HOD/LOD/PMH/PML/PDH/PDL Strategy by @tradingbauhaus This script is a trading strategy @tradingbauhaus designed to trade based on key price levels, such as the High of Day (HOD), Low of Day (LOD), Premarket High (PMH), Premarket Low (PML), Previous Day High (PDH), and Previous Day Low (PDL). Below, I’ll explain in detail what the script does:
Core Functionality of the Script:
Calculates Key Price Levels:
HOD (High of Day): The highest price of the current day.
LOD (Low of Day): The lowest price of the current day.
PMH (Premarket High): The highest price during the premarket session (before the market opens).
PML (Premarket Low): The lowest price during the premarket session.
PDH (Previous Day High): The highest price of the previous day.
PDL (Previous Day Low): The lowest price of the previous day.
Draws Horizontal Lines on the Chart:
Plots horizontal lines on the chart for each key level (HOD, LOD, PMH, PML, PDH, PDL) with specific colors for easy visual identification.
Defines Entry and Exit Rules:
Long Entry (Buy): If the price crosses above the PMH (Premarket High) or the PDH (Previous Day High).
Short Entry (Sell): If the price crosses below the PML (Premarket Low) or the PDL (Previous Day Low).
Long Exit: If the price reaches the HOD (High of Day) during a long position.
Short Exit: If the price reaches the LOD (Low of Day) during a short position.
How the Script Works Step by Step:
Calculates Key Levels:
Uses the request.security function to fetch the HOD and LOD of the current day, as well as the highs and lows of the previous day (PDH and PDL).
Calculates the PMH and PML during the premarket session (before 9:30 AM).
Plots Levels on the Chart:
Uses the plot function to draw horizontal lines on the chart representing the key levels (HOD, LOD, PMH, PML, PDH, PDL).
Each level has a specific color for easy identification:
HOD: White.
LOD: Purple.
PDH: Orange.
PDL: Blue.
PMH: Green.
PML: Red.
Defines Trading Rules:
Uses conditions with ta.crossover and ta.crossunder to detect when the price crosses key levels.
Long Entry: If the price crosses above the PMH or PDH, a long position (buy) is opened.
Short Entry: If the price crosses below the PML or PDL, a short position (sell) is opened.
Long Exit: If the price reaches the HOD during a long position, the position is closed.
Short Exit: If the price reaches the LOD during a short position, the position is closed.
Executes Orders Automatically:
Uses the strategy.entry and strategy.close functions to open and close positions automatically based on the defined rules.
Advantages of This Strategy:
Based on Key Levels: Uses important price levels that often act as support and resistance.
Easy to Visualize: Horizontal lines on the chart make it easy to identify levels.
Automated: Entries and exits are executed automatically based on the defined rules.
Limitations of This Strategy:
Dependent on Volatility: Works best in markets with significant price movements.
False Crosses: There may be false crosses that generate incorrect signals.
No Advanced Risk Management: Does not include dynamic stop-loss or take-profit mechanisms.
How to Improve the Strategy:
Add Stop-Loss and Take-Profit: To limit losses and lock in profits.
Filter Signals with Indicators: Use RSI, MACD, or other indicators to confirm signals.
Optimize Levels: Adjust key levels based on the asset’s behavior.
In summary, this script is a trading strategy that operates based on key price levels, such as HOD, LOD, PMH, PML, PDH, and PDL. It is useful for traders who want to trade based on significant support and resistance levels.
Search in scripts for "the strat"
Trend Following Strategy with KNN
### 1. Strategy Features
This strategy combines the K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) algorithm with a trend-following strategy to predict future price movements by analyzing historical price data. Here are the main features of the strategy:
1. **Dynamic Parameter Adjustment**: Uses the KNN algorithm to dynamically adjust parameters of the trend-following strategy, such as moving average length and channel length, to adapt to market changes.
2. **Trend Following**: Captures market trends using moving averages and price channels to generate buy and sell signals.
3. **Multi-Factor Analysis**: Combines the KNN algorithm with moving averages to comprehensively analyze the impact of multiple factors, improving the accuracy of trading signals.
4. **High Adaptability**: Automatically adjusts parameters using the KNN algorithm, allowing the strategy to adapt to different market environments and asset types.
### 2. Simple Introduction to the KNN Algorithm
The K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) algorithm is a simple and intuitive machine learning algorithm primarily used for classification and regression problems. Here are the basic concepts of the KNN algorithm:
1. **Non-Parametric Model**: KNN is a non-parametric algorithm, meaning it does not make any assumptions about the data distribution. Instead, it directly uses training data for predictions.
2. **Instance-Based Learning**: KNN is an instance-based learning method that uses training data directly for predictions, rather than generating a model through a training process.
3. **Distance Metrics**: The core of the KNN algorithm is calculating the distance between data points. Common distance metrics include Euclidean distance, Manhattan distance, and Minkowski distance.
4. **Neighbor Selection**: For each test data point, the KNN algorithm finds the K nearest neighbors in the training dataset.
5. **Classification and Regression**: In classification problems, KNN determines the class of a test data point through a voting mechanism. In regression problems, KNN predicts the value of a test data point by calculating the average of the K nearest neighbors.
### 3. Applications of the KNN Algorithm in Quantitative Trading Strategies
The KNN algorithm can be applied to various quantitative trading strategies. Here are some common use cases:
1. **Trend-Following Strategies**: KNN can be used to identify market trends, helping traders capture the beginning and end of trends.
2. **Mean Reversion Strategies**: In mean reversion strategies, KNN can be used to identify price deviations from the mean.
3. **Arbitrage Strategies**: In arbitrage strategies, KNN can be used to identify price discrepancies between different markets or assets.
4. **High-Frequency Trading Strategies**: In high-frequency trading strategies, KNN can be used to quickly identify market anomalies, such as price spikes or volume anomalies.
5. **Event-Driven Strategies**: In event-driven strategies, KNN can be used to identify the impact of market events.
6. **Multi-Factor Strategies**: In multi-factor strategies, KNN can be used to comprehensively analyze the impact of multiple factors.
### 4. Final Considerations
1. **Computational Efficiency**: The KNN algorithm may face computational efficiency issues with large datasets, especially in real-time trading. Optimize the code to reduce access to historical data and improve computational efficiency.
2. **Parameter Selection**: The choice of K value significantly affects the performance of the KNN algorithm. Use cross-validation or other methods to select the optimal K value.
3. **Data Standardization**: KNN is sensitive to data standardization and feature selection. Standardize the data to ensure equal weighting of different features.
4. **Noisy Data**: KNN is sensitive to noisy data, which can lead to overfitting. Preprocess the data to remove noise.
5. **Market Environment**: The effectiveness of the KNN algorithm may be influenced by market conditions. Combine it with other technical indicators and fundamental analysis to enhance the robustness of the strategy.
Monthly Breakout StrategyThis Monthly High/Low Breakout Strategy is designed to take long or short positions based on breakouts from the high or low of the previous month. Users can select whether they want to go long at a breakout above the previous month’s high, short at a breakdown below the previous month’s low, or use the reverse logic. Additionally, it includes a month filter, allowing trades to be executed only during user-specified months.
Breakout strategies, particularly those based on monthly highs and lows, aim to capitalize on price momentum. These systems rely on the assumption that once a significant price level is breached (such as the previous month's high or low), the market is likely to continue moving in the same direction due to increased volatility and trend-following behaviors by traders. Studies have demonstrated the potential effectiveness of breakout strategies in financial markets.
