Introduction to MetaTrader 5 Platform Interface

The following screen shot below shows the main MetaTrader 5 platform inter-face. As a starter trader trying to learn how to execute stocks orders in the online stocks market, the main tool for trading the market is the MT5 platform software. This MT5 platform is the software which you will connect to your stocks broker with and execute trade transactions and monitor your stocks MT5 account balance from this MT5 platform.

The MetaTrader 5 Platform software is provided for free through the various broker websites. This MetaTrader 5 software looks like the example shown & described below:

Main Areas of this MT5 platform as shown above are:

1. MetaTrader 5 Navigation Menus
2. Toolbars
3. MT5 Stock Chart Window
4. MetaTrader 5 Navigator Window Panel
5. MT5 Market Watch Window Panel
6. MT5 Terminal
7. MetaTrader 5 Connection Bars

For this MT5 tutorial we shall look at a brief introduction for each of these learn stocks MetaTrader 5 Platform:

1. Navigation Menus

The MT5 navigation menus are:

1. File
2. View
3. Insert
4. Charts
5. Tools
6. Window
7. Help

These are the main MT5 navigation menus which can be used to navigate the MetaTrader 5 platform. 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. Tool Bars

The MT5 toolbars are used to manipulate MT5 charts, either by placing MT5 indicators, MT5 line studies, change MT5 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 chart window is the main area where MT5 charts are portrayed and one can analyze the trend direction of a MT5 chart whether up or down, place MT5 chart indicators for stocks technical analysis and even place orders from these MT5 trading charts.

4. Navigator

MT5 Navigator will contain info about MT5 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 & scripts.

A trader can select which MetaTrader 5 account to sign in 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 instruments. This can list as many quotes provided by your MT5 broker or a few chosen by a trader. To save inter net band-width, rightclick inside the MT5 market watch window & select "Hide All", so as to hide the MT4 symbols that you are not transacting on this MT5 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 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 trade transactions history.

This MT5 window will also list all open trade transactions & calculate all the profit & loss in realtime as the 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 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 Platform main areas form the MT5 Platform interface and will be the main areas to be covered in detail in the next learn MT5 tutorials. For now it's best to download MetaTrader 5 Platform software and familiarize yourself with the MT5 software interface.

Why Stocks Software is Required for Placing stocks Transactions with Brokers

Stock platform is software that's used to access the market & interpret these stocks price movements using stocks charts and technical analysis tools. There are various reasons why one requires to use a good platform. A good platform can determine if a as a trader you make profit or not.

So why does one need a good platform:

To connect to the Broker Server:

To place a trade order one needs to use a platform which will connect to the servers of their stocks broker & this will allow them to open & close stocks trade orders. Good platforms will connect with ease to the brokers' servers & allow traders to place stocks orders at any time from their PC Desktop 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 instrument using stocks charts. This is why all good platforms provide stocks technical tools such as stocks price charts, technical indicators and various different chart timeframes from which trader can analyze stocks price moves using the chart timeframes of their choice.

From the above stocks platform inter-face, the summary of all the data required by a trader is provided in this Meta Trader 5 Platform inter-face

• Connection - connection to the broker servers
• Charts - price graphs which show stocks prices
• Toolbars - MT5 tool bars to add tools and technical analysis indicators on stocks 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 chart
• Menu bar - Shows all menu items on the MT5 Software