Newbie but I want to back test

How can I get a bunch of pip data to be able to back test strategies? I am also interested in including volume in my back testing, but would I be forced to make a large initial investment in order to get a volume feed from a broker? When I eventually go live I want to start small.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. :slight_smile:

Most Metatrader brokers offer pretty extensive history. All you have to do is open a demo account and press the left-arrow on your chart and it will suck down history data from the broker.

“Volume” per se does not exist in the forex, as I understand. I think this is because it’s a de-centralized market (so there is no central clearing operation to declare volume). Instead the Volume you see in platforms like Metatrader usually represents the activity level at your broker only. (Please someone correct me if I’m wrong on how this works)

Be careful with the meta trader data, though, as a lot of it has very large gaps. This will affect the results of your backtests.

And dusktrader, I’m quite sure that the historical data provided is via Meta Quotes (part of Meta Trader), not the broker.

The Volume indicator value in MT4 is based on the number of ticks within that bar time period. Source = MT4 website.

As java guy pointed out, you MUST verify the data. Go back and check individual trades with large profits or losses to make sure they aren’t due to data gaps. This has saved me from putting some really stupid strategies into my trading list.