What You’ll Learn and Why It Matters
If you’ve been trading stocks, ETFs, or crypto CFDs in MetaTrader 5 and wished you didn’t have to jump to a separate website just to check a company’s P/E ratio or market cap, the build 5000+ update is exactly what you’ve been waiting for. MetaQuotes finally added a native MT5 stock screener and a fundamental data panel directly inside the platform. No more alt-tabbing to Yahoo Finance or scraping data from third-party sites.
This guide walks you through exactly how to find, configure, and use these tools. You’ll learn how to filter stocks by valuation metrics like P/E ratio, market capitalization, and dividend yield, then export that data for analysis or backtesting. I’ll also cover the gotchas I’ve hit — like missing data for certain symbols and how to force a refresh. By the end, you’ll be screening multi-asset instruments directly from the Market Watch window, something most retail traders don’t even know is possible in MT5.
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have the following in place:
- MetaTrader 5 build 5000 or newer. Check your version via Help > About. If you’re on an older build, the screener and fundamental panel simply won’t appear. Download the latest from your broker’s website or the MetaQuotes site.
- A funded live or demo account that supports stock/CFD symbols. Most brokers offering US stocks or European equities will work. If your account only shows forex pairs, you won’t see the screener’s full potential.
- Symbols added to Market Watch that have fundamental data. Not every instrument has it. I’ll show you how to check which ones do.
- Internet connection — the data streams from MetaQuotes servers, not your broker. If your connection drops, the panel shows stale values or nothing.
Step-by-Step: Using the MT5 Stock Screener
Step 1: Open the Stock Screener
Go to the View menu and select Stock Screener, or press Ctrl+Shift+S. A new panel opens, usually docked at the bottom of the terminal next to the Toolbox and Strategy Tester tabs. If you don’t see it, check that your build is 5000+ and that you have at least one stock or CFD symbol in Market Watch.
The screener window has two main sections: a filter bar at the top and a results table below. By default, it shows all available symbols with fundamental data, sorted by symbol name. If you see an empty table, your broker or account might not support the feature — try switching to a demo account from a major broker like IC Markets or FP Markets.
Step 2: Understand the Filter Bar
The filter bar is where you set your screening criteria. Click the Filter button (funnel icon) to expand the full list of available fields. You’ll see categories like:
- Valuation: P/E ratio, P/B ratio, P/S ratio, EV/EBITDA
- Size: Market cap, Enterprise value
- Profitability: Net profit margin, ROE, ROA
- Dividends: Dividend yield, Payout ratio
- Growth: Revenue growth (1Y, 3Y), EPS growth
- Financial health: Debt/Equity, Current ratio
Each field supports a range operator: greater than (>), less than (<), between, and equal to (=). For example, to find large-cap value stocks, set Market cap > 10B and P/E ratio between 8 and 15. You can stack multiple filters — the screener applies AND logic across all active fields.
Step 3: Apply a Real Screening Example
Let’s say you want dividend-paying US stocks with a market cap over $50 billion and a dividend yield above 3%. Here’s exactly what to do:
- In the filter bar, click Add Filter and choose Market Cap. Set operator to > and value to 50000000000 (that’s 50 billion).
- Add another filter: Dividend Yield, operator >, value 3 (the platform uses percentage, so 3 means 3%).
- Optionally add P/E Ratio with a between range of 10 and 25 to avoid extreme valuations.
- Click Apply. The results table updates in real time, showing only symbols that match all criteria.
You’ll see columns for Symbol, Last Price, Change, and the fundamental fields you filtered on. You can add or remove columns by right-clicking the table header and selecting Columns. I usually add EPS (TTM) and Revenue for a fuller picture.
Step 4: Use the Fundamental Data Panel on a Single Symbol
The stock screener is great for discovery, but once you’ve found a symbol you want to analyze deeper, double-click its row. This opens the Fundamental Data Panel — a detailed view of that specific instrument. You can also open it from a chart: right-click the chart, select Fundamental Data, or press F12.
The panel shows a multi-tab interface with:
- Summary: Key metrics at a glance — market cap, P/E, EPS, dividend yield, 52-week high/low.
- Financials: Income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow data for the last 3-5 fiscal years.
- Ratios: A full list of valuation, profitability, liquidity, and efficiency ratios.
- Growth: Year-over-year growth rates for revenue, earnings, and free cash flow.
Data is sourced from MetaQuotes’ fundamental database, which updates nightly. I’ve found it generally reliable for US large-caps, but smaller stocks or international symbols may have gaps. You can refresh the panel manually by clicking the Refresh button in the top-right corner.
Step 5: Export Screening Results
Once you’ve filtered your list, you’ll likely want to export it for further analysis or to use in an EA. Right-click anywhere in the results table and choose Export. A CSV file saves to your Files folder inside the MT5 data directory (usually C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes\Terminal\[TerminalID]\Files).
The CSV includes all visible columns — symbol, price, and every fundamental field you’ve selected. I use this to import into Excel for ranking or to feed into a Python script for backtesting. Note that the export does not include chart data, only the current snapshot.
Tips and Best Practices from Experience
Keep Your Filters Specific but Not Overly Narrow
The MT5 stock screener is fast, but if you apply too many filters, you might end up with zero results — especially on a demo account with limited symbols. Start with 2-3 key criteria, then refine. For instance, I usually begin with Market cap > 1B and P/E > 0 (to exclude negative earnings companies) before adding dividend yield or growth filters.
