Scalpel EA
Scalpel EA is a scalping expert advisor designed for high-frequency, low-profit-per-trade entries on small timeframes. It uses precise entry signals based on price action and technical indicators to capture small price movements with tight take-profit targets. The EA aims to accumulate profits through a large number of quick trades rather than holding positions for extended periods.
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 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | Not convertible yet |
| GBPUSD | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | Not convertible yet |
| USDJPY | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | Not convertible yet |
| XAUUSD | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | Not convertible yet |
Why this EA never traded: no entry rule survived the conversion.
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
- Has no stop loss or trailing stop
On its own this is not a typical blow-up pattern, 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 of Scalpel EA is scalping, designed for small timeframes (typically M1 or M5), targeting small profits per trade. Entry conditions are typically based on short-term technical indicator crossovers or overbought/oversold signals combined with price action confirmation, executing quick in-and-out trades during low volatility periods. Exit conditions employ tight take-profit settings (usually 5-15 pips) along with stop-loss to control individual trade loss risk. Position sizing may use fixed lots or account balance-proportional calculation methods. Money management requires special attention to spread and commission erosion on net returns due to the high trading frequency, as well as slippage impact on actual fill prices. The overall strategy relies on high win rates to compensate for small per-trade profits, and performs best in low-spread environments.
Strengths
- Scalping strategy can steadily accumulate small profits under high win-rate conditions
- Tight stop-loss settings effectively control individual trade risk
- Quick entry and exit reduce holding time, lowering overnight risk and large move exposure
- Small timeframe trading captures more micro-volatility market opportunities
- Clear take-profit and stop-loss parameters facilitate quantitative risk-reward ratio evaluation
Weaknesses
- High-frequency trading is severely eroded by spread and commission costs on net profit
- Scalping strategy is extremely sensitive to execution speed and slippage, causing large backtest vs live discrepancies
- Small stop-losses are easily triggered by market noise leading to frequent stop-outs
- Strategy performance may deteriorate sharply during high volatility or low liquidity sessions
- Dependent on low-spread broker environments, limiting portability
Possible improvements
- Add market volatility filter (e.g., ATR) to pause trading during excessive volatility and avoid unnecessary stop-outs
- Introduce dynamic take-profit and stop-loss mechanism that adapts targets based on current market volatility
- Add trading session filter to trade only during high-liquidity sessions to reduce slippage impact
Risk assessment
Overall risk: Caution
- High-frequency scalping can cause consecutive losses when spreads widen
- Small stop-losses can be repeatedly triggered by market noise, accumulating frequent small losses
- Lack of new bar check may cause multiple repeated entries within the same bar
Evaluation scores
Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
Lots | 0.1 | Fixed lot size per trade |
TakeProfit | 10 | Take profit in points |
StopLoss | 20 | Stop loss in points |
TrailingStop | 5 | Trailing stop in points |
MagicNumber | 16825 | EA magic number for identifying this EA's orders |
MaxSpread | 30 | Maximum allowed spread |
Timeframe | M5 | Trading timeframe |
Similar Scalping EAs
Backtests are historical simulations and do not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.