Questions people ask me about gold, the GDI Signal and the tools

New to gold trading

What does XAU/USD mean?

It is the price of one troy ounce of gold in US dollars. When people say they trade gold on MetaTrader, this is usually the pair they mean. Brokers may write it XAUUSD.

Why does gold move when a US report comes out?

Gold is priced in dollars. Reports on jobs, inflation and interest rates change what traders expect from the dollar and from interest rates, and gold often reacts within minutes. Past reactions are not a promise of the next one.

Is trading gold risky?

Yes. Gold can move several dollars in seconds, and leverage multiplies both gains and losses. You can lose more than you expected, quickly. Nothing on this site is financial advice.

Do I need a lot of money to start?

No. I built this system on a small real account, for small traders. The lot size is adjustable in the app, so the same approach works for any account size. A small account still carries the same risk per trade percentage, so start with a demo account.

What is a lot, a pip and a point on gold?

A lot is the trade size. On most brokers one lot of gold is 100 ounces. A point is the smallest price step the broker shows. My tools state which unit they use, and the Pips and Points converter tool shows the difference.

Where can I practise without risking money?

Open a demo account with your broker and use the same Expert Advisors there first. Several of my instructions say to test on a demo account before going live.

What is MetaTrader 5?

MetaTrader 5 (MT5) is the trading platform most gold traders use. All my Expert Advisors are for MT5 and for XAUUSD only.

What is the daily article?

A written reading of gold for the day, published on weekdays at 00:00 London time, with a short note added every 30 minutes by the GDI Bot.

Experienced traders

Where does the price on the site come from?

From my own MetaTrader 5 terminals. A small program of mine (the Site Feed) sends the price, spreads, technical readings and my account's open orders to the site every few seconds. If a block has no fresh data it says so instead of showing a made-up number.

What is the GDI bias?

My own technical read of gold on M15, H1 and H4, with H4 weighted most: trend, momentum and where price sits in its recent range. It is a reading, not a trade instruction.

What is the indicator consensus?

Every moving average and oscillator in my technical summary, on all five timeframes, counted as one vote each.

What time zone do you use?

London time (Europe/London), clearly labelled. The clocks change on different dates in the UK and the US, and brokers often follow US time, so the gap between London and your broker's clock changes twice a year.

Why do you show spreads for three brokers?

Those are the three accounts I actually use: IC Markets, IC Trading and FTMO. The card says how often the reading arrives and which server it comes from. The FTMO reading is measured on a demo account.

Can I check your account independently?

Yes. The GDI Signal is my real IC Markets account, and you can also look at it on Myfxbook and on my MQL5 seller page. The links are on the home page and on the GDI Signal page.

Do you recommend a broker?

I use IC Markets, IC Trading and FTMO and my tools were developed and tested only with them. Some links to them are affiliate links: if you open an account through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Automated gold trading and Expert Advisors

Which Expert Advisors do you offer?

The GDI Signal Copier, the Master Sender and Master Receiver (for copying between your own accounts), and three tools I use daily: Risk Management, Equity Management and the Market Assistant. More trading EAs are being tested and will use the same key.

Do they work on other symbols than gold?

They are developed and tested only for XAUUSD with IC Markets, IC Trading and FTMO. Other symbols or brokers are not tested and I do not recommend them.

Why do the EAs need WebRequest?

They read my feed and check your key over the internet. In MetaTrader 5 open Tools, Options, Expert Advisors, tick Allow WebRequest for listed URL and add https://sync.golddailyinsights.com to the list.

Do I need a VPS?

An EA only works while your terminal is running. A Windows server near your broker's servers keeps it running and reduces delay. I use one myself and link to my provider on the EA pages (affiliate link).

What does the Risk Management EA do?

It limits your daily and session loss and can optionally restrict trading hours. The trading-hours filter is off by default. It can also remove other EAs from their charts if a limit is reached, when you switch that option on.

Does the Signal Copier close my trades?

The safety checks apply to new copies only and never close a position that is already open. The loss limit only stops new copies.

What are the Signal Copier's safety checks?

Merging same-direction orders opened within a short window, a hedge block, agreement with my market bias, a pause during high-impact news, a pause while the market is closed, optional loss limits, and the GDI Bot's permission. Each can be switched on or off.

What is the GDI Bot?

An AI assistant that I configured with my own rules and prompts. Every few minutes it reads my live data and answers one question: should new copies be allowed on both sides, buy only, sell only, or paused. It never places or closes a trade.

What happens if the GDI Bot's answer is missing?

You choose. The Signal Copier has an input: keep copying (the default) or pause copying. With keep copying, that one check is skipped and the other checks still run.

Do I have to use the GDI Bot filter?

No. It is an input on the copier. The power is in your hands.

Why was the 're-check key every N hours' setting removed?

To keep the inputs simple. The key is still checked at start and then at a fixed interval while the EA runs.

The GDI Signal

What is the GDI Signal?

My own real IC Markets gold account, traded live and shown for educational purposes. One signal, from one real account.

Is it a demo account?

No, it is a real account. The status badge on the page says Live, Market closed or No fresh data, depending on the feed.

Can I copy it?

With a GDI Key you can copy it to your own MT5 account using the Signal Copier. Copying it means copying decisions I actually make. No result is promised and past results do not guarantee future ones.

What trading style is it?

Many short trades a day, small risk per order, quick exits and a global stop, with a mix of manual orders and tested EAs.

Will I get the same results as you?

Not necessarily. Your broker, spread, delay, account size and settings differ. Copying does not guarantee you will see the same results I do.

The GDI Key and your account

What is the GDI Key?

One key that opens everything I build: the GDI Signal copier, every MT5 tool and every future GDI EA. No tiers and no add-ons.

Is there a free trial?

Card required at checkout. Cancel during the 7 days and you pay nothing. If you keep it, the first payment is taken on day 7 and your key simply stays active. Every new key starts with a 7-day free trial.

Where do I find my key after buying?

In your account area, the Account link in the menu.

How many computers can use my key?

A key can be used from a limited number of internet addresses. If you need to move it to a new computer or server, contact me.

What if my key stops working?

Check that WebRequest allows https://sync.golddailyinsights.com, that your computer has internet access, and that the key is typed exactly. If the check cannot reach the server the EA keeps running for a short grace period and retries. Contact me if it still fails.

Free tools, articles and data

Are the tools free?

Yes. The XAU/USD calculators and data tools under /tools/ run in your browser and are free to use.

Are the calculators financial advice?

No. They give estimates from the numbers you enter. Check them against your own broker's figures.

How often is the blog updated?

The daily article is published every weekday at 00:00 London time. Longer articles come when I have something worth saying.

Can you test or build my own robot?

Yes, for XAUUSD on MT5. Send the details through the Robot Test or Robot Development form. I reply by email within 72 business hours to say whether the work is free or paid.

How do I contact you?

Use the Contact page. I answer personally.

Gold is volatile and trading it carries a high level of risk. Nothing here is financial advice.