Gold Trading Tools I Actually Use: My Complete Setup After 10 Years

After 10 years in the market, here's the complete setup I use every single day. Nothing fancy. Nothing I don't need.

My Hardware

Two monitors. That's it. Left screen has my MT4 charts. Right screen has TradingView for analysis and my journal. I don't need a six-screen setup. More screens don't mean better trading — they mean more distractions. A mechanical keyboard and a physical notebook. The keyboard is for execution. The notebook is for reflection. I write every trade by hand. Date, entry, stop, target, outcome, notes. 14 notebooks so far.

My Software Stack

**MT4** — This is where I execute. I keep it clean. One chart, Fibonacci, no indicators cluttering the screen. I've tested 5,000 indicators and the conclusion was: price action + Fibonacci is all I need. **TradingView** — For analysis and multi-timeframe structure. I use the Daily for trend, 4H for setup, 1H for entry. The drawing tools are better than MT4's, especially for Fibonacci extensions and trend lines. **My Custom Excel Sheet** — I built a simple position sizing calculator. Input your account size, risk percentage (2%, always), stop loss in pips, and it tells you exactly how many lots to trade. No mental math during live trading. **A Timer** — After I enter a trade, I set a 15-minute timer. I don't look at the chart until it goes off. This single habit saved me from exiting profitable trades too early more times than I can count.

The Physical Notebook

This deserves its own section because it's the most underrated tool in my setup. I use $2 notebooks from a shop in Singapore. Nothing special. But the habit of handwriting my analysis forces a different kind of thinking. When you type, you can autopilot. When you write, you have to slow down and think. Here's my template: - Date and time - Bias (long/short/neutral) - Key levels (support/resistance) - Entry reason - Risk amount - Outcome - Lessons learned After a losing trade, I can flip back and see exactly what I was thinking. Patterns emerge. "Oh, I always lose when I trade right after a big win." That awareness is worth more than any indicator.

My Execution Rules

1. **Always set stop loss before entry.** Not after. Before. If I can't find a logical stop level, I don't take the trade. 2. **Position size once, never adjust.** I calculate my lot size before entry and I don't touch it. No adding to a losing position. 3. **No trading between 5 PM and 7 PM Singapore time.** That's the London-NY overlap chaos window. Too much noise. 4. **Screenshot every setup.** Before entry, I take a screenshot of my chart with levels marked. It keeps me accountable and builds a reference library.

The Bottom Line

Tools don't make you a better trader. Discipline does. But the right tools — used consistently — make discipline easier. My setup is intentionally minimal because I've learned that every extra tool is one more thing to distract you from what actually matters: price action, risk management, and your own psychology.