A non-martingale forex EA does not increase its stake specifically to recover earlier losses. That describes one part of its sizing logic; it does not establish profitability, rule out grid trading, or make an MT5 robot risk-free.
This checklist helps you examine documentation and observed behavior. Quantum Algo sells EAs, so this is vendor-authored guidance, not an independent certification of our products or competitors.
Distinguish the mechanisms
- Martingale: Position size increases following losses as part of a recovery rule.
- Grid: Orders are placed at defined price intervals. Sizes may be constant or variable; a grid is not automatically a martingale.
- Fixed lot: Each entry uses the same volume. The amount at risk can still vary with stop distance and the instrument.
- Risk-based sizing: Volume depends on inputs such as equity, stop distance and contract value. A larger lot after a loss does not by itself prove recovery logic.
- Multiple positions: More than one position is not proof of martingale. Investigate the entry rules and total exposure.
Names such as adaptive sizing or recovery mode are reasons to ask questions, not enough evidence on their own to classify the software.
Step 1: Request the exact sizing rules
Ask which inputs control volume, what happens after consecutive losses, whether the EA can add to losing positions and whether recovery logic can be enabled. Record the exact version and preset.
Ask whether limits apply to each trade, each symbol or the entire account. Get a separate explanation of maximum concurrent exposure and what happens when an order is rejected. Written claims should be checked against observed behavior.
Step 2: Keep an audit log
For each observed trade, record these fields:
- Context: Symbol, opening time, EA version, preset and strategy identifier.
- Sizing inputs: Account equity, intended risk setting, order volume and initial stop distance.
- Execution: Requested price, filled price, costs and broker-side stop level.
- Exposure: Other open positions and combined risk at the time of entry.
- Sequence: Previous outcomes and the reason documented for the next position size.
Inspect sequences containing losses and overlapping positions. A short quiet run cannot establish how every recovery or exceptional condition behaves.
Step 3: Interpret changing lot sizes correctly
Illustrative example, not a trade recommendation: a model targets the same cash risk on two trades. If the second trade uses half the stop distance, its volume may be larger without any attempt to recover a loss. Contract specifications, rounding and costs also matter.
Conversely, unchanged volume does not establish fixed account risk if the EA keeps adding positions or widens stops. Compare the full rule and total exposure rather than using a single lot-size pattern as a verdict.
Step 4: Reproduce and challenge the behavior
Use the MT5 Strategy Tester to inspect historical trades and logs under recorded settings. Preserve the original preset, evaluate a separate period and vary execution assumptions. Demo observation can then check installation and broker compatibility.
Look for documented behavior during losing sequences, reconnection, rejected orders and session breaks. Do not intentionally disrupt a live trading account to test recovery behavior. If evidence does not cover a condition, mark it as untested.
Step 5: Inspect stops and floating losses
Check that documented stop orders are actually present and inspect whether stops are changed or removed. A stop-loss order does not guarantee the requested exit price. Slippage and gaps can make realized losses different from the intended amount.
Compare the equity path with the balance path. Closed-trade profits can hide floating losses. Do not assume that a non-martingale strategy has a predictable maximum drawdown.
What this check can and cannot establish
Observed trade history can contradict a marketing claim, but it cannot prove that an unobserved code path never exists. Source review, release documentation and longer testing can add evidence. None guarantees future returns.
A prop firm's permission to use an EA is a separate question. Check its current rules for the exact strategy, account and trading behavior. A non-martingale label does not establish approval.
Applying the checklist to a Gold EA
For QuantumAlgo Gold XAUUSD, request the platform edition, preset and matching test report before using this checklist. Gold contract specifications and stop distances must match the intended broker. Do not assume another Gold product's history validates this one.
Use the forex EA comparison checklist for evidence and license questions, or contact us for release-specific documentation. We do not claim that this article independently verifies any product's trading behavior.