Every fifth trader has at least once dealt with automated trading systems. Many traders highly estimated advantages of the technology: quick processing of large amounts of information, precise following the trading strategy, no emotions or weariness.

Thomas Bopp: In the last championship only a small part of the participants had positive returns.

We in MetaQuotes Software, like our customers, understand this very well. This is why, in 2006, we decided to organize the annual Automated Trading Championship. Until it was organized, a common trader could find it difficult to judge about automated trading generally and the features the platform MetaTrader 4 provides in the field of automated trading, specifically. The Championship became the first public live test of very different trading systems. It proved automated trading systems to be both independent and successful.

Andrey Vedikhin: More and more customers prefer to trade using Expert Advisors.

In the last-year Championship, 258 creators of Expert Advisors competed for the title of the Best Developer' 2006. Their Expert Advisors traded independently in the real-time mode and under the same conditions. The Championship allowed us to compare various trading systems, find and show typical errors made when programming Expert Advisors. Besides, in the course of the competition statistical reports were published pointing out the interrelations between specific features of Expert Advisors and their profitability. But that's not the half of the story. The Championship website still contains the whole information that can be effectively used by theorists and practical persons in their research of today.

Unfortunately, of all the Participants in the Automated Trading Championship 2006, only 20% turned to be profitable. Thomas Bopp, the Jury Member representing the TRADERS' Magazine, was disappointed by this fact. Such a low percentage means that the whole automated trading, as an industry, is in its early stage at the moment.

However, Thomas is sure that this result, even not the best one, is a good result. He has an opinion that this is a signal for all Expert Advisors' developers: "Every programmer will do his best, to develop an Expert Advisors to get into positive territory at the end. Now the same participants will fine tune their Experts or even change the whole strategy and this will make it much more difficult to win".

On the other hand, it was the Automated Trading Championship 2006 that heightened the interest in this technology and promoted its development. Andrey Vedikhin thinks that the interest in this topic increased noteworthily during the last year: "Last year was a really significant one for auto trading as more and more traders started programming Expert Advisors. We received an increased number of enquiries regarding Expert Advisors on our Alpari UK customer support email box. And now Customers continue asking how to program Expert Advisors, how to back-test them etc. More and more customers prefer to trade using Expert Advisors".

Asher Rogovy: I'm sure that we'll see some new faces among the top contestants.

Alex MacKinnon: The winning EA has to be able to pick or predict breakouts.

Asher Rogovy, the representative of FXDD, positively estimates the results of the last year Championship and makes no secret of his optimism concerning the upcoming competition. He also points to the fact that new developers should be expected to be among the Winners of this year: "This contest will help to confirm the success of last year's winners. I'm sure that we'll see some new faces among the top contestants. However, I am very interested see which past contestants are able to prove their ability by finishing strong in the 2007 Championship".

The results of the previous Championship showed clearly: the most scalpers lose. And rather, the list of profitable Expert Advisors contains the systems with moderate risk factors and well-thought-out strategies. According to the ODL Securities Limited representative, Alex MacKinnon, this is not enough to win in the Championship: "The Expert Advisor with the best chance to win will be one that can pick or predict a break out of a trading range either to liquidate a losing position".

Well, the registration has started and there are less than 3 months left until the Championship itself starts. Over 270 developers have already submitted their application forms. The Automated Trading Championship 2007 will be without doubt more challenging in terms of competitive activity.

The Championship Sponsors and Organizers would like to congratulate everybody once again to the start of Registration and wish you all lots of luck in trading and in development of Expert Advisors!