What is Deposit Load in MT5 Strategy Tester?

In MetaTrader 5 (MT5) Strategy Tester, Deposit Load is a metric that shows how much of your account's deposit (balance) is being used to support the margin requirements of your open positions during the backtest.

💡 In simple terms:

Deposit Load = (Used Margin / Initial Deposit) × 100

It tells you what percentage of your account balance is tied up in margin at any point during the strategy test.

📊 Why is it important?

• Risk Indicator: A high deposit load suggests your strategy is opening large or multiple positions that consume a big portion of your margin. This can lead to margin calls or stop outs if the market moves against you.
• Capital Efficiency: A low deposit load indicates more efficient capital use and lower exposure risk.

🧠 Example:

• You start with $10,000.
• Your trades use $2,000 in margin.
• Deposit Load = (2000 / 10000) × 100 = 20%

This means 20% of your account is committed to margin.

🚩 Ideal Use:

When optimizing or evaluating a strategy, aim for:

• Consistently low to moderate deposit load (depends on your risk appetite).
• Avoid strategies where the deposit load spikes to 90%+, unless it's a high-risk, high-reward approach you're intentionally testing.

🔍 1. How to Interpret the Deposit Load Chart in MT5 Strategy Tester

In the Report or Graph tab of the Strategy Tester after a backtest, you’ll often see a Deposit Load chart. Here’s how to read it:

📈 What it shows:

• A line or bar chart over time.
• The y-axis represents percentage of deposit used (0–100% or more).
• The x-axis is the time or number of trades.

✅ What to look for:

🛠️ 2. How to Reduce Deposit Load in Your Strategy

If you’re seeing high deposit loads and want to reduce them, here are some steps you can take:

✅ a. Lower Lot Size

• Most direct fix. A smaller position size uses less margin.

✅ b. Use Risk-Based Position Sizing

• Instead of fixed lots, calculate based on account risk (e.g., risk 1–2% of equity per trade).

✅ c. Reduce Simultaneous Trades

• Limit the number of open trades or restrict multiple entries per signal.

✅ d. Use Higher Leverage (if allowed and safe)

• Higher leverage lowers margin requirements. (But this increases risk if not controlled.)

✅ e. Change Symbols or Timeframes

• Some symbols (like indices or metals) have higher margin requirements.
• Lower timeframes often require tighter control due to frequent entries.

✅ f. Review Stop Losses

• Tighter SLs = smaller required margin buffer, but balance with market volatility.

🧠 Pro Tip:

Use AccountFreeMargin() or margin-related checks in your MQL5 code or logic (like in FXDreema) to prevent overleveraging dynamically.