Add April 5 session: Grid shutdown analysis

2026-04-05-grid-shutdown-analysis.md

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+# Session: 2026-04-05 - Trading Log Analysis & Grid EA Shutdown Decision
+
+## Participants
+- **User**: Garfield (garfield@fetcherpay.com)
+- **AI**: opencode
+
+## Session Overview
+Analyzed MT5 trading logs from March-April 2026 to understand why Confluence EA stopped trading. Discovered shared drawdown issue between both EAs.
+
+---
+
+## 1. Log Analysis Findings
+
+### Grid EA Issues (OrdersEA_Smart_Grid)
+- Placed **dozens of grid orders per hour** on multiple pairs
+- March 31: Grid after grid placed and filled (6-10 buy + 6-10 sell stops per cycle)
+- When market moved against position, all levels filled → cascading losses
+- **Root cause of ~$60K loss**: Earlier in March (Mar 24-30) with clustering bug
+
+### Confluence EA Status
+- Continuously **blocked by low signal strength** (0.00 < 0.70-0.85)
+- **Volatility filters working** (ATR too low: 0.13-0.20% < 0.30%)
+- Filters working as designed - market was choppy/ranging
+- No drawdown protection triggered in recent logs
+
+### Grid Clustering Fix (Already Applied April 1)
+- Logs show "too close to price. Skipping" (fix working)
+- Pre-April 1 logs showed old "Adjusting" behavior
+
+---
+
+## 2. Equity Timeline from Logs
+
+| Date | Time | Equity | Event |
+|------|------|--------|-------|
+| Mar 31 | 08:34 | $107,036 | Daily reset |
+| Apr 1 | 15:11 | $106,952 | Declining |
+| Apr 1 | 17:00 | $106,896 | End of day |
+| Apr 2 | 17:00 | $107,084 | New day reset |
+
+---
+
+## 3. Critical Discovery: Shared Drawdown
+
+**Issue**: Both EAs share the same 3% daily drawdown limit.
+
+From `2026-03-31-confluence-settings-update.md`:
+- Both EAs check `AccountInfoDouble(ACCOUNT_EQUITY)` 
+- Position counting IS correct (filters by symbol + magic)
+- **Implication**: If Grid EA loses 2%, Confluence only has 1% remaining
+
+**Code Location**: 
+- `MultiSignal_Confluence_EA.mq5` lines 648-689
+- `OrdersEA_Smart_Grid.mq5` - similar daily drawdown logic
+
+---
+
+## 4. Decision: Shutdown Grid EA
+
+**User Action**: Shut down Grid EA for the week to test if it's hogging equity.
+
+**Reasoning**:
+- Grid EA consuming daily drawdown budget
+- Confluence EA blocked despite good signal filters
+- Separating the two might allow Confluence to trade
+
+**Steps**:
+1. Disable/remove Grid EA from all charts
+2. Restart Confluence EA to clear daily equity tracking
+3. Monitor for Confluence trades over next few days
+
+---
+
+## 5. What to Watch After Grid Shutdown
+
+1. **Confluence should have full 3% daily budget** - more room to trade
+2. **If still no trades**:
+   - Still-ranging market (low ATR/ADX)
+   - Signals below minimum strength (0.70-0.90)
+   - Need MT5 restart to reset drawdown tracking
+3. **If trades resume** - Grid was hogging equity
+
+---
+
+## 6. Current Status (April 5, 2026)
+
+- **Grid EA**: Being disabled this week
+- **Confluence EA**: Running, awaiting trading opportunity
+- **Market conditions**: Low volatility/ranging (ATR filters blocking)
+- **Account**: ~$47% equity (still recovering)
+
+---
+
+## Session Status: IN PROGRESS
+
+Monitoring Confluence EA behavior without Grid EA competition.
+
+---
+
+*Session recorded: 2026-04-05*