Introduction to MetaTrader 5 Platform Interface
The following screen shot below shows the main MetaTrader 5 stock platform inter-face. As a beginner trader trying to learn how to execute stocks orders in the online stocks market, the main tool for trading the stocks market is the MT5 stock platform software. This MT5 stock platform is the software which you will connect to your stocks broker with & execute stocks trade transactions & monitor your stocks MT5 account balance from this MT5 stock platform.
The Stock MetaTrader 5 Platform software is provided for free through the various stocks broker web sites. This MetaTrader 5 stocks software looks like the stocks example illustrated and explained below:
Main Areas of this MT5 stock platform as shown above are:
- MetaTrader 5 Navigation Menus
- Toolbars
- MT5 Stock Chart Window
- MetaTrader 5 Navigator Window Panel
- MT5 Market Watch Window Panel
- MT5 Terminal
- MetaTrader 5 Connection Bars
For this MT5 tutorial we shall look at a brief introduction for each of these learn stocks MetaTrader 5 Stocks Platform:
1. Navigation Menus
The MT5 navigation menus are:
- File
- View
- Insert
- Charts
- Tools
- Window
- Help
These are the main MT5 navigation menus which can be used to navigate the MetaTrader 5 software. As a beginner trader you can start by just clicking any of these MT5 navigation menus to familiarize yourself with the various MT5 buttons that are arranged as MT5 sub menus within these MT5 navigation menus.
These MetaTrader 5 navigation menus will be discussed in details in the next MT5 guides about navigation menus.
2. Toolbars
The MT5 toolbars are used to manipulate MT5 stocks charts, either by placing MT5 indicators, MT5 line studies, change MT5 stocks chart timeframes and load MT5 chart template from a list of saved MT5 chart templates.
These MetaTrader 5 tool-bars will be discussed on other MT5 tutorials which will outline each MetaTrader 5 button on this MT5 tool-bar and how to add & customize these MT5 tool-bars.
3. Chart Panel
This MT5 stocks chart window is the main area where MT5 stocks charts are displayed & a trader can analyze the stocks trend direction of a MT5 stocks chart whether up or down, place MT5 stocks chart indicators for stocks technical analysis & even place orders from these MT5 stocks trading charts.
4. Navigator
MT5 Navigator will contain information about MT5 trading accounts, whether practice or real, this MT5 window will also have a list of all the MT5 indicators as well as MT5 Automated Stock Expert Advisors and scripts.
A trader can choose which MetaTrader 5 account to login by expanding the Accounts menu, choose an MT5 indicator by expanding the MT5 indicator menu or choose an MT5 Automated Stock Expert Advisor by expanding the Automated Stock Expert Advisor menu.
5. Market Watch
MT5 Market watch is used to show streaming stocks quotes for MT5 stocks instruments. This can list as many quotes provided by your MT5 stocks broker or a few chosen by a trader. To save inter net bandwidth, right click inside the MT5 market watch window and select "Hide All", so as to hide the MT4 symbols that you are not transacting on this MT5 Stocks Platform and save on inter-net bandwidth.
6. Terminal
This is the MT5 window that is like the bank MT5 account transaction area for your MT5 stocks trade transactions, on this MT5 window you can view your MT5 account balance, profit & losses statement, equity, margin used also retrieve a copy of all your MT5 stocks trade transactions history.
This MT5 window will also list all open stocks trade transactions and calculate all the profit and loss in real-time as the stock charts move up or down.
7. Connection Bar
MT5 connection bars - Red bars are for no connection, green bars show that there's connectivity to the servers and MT5 stocks trade orders can be placed. These MT5 connection bars should always be green when one logged into their MT5 demo MT5 account or MetaTrader 5 live account.
These MetaTrader 5 Stocks Platform main areas form the MT5 Stocks Platform interface and will be the main areas to be covered in detail in the next learn MT5 tutorials. For now it is best to download MetaTrader 5 Stocks Platform software and familiarize yourself with the MT5 software interface.
Why Stocks Software is Required for Placing stocks Transactions with Stocks Brokers
Stock platform is software that's used to access the stocks market & interpret these stocks price movements using stocks charts and stocks technical analysis tools. There are various reasons why a trader requires to use a good stocks platform. A good stocks platform can determine if a as a trader you make profit or not.
So why does a trader need a good Stocks platform:
To connect to the Stocks Broker Trading Server:
To place a stocks trade order a trader needs to use a stocks platform that will connect to the trading servers of their stocks broker and this will allow them to open and close stocks trade orders. Good stocks platforms will connect with ease to the brokers' servers and allow stock traders to place stocks orders at any time from their computer.
To analyze stocks charts using trading analysis tools
To place a buy or sell stocks order one needs to first analyze the direction of a stocks instrument using stocks charts. This is why all good stocks platforms provide stocks technical tools such as stocks price charts, stocks technical indicators & various different chart timeframes from which trader can analyze stocks price moves using the stock chart time frames of their choice.
From the above stocks platform inter-face, the summary of all data required by a trader is provided on this MT5 Stocks Platform interface
- Connection - connection to the broker servers
- Charts - price graphs which display stocks prices
- Toolbars - MT5 tool bars to add tools and stocks technical analysis indicators on stocks trading charts
- Market Watch - for displaying available financial instruments on MT5
- Data window panel - provides MT5 account information and other indicator data
- Exchange rates - shows current market stocks price on a stocks trading chart
- Menu bar - Shows all menu items on the MT5 Platform
