Phase 0: Institutional MT5 Expert Advisor with Dynamic Risk Management and Execution

This Phase 0 review from 2026 presents a focused performance analysis of the expert advisor under live and simulated conditions. Phase 0 is the final execution and management layer of a broader SMC base system and stands out for converting market structure signals into trades with institutional-grade safety controls. The author, Donovan Allan Barrow, designed Phase 0 to be variable-driven rather than hardcoded, allowing the system to adjust entries, stop-losses, and take-profits based on ATR-normalized volatility and real-time conditions on MT5. In practice, Phase 0 combines multi-timeframe confirmation with a dynamic risk engine that scales position size to measured volatility. The algorithm prioritizes trade quality over quantity, targeting high-probability setups across major FX pairs and selected commodity and index instruments. What makes Phase 0 unique is its emphasis on execution and adaptive sizing: it reduces exposure during high spread or low liquidity events and increases precision during trending markets. Risk management is central, with configurable per-trade risk, equity-based cutoffs, and layered exit logic including partial profit taking and volatility-adjusted trailing stops. Expected performance characteristics include moderate monthly returns with controlled drawdowns; live samples show consistency rather than explosive returns. Users on MT5 will find Phase 0 easy to tune for different account sizes and risk tolerances while retaining the core institutional execution benefits that distinguish it from simpler EAs.