EA trading is quite popular among traders, but not all brokers are welcome with it or even allow it. Pepperstone is one of the brokers that aim to be suitable for EA traders.

Expert Advisors in Pepperstone

One of the biggest hurdles in forex trading is the fact that the market can get tricky and quite stressful to handle sometimes. This is why a forex EA (Expert Advisor) might come in handy.  To put it shortly, an Expert Advisor (EA) is a type of software that assist traders in an automated fashion.

Many brokers allow traders to use EAs, but not all EAs are necessarily effective. This is why it's important to do your research before you try EA trading.

You also need to ensure that the broker provides everything you need to make it work. One of the brokers that are often suggested for EA trading is Pepperstone

 

How Does Pepperstone Allow EA Trading?

Pepperstone allows traders to utilize EAs and perform algorithmic trading across their service. You can use EAs on all available platforms on Peppersone, namely MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader.

The coding language for MT4 is called MQL4 and it is based on c++, whereas for MT5, the coding language is called MQL5 and it is basically a more advanced version of c++ built specifically for trading. Meanwhile, the coding language used in cTrader is called C#.

Generally speaking, MQL4 is considered more suitable for beginner coders as it is easier. At Pepperstone, you are free to either build your own EAs or import them from others in the trading community.

Just keep in mind that MT4 and MT5 EAs are not compatible with cTrader, and vice versa. While MT5 EAs can be used on MT4, MT4 EAs cannot be used on MT5.

Pepperstone allows the use of EAs in both demo and live trading environments. However, please note that there may be some slight differences in performance due to the different conditions of liquidity and order execution dynamics.

After all, demo trading is simply a simulated trading environment designed to mimic the real trading market, so the infrastructure is limited and not exactly the same as the live trading condition.

 

Steps to Load an EA in Pepperstone

Using an EA in Pepperstone can be done in a few easy steps below:

  1. Head over to Pepperstone's official website and log in to your Client Area. You'll need to open a new account if you don't already have one.
  2. Install your preferred trading platform and log in to your trading account.
  3. To load an EA, you'll need to first download it as a file to your computer. You can either make your own EA or use the available templates. Then, choose "file" on your trading platform.
  4. Find the file you need, then drag and drop it into the "Expert Advisors" folder.
  5. Once you are done, restart your trading platform and your EA will appear on the Navigator list.

 

Supported by Smart Trader Tools

If you are planning to start EA trading in Pepperstone, you need to check out the broker's smart trader tools. It provides access to an impressive list of advanced tools and indicators to help improve your trade execution and management.

There are 28 in total and they can be really helpful to unlock your full trading potential. You can simply install and access them on your MT4 or MT5 trading platform.

Here is a list of some of the best features to support EA trading in Pepperstone:

  • Trade Terminal: This powerful tool allows you to control all your trades from a single terminal, which makes the whole trading experience highly efficient. You can see all activities on your account as well as the list of all market categories and order lists.
  • Mini Terminal: This tool offers all the functionality of the Trade Terminal but on a single market. It is simple, convenient, and practical to place, modify, and close orders. You can also make it a floating window so you can trade from multiple monitors at the same time.
  • Trade Simulator: Allows you to test your strategies on MT4 with data and real-time market pricing.
  • Alarm Manager: A handy tool to notify you of trading opportunities.
  • Correlation Matrix: Shows a deeper insight into the correlation between any trading instruments.
  • Correlation Trader: Provides access to in-depth analysis of correlation across different time frames.
  • Market Manager: Displays a watch list of both symbol prices and open positions, allowing you to close orders and open new ones. You can also make quick trade entries using available templates on the platform.
  • Connect Feature: Offers access to all updated news and analysis from a single place. It covers many categories that might help you in the decision-making process.
  • Sentiment Trader: Provides market sentiment ratings, including real-time and past data across different markets.
  • Session Map: Provides real-time pending market sessions, overlaps, and more.

 

VPS Hosting in Pepperstone

Pepperstone offers a VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting to make your algorithmic trading experience goes smoothly. It is able to run automatic algorithmic strategies such as EAs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on a virtual machine.

With this tool, you can avoid system downtimes due to technical failures. It'll make sure that your automatic strategies are up and running at all times, preventing you from missing any opportunities in the market.

At Pepperstone, there are two VPS options that you can choose from, namely ForexVPS and New York City Servers. Both are premium services, so you'll need to subscribe to enjoy the benefits.

However, by signing up as a Pepperstone user, you will get a flat 25% discount.

  • ForexVPS offers an ultra-low latency of about 1 millisecond, an 100% uptime guarantee, and the ability to install any Expert Advisor. There is an expert team who's ready to help you install EAs and third-party tools, or fix any issues at any time. Conveniently, the ForexVPS is already preinstalled in your MT4 so you don't need to install any additional software to use it.

  • New York City Servers offers a low latency connection to the broker, fast order execution, and powerful servers that are able to smoothly run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On top of that, the servers are backed by a reliable customer support team via email, live chat, phone, and support tickets.

 

Pepperstone's Tips on EA Trading

While you are free to make your own decisions, Pepperstone does offer some useful tips to get you started. Here are some highlights that might help you improve your EA trading experience:

  • Analyze the market conditions. As you may already know, the forex market can be very volatile and unpredictable at times. Thus, building an EA that suits all market conditions is simply impossible. Instead, you need to use EAs on conditions that suit their characteristics.

  • Get ready to exit. Aside from planning when to enter the market, it's also important to plan your exit when things go south. Remember that the market can move really fast during volatile times, so ensure that your strategy is prepared for the worst case.

  • Choose non-correlated EAs. It's always a great idea to diversify your strategy, so it's highly recommended to use different EAs to anticipate various trading conditions. More specifically, use EAs that are non-correlated so they can offset each other's performances and allow you to build a steady profit.

  • Allocate more funds to high-performing EAs. Since you are trading multiple EAs, it's important to allocate your funds wisely. Consider the potential of each EA's performance and take control over your trades.

  • Use reliable co-located VPS. Pepperstone highly suggested choosing co-located VPS to optimize order executions. It is also able to provide higher reliability and redundancy compared to installing the EA on your own computer.

  • Last but not least, backtest your EA using real-life data. It's crucial to test your strategy before it goes live using the same data that you're going to trade with in order to ensure that it has a good chance of succeeding. This also allows you to see gaps in the strategy that may not have been visible before.

 

Final Verdict

It's safe to say that Pepperstone is indeed an excellent choice for EA trading. As we can see from the explanation above, EAs can be utilized in many different ways and it offers a wide range of functionalities depending on how they are set up.

Pepperstone helps to maximize EA trading by providing multiple choices of platforms that support it, smart trader tools, and VPS hosting with special benefits.

 


Pepperstone is a multi-asset brokerage that offers Cryptocurrency, indices, forex, and many more. This broker is known for a highly-rated software solution, ultra-low fees, fast execution speeds of 30ms, and innovative Crypto products.