Live Data MetaTrader 4 MetaTrader 5 USD Free Tier

MetaTrader 4 & 5 Integration

Embed live central-bank and macroeconomic data directly in your MetaTrader charts and Expert Advisors. The FXMacroData.mqh include file works with both MQL4 and MQL5 — no extra DLLs required.

Languages

MQL4 & MQL5

Authentication

?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY

HTTP method

WebRequest() built-in

USD endpoints are free. You can test the integration without an API key using any USD indicator. An API key is required for all other currency pairs. Get an API key

Files

Download

Three files make up the integration. Download each one and place it in the correct MetaTrader folder shown below.

FXMacroData.mqh

Core include — MQL4 & MQL5

API helper library. Place in MQL4\Include\ and/or MQL5\Include\.

Download .mqh

FXMacroData_MacroPanel.mq4

Macro panel indicator — MT4

Chart overlay showing Policy Rate, Inflation, Unemployment and GDP for the active pair. Place in MQL4\Indicators\.

Download .mq4

FXMacroData_MacroPanel.mq5

Macro panel indicator — MT5

Same panel indicator compiled for MQL5. Place in MQL5\Indicators\.

Download .mq5

Installation

Setup guide

Copy files to the Include and Indicators folders

In MT4 click File › Open Data Folder. Copy the files to:

FXMacroData.mqh → MQL4\Include\ FXMacroData_MacroPanel.mq4 → MQL4\Indicators\

Allow WebRequest for the API host

Go to Tools › Options › Expert Advisors, tick "Allow WebRequest for listed URL", and add:

https://fxmacrodata.com

Compile the indicator

Open the MetaEditor (F4), locate FXMacroData_MacroPanel.mq4 in the Navigator pane and press F7 (Compile). Fix any path errors if FXMacroData.mqh is not found.

Attach to a chart and enter your API key

Drag FXMacroData_MacroPanel from Navigator onto any currency chart. In the Inputs tab enter your API key (or leave blank to test with USD free-tier data).

Copy files to the Include and Indicators folders

In MT5 click File › Open Data Folder. Copy the files to:

FXMacroData.mqh → MQL5\Include\ FXMacroData_MacroPanel.mq5 → MQL5\Indicators\

Allow WebRequest for the API host

Go to Tools › Options › Expert Advisors, tick "Allow WebRequest for listed URL", and add:

https://fxmacrodata.com

Compile the indicator

Open MetaEditor (F4), locate FXMacroData_MacroPanel.mq5 and press F7. Compilation should complete with 0 errors.

Attach to a chart and enter your API key

Drag the indicator onto any currency chart. Set your API key in the Inputs tab.

FXMacroData.mqh

MQL function reference

All public functions are defined in FXMacroData.mqh and work identically in MQL4 and MQL5. Each function is a thin wrapper around a single REST endpoint.

string FMD_GetIndicator(currency, indicator [, api_key])

Fetches a macroeconomic time series. Returns a JSON string.

Parameter	Type	Notes
currency	string	Lowercase, e.g. `"eur"`, `"jpy"`, `"gbp"`
indicator	string	Snake_case name — see table below
api_key	string	Optional. Omit for free USD tier. Required for all other currencies.

// Policy rate — EUR requires an API key
string json = FMD_GetIndicator("eur", "policy_rate", ApiKey);
double rate = FMD_LastValue(json);
Print("EUR policy rate: ", rate);

// USD inflation — free, no key needed
string inf = FMD_GetIndicator("usd", "inflation");

string FMD_GetCalendar(currency [, api_key])

Returns upcoming release dates and announcement times for all tracked indicators in a currency.

string cal = FMD_GetCalendar("aud", ApiKey);
Print(cal); // inspect in Experts log

string FMD_GetForex(base, quote)

Returns FX spot rate history. Free — no API key needed.

string fx = FMD_GetForex("usd", "jpy");
double spot = FMD_LastValue(fx);
Print("USD/JPY spot: ", spot);

string FMD_GetCOT(currency [, api_key])

Returns CFTC Commitment of Traders positioning data. Currency code should be uppercase.

string cot = FMD_GetCOT("EUR", ApiKey);
double net = FMD_JsonDouble(cot, "net_non_commercial");

Utility functions

Helper functions for parsing the JSON responses returned by the API.

