Why one instrument has many names
MetaTrader doesn't standardise symbol names; each broker names its own. Three things vary:
- Suffixes and prefixes for account types or routing:
EURUSD.m,EURUSDm,EURUSD+,EURUSD.pro,EURUSD.ecn,#US30,.US30Cash. - Aliases for the same instrument:
GOLDandXAUUSD;US30,DJ30andWS30;NAS100,USTECandUS100;GER40,DE40andDAX. - Different instruments with similar names: a cash index vs a futures index, WTI vs Brent,
BTCUSDvsBTCEUR.
The first two are naming problems a copier can solve. The third is not a naming problem at all, and a copier should never "solve" it by guessing.
How the matching works
CopyTraderTool resolves the target symbol in a fixed order and stops at the first hit:
- Your manual mapping, if you set one for this source symbol.
- Exact name on the target's symbol list (case-insensitive).
- Suffix and alias matching: both names are reduced to their root (
XAUUSD.m→XAUUSD,GOLD→XAUUSD) and compared. When several target symbols match, the one with the same base name wins over variants such asEURUSDmicro.
If nothing matches, the trade is skipped, and the copy history says which symbol needs a mapping. Nothing is ever sent to a symbol the copier wasn't sure about.
Built-in aliases
| Canonical | Also recognised as |
|---|---|
| XAUUSD | GOLD, ЗОЛОТО |
| XAGUSD | SILVER, СЕРЕБРО |
| US30 | DJ30, DOW, WS30, DJI30, US30Cash |
| NAS100 | USTEC, US100, NDX100, NASDAQ, USTECH, NAS100Cash |
| SPX500 | US500, SP500, SPX |
| GER40 | DE40, DAX, GER30, DE30 |
| UK100 | FTSE100 |
| JPN225 | JP225, NIKKEI |
| BTCUSD | BITCOIN, XBTUSD, БИТКОИН |
| USOIL | WTI, CRUDE, OIL, НЕФТЬ |
| UKOIL | BRENT |
When to map a symbol by hand
- Your account lists the same instrument twice (
XAUUSDandXAUUSD.raw) and you want a specific one. - Your broker uses a name outside the alias list, such as
XTIUSDfor WTI orXBRUSDfor Brent. - Your broker has both a cash and a futures version of an index; map to the cash one.
- A TradingView futures ticker (
MNQ1!) should go to a CFD (NAS100), knowing that the prices differ.
A mapping is one line: source symbol → target symbol. It applies to that copier only, so different accounts can map differently.
Same name, different contract
A correct name match doesn't mean the instruments are identical. US30 can be $1 per point at one broker and $10 at another; oil can be 100 or 1,000 barrels per lot; some gold symbols are 10 ounces. Before copying a symbol for the first time, compare contract size, digits, minimum lot and lot step in both symbol specifications. If contracts differ, size with risk percent or adjust the multiplier; see indices copy trading.
Disabling symbols
Sometimes the right mapping is none. Add symbols you never want copied (exotic pairs with wide spreads, crypto at the weekend, an index your broker doesn't offer in your size) to the copier's disabled list. Trades on them are skipped and logged with the reason.