How to Trade Stock Indices on MetaTrader 4

The following MT4 Indices Trading Platform screen shot below shows Metaquotes MetaTrader 4 Indices Trading Platform. As a beginner indices trader trying to learn how to trade the stock indices trading market - the first you will need to learn is How to Use MetaTrader 4 Indices Trading Platform - How to Trade Stock Indices on MT4 - How to Use MT4 Indices Trading Platform Tutorial: Indices Trading MetaTrader 4 Download. MT4 Indices Trading Platform is the indices trading platform software that you will use to connect to your online indices broker with and execute indices trade transactions and monitor your indices trading account balance.

The MT4 is provided for free byMT4 indices brokers. Indices Trading Tutorial MT4 - This MetaTrader 4 platform trading software looks like the stock indices trading example explained and illustrated below:

The Main Areas of this MT4 Indices Trading Platform as explained above are:

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

Indices Trading Tutorial MT4 - How to Use MT4 Indices Trading Platform Tutorial:

1. Navigation Menus

The navigation menus are:

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

These are the main MetaTrader 4 navigation menus that can be used to navigate the MT4 platform.

These navigation menus will be discussed in details in the next How to Use MT4 Indices Trading Platform Tutorial about navigation menus.

2. Tool Bars

The MetaTrader 4 tool bars are used to place indices trading tools on stock indices charts, stock indices traders can place indicators on MetaTrader 4 stock indices charts, place line studies on MetaTrader 4 stock indices charts, change indices chart timeframes and load a saved MetaTrader 4 template from a list of saved templates.

These MT4 tool bars will be discussed on other How to Use MT4 Indices Trading Platform Tutorials that will outline each button on each MetaTrader 4 tool bar and explain how to add and customize these tool bars on the MT4 platform.

3. Chart Window

This is the main MetaTrader 4 platform area where stock indices charts are displayed and a indices trader can analyze the indices trend direction of a stock indices chart whether up or down, place stock indices indicators for technical analysis and even place orders from these stock indices charts.

4. Navigator

Navigator window will contain information about stock indices trading accounts, whether demo indices trading account or real account, this window will also have a list of all the MetaTrader 4 indices indicators as well as Expert Advisors and scripts.

A indices trader can choose which stock indices trading account to login by expanding the Accounts menu, choose an indicator by expanding the indicator menu or chose an Expert Advisor by expanding the Expert Advisor menu.

5. Market Watch

Market watch is used to show streaming stock indices quotes for indices. This Market Watch window can list as many stock indices quotes provided by your indices broker or a few selected by a indices trader.

6. Terminal

This is the window that is like the indices trading account transaction area for your indices trade transactions, on this window you can view your balance, profit and losses statement, equity, margin used also retrieve a copy of all your indices trade transactions history.

This will also list all open indices trading transactions and calculate all the profit and loss in real time as the stock indices prices move up or down.

7. Connection Bar

Red bars are for no connection, green bars show that there is connection to the servers and indices trade transaction orders can be placed. These connection bars should always be green when a indices trader is logged into their demo indices trading account or live stock indices trading account.

These main areas form the MT4 interface and will be the main areas to be covered in detail in the next How to Use MT4 Indices Trading Platform Tutorial. For now it is best to download MetaTrader 4 platform and familiarize yourself with the MT4 platform interface.

Why Indices Trading Software Platform is Required for Placing Indices Trade Transactions with Brokers

indices trading platform is the software that is used to access the stock indices trading market and analyze these stock indices price movements using technical analysis stock indices indicators and tools. There are various reasons why one requires to use a good indices trading platform. A good indices trading platform can determine if a as a indices trader you make a profit or not.

So why does a indices trader need a good platform:

To connect to the Trading Server:

To place a indices order one needs to use a indices trading platform that will connect to the trading servers of their stock indices trading broker and allow them to open and close orders. Good indices trading platforms will connect with ease to the indices brokers' servers and allow stock indices traders to place stock indices orders at any time from their computer.

To analyze indices charts using technical analysis indicators

To place a buy or sell order one needs to first analyze the direction of indices. This is why all good indices trading platforms provide stock indices technical analysis tools such as stock indices price charts, indices technical indicators and various different indices chart timeframes from which one can analyze stock indices price moves using the stock indices chart timeframes of their choice.

From the above MT4 Indices Trading Platform interface, the summary of all information required by a indices trader is provided on this MT4 Indices Trading Platform interface

• Connection - connection to the indices broker servers
• Charts - stock indices price graphs that display indices prices
• Toolbars - tool bars to add indices trading tools and stock indices technical analysis indicators
• Market Watch - for displaying available financial instruments
• Data window - provides indices trading account information and other indicator data
• Exchange rates - shows current market stock indices price
• Menu bar - Shows all menu items on the MT4 Platform