Use the Screener for Multi-Asset Scanning
This isn’t just for stocks. If your broker offers crypto CFDs or ETFs with fundamental data, they’ll appear in the screener too. For crypto, you might see fields like Circulating Supply or Market Cap (though not all are populated). For ETFs, look for Expense Ratio and Assets Under Management. The ability to screen across asset classes from one window is a huge time-saver.
Refresh Data Before Important Trades
The fundamental data updates once daily, usually overnight. If a company releases earnings mid-session, the panel won’t reflect that until the next day. For time-sensitive decisions, cross-check with your broker’s data feed or a real-time source. I’ve been burned by stale P/E ratios after an earnings surprise — the screener showed 15, but the real trailing P/E had jumped to 22.
Combine with Watchlist for Quick Monitoring
Create a custom watchlist in Market Watch for symbols you’ve screened. Right-click in Market Watch, select Symbols, then Show All or add specific ones. Once added, you can quickly open the fundamental panel for any symbol without re-running the screener. I keep a watchlist called “Dividend Candidates” that I update weekly from screener exports.
Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting
Mistake 1: The Screener Shows No Data
Symptom: The results table is empty even with no filters applied.
Cause: Your broker or account doesn’t provide fundamental data for the symbols you have. Some brokers only stream price data and don’t subscribe to MetaQuotes’ fundamental feed.
Fix: Switch to a demo account from a broker known for stock support (e.g., IC Markets, Pepperstone, or FXTM). Also ensure you have at least one stock/ETF symbol visible in Market Watch. Forex pairs and indices rarely have fundamental data.
Mistake 2: Fundamental Panel Shows “N/A” for Key Metrics
Symptom: P/E ratio or market cap shows “N/A” even for well-known stocks like Apple or Microsoft.
Cause: The symbol’s fundamental data hasn’t loaded yet, or the symbol is not in MetaQuotes’ database. This sometimes happens with newly listed stocks or symbols from smaller exchanges.
Fix: Right-click the symbol in Market Watch and select Update Fundamentals. If that doesn’t work, remove the symbol and re-add it. For persistent issues, check if the same symbol has data on a different broker’s MT5 instance — if not, it’s a database gap.
Mistake 3: Filter Values Don’t Match What You Expect
Symptom: You set P/E < 20, but the results include stocks with P/E of 25.
Cause: The screener uses trailing twelve months (TTM) data by default, but some brokers might use forward estimates. Also, the filter operator may be misapplied if you typed the value in the wrong field.
Fix: Double-check the operator dropdown — ensure it’s set to “less than” not “greater than”. Also verify the data source in the fundamental panel for one of the mismatched symbols to see if the displayed P/E matches your filter.
Mistake 4: Exported CSV Has Garbled Headers
Symptom: When you open the CSV in Excel, column headers show field codes like “PE_RATIO” instead of “P/E Ratio”.
Cause: The export uses internal field names, not the display names.
Fix: This is by design. Use Excel’s text-to-columns or a quick find-and-replace to rename headers. Or write a simple MQL script to read the CSV and map fields — but that’s overkill for most users. I just keep a reference list of field codes.
Summary and Next Steps
The MT5 stock screener and fundamental data panel turn MetaTrader 5 into a serious multi-asset analysis platform. You can now filter stocks by valuation, size, and profitability without leaving the terminal — then export the results for backtesting or portfolio tracking. It’s not a replacement for Bloomberg Terminal, but for retail traders, it’s a massive upgrade.
My advice: spend an hour this week building a few saved filter profiles. Start with a simple “Large Cap Value” screener (market cap > 10B, P/E 10-20, dividend yield > 2%) and a “High Growth” screener (revenue growth > 20%, P/S < 5). Save them by taking a screenshot or noting the filter values — the platform doesn’t have a native save feature yet, but MetaQuotes might add it in a future build.
Next, try combining the screener with the Strategy Tester. Export a list of symbols, then run a simple moving average crossover EA on each one. You’ll quickly see which fundamental profiles correlate with better backtest results — something you couldn’t easily do before.
If you run into issues, check the MetaQuotes forum or your broker’s support. The feature is still relatively new, so expect occasional quirks. But once you get comfortable with it, you’ll wonder how you traded stocks in MT5 without it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the MT5 stock screener for forex or crypto trading?
Yes, but only if your broker provides fundamental data for those symbols. Most forex pairs have no fundamental fields, but some crypto CFDs (like Bitcoin or Ethereum) may show market cap and circulating supply. The screener works best with stocks and ETFs.
Does the screener update in real time during the trading day?
No. The fundamental data refreshes once per day, typically overnight. Price data in the results table updates in real time, but valuation metrics like P/E ratio only change when the database syncs. For intraday screening, use price-based filters (e.g., volume or price change) instead.
How do I save my screener filter settings for reuse?
As of build 5000+, there is no built-in save function. I recommend taking a screenshot of your filter bar or noting the criteria in a text file. Some third-party tools can automate this, but they’re not officially supported.
Why do some stocks show fundamental data in the screener but not in the fundamental panel?
This usually happens when the symbol’s data is incomplete or the panel hasn’t loaded fully. Try closing and reopening the fundamental panel, or right-click the symbol in Market Watch and select “Update Fundamentals”. If the issue persists, the stock may have limited data coverage in MetaQuotes’ database.
