- Strategy
- Inside a set New York time window (10:00 to 11:00 by default), buys the first retrace into a bullish fair value gap that formed in that window and sells the first retrace into a bearish one.
- Risk model
- 1% of balance per trade (configurable), stop-loss beyond the gap pattern on every order, one position per symbol and magic number, one trade per window by default
What it does
Silver Bullet Window EA combines a time filter with a fair value gap entry. It only looks for gaps, and only enters trades, inside a short window measured in New York time, by default 10:00 to 11:00. Outside the window it does nothing except manage an open position. The rules are FXPIPS's own and are described here neutrally; the window idea is popular among intraday traders, but no window guarantees better results.
How it works
Server time is converted to New York time with the GMT offset input. The EA calculates US daylight saving time itself (second Sunday of March to first Sunday of November) and, if your broker's clock also shifts, adds that hour back.
On each new bar inside the window:
- Gap detection: of the last three closed candles, the middle one has a body of at least 1.0 ATR, and the oldest and newest candles leave a gap. The newest candle must have opened inside the window.
- Entry: the first later candle that trades into the gap uses it up. If it closes back outside the far edge it invalidates the gap; if it closes in the trade direction (optional), the EA enters at market while still inside the window.
- Stop beyond the three-candle pattern plus 0.2 ATR; target 2 R.
- When the window ends, any unused gaps are discarded. The counter resets each New York day, and one trade per window is allowed by default.
An optional EMA filter and an optional close hour (New York time) are available.
How to use it
Attach it to an M1, M5 or M15 chart. Getting the time right matters most: check your broker's offset (many use GMT+2 in winter and GMT+3 in summer, which matches the default settings) and confirm in the Experts tab that gap messages appear during the window you expect.
Settings
| Input | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Server GMT offset | 2 | Base offset of the broker clock |
| Server follows US DST | true | Adds an hour during US daylight time |
| Window start / end (NY) | 10:00 / 11:00 | Trading window |
| Max trades per window | 1 | Entries allowed per window |
| Close hour (NY) | -1 (off) | Closes the open trade during that hour |
| Displacement body (x ATR) | 1.0 | Strength of the middle candle |
| Minimum gap (x ATR) | 0.1 | Smallest gap kept |
| Require rejection close | true | Entry candle direction check |
| Trend EMA | off, 200 | Optional direction filter |
| Risk % / Take-profit (R) | 1.0 / 2.0 | Sizing and target |
| Max spread (points) | 30 | Spread filter |
| Break-even / Trailing | on at 1 R / off | Trade management |
Limitations
A one-hour window on low timeframes gives few setups, and some days give none. Brokers whose clocks follow European rather than US daylight dates will be one hour off for a few weeks each year. Gaps during news releases can be large and fill instantly. Low-timeframe trading is very sensitive to spread and slippage.
Before you run it live
Verify the time conversion first by watching the EA on a demo account during the window. Then test in the Strategy Tester with real ticks, where possible. Review forex trading sessions and our Forex Market Hours tool. Keep risk small. Trading carries a substantial risk of loss.