Scientific Evidence Supporting Breakout Strategies:
Momentum in Financial Markets:
Research on momentum-based strategies, which include breakout trading, shows that securities breaking key levels of support or resistance tend to continue their price movement in the direction of the breakout. Jegadeesh and Titman (1993) found that stocks with strong performance over a given period tend to continue performing well in subsequent periods, a principle also applied to breakout strategies.
Behavioral Finance:
The psychological factor of herd behavior is one of the driving forces behind breakout strategies. When prices break out of a key level (such as a monthly high), it triggers increased buying or selling pressure as traders join the trend. Barberis, Shleifer, and Vishny (1998) explained how cognitive biases, such as overconfidence and sentiment, can amplify price trends, which breakout strategies attempt to exploit.
Market Efficiency:
While markets are generally efficient, periods of inefficiency can occur, particularly around the breakouts of significant price levels. These inefficiencies often result in temporary price trends, which breakout strategies can exploit before the market corrects itself (Fama, 1970).
Risk Considerations:
Despite the potential for profit, the Monthly Breakout Strategy comes with several risks:
False Breakouts:
One of the most common risks in breakout strategies is the occurrence of false breakouts. These happen when the price temporarily moves above (or below) a key level but quickly reverses direction, causing losses for traders who entered positions too early. This is particularly risky in low-volatility environments.
Market Volatility:
Monthly breakout strategies rely on momentum, which may not be consistent across different market conditions. During periods of low volatility, price breakouts might lack the follow-through required for the strategy to succeed, leading to poor performance.
Whipsaw Risk:
The strategy is vulnerable to whipsaw markets, where prices oscillate around key levels without establishing a clear direction. This can result in frequent entry and exit signals that lead to losses, especially if trading costs are not managed properly.
Overfitting to Past Data:
If the month-selection filter is overly optimized based on historical data, the strategy may suffer from overfitting—performing well in backtests but poorly in real-time trading. This happens when strategies are tailored to past market conditions that may not repeat.
Conclusion:
While monthly breakout strategies can be effective in markets with strong momentum, they are subject to several risks, including false breakouts, volatility dependency, and whipsaw behavior. It is crucial to backtest this strategy thoroughly and ensure it aligns with your risk tolerance before implementing it in live trading.
References:
Jegadeesh, N., & Titman, S. (1993). Returns to Buying Winners and Selling Losers: Implications for Stock Market Efficiency. Journal of Finance, 48(1), 65-91.
Barberis, N., Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. (1998). A Model of Investor Sentiment. Journal of Financial Economics, 49(3), 307-343.
Fama, E. F. (1970). Efficient Capital Markets: A Review of Theory and Empirical Work. Journal of Finance, 25(2), 383-417.
Varanormal Mac N Cheez Strategy v1Mac N Cheez Strategy (Set a $200 Take profit Manually)
It's super cheesy. Strategy does the following:
Here's a detailed explanation of what the entire script does, including its key components, functionality, and purpose.
1. Strategy Setup and Input Parameters:
Strategy Name: The script is named "NQ Futures $200/day Strategy" and is set as an overlay, meaning all elements (like moving averages and signals) are plotted on the price chart.
Input Parameters:
fastLength: This sets the length of the fast moving average. The user can adjust this value, and it defaults to 9.
slowLength: This sets the length of the slow moving average. The user can adjust this value, and it defaults to 21.
dailyTarget: The daily profit target, which defaults to $200. If set to 0, this disables the daily profit target.
stopLossAmount: The fixed stop-loss amount per trade, defaulting to $100. This value is used to calculate how much you're willing to lose on a single trade.
trailOffset: This value sets the distance for a trailing stop. It helps protect profits by automatically adjusting the stop-loss as the price moves in your favor.
2. Calculating the Moving Averages:
fastMA: The fast moving average is calculated using the ta.sma() function on the close price with a period length of fastLength. The ta.sma() function calculates the simple moving average.
slowMA: The slow moving average is also calculated using ta.sma() but with the slowLength period.
These moving averages are used to determine trend direction and identify entry points.
3. Buy and Sell Signal Conditions:
longCondition: This is the buy condition. It occurs when the fast moving average crosses above the slow moving average. The script uses ta.crossover() to detect this crossover event.
shortCondition: This is the sell condition. It occurs when the fast moving average crosses below the slow moving average. The script uses ta.crossunder() to detect this crossunder event.
4. Executing Buy and Sell Orders:
Buy Orders: When the longCondition is true (i.e., fast MA crosses above slow MA), the script enters a long position using strategy.entry("Buy", strategy.long).
Sell Orders: When the shortCondition is true (i.e., fast MA crosses below slow MA), the script enters a short position using strategy.entry("Sell", strategy.short).
5. Setting Stop Loss and Trailing Stop:
Stop-Loss for Long Positions: The stop-loss is calculated as the entry price minus the stopLossAmount. If the price falls below this level, the trade is exited automatically.
Stop-Loss for Short Positions: The stop-loss is calculated as the entry price plus the stopLossAmount. If the price rises above this level, the short trade is exited.
Trailing Stop: The trail_offset dynamically adjusts the stop-loss as the price moves in favor of the trade, locking in profits while still allowing room for market fluctuations.
6. Conditional Daily Profit Target:
The script includes a daily profit target that automatically closes all trades once the total profit for the day reaches or exceeds the dailyTarget.
Conditional Logic:
If the dailyTarget is greater than 0, the strategy checks whether the strategy.netprofit (total profit for the day) has reached or exceeded the target.
If the strategy.netprofit >= dailyTarget, the script calls strategy.close_all(), closing all open trades for the day and stopping further trading.
If dailyTarget is set to 0, this logic is skipped, and the script continues trading without a daily profit target.
7. Plotting Moving Averages:
plot(fastMA): This plots the fast moving average as a blue line on the price chart.
plot(slowMA): This plots the slow moving average as a red line on the price chart. These help visualize the crossover points and the trend direction on the chart.
8. Plotting Buy and Sell Signals:
plotshape(): The script uses plotshape() to add visual markers when buy or sell conditions are met:
"Long Signal": When a buy condition (longCondition) is met, a green marker is plotted below the price bar with the label "Long".
"Short Signal": When a sell condition (shortCondition) is met, a red marker is plotted above the price bar with the label "Short".
These markers help traders quickly see when buy or sell signals occurred on the chart.
In addition, triangle markers are plotted:
Green Triangle: Indicates where a buy entry occurred.
Red Triangle: Indicates where a sell entry occurred.
Summary of What the Script Does:
Inputs: The script allows the user to adjust moving average lengths, daily profit targets, stop-loss amounts, and trailing stop offsets.
Signals: It generates buy and sell signals based on the crossovers of the fast and slow moving averages.
Order Execution: It executes long positions on buy signals and short positions on sell signals.
Stop-Loss and Trailing Stop: It sets dynamic stop-losses and uses a trailing stop to protect profits.
Daily Profit Target: The strategy stops trading for the day once the net profit reaches the daily target (unless the target is disabled by setting it to 0).
Visual Markers: It plots moving averages and buy/sell signals directly on the main price chart to aid in visual analysis.
This script is designed to trade based on moving average crossovers, with robust risk management features like stop-loss and trailing stops, along with an optional daily profit target to limit daily trading activity. Let me know if you need further clarification or want to adjust any specific part of the script!
