Balance
The accounting result of closed trades, excluding the floating result of open positions.
MT5 GLOSSARY
MT5 metrics glossary: balance, equity, return and drawdown
Practical definitions for reading an MT5 dashboard and comparing accounts against the same time reference.
Equity
The dynamic account value: balance plus available floating result and adjustments.
Return
The percentage change against the starting capital recorded for the analysed period.
Drawdown
A decline from a defined reference; it may be daily, total, intraday or trailing.
WORKFLOW
How to read a metric
- 1
Reference
Check which capital, peak or start-of-day value is used.
- 2
Period
Separate the daily value from the whole-competition result.
- 3
Status
Confirm freshness and whether connectivity is reconciled.
A number without context can be misleading
Balance and equity are not interchangeable; neither are fixed and trailing drawdown. The initial reference, connection status and data time make the result interpretable.
Common concepts
Are profit and return the same?+
No. Profit is a monetary amount; return relates it to starting capital as a percentage.
Why can equity be below balance?+
Because equity includes floating results from open positions and available adjustments.
Which metric orders the ranking?+
Percentage return against the competition starting capital; monetary profit is informative.