OpenTicks
OpenTicks is a tick-based scalping EA that generates trade signals from raw tick data analysis rather than traditional bar-based indicators. It aims to capture micro price movements by reacting to real-time tick flow patterns, opening and closing positions within very short time windows. The EA operates on extremely short timeframes and relies on rapid execution with small take profit targets.
Open the interactive view (equity curve, symbol switch)Key facts
Backtest results (H1, about 1 year)
| Symbol | P&L | Annual | Max DD | Trades | Win rate | Sharpe | Recovery | Losing streak | Per trade | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD | -0.27% | -0.24% | 3.79% | 110 | 48.60% | — | — | — | — | Same as other EAs |
| GBPUSD | +6.63% | +5.74% | 3.89% | 108 | 51.90% | — | — | — | — | Same as other EAs |
| USDJPY | +2.10% | +1.82% | 4.75% | 99 | 49.50% | — | — | — | — | Same as other EAs |
| XAUUSD | +1.98% | +1.63% | 52.23% | 105 | 50.00% | — | — | — | — | Same as other EAs |
On every market this backtest is identical to EA-16877, EA-17274, EA-17489, EA-17741, EA-19089, EA-20222, EA-20527, EA-22465 and others. The automatic conversion almost certainly lost what makes this EA different (a custom indicator, a filter or the money management), so these results are not ranked or counted.
Converted from MQL5 to Python and run with the same rules for every EA. Positions use MT5 lot sizes (100,000 units per FX lot, 100 oz per gold lot) with 1:100 leverage, one order at a time, and a stop-out below 10% of the starting balance. Sharpe is computed from the equity curve. Results marked as unreliable are shown for completeness only.
Blow-up risk: No blow-up pattern found
None of the usual blow-up patterns were found in the code, and the account was not stopped out in our backtests. That is not a guarantee: any EA can lose money.
High: stopped out in our backtest, or martingale/grid sizing without a stop loss. Elevated: martingale or grid sizing with a stop loss, or several positions at once without a stop loss. What the label means and what we found →
Strategy analysis
The core strategy concept of OpenTicks is based on microstructure analysis of tick data to capture short-term price momentum shifts. Entry conditions rely on statistical characteristics of real-time tick flow, such as tick frequency, buy/sell pressure ratio, and micro-trends in price changes, opening positions immediately when a profitable micro-pattern is detected. Exit conditions typically employ a fixed small take profit in points and a relatively tight stop loss, with some versions potentially using tick-level trailing stops to lock in profits. For position sizing, the EA generally uses fixed lots or margin-proportional sizing, but individual positions tend to be small given the scalping nature. In terms of money management, the cumulative trading costs (spread and commission) are a critical factor due to high-frequency trading characteristics, and without strict spread filtering and slippage control, net returns can be eroded by transaction costs. The overall strategy depends heavily on the broker's execution speed and low-latency environment, and performance may deteriorate significantly under high spread or high latency conditions.
Strengths
- Leverages tick-level data to capture micro market structure changes that traditional bar-based indicators cannot identify
- Clear take profit and stop loss settings provide quantifiable risk-reward control for each trade
- High trading frequency with very short holding periods limits per-trade risk exposure time and eliminates overnight risk
- Can continuously generate trading opportunities during high-liquidity sessions
Weaknesses
- High-frequency trading generates substantial transaction costs (spread + commission), and net profitability heavily depends on a low-spread environment
- Tick-level strategy is extremely sensitive to execution latency and may completely fail in non-VPS or high-latency environments
- Lacks new bar check mechanism, potentially opening repeated positions at the same price level causing excessive exposure
- Micro market structure patterns can vary dramatically between brokers, raising questions about strategy generalizability
Possible improvements
- Add tick-level time window aggregation statistics to avoid overreacting to single tick anomalies
- Introduce dynamic spread filtering and slippage protection to pause trading under adverse conditions
- Add maximum holding time limit to prevent scalping trades from unexpectedly turning into losing positions
Risk assessment
Overall risk: Caution
- Scalping strategy can lead to consecutive stop losses when spreads widen, causing rapid drawdown
- Tick-level re-entry mechanism may cause over-opening positions in short periods, amplifying market risk exposure
- High-frequency trading demands extreme network and server stability, and disconnections may leave positions unmanaged
Evaluation scores
Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
LotSize | 0.01 | Fixed lot size per trade |
TakeProfit | 10 | Take profit distance in points, 0 to disable |
StopLoss | 20 | Stop loss in points |
TickThreshold | 5 | Tick change threshold for signal trigger |
MaxSpread | 20 | Maximum allowed spread |
MagicNumber | 16787 | EA magic number for identifying managed positions |
TrailingStop | 5 | Tick-level trailing stop distance in points |
Similar Scalping EAs
Backtests are historical simulations and do not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.