Larry Connors RSI 3 StrategyThe Larry Connors RSI 3 Strategy is a short-term mean-reversion trading strategy. It combines a moving average filter and a modified version of the Relative Strength Index (RSI) to identify potential buying opportunities in an uptrend. The strategy assumes that a short-term pullback within a long-term uptrend is an opportunity to buy at a discount before the trend resumes.
Components of the Strategy:
200-Day Simple Moving Average (SMA): The price must be above the 200-day SMA, indicating a long-term uptrend.
2-Period RSI: This is a very short-term RSI, used to measure the speed and magnitude of recent price changes. The standard RSI is typically calculated over 14 periods, but Connors uses just 2 periods to capture extreme overbought and oversold conditions.
Three-Day RSI Drop: The RSI must decline for three consecutive days, with the first drop occurring from an RSI reading above 60.
RSI Below 10: After the three-day drop, the RSI must reach a level below 10, indicating a highly oversold condition.
Buy Condition: All the above conditions must be satisfied to trigger a buy order.
Sell Condition: The strategy closes the position when the RSI rises above 70, signaling that the asset is overbought.
Who Was Larry Connors?
Larry Connors is a trader, author, and founder of Connors Research, a firm specializing in quantitative trading research. He is best known for developing strategies that focus on short-term market movements. Connors co-authored several popular books, including "Street Smarts: High Probability Short-Term Trading Strategies" with Linda Raschke, which has become a staple among traders seeking reliable, rule-based strategies. His research often emphasizes simplicity and robust testing, which appeals to both retail and institutional traders.
Scientific Foundations
The Relative Strength Index (RSI), originally developed by J. Welles Wilder in 1978, is a momentum oscillator that measures the speed and change of price movements. It oscillates between 0 and 100 and is typically used to identify overbought or oversold conditions in an asset. However, the use of a 2-period RSI in Connors' strategy is unconventional, as most traders rely on longer periods, such as 14. Connors' research showed that using a shorter period like 2 can better capture short-term reversals, particularly when combined with a longer-term trend filter such as the 200-day SMA.
Connors' strategies, including this one, are built on empirical research using historical data. For example, in a study of over 1,000 signals generated by this strategy, Connors found that it performed consistently well across various markets, especially when trading ETFs and large-cap stocks (Connors & Alvarez, 2009).
Risks and Considerations
While the Larry Connors RSI 3 Strategy is backed by empirical research, it is not without risks:
Mean-Reversion Assumption: The strategy is based on the premise that markets revert to the mean. However, in strong trending markets, the strategy may underperform as prices can remain oversold or overbought for extended periods.
Short-Term Nature: The strategy focuses on very short-term movements, which can result in frequent trading. High trading frequency can lead to increased transaction costs, which may erode profits.
Market Conditions: The strategy performs best in certain market environments, particularly in stable uptrends. In highly volatile or strongly trending markets, the strategy's performance can deteriorate.
Data and Backtesting Limitations: While backtests may show positive results, they rely on historical data and do not account for future market conditions, slippage, or liquidity issues.
Scientific literature suggests that while technical analysis strategies like this can be effective in certain market conditions, they are not foolproof. According to Lo et al. (2000), technical strategies may show patterns that are statistically significant, but these patterns often diminish once they are widely adopted by traders.
References
Connors, L., & Alvarez, C. (2009). Short-Term Trading Strategies That Work. TradingMarkets Publishing Group.
Lo, A. W., Mamaysky, H., & Wang, J. (2000). Foundations of Technical Analysis: Computational Algorithms, Statistical Inference, and Empirical Implementation. The Journal of Finance, 55(4), 1705-1770.
Wilder, J. W. (1978). New Concepts in Technical Trading Systems. Trend Research
Monthly Purchase Strategy with Dynamic Contract Size This trading strategy is designed to automate monthly purchases of a security, adjusting the size of each purchase based on the percentage of the portfolio's equity. The key features of this strategy include:
Monthly Purchases: The strategy buys the security on a specified day of each month, based on the user's input.
Dynamic Position Sizing: The size of each purchase is calculated as a percentage of the current equity. This allows the position size to adjust dynamically with the portfolio's performance.
Slippage and Commission Considerations: Slippage is simulated by adjusting the entry price by a set number of ticks, while commissions are factored in as fixed costs per trade.
Drawdown Calculation: The strategy tracks the highest equity value and calculates the drawdown, which is the percentage decrease from this peak equity. This helps in assessing the performance and risk of the strategy.
Benefits of the Strategy
Automated Investment: The strategy automates the investment process, reducing the need for manual trading decisions and ensuring consistent execution.
Dynamic Position Sizing: By adjusting the purchase size based on the portfolio’s equity, the strategy helps in managing risk and capitalizing on market movements proportionally to the portfolio’s performance.
Regular Investments: Investing on a regular schedule helps in averaging the purchase price of the security, which can reduce the impact of short-term volatility.
Risk Management: Monitoring drawdown helps in assessing the risk and performance of the strategy, providing insights into potential losses relative to the highest equity value.
Scientific Documentation on ETF Savings Plans
1. Dollar-Cost Averaging and Investment Behavior:
Title: "The Benefits of Dollar-Cost Averaging: A Study of Investment Behavior"
Authors: William F. Sharpe
Journal: Financial Analysts Journal, 1994
Summary: This study discusses the concept of dollar-cost averaging (DCA), which involves investing a fixed amount of money at regular intervals regardless of market conditions. The study highlights that DCA can reduce the impact of market volatility and lower the average cost of investments over time.
Reference: Sharpe, W. F. (1994). The Benefits of Dollar-Cost Averaging: A Study of Investment Behavior. Financial Analysts Journal, 50(4), 27-36.
2. ETFs and Long-Term Investment Strategies:
Title: "Exchange-Traded Funds and Their Role in Long-Term Investment Strategies"
Authors: John C. Bogle
Journal: The Journal of Portfolio Management, 2007
Summary: This paper explores the advantages of using ETFs for long-term investment strategies, emphasizing their low costs, tax efficiency, and diversification benefits. It also discusses how ETFs can be used effectively in automated investment plans like ETF savings plans.
Reference: Bogle, J. C. (2007). Exchange-Traded Funds and Their Role in Long-Term Investment Strategies. The Journal of Portfolio Management, 33(4), 14-25.
3. Risk and Return in ETF Investments:
Title: "Risk and Return Characteristics of Exchange-Traded Funds"
Authors: Eugene F. Fama and Kenneth R. French
Journal: Journal of Financial Economics, 2010
Summary: Fama and French analyze the risk and return characteristics of ETFs compared to traditional mutual funds. The study provides insights into how ETFs can be a viable option for investors seeking diversified exposure while managing risk and optimizing returns.
Reference: Fama, E. F., & French, K. R. (2010). Risk and Return Characteristics of Exchange-Traded Funds. Journal of Financial Economics, 96(2), 257-278.
4. The Impact of Automated Investment Plans:
Title: "The Impact of Automated Investment Plans on Portfolio Performance"
Authors: David G. Blanchflower and Andrew J. Oswald
Journal: Journal of Behavioral Finance, 2012
Summary: This research examines how automated investment plans, including ETF savings plans, affect portfolio performance. It highlights the benefits of automation in reducing behavioral biases and ensuring consistent investment practices.
Reference: Blanchflower, D. G., & Oswald, A. J. (2012). The Impact of Automated Investment Plans on Portfolio Performance. Journal of Behavioral Finance, 13(2), 77-89.
