Trading With MetaTrader 4

How to Trade A Currency Pair Using MetaTrader 4

The simplest way to open a trade in MetaTrader 4 is to use the ‘Order’ window and then place an instant order on the market. Select the currency pair of your choice by clicking on the ‘Window’ tab at the top of the MT4 platform, and then select ‘New Window’. You can then click ‘New Order’ on the MT4 toolbar or press F9 to open an ‘Order’ window.

The screenshot below displays an ‘Order’ window for the EUR/USD currency pair. From this, you should be able to see how easy it is to buy and sell with MetaTrader 4. To trade at the market bid/offer, you would need to enter your desired trade size (in lots) in the ‘Volume’ box and then click ‘Sell or Buy’, with ‘Market Execution’ selected as the order type.

It is the ‘Market Execution’ setting that allows an instant order within MetaTrader 4. Of course, dealing at the market is not the only answer to the question of how to make a trade within MetaTrader 4. You can also choose to buy or sell using a limit or a stop order, by selecting your choice from the ‘Type’ dropdown. This is how to buy and sell on MetaTrader 4 at specific, desired levels away from the current market price, as opposed to executing immediately at the prevailing price.

How to Enter a Short Position on MetaTrader 4

Going short (or short selling) on a market is simply selling when you do not have a long position. To do so, you would simply need to place a sell trade to open (as demonstrated in the screenshot image above).

How to Close a Trade in MetaTrader 4

How to place a trade with MetaTrader 4 is only part of the information that a trader needs, of course. Once you’ve opened a trade, there will eventually come a point when you want to close the trade. So how do I exit a trade in MetaTrader 4? Select the ‘Trade’ tab from the ‘Terminal’ window (press CTRL+T to summon or dismiss the ‘Terminal’ window). You will see any open trades you have displayed in the ‘Trade’ section of the ‘Terminal’ window. Right-click on the order you wish to close and select ‘Close Order’.

This opens an ‘Order’ window. Click the yellow ‘Close’ button to close your trade. So if you have two positions or more open in MetaTrader 4, and are wondering how to close one, this manual method is the way to do it, as you are specifying which individual trade you wish to exit. This manual method is not the only answer for how to exit a trade in MetaTrader 4 though. You can also close using a stop or limit order.