MidasIn short: A gold grid EA opens a first order, adds more at fixed price steps against the position, usually in growing lots, and closes the whole basket when price returns a little above break-even. It earns small amounts often and risks a large loss rarely, and the number of orders and the deposit decide whether that rare case ends the account.
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How does a gold grid EA work?
- First order. The EA opens a position by its entry rule.
- Adding. If gold moves against it by one grid step, the EA adds the next order, larger by a multiplier. Together these orders form a basket (glossary).
- Exit. When price returns to break-even plus a small take-profit, the whole basket closes, usually at a small gain.
- Repeat. A new basket starts.
Since the average price improves with each added order, a small bounce is enough. That is why a grid closes many baskets in plus and looks smooth in a short test. The loss sits in the tail (grid vs martingale vs averaging).
Why do the lots grow so fast?
With a multiplier of 2, total volume after n orders is the first lot times (2ⁿ − 1). On a 0.01 first lot:
| Orders open | Total lots | Times the first order |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0.63 | 63 |
| 8 | 2.55 | 255 |
| 10 | 10.23 | 1,023 |
| 12 | 40.95 | 4,095 |
Each extra order roughly doubles the load, and margin and floating loss grow with it. The grid calculator turns these lots into dollars, stop-out price and the move you survive for your account.
What decides whether a gold grid survives?
- Orders. How deep it may go before it stops adding.
- Step. A wider step needs a bigger move to reach the same depth, but a bigger bounce to close.
- Multiplier. 1.5 grows far slower than 2 (step, multiplier and order count).
- Balance per lot. The same settings are safe on one deposit and fatal on another.
- Leverage and stop-out level set by the broker (margin call vs stop-out).
- Gold itself. Trending days are the enemy; calm ranges are the friend.
What does a tick study of a gold grid show?
In our study of a generic grid (a $2 step, lot doubling, cap of 9 orders, 0.01 lot, no protections) on XAUUSD ticks since January 2025, the account was stopped out in 10% of 30-day starts with a $1,000 deposit, 3% with $2,000 and 1% with $5,000. 8.8% of baskets reached the 5th order and 1.3% reached the 9th. Extra orders are expensive: the deposit enough in 90% of starts grew from $997 at 9 orders to $1,905 at 10, $2,891 at 11 and $5,627 at 12. These are model results for one window; the study and the methodology give the method and its limits.
What protections can a grid have, and what do they not do?
An order cap, a hard stop on the basket, trading hours, news and spread filters, and a lock that freezes the floating loss of part of the basket. Each trades one risk for another: a hard stop turns a floating loss into a real one, a lock keeps a position open and does not prevent a stop-out (how to limit grid risk). No protection removes the tail.
How do you test a gold grid EA before buying?
Compute the lots at full depth, run the settings through tick history, replay the worst day and then use a demo account. The steps are in how to test a gold EA before buying. For Midas, the free emulator runs your settings on real ticks since January 2025 and shows drawdown, blow-ups and the minimum capital without one.
FAQ
What is a gold grid EA?
An Expert Advisor that adds orders at fixed steps against the position, usually in growing lots, and closes the whole basket on a small bounce. It trades gold (XAUUSD) on MT5 or MT4. Midas is a gold grid EA for MT5.
Is a gold grid EA safe?
No grid is safe in the sense of capped loss. It wins small often, and one long move against it can trigger the broker's stop-out and lose most or all of the deposit. Safety is a matter of deposit per lot and order cap, which you can compute before you start.
How much deposit does a gold grid EA need?
There is no recommended deposit. It depends on lot, orders, step, multiplier and leverage. In our model of a generic grid, 9 orders at 0.01 lot needed about $997 to be enough in 90% of 30-day starts, and 12 orders about $5,627. Use the grid calculator and the emulator for your settings.
Is a gold grid EA the same as a martingale EA?
Often yes. Many gold grids raise lots on each added order, which is the martingale element. A grid with equal lots is slower to grow but also leaves a floating loss (grid vs martingale vs averaging).
Can a grid EA use a stop-loss?
Some do. A stop caps the loss on a basket but makes the loss real, and a basket often recovers when price returns. It is a trade-off, not a free fix.
This page is a general explanation and arithmetic of settings, not investment advice. Trading with leverage carries risk: if the deposit is too small, a stop-out is possible. Size your deposit with a safety margin.