Summary
The "Monthly Purchase Strategy with Dynamic Contract Size and Drawdown" provides a disciplined approach to investing by automating purchases and adjusting position sizes based on portfolio equity. It leverages the benefits of dollar-cost averaging and regular investment, with risk management through drawdown monitoring. Scientific literature supports the effectiveness of ETF savings plans and automated investment strategies in optimizing returns and managing investment risk.
Bollinger Bands Enhanced StrategyOverview
The common practice of using Bollinger bands is to use it for building mean reversion or squeeze momentum strategies. In the current script Bollinger Bands Enhanced Strategy we are trying to combine the strengths of both strategies types. It utilizes Bollinger Bands indicator to buy the local dip and activates trailing profit system after reaching the user given number of Average True Ranges (ATR). Also it uses 200 period EMA to filter trades only in the direction of a trend. Strategy can execute only long trades.
Unique Features
Trailing Profit System: Strategy uses user given number of ATR to activate trailing take profit. If price has already reached the trailing profit activation level, scrip will close long trade if price closes below Bollinger Bands middle line.
Configurable Trading Periods: Users can tailor the strategy to specific market windows, adapting to different market conditions.
Major Trend Filter: Strategy utilizes 100 period EMA to take trades only in the direction of a trend.
Flexible Risk Management: Users can choose number of ATR as a stop loss (by default = 1.75) for trades. This is flexible approach because ATR is recalculated on every candle, therefore stop-loss readjusted to the current volatility.
Methodology
First of all, script checks if currently price is above the 200-period exponential moving average EMA. EMA is used to establish the current trend. Script will take long trades on if this filtering system showing us the uptrend. Then the strategy executes the long trade if candle’s low below the lower Bollinger band. To calculate the middle Bollinger line, we use the standard 20-period simple moving average (SMA), lower band is calculated by the substruction from middle line the standard deviation multiplied by user given value (by default = 2).
When long trade executed, script places stop-loss at the price level below the entry price by user defined number of ATR (by default = 1.75). This stop-loss level recalculates at every candle while trade is open according to the current candle ATR value. Also strategy set the trailing profit activation level at the price above the position average price by user given number of ATR (by default = 2.25). It is also recalculated every candle according to ATR value. When price hit this level script plotted the triangle with the label “Strong Uptrend” and start trail the price at the middle Bollinger line. It also started to be plotted as a green line.
When price close below this trailing level script closes the long trade and search for the next trade opportunity.
Risk Management
The strategy employs a combined and flexible approach to risk management:
It allows positions to ride the trend as long as the price continues to move favorably, aiming to capture significant price movements. It features a user-defined ATR stop loss parameter to mitigate risks based on individual risk tolerance. By default, this stop-loss is set to a 1.75*ATR drop from the entry point, but it can be adjusted according to the trader's preferences.
There is no fixed take profit, but strategy allows user to define user the ATR trailing profit activation parameter. By default, this stop-loss is set to a 2.25*ATR growth from the entry point, but it can be adjusted according to the trader's preferences.
Justification of Methodology
This strategy leverages Bollinger bangs indicator to open long trades in the local dips. If price reached the lower band there is a high probability of bounce. Here is an issue: during the strong downtrend price can constantly goes down without any significant correction. That’s why we decided to use 200-period EMA as a trend filter to increase the probability of opening long trades during major uptrend only.
Usually, Bollinger Bands indicator is using for mean reversion or breakout strategies. Both of them have the disadvantages. The mean reversion buys the dip, but closes on the return to some mean value. Therefore, it usually misses the major trend moves. The breakout strategies usually have the issue with too high buy price because to have the breakout confirmation price shall break some price level. Therefore, in such strategies traders need to set the large stop-loss, which decreases potential reward to risk ratio.
In this strategy we are trying to combine the best features of both types of strategies. Script utilizes ate ATR to setup the stop-loss and trailing profit activation levels. ATR takes into account the current volatility. Therefore, when we setup stop-loss with the user-given number of ATR we increase the probability to decrease the number of false stop outs. The trailing profit concept is trying to add the beat feature from breakout strategies and increase probability to stay in trade while uptrend is developing. When price hit the trailing profit activation level, script started to trail the price with middle line if Bollinger bands indicator. Only when candle closes below the middle line script closes the long trade.
Backtest Results
Operating window: Date range of backtests is 2020.10.01 - 2024.07.01. It is chosen to let the strategy to close all opened positions.
Commission and Slippage: Includes a standard Binance commission of 0.1% and accounts for possible slippage over 5 ticks.
Initial capital: 10000 USDT
Percent of capital used in every trade: 30%
Maximum Single Position Loss: -9.78%
Maximum Single Profit: +25.62%
Net Profit: +6778.11 USDT (+67.78%)
Total Trades: 111 (48.65% win rate)
Profit Factor: 2.065
Maximum Accumulated Loss: 853.56 USDT (-6.60%)
Average Profit per Trade: 61.06 USDT (+1.62%)
Average Trade Duration: 76 hours
These results are obtained with realistic parameters representing trading conditions observed at major exchanges such as Binance and with realistic trading portfolio usage parameters.
How to Use
Add the script to favorites for easy access.
Apply to the desired timeframe and chart (optimal performance observed on 4h BTC/USDT).
Configure settings using the dropdown choice list in the built-in menu.
Set up alerts to automate strategy positions through web hook with the text: {{strategy.order.alert_message}}
Disclaimer:
Educational and informational tool reflecting Skyrex commitment to informed trading. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Test strategies in a simulated environment before live implementation
Strategic Multi-Step Supertrend - Strategy [presentTrading]The code is mainly developed for me to stimulate the multi-step taking profit function for strategies. The result shows the drawdown can be reduced but at the same time reduced the profit as well. It can be a heuristic for futures leverage traders.
█ Introduction and How it is Different
The "Strategic Multi-Step Supertrend" is a trading strategy designed to leverage the power of multiple steps to optimize trade entries and exits across the Supertrend indicator. Unlike traditional strategies that rely on single entry and exit points, this strategy employs a multi-step approach to take profit, allowing traders to lock in gains incrementally. Additionally, the strategy is adaptable to both long and short trades, providing a comprehensive solution for dynamic market conditions.
This template strategy lies in its dual Supertrend calculation, which enhances the accuracy of trend detection and provides more reliable signals for trade entries and exits. This approach minimizes false signals and increases the overall profitability of trades by ensuring that positions are entered and exited at optimal points.
BTC 6h L/S Performance
█ Strategy, How It Works: Detailed Explanation
The "Strategic Multi-Step Supertrend Trader" strategy utilizes two Supertrend indicators calculated with different parameters to determine the direction and strength of the market trend. This dual approach increases the robustness of the signals, reducing the likelihood of entering trades based on false signals. Here is a detailed breakdown of how the strategy operates:
🔶 Supertrend Indicator Calculation
The Supertrend indicator is a trend-following overlay on the price chart, typically used to identify the direction of the trend. It is calculated using the Average True Range (ATR) to ensure that the indicator adapts to market volatility. The formula for the Supertrend indicator is:
Upper Band = (High + Low) / 2 + (Factor * ATR)
Lower Band = (High + Low) / 2 - (Factor * ATR)
Where:
- High and Low are the highest and lowest prices of the period.
- Factor is a user-defined multiplier.
- ATR is the Average True Range over a specified period.
The Supertrend changes its direction based on the closing price in relation to these bands.
