What is a worked example of MT4 Mobile?
A “worked example” is a step-by-step scenario that uses specific numbers to demonstrate how MT4 Mobile would be used to place and manage an order. Here, MT4 Mobile means using MetaTrader 4’s mobile interface to view prices, submit trade orders, and monitor order status from a phone.
In a worked example, you should separate two things:
- Stable mechanics: the logical flow of placing an order, setting parameters (such as volume and stop levels), and calculating order-related values.
- Variable conditions: market movement, bid/ask spread, execution quality, and any differences in how a broker feeds data to the platform.
Because costs and execution details can differ, a worked example cannot guarantee what will happen in real trading. It can only show how the math and order states can be computed under stated assumptions.
How does a worked example of MT4 Mobile work?
A typical scenario has these inputs and steps. (The example below is fully numeric; you can change any assumption and re-calculate.)
Assumptions for the scenario
- Account currency: USD
- Instrument: EUR/USD
- Direction: Buy (you enter at the ask price)
- Trade volume: 0.10 lot
- Contract size assumption: 1 lot = 100,000 EUR
- Entry ask price: 1.1000
- Exit bid price: 1.1020
- Spread at entry is 2 pips, meaning:
- Entry bid = 1.0998
- Entry ask = 1.1000
- Stop-loss and take-profit are not used in this example (so no stop-trigger logic is demonstrated).
- No commission is assumed.
- Execution is assumed to be exact (no slippage), and you hold until the exit price occurs.
Define “pip”: For EUR/USD, 1 pip = 0.0001.
Step-by-step calculations
Step 1: Compute the move in price
- Exit bid (what you can sell/buy against on close) = 1.1020
- Entry ask (what you paid on buy) = 1.1000
- Price difference = 1.1020 − 1.1000 = 0.0020
- In pips: 0.0020 / 0.0001 = 20 pips
Step 2: Compute position size in “units of EUR”
- 0.10 lot × 100,000 EUR/lot = 10,000 EUR
Step 3: Estimate pip value (simplified) A common approximation for EUR/USD when account currency is USD is:
- Value per pip ≈ (EUR units) × (pip size in USD terms) For EUR/USD, a simple practical way is:
- pip value per 1 EUR ≈ 0.0001 USD for small approximations when converting via the quoted pair. Using the usual approximation: pip value ≈ (units × pip size) when the quote currency aligns; with EUR/USD and USD account, the pip value for 10,000 EUR is approximately:
- 10,000 × 0.0001 = $1.00 per pip
So for 20 pips:
- Profit ≈ 20 × $1.00 = $20
Step 4: Where the spread matters In this worked example, we already used entry ask and exit bid. That means the spread effect is included in the “20 pips” net movement definition (from ask to bid). If you instead compare entry bid to exit bid, you would overstate by roughly the spread.
Evidence or example outcome (under the assumptions)
Under the stated assumptions (0.10 lot buy at 1.1000 ask, close at 1.1020 bid, 1 pip = 0.0001, no commission, exact fills, and $1 per pip approximation), the worked example estimates a profit of about $20.
Important: this is not a prediction. It is a numerical demonstration showing how you can compute an illustrative profit using explicit inputs.
Limitations and risks (material failure modes)
Even if the worked example math is correct, real MT4 Mobile results can differ because of:
- Execution quality (slippage): Orders may fill at different prices than the displayed quotes, especially during fast markets or thin liquidity.
- Spread changes: Spreads can widen, changing the effective cost of entering and exiting.
- Order state confusion: Mobile apps may show different stages (for example, queued, partially filled, or rejected). Misreading these states can lead to incorrect conclusions.
- Connection and data delays: A delayed quote or interrupted connection can cause you to act on stale information.
- Incorrect assumptions about pip value: Pip value depends on instrument details and account setup. The $1/pip estimate here is a simplified approximation.