✅ Case Study 1: The Part-Time Trader from Toa Payoh

Name: Benjamin Tan
Age: 34
Occupation: Marketing Executive
Platform Used: MetaTrader 4 via HFM

Benjamin had always been curious about forex, but his 9-to-6 job made it difficult to commit to full-time trading. After attending an online webinar hosted by HFM, he downloaded MetaTrader 4 Singapore on his laptop and started with a demo account.

Over a period of 3 weeks, he focused on EUR/USD and used basic indicators like Moving Averages and RSI. Once comfortable, he switched to a live micro account with HFM, depositing USD $100 via PayNow.

What made the difference?

• The MT4 mobile app let him monitor trades during lunch breaks.

• HFM’s fast SGD withdrawals meant he cashed out small profits weekly.

• The free VPS service eventually allowed him to run a basic EA to scalp during the London open (SG time ~8 PM).

Outcome: Benjamin grew his account by 18% in 3 months—his side hustle became a small but growing income stream.

✅ Case Study 2: The Polytechnic Student Running an EA in Bukit Batok

Name: Nur Aisyah
Age: 22
Occupation: Final-year polytechnic student
Platform Used: MetaTrader 5 via FBS

Nur had always been tech-savvy. During COVID, she explored algo trading and taught herself MQL5 (MetaTrader’s scripting language). Her project: to create a grid-trading EA for gold.

She chose MetaTrader 5 Singapore via FBS because of its ECN-style trading and support for EAs. FBS also offered a no-deposit bonus, which was perfect for her student budget.

Her MT5 setup:

• Custom EA running on Gold CFD

• Traded only during London–New York overlap

• Hosted her bot on FBS’s VPS add-on

Over 2 months, her EA caught multiple profitable spikes, especially after US CPI news. While her profits were modest (~SGD $320), it was a proof of concept.

Outcome: She submitted the project for her final-year polytechnic coursework—and passed with distinction. She now offers EA scripting for small clients via Fiverr.

✅ Case Study 3: The Retiree from Bishan Who Loves Charts

Name: Mr. Ong
Age: 61
Occupation: Retired school teacher
Platform Used: MetaTrader 4 via Tickmill

Mr. Ong took up forex trading as a hobby after retirement. He enjoys reading economic news and uses MetaTrader Singapore MT4 to analyse price action on GBP/JPY and USD/SGD.

He chose Tickmill for its low spreads and clean MT4 integration. Despite his age, Mr. Ong caught on quickly:

• Printed chart patterns from MT4 to annotate by hand (old habits die hard)

• Backtested simple strategies using MACD and Fibonacci retracements

• Joined a Telegram group for SG traders to share trade setups

Although he only trades with USD $500, he maintains a strict rule: “No more than 1% risk per trade.”

Outcome: After 9 months, Mr. Ong made a 12% net return. More importantly, trading gave him structure, a mental challenge, and even new friends in the online trading space.