🔶 Entry-Exit Conditions
The strategy enters long positions when both Supertrend indicators signal an uptrend, and short positions when both indicate a downtrend. Specifically:
- Long Condition: Supertrend1 < 0 and Supertrend2 < 0
- Short Condition: Supertrend1 > 0 and Supertrend2 > 0
- Long Exit Condition: Supertrend1 > 0 and Supertrend2 > 0
- Short Exit Condition: Supertrend1 < 0 and Supertrend2 < 0
🔶 Multi-Step Take Profit Mechanism
The strategy features a multi-step take profit mechanism, which allows traders to lock in profits incrementally. This is achieved through four user-configurable take profit levels. For each level, the strategy specifies a percentage increase (for long trades) or decrease (for short trades) in the entry price at which a portion of the position is exited:
- Step 1: Exit a portion of the trade at Entry Price * (1 + Take Profit Percent1 / 100)
- Step 2: Exit a portion of the trade at Entry Price * (1 + Take Profit Percent2 / 100)
- Step 3: Exit a portion of the trade at Entry Price * (1 + Take Profit Percent3 / 100)
- Step 4: Exit a portion of the trade at Entry Price * (1 + Take Profit Percent4 / 100)
This staggered exit strategy helps in locking profits at multiple levels, thereby reducing risk and increasing the likelihood of capturing the maximum possible profit from a trend.
BTC Local
█ Trade Direction
The strategy is highly flexible, allowing users to specify the trade direction. There are three options available:
- Long Only: The strategy will only enter long trades.
- Short Only: The strategy will only enter short trades.
- Both: The strategy will enter both long and short trades based on the Supertrend signals.
This flexibility allows traders to adapt the strategy to various market conditions and their own trading preferences.
█ Usage
1. Add the strategy to your trading platform and apply it to the desired chart.
2. Configure the take profit settings under the "Take Profit Settings" group.
3. Set the trade direction under the "Trade Direction" group.
4. Adjust the Supertrend settings in the "Supertrend Settings" group to fine-tune the indicator calculations.
5. Monitor the chart for entry and exit signals as indicated by the strategy.
█ Default Settings
- Use Take Profit: True
- Take Profit Percentages: Step 1 - 6%, Step 2 - 12%, Step 3 - 18%, Step 4 - 50%
- Take Profit Amounts: Step 1 - 12%, Step 2 - 8%, Step 3 - 4%, Step 4 - 0%
- Number of Take Profit Steps: 3
- Trade Direction: Both
- Supertrend Settings: ATR Length 1 - 10, Factor 1 - 3.0, ATR Length 2 - 11, Factor 2 - 4.0
These settings provide a balanced starting point, which can be customized further based on individual trading preferences and market conditions.
The Flash-Strategy with Minervini Stage Analysis QualifierThe Flash-Strategy (Momentum-RSI, EMA-crossover, ATR) with Minervini Stage Analysis Qualifier
Introduction
Welcome to a comprehensive guide on a cutting-edge trading strategy I've developed, designed for the modern trader seeking an edge in today's dynamic markets. This strategy, which I've honed through my years of experience in the trading arena, stands out for its unique blend of technical analysis and market intuition, tailored specifically for use on the TradingView platform.
As a trader with a deep passion for the financial markets, my journey began several years ago, driven by a relentless pursuit of a trading methodology that is both effective and adaptable. My background in trading spans various market conditions and asset classes, providing me with a rich tapestry of experiences from which to draw. This strategy is the culmination of that journey, embodying the lessons learned and insights gained along the way.
The cornerstone of this strategy lies in its ability to generate precise long signals in a Stage 2 uptrend and equally accurate short signals in a Stage 4 downtrend. This approach is rooted in the principles of trend following and momentum trading, harnessing the power of key indicators such as the Momentum-RSI, EMA Crossover, and Average True Range (ATR). What sets this strategy apart is its meticulous design, which allows it to adapt to the ever-changing market conditions, providing traders with a robust tool for navigating both bullish and bearish scenarios.
This strategy was born out of a desire to create a trading system that is not only highly effective in identifying potential trade setups but also straightforward enough to be implemented by traders of varying skill levels. It's a reflection of my belief that successful trading hinges on clarity, precision, and disciplined execution. Whether you are a seasoned trader or just beginning your journey, this guide aims to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of how to harness the full potential of this strategy in your trading endeavors.
In the following sections, we will delve deeper into the mechanics of the strategy, its implementation, and how to make the most out of its features. Join me as we explore the nuances of a strategy that is designed to elevate your trading to the next level.
Stage-Specific Signal Generation
A distinctive feature of this trading strategy is its focus on generating long signals exclusively during Stage 2 uptrends and short signals during Stage 4 downtrends. This approach is based on the widely recognized market cycle theory, which divides the market into four stages: Stage 1 (accumulation), Stage 2 (uptrend), Stage 3 (distribution), and Stage 4 (downtrend). By aligning the signal generation with these specific stages, the strategy aims to capitalize on the most dynamic and clear-cut market movements, thereby enhancing the potential for profitable trades.
1. Long Signals in Stage 2 Uptrends
• Characteristics of Stage 2: Stage 2 is characterized by a strong uptrend, where prices are consistently rising. This stage typically follows a period of accumulation (Stage 1) and is marked by increased investor interest and bullish sentiment in the market.
• Criteria for Long Signal Generation: Long signals are generated during this stage when the technical indicators align with the characteristics of a Stage 2 uptrend.
• Rationale for Stage-Specific Signals: By focusing on Stage 2 for long trades, the strategy seeks to enter positions during the phase of strong upward momentum, thus riding the wave of rising prices and investor optimism. This stage-specific approach minimizes exposure to less predictable market phases, like the consolidation in Stage 1 or the indecision in Stage 3.
2. Short Signals in Stage 4 Downtrends
• Characteristics of Stage 4: Stage 4 is identified by a pronounced downtrend, with declining prices indicating prevailing bearish sentiment. This stage typically follows the distribution phase (Stage 3) and is characterized by increasing selling pressure.
• Criteria for Short Signal Generation: Short signals are generated in this stage when the indicators reflect a strong bearish trend.
• Rationale for Stage-Specific Signals: Targeting Stage 4 for shorting capitalizes on the market's downward momentum. This tactic aligns with the natural market cycle, allowing traders to exploit the downward price movements effectively. By doing so, the strategy avoids the potential pitfalls of shorting during the early or late stages of the market cycle, where trends are less defined and more susceptible to reversals.
In conclusion, the strategy’s emphasis on stage-specific signal generation is a testament to its sophisticated understanding of market dynamics. By tailoring the long and short signals to Stages 2 and 4, respectively, it leverages the most compelling phases of the market cycle, offering traders a clear and structured approach to aligning their trades with dominant market trends.
Strategy Overview
At the heart of this trading strategy is a philosophy centered around capturing market momentum and trend efficiency. The core objective is to identify and capitalize on clear uptrends and downtrends, thereby allowing traders to position themselves in sync with the market's prevailing direction. This approach is grounded in the belief that aligning trades with these dominant market forces can lead to more consistent and profitable outcomes.
The strategy is built on three foundational components, each playing a critical role in the decision-making process:
1. Momentum-RSI (Relative Strength Index): The Momentum-RSI is a pivotal element of this strategy. It's an enhanced version of the traditional RSI, fine-tuned to better capture the strength and velocity of market trends. By measuring the speed and change of price movements, the Momentum-RSI provides invaluable insights into whether a market is potentially overbought or oversold, suggesting possible entry and exit points. This indicator is especially effective in filtering out noise and focusing on substantial market moves.
