Automation
Trail SL
Trail SL (Trailing Stop Loss)
The Trail SL engine automatically moves your stop loss to follow price movement, locking in progressively more profit as the market moves in your favor.
How It Works
Unlike MT5's built-in trailing stop (which only works when MT5 is open), TradeTorq's Trail SL runs server-side 24/7.
The engine tracks the highest favorable price (for buys) or lowest favorable price (for sells) since activation. As the price moves in your direction, the stop loss follows at a fixed distance behind.
The Trailing Mechanism
For a BUY position:
- Price moves up → the engine records a new high watermark
- SL is moved to: High Watermark − Trail Distance
- If price pulls back, the SL stays in place (it never moves backward)
- If price resumes upward, the SL continues trailing
For a SELL position:
- Price moves down → the engine records a new low watermark
- SL is moved to: Low Watermark + Trail Distance
- The SL never moves upward (backward for sells)
Configuration Parameters
| Parameter | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Trail Distance | How many pips behind the market price the SL trails | 30 pips |
| Activation Distance | How many pips in profit before the trail starts | 20 pips |
| Step Size | Minimum price movement before the SL is updated | 5 pips |
| Direction | BUY, SELL, or AUTO (detect from positions) | AUTO |
Trail Distance
The fixed distance in pips between the current favorable price and the trailing SL. A smaller distance trails tighter (locks in more profit but risks being stopped out by noise). A larger distance gives the trade more room to breathe.
Activation Distance
The trail doesn't start immediately. The position must first reach this many pips in profit before trailing begins. This prevents the trail from activating too early while the position is still near entry.
Example: Activation = 20 pips means the position must be at least 20 pips in profit before the trail starts.
Step Size
To avoid excessive SL modifications (which could be rejected by the broker), the SL only moves when price has moved at least this many pips since the last SL update.
Example: Step = 5 pips means the trail updates every 5 pips of favorable movement, not on every tick.
Example Walkthrough
Setup: BUY XAUUSD at 2650.00, Trail = 30 pips, Activation = 20 pips, Step = 5 pips
| Time | Price | High Watermark | SL Position | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 2650 | — | None | Not activated yet |
| T2 | 2665 | — | None | Only 15 pips profit, need 20 |
| T3 | 2672 | 2672 | 2642 | 22 pips profit → Trail activated! SL = 2672 − 30 |
| T4 | 2678 | 2678 | 2648 | Price up 6 pips (> step 5) → SL moves |
| T5 | 2675 | 2678 | 2648 | Price pulls back, SL stays |
| T6 | 2685 | 2685 | 2655 | New high → SL follows |
| T7 | 2660 | 2685 | 2655 | Price drops — SL hit at 2655 |
Result: Position closed at 2655 with +5 profit (from entry at 2650). Even though price reached 2685, the 30-pip trail distance meant the SL was at 2655 when price reversed.
Configuring Trail SL
- 1
Open the Trail SL modal
From the Command Keys grid, click TRAIL SL, or go to the Automation section.
- 2
Select the symbol
Choose which symbol/positions you want to trail (e.g., XAUUSD).
- 3
Set your parameters
Enter the trail distance, activation distance, step size, and direction.
- 4
Activate
Click Activate to start the trail. The engine begins monitoring immediately.
Managing Active Trails
- View status — See all active trail configurations with their current watermark and SL position
- View history — Check the log of all SL movements made by the engine
- Deactivate — Stop the trail at any time. The last SL position remains in place.
Combine with Auto BE
Use Auto BE first to move your SL to breakeven, then activate Trail SL to start trailing from the breakeven level. This gives you a risk-free trade that captures more profit as price moves.
Toast notifications
When Trail SL moves your stop loss, you'll see a toast notification in the Command Center showing the new SL level. This keeps you informed of automated actions.