Fractals & Alligator EA V1.0 MQ4 — Smarter Trend Entries, Cleaner Exits


Tired of whipsaws and “almost” entries that miss the real move by a hair? The Fractals & Alligator EA v1.0 (MQ4) takes two of Bill Williams’ most time-tested tools—Fractals and the Alligator—and stitches them into a clear, rules-based trading flow on MT4. No guesswork, no mystical settings; just structured logic to help you catch trend continuations and step aside when the market is sleepy. If you’ve ever tried to trade fractal breakouts manually (and got exhausted drawing arrows all day), this EA does the heavy lifting—identifying valid breakouts, filtering them with Alligator alignment, and automating your entries, stops, and exits.


Below you’ll find what it does, how it thinks, the exact pairs/timeframes it’s tuned for, and practical setup guidance so you can go from download to first test in a few minutes—demo first, always.


What This EA Actually Does (In Plain English)


Fractals mark local swing highs/lows (classic 5-bar pattern). A break above a bullish fractal can signal continuation; a break below a bearish fractal can hint at downside.
Alligator is a triple-MA filter (Jaw, Teeth, Lips) that tells you when the market is trending (mouth open, lines fanning) versus ranging (mouth sleeping, lines braided).


Fractals & Alligator EA v1.0 combines them:



  • Waits for a fresh fractal to form.

  • Checks if Alligator is “awake” and aligned with the fractal’s direction.

  • Triggers a pending/market order on the fractal breakout with risk controls attached.

  • Manages the trade using dynamic stops around new fractals and/or the Alligator Lips.


You can think of it as “enter only when the chart’s story makes sense.” If the Alligator is asleep, the EA can stand down (or run with more conservative rules), helping you avoid chop.


Fractals & Alligator EA V1.0 MQ4


Supported Symbols & Timeframes


The EA is shipped with profiles for the following (tweak as you like):



  • GBPUSD — M30, H4

  • USDJPY — M15, H1

  • AUDCAD (often typed AUSCAD) — H1

  • GBPJPY — M5


Why these? They cover a spread of volatility regimes and session characteristics, letting you see how the same logic behaves across fast pairs (GBPJPY M5) and slower swing windows (GBPUSD H4).


Strategy Logic (Entry, SL/TP, Management)


Entry Conditions


Long:



  1. A valid bullish fractal prints below current price.

  2. Alligator alignment is bullish: Lips above Teeth, Teeth above Jaw; lines fanning (distance increasing).

  3. Price breaks above the bullish fractal high by a small buffer (to avoid “tick” fakes).


Short:



  1. A valid bearish fractal forms above price.

  2. Alligator alignment is bearish: Lips < Teeth < Jaw; lines fanning.

  3. Price breaks below the bearish fractal low with a buffer.



Buffer tip: 1–2 points on tight spreads; 3–5 on noisier pairs/timeframes. Keep it proportional to ATR.



Stop-Loss & Take-Profit



  • Default SL: just beyond the opposite fractal or a multiple of ATR (e.g., 1.5× ATR).

  • Default TP: fixed R multiple (e.g., 1.5R–2.5R) or trail with Alligator Lips for trend rides.


Trailing & Exit



  • Fractal Trail: Move SL to the latest opposite fractal once price clears +1R.

  • Alligator Exit: If price closes cleanly across the Lips against your position, consider early exit.

  • Time-based filter (optional): Disable fresh entries during low-liquidity windows.


No grid, no martingale, no nonsense. Just structure.


Recommended Defaults (A Solid Starting Point)



  • Alligator settings: Jaw 13 (shift 8), Teeth 8 (shift 5), Lips 5 (shift 3), all Smoothed MAs on Median Price.

  • Fractal lookback: standard (5-bar).

  • Risk per trade: 0.5%–1.0% (go lower on GBPJPY M5; it’s spicy).

  • Max concurrent trades: 1 per pair to keep risk tidy.

  • News filter: optional—but wise. High-impact releases can blow through fractals like they aren’t there.


Pair-by-Pair Notes (What to Expect)



  • GBPUSD (M30/H4):



  1. M30 catches London moves; H4 is the “set and forget” swing profile.

  2. Consider ATR-based stops to adapt to day-to-day volatility.



  • USDJPY (M15/H1):



  1. Yen pairs can trend hard when macro themes bite.

  2. On M15, use a slightly larger breakout buffer to avoid micro-fakes.



  • AUDCAD (H1):



  1. Typically smoother than AUDUSD; commodity-linked flows can produce steady trends.

  2. Alligator trails work nicely on H1—let winners breathe.



  • GBPJPY (M5):



  1. Fantastic for momentum breaks but higher noise.

  2. Keep risk small, exits nimble. Consider stricter news blocks.


Fractals & Alligator EA V1.0 MQ4


How to Install & Configure (MT4)



  1. Copy the EA file (Fractals_Alligator_EA_v1.0.mq4 or .ex4) into MQL4/Experts.

  2. Restart MT4 (or refresh the Navigator pane).

  3. Attach to chart for each target pair/timeframe (e.g., GBPUSD M30).

  4. Enable AutoTrading and allow live trading in EA inputs.

  5. Load a preset (if included) or set the params manually:



  • RiskPercent

  • UseATRStop / ATRPeriod / ATRMult

  • FractalBufferPoints

  • TrailWithAlligator (true/false)

  • TradeSession filters (optional)


    6. Run on demo first; check journal for “OrderSend OK” and verify stops/TP are placed as expected.


Optimization & Backtesting Tips



  • Data quality matters: Use high-quality tick data if you can. Lower-TF tests (M5/M15) are very sensitive to spread/latency.

  • Optimize in pockets: Don’t brute-force every number. Try focused sweeps—e.g., ATRMult 1.2–2.2, buffer 2–6 points.

  • Walk-forward checks: Train on a block (e.g., 6 months), validate on the next 3–6 months.

  • Robustness > peak curve: A slightly lower CAGR with consistent drawdown beats a “perfect” backtest that breaks in live.

  • Portfolio approach: Consider running 2–3 of the listed profiles together at low risk rather than over-tuning one.


Risk Management (The Only Edge That Compounds)



  • Fixed fractional risk: pick 0.25–1.0% per trade and stick to it.

  • Daily loss stop: cap at 2–3% account equity; pause trading after.

  • No revenge trades: the EA enforces rules—don’t override it out of frustration.

  • Broker hygiene: tight spreads + stable execution; VPS for low latency if you run M5–M15.


Final Word


The Fractals & Alligator EA v1.0 won’t promise moonshots. What it offers is clarity: trade only when structure aligns—fractals show a level, Alligator confirms trend, and the EA executes with discipline. If you like clean charts, logical entries, and exits you can explain to yourself tomorrow, this is your kind of tool. Demo it, tweak modestly, and let the data talk. Coz that’s how you build confidence that lasts beyond the first good week.


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Happy Trading