2. EMA (Exponential Moving Average) Crossover: The EMA Crossover is a crucial component for trend identification. This strategy employs two EMAs with different timeframes to determine the market trend. When the shorter-term EMA crosses above the longer-term EMA, it signals an emerging uptrend, suggesting a potential long entry. Conversely, a crossover below indicates a possible downtrend, hinting at a short entry opportunity. This simple yet powerful tool is key in confirming trend directions and timing market entries.
3. ATR (Average True Range): The ATR is instrumental in assessing market volatility. This indicator helps in understanding the average range of price movements over a given period, thus providing a sense of how much a market might move on a typical day. In this strategy, the ATR is used to adjust stop-loss levels and to gauge the potential risk and reward of trades. It allows for more informed decisions by aligning trade management techniques with the current volatility conditions.
The synergy of these three components – the Momentum-RSI, EMA Crossover, and ATR – creates a robust framework for this trading strategy. By combining momentum analysis, trend identification, and volatility assessment, the strategy offers a comprehensive approach to navigating the markets. Whether it's capturing a strong trend in its early stages or identifying a potential reversal, this strategy aims to provide traders with the tools and insights needed to make well-informed, strategically sound trading decisions.
Detailed Component Analysis
The efficacy of this trading strategy hinges on the synergistic functioning of its three key components: the Momentum-RSI, EMA Crossover, and Average True Range (ATR). Each component brings a unique perspective to the strategy, contributing to a well-rounded approach to market analysis.
1. Momentum-RSI (Relative Strength Index)
• Definition and Function: The Momentum-RSI is a modified version of the classic Relative Strength Index. While the traditional RSI measures the velocity and magnitude of directional price movements, the Momentum-RSI amplifies aspects that reflect trend strength and momentum.
• Significance in Identifying Trend Strength: This indicator excels in identifying the strength behind a market's move. A high Momentum-RSI value typically indicates strong bullish momentum, suggesting the potential continuation of an uptrend. Conversely, a low Momentum-RSI value signals strong bearish momentum, possibly indicative of an ongoing downtrend.
• Application in Strategy: In this strategy, the Momentum-RSI is used to gauge the underlying strength of market trends. It helps in filtering out minor fluctuations and focusing on significant movements, providing a clearer picture of the market's true momentum.
2. EMA (Exponential Moving Average) Crossover
• Definition and Function: The EMA Crossover component utilizes two exponential moving averages of different timeframes. Unlike simple moving averages, EMAs give more weight to recent prices, making them more responsive to new information.
• Contribution to Market Direction: The interaction between the short-term and long-term EMAs is key to determining market direction. A crossover of the shorter EMA above the longer EMA is an indicator of an emerging uptrend, while a crossover below signals a developing downtrend.
• Application in Strategy: The EMA Crossover serves as a trend confirmation tool. It provides a clear, visual representation of the market's direction, aiding in the decision-making process for entering long or short positions. This component ensures that trades are aligned with the prevailing market trend, a crucial factor for the success of the strategy.
3. ATR (Average True Range)
• Definition and Function: The ATR is an indicator that measures market volatility by calculating the average range between the high and low prices over a specified period.
• Role in Assessing Market Volatility: The ATR provides insights into the typical market movement within a given timeframe, offering a measure of the market's volatility. Higher ATR values indicate increased volatility, while lower values suggest a calmer market environment.
• Application in Strategy: Within this strategy, the ATR is instrumental in tailoring risk management techniques, particularly in setting stop-loss levels. By accounting for the market's volatility, the ATR ensures that stop-loss orders are placed at levels that are neither too tight (risking premature exits) nor too loose (exposing to excessive risk).
In summary, the combination of Momentum-RSI, EMA Crossover, and ATR in this trading strategy provides a comprehensive toolkit for market analysis. The Momentum-RSI identifies the strength of market trends, the EMA Crossover confirms the market direction, and the ATR guides in risk management by assessing volatility. Together, these components form the backbone of a strategy designed to navigate the complexities of the financial markets effectively.
1. Signal Generation Process
• Combining Indicators: The strategy operates by synthesizing signals from the Momentum-RSI, EMA Crossover, and ATR indicators. Each indicator serves a specific purpose: the Momentum-RSI gauges trend momentum, the EMA Crossover identifies the trend direction, and the ATR assesses the market’s volatility.
• Criteria for Signal Validation: For a signal to be considered valid, it must meet specific criteria set by each of the three indicators. This multi-layered approach ensures that signals are not only based on one aspect of market behavior but are a result of a comprehensive analysis.
2. Conditions for Long Positions
• Uptrend Confirmation: A long position signal is generated when the shorter-term EMA crosses above the longer-term EMA, indicating an uptrend.
• Momentum-RSI Alignment: Alongside the EMA crossover, the Momentum-RSI should indicate strong bullish momentum. This is typically represented by the Momentum-RSI being at a high level, confirming the strength of the uptrend.
• ATR Consideration: The ATR is used to fine-tune the entry point and set an appropriate stop-loss level. In a low volatility scenario, as indicated by the ATR, the stop-loss can be set tighter, closer to the entry point.
3. Conditions for Short Positions
• Downtrend Confirmation: Conversely, a short position signal is indicated when the shorter-term EMA crosses below the longer-term EMA, signaling a downtrend.
• Momentum-RSI Confirmation: The Momentum-RSI should reflect strong bearish momentum, usually seen when the Momentum-RSI is at a low level. This confirms the bearish strength of the market.
• ATR Application: The ATR again plays a role in determining the stop-loss level for the short position. Higher volatility, as indicated by a higher ATR, would warrant a wider stop-loss to accommodate larger market swings.
By adhering to these mechanics, the strategy aims to ensure that each trade is entered with a high probability of success, aligning with the market’s current momentum and trend. The integration of these indicators allows for a holistic market analysis, providing traders with clear and actionable signals for both entering and exiting trades.
Customizable Parameters in the Strategy
Flexibility and adaptability are key features of this trading strategy, achieved through a range of customizable parameters. These parameters allow traders to tailor the strategy to their individual trading style, risk tolerance, and specific market conditions. By adjusting these parameters, users can fine-tune the strategy to optimize its performance and align it with their unique trading objectives. Below are the primary parameters that can be customized within the strategy:
1. Momentum-RSI Settings
• Period: The lookback period for the Momentum-RSI can be adjusted. A shorter period makes the indicator more sensitive to recent price changes, while a longer period smoothens the RSI line, offering a broader view of the momentum.
• Overbought/Oversold Thresholds: Users can set their own overbought and oversold levels, which can help in identifying extreme market conditions more precisely according to their trading approach.
2. EMA Crossover Settings
• Timeframes for EMAs: The strategy uses two EMAs with different timeframes. Traders can modify these timeframes, choosing shorter periods for a more responsive approach or longer periods for a more conservative one.
• Source Data: The choice of price data (close, open, high, low) used in calculating the EMAs can be varied depending on the trader’s preference.
3. ATR Settings
• Lookback Period: Adjusting the lookback period for the ATR impacts how the indicator measures volatility. A longer period may provide a more stable but less responsive measure, while a shorter period offers quicker but potentially more erratic readings.
• Multiplier for Stop-Loss Calculation: This parameter allows traders to set how aggressively or conservatively they want their stop-loss to be in relation to the ATR value.
