Filters
ParameterDefaultDescription
Stoch Buy Zone 40.0
%K must be below this for a buy
Stoch Sell Zone 60.0
%K must be above this for a sell
RSI Buy Minimum 45.0
Minimum RSI value for a buy
RSI Sell Maximum 55.0
Maximum RSI value for a sell
Require Engulfing false
Enforce strict engulfing candle pattern
Min Candle Body (ATR fraction)
Minimum body size relative to ATR
ATR Volatility Max 2.5
ATR ceiling (× its 20‑period SMA)
Min ATR (pips) 150.0
Hard floor for current ATR
Session & Time Filters
ParameterDefaultDescription
Higher TimeFrame Hour1/4
Timeframe for trend bias
Trade Start Hour (UTC) 7
Earliest hour to take signals
Trade End Hour (UTC) 20
Latest hour (exclusive)
Require HTF Data false
Stop if HTF unavailable (if true)
Advanced Filters
ParameterDefaultDescription
Use Opening Range Filter false
Enable opening range break logic
OR Start Hour (UTC) 9
Start of opening range period
OR End Hour (UTC) 10
End of opening range period
Use Break of Structure false
Require breaking latest swing high/low
BOS Swing Lookback 5
Bars to confirm a swing point
Use Liquidity Sweep false
Require liquidity sweep before entry
Sweep Lookback Bars 10
Bars to search for sweep
Scaling
ParameterDefaultDescription
Use Scaling Entries false
Enable adding to losing positions
Scale In ATR Multiplier 1.5
Distance from initial entry to add
Max Scaling Positions 2
Maximum total positions after scaling
Diagnostics
ParameterDefaultDescription
Enable Debug Log false
Output detailed diagnostic information
5. Installation & Setup
- Copy the
.csfile into your cTraderAutomatefolder (or import via cTrader Automate Manager). - Compile the cBot (no external dependencies).
- Attach to an XAU/USD M15 chart, ensure sufficient history (≥300 bars).
- Adjust the parameters to match your account and risk appetite.
- Backtest thoroughly using cTrader’s built‑in optimisation before live trading.
6. Important Usage Notes
- Broker considerations: Gold has variable spread and slippage. The spread filter (60 points) is a guard; consider raising it during news.
- Volume capping: The
MaxVolumeparameter prevents disproportionately large positions when using a small ATR stop. Set it according to your broker’s margin requirements and your comfort. - HTF fallback: If the selected higher timeframe data is missing (e.g., insufficient bars), the bot will use the M15 EMA200 as a directional bias. The
Require HTF Dataswitch can force the bot to stop instead. - Cooldown & daily limits: The bot enforces a strict daily reset (midnight UTC). If your broker’s server time differs, ensure your UTC shift in the
TimeZoneattribute is correct. - Backtesting Tip: Disable all optional filters (Opening Range, BOS, Sweep, Scaling) during initial backtests to isolate the core strategy; enable them one‑by‑one to see their individual impact.
7. Known Limitations & Future Roadmap
- Tick‑data sensitivity: Trailing and break‑even modifications are throttled, but in fast markets they may still lag slightly. A future update may implement pending order‑based protection.
- No news filter: The bot does not read economic calendars; it relies on spread/volatility thresholds. Manual intervention is advised during high‑impact events.
- Single‑symbol: Only XAU/USD is supported. Adapting to other metals or forex would require re‑optimisation of all parameters.
- Scaling logic: Current scaling only adds to losing positions; no scaling‑out beyond the single partial close. Fully dynamic scaling is under evaluation for v2.0.
8. Support & Feedback
For bug reports, parameter suggestions, or customisation requests, please contact the developer via the cTrader community or the support email provided with the cBot. Happy scalping!
Summary
Entry signals require simultaneous confirmation from stochastic crossovers, RSI thresholds, ADX trend strength, ATR volatility range, candle pattern validation, and optional structural filters such as Opening Range breaks, Break of Structure, and Liquidity Sweeps. Position management includes fixed fractional risk per trade, two-step order execution with immediate stop loss and take profit placement, break-even adjustments, partial profit-taking at 2× initial risk, trailing stops activated after break-even, and optional scaling-in on adverse moves.
Risk controls feature daily trade limits, drawdown caps, cooldown periods after losses, spread and volatility filters, and a maximum volume cap to prevent oversized positions. The bot supports fallback to M15 EMA200 trend filtering if higher timeframe data is unavailable. It is intended for use with brokers offering XAU/USD trading and requires backtesting and parameter adjustment to match account size and risk preferences. The bot enforces a daily reset at midnight UTC and includes configurable parameters for indicators, risk management, filters, and trading sessions.
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