What it does
FXP Spread & Swap Monitor shows the trading conditions of the chart symbol in one panel: the spread right now, its live average and maximum, the average spread recorded on recent bars, what the spread costs per lot, the overnight swap for long and short positions, the triple-swap day, stop and freeze levels, tick size and value, pip value per lot, contract size and minimum lot.
The panel updates every second on a timer, so it keeps sampling the spread even when ticks are slow.
How it works
- Spread now = (ask - bid) / point, shown in points and in pips (10 points per pip on 3- and 5-digit quotes).
- Live average and maximum come from a rolling buffer of one-second samples taken while the indicator runs (300 samples by default, about five minutes).
- Bar average uses the spread value MetaTrader stores with each closed bar over the last 100 bars. Brokers usually store the minimum spread of the bar, so this figure tends to be lower than the live average.
- Spread cost per lot = spread in price x tick value / tick size, in account currency.
- Pip value per lot = tick value x pip size / tick size.
- Swap long, swap short, swap unit, triple-swap day, stop level, freeze level, contract size and minimum volume are read directly from the symbol specification.
The spread value turns orange when it is above your alert threshold or more than twice the live average.
How to use it
Copy the .ex5 file into MQL5/Indicators and attach it to any chart.
Check the panel before you trade: a spread far above its average, typical around rollover and major news, makes short-term trades much more expensive. The swap rows tell you what holding a position overnight costs or earns; see the glossary entries for spread and swap. The stop level is the minimum distance your broker allows between price and a stop-loss or take-profit. Pip value per lot feeds straight into a position size calculator.
Settings
| Input | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Live samples for average/max | 300 | Length of the live spread window, in seconds. |
| Bars for historical average spread | 100 | Bars used for the bar-based average. |
| Panel X / Y offset | 12 / 24 | Panel position. |
| Font size | 9 | Text size; the panel scales with it. |
| Background / border / label / value / warning colors | dark theme | Panel styling. |
| Alert when spread exceeds N points | 0 (off) | One alert per bar above the threshold. |
Limitations
- The live average only covers the time the indicator has been running; it resets when you change timeframe or reload the chart.
- Swap values are what the broker publishes in the symbol specification and can change without notice. Percentage-based swap modes are shown as annual percentages, not money.
- A stop level of 0 can mean "no minimum" or a floating level, depending on the broker.
- Commission is not part of the spread and is not shown. Trading involves substantial risk of loss.