Here are the standard settings:
[imba]lance algo🟩 INTRODUCTION
Hello, everyone!
Please take the time to review this description and source code to utilize this script to its fullest potential.
🟩 CONCEPTS
This is a trend indicator. The trend is the 0.5 fibonacci level for a certain period of time.
A trend change occurs when at least one candle closes above the level of 0.236 (for long) or below 0.786 (for short). Also it has massive amout of settings and features more about this below.
With good settings, the indicator works great on any market and any time frame!
A distinctive feature of this indicator is its backtest panel. With which you can dynamically view the results of setting up a strategy such as profit, what the deposit size is, etc.
Please note that the profit is indicated as a percentage of the initial deposit. It is also worth considering that all profit calculations are based on the risk % setting.
🟩 FEATURES
First, I want to show you what you see on the chart. And I’ll show you everything closer and in more detail.
1. Position
2. Statistic panel
3. Backtest panel
Indicator settings:
Let's go in order:
1. Strategies
This setting is responsible for loading saved strategies. There are only two preset settings, MANUAL and UNIVERSAL. If you choose any strategy other than MANUAL, then changing the settings for take profits, stop loss, sensitivity will not bring any results.
You can also save your customized strategies, this is discussed in a separate paragraph “🟩HOW TO SAVE A STRATEGY”
2. Sensitive
Responsible for the time period in bars to create Fibonacci levels
3. Start calculating date
This is the time to start backtesting strategies
4. Position group
Show checkbox - is responsible for displaying positions
Fill checkbox - is responsible for filling positions with background
Risk % - is responsible for what percentage of the deposit you are willing to lose if there is a stop loss
BE target - here you can choose when you reach which take profit you need to move your stop loss to breakeven
Initial deposit- starting deposit for profit calculation
5. Stoploss group
Fixed stoploss % checkbox - If choosed: stoploss will be calculated manually depending on the setting below( formula: entry_price * (1 - stoploss percent)) If NOT choosed: stoploss will be ( formula: fibonacci level(0.786/0.236) * (1 + stoploss percent))
6. Take profit group
This group of settings is responsible for how far from the entry point take profits will be and what % of the position to fix
7. RSI
Responsible for configuring the built-in RSI. Suitable bars will be highlighted with crosses above or below, depending on overbought/oversold
8. Infopanels group
Here I think everything is clear, you can hide or show information panels
9. Developer mode
If enabled, all events that occur will be shown, for example, reaching a take profit or stop loss with detailed information about the unfixed balance of the position
🟩 HOW TO USE
Very simple. All you need is to wait for the trend to change to long or short, you will immediately see a stop loss and four take profits, and you will also see prices. Like in this picture:
🟩 ALERTS
There are 3 types of alerts:
1. Long signal
2. Short signal
3. Any alert() function call - will be send to you json with these fields
{
"side": "LONG",
"entry": "64.454",
"tp1": "65.099",
"tp2": "65.743",
"tp3": "66.388",
"tp4": "67.032",
"winrate": "35.42%",
"strategy": "MANUAL",
"beTargetTrigger": "1",
"stop": "64.44"
}
🟩 HOW TO SAVE A STRATEGY
First, you need to make sure that the “MANUAL” strategy is selected in the strategy settings.
After this, you can start selecting parameters that will show the largest profit in the statistics panel.
I have highlighted what you need to pay attention to when choosing a strategy
Let's assume you have set up a strategy. The main question is how to preserve it?
Let’s say the strategy turned out with the following parameters:
Next we need to find this section of code:
// STRATS
selector(string strategy_name) =>
strategy_settings = Strategy_settings.new()
switch strategy_name
"MANUAL" =>
strategy_settings.sensitivity := 18
strategy_settings.risk_percent := 1
strategy_settings.break_even_target := "1"
strategy_settings.tp1_percent := 1
strategy_settings.tp1_percent_fix := 40
strategy_settings.tp2_percent := 2
strategy_settings.tp2_percent_fix := 30
strategy_settings.tp3_percent := 3
strategy_settings.tp3_percent_fix := 20
strategy_settings.tp4_percent := 4
strategy_settings.tp4_percent_fix := 10
strategy_settings.fixed_stop := false
strategy_settings.sl_percent := 0.0
"UNIVERSAL" =>
strategy_settings.sensitivity := 20
strategy_settings.risk_percent := 1
strategy_settings.break_even_target := "1"
strategy_settings.tp1_percent := 1
strategy_settings.tp1_percent_fix := 40
strategy_settings.tp2_percent := 2
strategy_settings.tp2_percent_fix := 30
strategy_settings.tp3_percent := 3
strategy_settings.tp3_percent_fix := 20
strategy_settings.tp4_percent := 4
strategy_settings.tp4_percent_fix := 10
strategy_settings.fixed_stop := false
strategy_settings.sl_percent := 0.0
// "NEW STRATEGY" =>
// strategy_settings.sensitivity := 20
// strategy_settings.risk_percent := 1
// strategy_settings.break_even_target := "1"
// strategy_settings.tp1_percent := 1
// strategy_settings.tp1_percent_fix := 40
// strategy_settings.tp2_percent := 2
// strategy_settings.tp2_percent_fix := 30
// strategy_settings.tp3_percent := 3
// strategy_settings.tp3_percent_fix := 20
// strategy_settings.tp4_percent := 4
// strategy_settings.tp4_percent_fix := 10
// strategy_settings.fixed_stop := false
// strategy_settings.sl_percent := 0.0
strategy_settings
// STRATS
Let's uncomment on the latest strategy called "NEW STRATEGY" rename it to "SOL 5m" and change the sensitivity:
// STRATS
selector(string strategy_name) =>
strategy_settings = Strategy_settings.new()
switch strategy_name
"MANUAL" =>
strategy_settings.sensitivity := 18
strategy_settings.risk_percent := 1
strategy_settings.break_even_target := "1"
strategy_settings.tp1_percent := 1
strategy_settings.tp1_percent_fix := 40
strategy_settings.tp2_percent := 2
strategy_settings.tp2_percent_fix := 30
strategy_settings.tp3_percent := 3
strategy_settings.tp3_percent_fix := 20
strategy_settings.tp4_percent := 4
strategy_settings.tp4_percent_fix := 10
strategy_settings.fixed_stop := false
strategy_settings.sl_percent := 0.0
"UNIVERSAL" =>
strategy_settings.sensitivity := 20
strategy_settings.risk_percent := 1
strategy_settings.break_even_target := "1"
strategy_settings.tp1_percent := 1
strategy_settings.tp1_percent_fix := 40
strategy_settings.tp2_percent := 2
strategy_settings.tp2_percent_fix := 30
strategy_settings.tp3_percent := 3
strategy_settings.tp3_percent_fix := 20
strategy_settings.tp4_percent := 4
strategy_settings.tp4_percent_fix := 10
strategy_settings.fixed_stop := false
strategy_settings.sl_percent := 0.0
"SOL 5m" =>
strategy_settings.sensitivity := 15
strategy_settings.risk_percent := 1
strategy_settings.break_even_target := "1"
strategy_settings.tp1_percent := 1
strategy_settings.tp1_percent_fix := 40
strategy_settings.tp2_percent := 2
strategy_settings.tp2_percent_fix := 30
strategy_settings.tp3_percent := 3
strategy_settings.tp3_percent_fix := 20
strategy_settings.tp4_percent := 4
strategy_settings.tp4_percent_fix := 10
strategy_settings.fixed_stop := false
strategy_settings.sl_percent := 0.0
strategy_settings
// STRATS
Now let's find this code:
strategy_input = input.string(title = "STRATEGY", options = , defval = "MANUAL", tooltip = "EN:\nTo manually configure the strategy, select MANUAL otherwise, changing the settings won't have any effect\nRU:\nЧтобы настроить стратегию вручную, выберите MANUAL в противном случае изменение настроек не будет иметь никакого эффекта")
And let's add our new strategy there, it turned out like this:
strategy_input = input.string(title = "STRATEGY", options = , defval = "MANUAL", tooltip = "EN:\nTo manually configure the strategy, select MANUAL otherwise, changing the settings won't have any effect\nRU:\nЧтобы настроить стратегию вручную, выберите MANUAL в противном случае изменение настроек не будет иметь никакого эффекта")
That's all. Our new strategy is now saved! It's simple! Now we can select it in the list of strategies:
Goldmine Wealth Builder - DKK/SKKGoldmine Wealth Builder
Version 1.0
Introduction to Long-Term Investment Strategies: DKK, SKK1 and SKK2
In the dynamic realm of long-term investing, the DKK, SKK1, and SKK2 strategies stand as valuable pillars. These strategies, meticulously designed to assist investors in building robust portfolios, combine the power of Super Trend, RSI (Relative Strength Index), Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), and their crossovers. By providing clear alerts and buy signals on a daily time frame, they equip users with the tools needed to make well-informed investment decisions and navigate the complexities of the financial markets. These strategies offer a versatile and structured approach to both conservative and aggressive investment, catering to the diverse preferences and objectives of investors.
