If you have been involved in online trading for some time, chances are you have used the MT5 software.
Even if you are new to online trading, I am sure you have heard about MT5 from more experienced traders in your network.
But the platform isn’t just popular for no reason. Both traders and brokers find it useful because:
- It has impressive functionalities that you can’t get on any other platform
- It is openly available to all brokers and traders.
However, that is not all there is to MT5. So this post will be looking at some exciting things about MetaTrader 5, including:
- Its features
- The types of account it offers
- Basic terms every professional trader should know
Before we delve into highlighting the features, let’s look at what MetaTrader 5 really is.
So what is MT5?
MetaTrader is a multi-asset platform that offers traders the tools to trade forex, stocks, and futures.
The first version of the software, MT4, was created in 2005 by MetaQuotes Software Corporation. The second version, MT5, was released in 2010 to offer more functionalities and better trading experience to users and brokers.
With the history out of the way, let’s look at the features that make MT5 the software of choice for most brokers and traders.
5 features of MT5 that make it the market leader
- Multi-asset trading platform
- Automated trades to test trading strategies
- Automated bots by experts
- Hedging and netting allowed
- 21 time-frames — from minutes to years
The 3 types of MT5 accounts available on Deriv.com
One of the things that have made MT5 very popular is its open-source nature. This has allowed different brokers to integrate it into their respective trading platform.
But at Deriv.com, we didn’t just integrate MT5 into our platform.
We blended the powerful functionalities of the MT5 with our experience as pioneers in the online trading industry and we call it — DMT5 an all-in-one forex and CFD trading platform.
When you trade with DMT5, you have the option to choose from three different account types, each designed to appeal to traders with varying styles of trading and experience.
The three account types are explained in the images below.
It is worthy to note that synthetic indices are only available to Deriv.com traders and can be traded even on weekends.
Another point to note is that while Deriv.com created the synthetic indices algorithm, the market mimics the real-world financial market.
Lastly, let’s look at some of the terms that you should know if you want to succeed in online trading.
Basic terms every professional trader should know
1. Leverage
Leverage gives you the ability to trade a larger position using your existing capital.
2. Order execution
There are two types of order execution: instant execution and market execution.
Instant execution places your order at the price available at that time. Requotes are possible only if the price fluctuates by a lot before the execution of the order is completed.
Market execution allows you to place an order at the broker’s price. The price is agreed upon in advance, there are no requotes.
3. Spread
A ‘spread’ is the difference between the buy and sell prices. A fixed spread is subject to changes at the company’s absolute discretion, whereas a variable spread means that the spread is constantly changing. A fixed spread is not affected by market conditions, a variable spread depends on market conditions.
4. Commission
Brokers usually charge a commission for each trade that is placed. Deriv.com, however, charges no commission across all account types, except cryptocurrencies.
5. Margin call
Your account is placed under margin call when the funds in your account are unable to cover the leverage or margin requirement. To prevent a margin call from escalating to a stop out level, close any open positions or deposit additional funds into your account.
6. Stop out level
Your account will reach the stop out level where it will be unable to sustain any open positions if it has been under margin call for an extended period of time. This will lead to all pending orders being cancelled and open positions being closed forcibly (also known as “forced liquidation”).
7. Cryptocurrency trading
Indicates the availability of cryptocurrency trading on the particular account.
These are the basic things you should know about MT5. If you are new to online trading, we highly recommend you read the following posts:
