What are the best custom MT4 indicators?

MetaTrader 4 (MT4) is one of the leading online trading platforms used by traders globally due to its ease of use and versatility. One of the aspects of its popularity is its ability to integrate various technical indicators, which traders can use to analyze price movements and identify potential trading opportunities.

What are MT4 indicators?

Traders can use MT4 technical indicators as tools to examine and forecast various instruments’ price fluctuations. Different indicators can detect trends, support and resistance levels, momentum changes, and market volatility, and they can assist traders with making better and more informed trading choices. Traders can detect the most opportune moments to open or close a position, and generally optimise their trading with invaluable insights.

Using multiple indicators

Now, every trader has their favourite indicators to help them identify trade entry and exit points. However, with so many available, it is easy to use too many indicators or to use them inefficiently.

Technical indicators provide information based on mathematical calculations derived from a trading instrument’s past and current price or volume activity.

A technical analyst will use this information to evaluate historical performance and calculate future prices. Indicators do not provide any buy and sell signals but offer the information which a trader can interpret to determine trade entry and exit points that suit their own unique trading style. Different types of indicators can be used to interpret trend, momentum, volatility, and volume.

Popular MT4 indicators for technical analysis

1. Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD)

MACD is a widely used custom indicator that helps traders identify potential trend reversals and generate buy or sell signals. The MACD comprises of two moving averages, a faster and a slower moving average, and a signal line. When the faster moving average rises above the slower one, then we are witnessing a bullish signal, and a possible uptrend. On the other hand, if the faster moving average goes below the slower one, it creates a bearish signal, and shows a likely downtrend.

2. Bollinger Bands

Bollinger Bands are used to identify market volatility and overbought/oversold levels. Bollinger Bands comprise of a middle band, which is a simple moving average, and an upper and lower band that represent the standard deviation of the price from the middle band. When the price is close to the upper band, it shows an overbought and indicates the potential of a reversal. If the price approaches the lower band, then this shows that the market is oversold, and a reversal may happen.

3. Relative Strength Index (RSI)

A momentum oscillator, RSI allows traders to detect overbought or oversold levels. It evaluates the speed and change of price movements and ranges from 0 to 100. When the RSI is above 70, it shows an overbought market, and indicates that a reversal may be coming up next. On the other hand, when the RSI is below 30, it suggests an oversold market and that a potential reversal may happen.

4. Fibonacci Retracement

Fibonacci Retracement is a custom indicator that is used to identify potential support and resistance levels based on the Fibonacci sequence. In technical analysis, traders use it to determine potential price targets and areas where there is a price reversal. With the Fibonacci retracement levels traders can enter or exit trades based on the possibility of price reversals.

5. Ichimoku Kinko Hyo

Ichimoku Kinko Hyo is a custom indicator that provides a general view of the market. It consists of five lines: Tenkan-sen, Kijun-sen, Senkou Span A, Senkou Span B, and Chikou Span. Traders will use the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo to identify potential trend reversals, support and resistance levels, and generate buy or sell signals.

Selecting MT4 indicators effectively

To avoid using too many similar indicators, you should try and choose indicators that complement each other without providing too many confusing and unnecessary results. By applying different types of indicators to a chart, traders can make use of diverse information which can enrich their knowledge and help them form a more comprehensive idea of the market.

A typical combination is utilising a moving average convergence divergence (MACD) and a chart showing support and resistance. Or a trader could use one momentum and one trend indicator, and an Average Directional Index (ADX) (a trend indicator). By using different indicators, you can access information to help you interpret market conditions and confirm whether this information is accurate with another indicator. Another matching pair of indicators is the MACD and the stochastic.

Keeping your charts clear and organised

To use your indicators effectively, you can set up clean and visually attractive charts and workspaces. Your charts should help you access market analysis easily and not deter you or make it difficult to get your information.

Easy-to-read charts can improve your situational awareness and allow you to quickly interpret and respond to market activity. Most trading platforms allow you to customise based on chart colour and design, so you have the freedom to choose your background colour or the style and colour of a moving average to the size, colour, and font of the words on the chart.

Avoid cluttering your screen

Even if you have many monitors to display several charts, you should not have every inch of your screen space covered with technical indicators. Having too much information and trying to interpret so much data at the same time will end up confusing you and even paralysing you. To be able to respond in a timely and efficient manner, you should be able to access enough information but not too much. If you’re not using it, remove it and keep only the indicators that are useful. If you have too many indicators of the same type on the same chart, then remove a few.

Getting organised

Having a usable and clear workspace where you can use only the most important analysis tools is a must. However, being organised is a process, as there will be times that some indicators may be useful and other times that you may abandon them and replace them with other ones more suited to your current style and goals. So, depending on market conditions, the strategies and trading style you may use, the technical indicators that you may use, may change from to time.

Conclusion

Custom indicators play a significant part in helping you trade more effectively with MT4. You can use such indicators to analyse market trends, identify potential trading opportunities, and make more rounded and accurate decisions.

From MACD, Bollinger Bands, RSI, Fibonacci Retracement, and Ichimoku Kinko Hyo, technical indicators vary and depending on your requirements you can pick and mix. Not one indicators is always correct and you should always research and analyse the markets and consider different factors before making your trading decisions.

MT4 indicators can be a powerful set of tools as each indicator can provide a wealth of analysis and information to enrich your trading decisions or confirm your speculations, so you can act more efficiently and explore the markets with more confidence.

Disclaimer:
This information is not considered investment advice or an investment recommendation, but instead a marketing communication. IronFX is not responsible for any data or information provided by third parties referenced or hyperlinked in this communication.