Function	Description
FMD_LastValue(json)	Most recent non-null `val` from an announcements response
FMD_JsonDouble(json, key)	Extract a numeric value by key name
FMD_JsonString(json, key)	Extract a string value by key name

string json = FMD_GetIndicator("usd", "inflation");

// Get the most recent value
double val  = FMD_LastValue(json);

// Extract a named field from the last record manually
double num  = FMD_JsonDouble(json, "val");
string date = FMD_JsonString(json, "date");

Available indicators

Pass any of these snake_case names as the indicator argument to FMD_GetIndicator(). Not every indicator is available for every currency — see the full endpoint documentation for coverage.

policy_rate inflation inflation_mom core_inflation ppi ppi_mom gdp gdp_quarterly unemployment employment participation_rate retail_sales trade_balance current_account_balance consumer_confidence business_confidence industrial_production m1 m2 m3 gov_bond_2y gov_bond_5y gov_bond_10y gov_bond_30y

Full list: fxmacrodata.com/documentation

Indicator

Macro Panel indicator

FXMacroData_MacroPanel.mq4 / FXMacroData_MacroPanel.mq5 draws a live data panel in the top-left corner of the chart showing four key macro indicators for both currencies in the active pair.

Indicators displayed

Policy Rate (%)
CPI Inflation (%)
Unemployment Rate (%)
GDP Growth (%)

Configurable inputs

ApiKey — your FXMacroData key
BaseOverride / QuoteOverride
RefreshMinutes — polling interval
PanelX / PanelY — position
FontSize, color inputs

The panel refreshes on every new bar and whenever RefreshMinutes have elapsed since the last API call. API calls are made in the main chart thread via WebRequest() — use a longer refresh interval on lower-spec machines.

Examples

Custom scripts & EAs

Include FXMacroData.mqh in any indicator, script, or Expert Advisor to access the full API surface.

Alert when rate divergence exceeds a threshold

// Place in an EA or script — fires an alert when EUR-USD
// policy-rate spread crosses a threshold.
#include <FXMacroData.mqh>

input string ApiKey    = "";
input double MinSpread = 1.5;  // percentage points

void OnTick()
  {
   double eur_rate = FMD_LastValue(FMD_GetIndicator("eur", "policy_rate", ApiKey));
   double usd_rate = FMD_LastValue(FMD_GetIndicator("usd", "policy_rate"));

   if(eur_rate == EMPTY_VALUE || usd_rate == EMPTY_VALUE) return;

   double spread = MathAbs(eur_rate - usd_rate);
   if(spread >= MinSpread)
      Alert("EUR/USD rate spread: ", spread, "pp");
  }

Print upcoming releases to the Experts log

#include <FXMacroData.mqh>

input string ApiKey   = "";
input string Currency = "usd";

void OnInit()
  {
   string cal = FMD_GetCalendar(Currency, ApiKey);
   Print("[FXMacroData] Calendar for ", Currency, ": ", cal);
  }

Gate EA entries on macro context

#include <FXMacroData.mqh>

input string ApiKey     = "";
input double MaxUnempRate = 6.0;

bool MacroConditionMet(const string currency)
  {
   string json   = FMD_GetIndicator(currency, "unemployment", ApiKey);
   double uemp   = FMD_LastValue(json);
   if(uemp == EMPTY_VALUE) return false;  // fail-safe: skip trade
   return uemp < MaxUnempRate;
  }

void OnTick()
  {
   if(!MacroConditionMet("usd")) return;
   // ... your entry logic here ...
  }

Help

Troubleshooting

WebRequest returns HTTP 0 or error 4060

The URL https://fxmacrodata.com is not in the allowed list.

Go to Tools › Options › Expert Advisors, tick "Allow WebRequest for listed URL", and add https://fxmacrodata.com exactly as shown.

Compile error: "FXMacroData.mqh" not found

The include file is not in the correct folder. For MQL4, it must be at MQL4\Include\FXMacroData.mqh. For MQL5, at MQL5\Include\FXMacroData.mqh.

Open the MetaTrader data folder via File › Open Data Folder to confirm the path.

All values show "n/a" on the panel

Check the Experts log (Ctrl+T) for [FXMacroData] HTTP messages. Common causes:

API key is missing or invalid for a non-USD pair
The indicator you're requesting is not available for that currency
WebRequest URL not whitelisted (see above)

How do I check which currencies and indicators are available?

Use the Data Catalogue endpoint from within MQL:

Print(FMD_WebGet("https://fxmacrodata.com/api/v1/data-catalogue"));

Or browse the full catalogue at fxmacrodata.com/documentation.

Can I use this inside an Expert Advisor (EA)?

Yes. Include FXMacroData.mqh in your EA just as you would in an indicator. Call FMD_GetIndicator() from OnInit() or on a timer to cache the latest values and avoid blocking every tick.

Still stuck? Open a ticket at fxmacrodata.com/support or email support@fxmacrodata.com.

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