CMF in MetaTrader 5 — MQL5 Source Code

Chaikin Money Flow isn’t a default MT5 indicator, so it’s a worthwhile custom build. The math is a money flow multiplier, a volume weight, and two rolling sums (see the explainer).

What you’ll need

• MetaTrader 5 with MetaEditor
• Save as AlgoGen.CMF.mq5 under MQL5/Indicators/

The source

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//|                                                  AlgoGen.CMF.mq5 |
//|                                          Copyright 2026, AlgoGen |
//|                                           https://www.algogen.io |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
#property copyright "Copyright 2026, AlgoGen"
#property link      "https://www.algogen.io"
#property version   "1.00"
#property indicator_separate_window
#property indicator_buffers 2
#property indicator_plots   1

#property indicator_label1  "CMF"
#property indicator_type1   DRAW_LINE
#property indicator_color1  clrDodgerBlue
#property indicator_width1  2
#property indicator_level1  0.0

input int  InpPeriod        = 20;
input bool InpUseRealVolume = true;

double CMFBuffer[], MFVBuffer[];

int OnInit()
  {
   SetIndexBuffer(0, CMFBuffer, INDICATOR_DATA);
   SetIndexBuffer(1, MFVBuffer, INDICATOR_CALCULATIONS);
   IndicatorSetString(INDICATOR_SHORTNAME, "AlgoGen CMF(" + (string)InpPeriod + ")");
   return(INIT_SUCCEEDED);
  }

int OnCalculate(const int rates_total, const int prev_calculated,
                const datetime &time[], const double &open[],
                const double &high[],   const double &low[],
                const double &close[],  const long &tick_volume[],
                const long &volume[],   const int &spread[])
  {
   if(rates_total < InpPeriod) return(0);

   // Money flow volume per bar.
   int mfvStart = (prev_calculated > 1) ? prev_calculated - 1 : 0;
   for(int i = mfvStart; i < rates_total; i++)
     {
      double rng = high[i] - low[i];
      double vol = InpUseRealVolume ? (double)volume[i] : (double)tick_volume[i];
      double mfm = (rng == 0.0) ? 0.0
                   : ((close[i] - low[i]) - (high[i] - close[i])) / rng;
      MFVBuffer[i] = mfm * vol;
     }

   int start = (prev_calculated > InpPeriod) ? prev_calculated - 1 : InpPeriod - 1;
   for(int i = start; i < rates_total; i++)
     {
      double sumMFV = 0.0, sumVol = 0.0;
      for(int j = 0; j < InpPeriod; j++)
        {
         sumMFV += MFVBuffer[i - j];
         sumVol += InpUseRealVolume ? (double)volume[i - j] : (double)tick_volume[i - j];
        }
      CMFBuffer[i] = (sumVol == 0.0) ? 0.0 : sumMFV / sumVol;
     }
   return(rates_total);
  }
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+

Install & compile

1. Drop it in MQL5/Indicators/, press F7.
2. Drag onto a chart — a separate window shows CMF oscillating around zero, matching the output chart.

Gotchas

• Flat-bar guard. rng == 0.0 ? 0.0 avoids dividing by zero on a locked bar.
• Real vs tick volume. CMF needs real traded volume to be meaningful; most FX feeds only offer tick volume, which makes it a rough proxy. Toggle InpUseRealVolume accordingly.
• Sum then divide. The two inner sums (money flow volume and volume) are divided after summing over the window — not per-bar averaged.

Same indicator elsewhere: Python, Pine Script, EasyLanguage, NinjaScript. Then test a CMF filter in AlgoGen.

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This post is educational, not financial advice. Indicators describe the past; they don’t predict the future. Backtest anything before you risk real money on it.