Many novice traders mix up the distinction between the slippage and max spread. The spread refers to the trading cost. Designating a maximum spread forbids an expert advisor from entering orders whenever the cost of doing so exceeds a certain threshold.
Max spread
Forex spreads often widen around news events. It’s frequently a great deal of chaos where the end result is not much different from where it all started. Many traders find it preferable to sit out these events. It’s better to miss a trading opportunity than to pay an arm and a leg for it.
Max slippage
Slippage controls the execution of the order. MetaTrader offers a unique feature in the OrderSend() command called slippage. Most market orders are treated as pure market orders. It’s treated as a command to the broker to execute the order without regard to the price paid. The maximum slippage pulls back the reigns a little bit.
Say that the market price is 50 and an MQL program sets the maximum slippage to 2. The MetaTrader broker knows that it may only execute the price within a range of 2 pips from the requested entry price. Either the price 50, 51, or 52 will do.
The difference between maximum spread and maximum slippage
The easiest way to distinguish the two items is to remember the following two questions.
Does it look like I’m about to pay too much to enter this trade? If so, I should use the maximum spread to prevent expensive trades.
Am I worried about the broker abusing my market order request after I send the order? If so, I should use the maximum slippage setting.
OneStepRemoved.com uses a hidden maximum slippage variable in our expert advisor programming template. We usually set it at 2 micro pips. You can ask us to make it an external variable upon request.
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