Each part of this strategy provides a unique perspective and approach to the accumulation of assets, making it a versatile and comprehensive method for investors seeking to optimize their portfolio performance. By diligently applying this multi-faceted approach, investors can make informed decisions and effectively capitalize on potential market opportunities.
DKK Strategy for ETFs and Funds:
The DKK system is a strategy designed for accumulating ETFs and Funds as long-term investments in your portfolio. It simplifies the process of identifying trend reversals and opportune moments to invest in listed ETFs and Funds, particularly during bull markets. Here's a detailed explanation of the DKK system:
Objective: The primary aim of the DKK system is to build a long-term investment portfolio by focusing on ETFs and Funds. It facilitates the identification of stocks that are in the process of reversing their trends, allowing investors to benefit from upward price movements in these financial instruments.
Stock Selection Criteria: The DKK system employs specific criteria for selecting ETFs and Funds:
• 200EMA (Exponential Moving Average): The system monitors whether the prices of ETFs and Funds are consistently below the 200-day Exponential Moving Average. This is considered an indicator of weakness, especially on a daily time frame.
• RSI (Relative Strength Index): The system looks for an RSI value of less than 40. An RSI below 40 is often seen as an indication of a weak or oversold condition in a financial instrument.
Alert Signal: Once the DKK system identifies ETFs and Funds meeting these criteria, it provides an alert signal:
• Red Upside Triangle Sign: This signal is automatically generated on the daily chart of ETFs and Funds. It serves as a clear indicator to investors that it's an opportune time to accumulate these financial instruments for long-term investment.
It's important to note that the DKK system is specifically designed for ETFs and Funds, so it should be applied to these types of investments. Additionally, it's recommended to track index ETFs and specific types of funds, such as REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and INVITs (Infrastructure Investment Trusts), in line with the DKK system's approach. This strategy simplifies the process of identifying investment opportunities within this asset class, particularly during periods of market weakness.
SKK1 Strategy for Conservative Stock Investment:
The SKK 1 system is a stock investment strategy tailored for conservative investors seeking long-term portfolio growth with a focus on stability and prudent decision-making. This strategy is meticulously designed to identify pivotal market trends and stock price movements, allowing investors to make informed choices and capitalize on upward market trends while minimizing risk. Here's a comprehensive overview of the SKK 1 system, emphasizing its suitability for conservative investors:
Objective: The primary objective of the SKK 1 system is to accumulate stocks as long-term investments in your portfolio while prioritizing capital preservation. It offers a disciplined approach to pinpointing potential entry points for stocks, particularly during market corrections and trend reversals, thereby enabling you to actively participate in bullish market phases while adopting a conservative risk management stance.
Stock Selection Criteria: The SKK 1 system employs a stringent set of criteria to select stocks for investment:
• Correction Mode: It identifies stocks that have undergone a correction, signifying a decline in stock prices from their recent highs. This conservative approach emphasizes the importance of seeking stocks with a history of stability.
• 200EMA (Exponential Moving Average): The system diligently analyses daily stock price movements, specifically looking for stocks that have fallen to or below the 200-day Exponential Moving Average. This indicator suggests potential overselling and aligns with a conservative strategy of buying low.
Trend Reversal Confirmation: The SKK 1 system doesn't merely pinpoint stocks in correction mode; it takes an extra step to confirm a trend reversal. It employs the following indicators:
• Short-term Downtrends Reversal: This aspect focuses on identifying the reversal of short-term downtrends in stock prices, observed through the transition of the super trend indicator from the red zone to the green zone. This cautious approach ensures that the trend is genuinely shifting.
• Super Trend Zones: These zones are crucial for assessing whether a stock is in a bullish or bearish trend. The system consistently monitors these zones to confirm a potential trend reversal.
Alert & Buy Signals: When the SKK 1 system identifies stocks that have reached a potential bottom and are on the verge of a trend reversal, it issues vital alert signals, aiding conservative investors in prudent decision-making:
• Orange Upside Triangle Sign: This signal serves as a cautious heads-up, indicating that a stock may be poised for a trend reversal. It advises investors to prepare funds for potential investment without taking undue risks.
• Green Upside Triangle Sign: This is the confirmation of a trend reversal, signifying a robust buy signal. Conservative investors can confidently enter the market at this point, accumulating stocks for a long-term investment, secure in the knowledge that the trend is in their favor.
In summary, the SKK 1 system is a systematic and conservative approach to stock investing. It excels in identifying stocks experiencing corrections and ensures that investors act when there's a strong indication of a trend reversal, all while prioritizing capital preservation and risk management. This strategy empowers conservative investors to navigate the intricacies of the stock market with confidence, providing a calculated and stable path toward long-term portfolio growth.
Note: The SKK1 strategy, known for its conservative approach to stock investment, also provides an option to extend its methodology to ETFs and Funds for those investors who wish to accumulate assets more aggressively. By enabling this feature in the settings, you can harness the SKK1 strategy's careful criteria and signal indicators to accumulate aggressive investments in ETFs and Funds.
This flexible approach acknowledges that even within a conservative strategy, there may be opportunities for more assertive investments in assets like ETFs and Funds. By making use of this option, you can strike a balance between a conservative stance in your stock portfolio while exploring an aggressive approach in other asset classes. It offers the versatility to cater to a variety of investment preferences, ensuring that you can adapt your strategy to suit your financial goals and risk tolerance.
SKK 2 Strategy for Aggressive Stock Investment:
The SKK 2 strategy is designed for those who are determined not to miss significant opportunities within a continuous uptrend and seek a way to enter a trend that doesn't present entry signals through the SKK 1 strategy. While it offers a more aggressive entry approach, it is ideal for individuals willing to take calculated risks to potentially reap substantial long-term rewards. This strategy is particularly suitable for accumulating stocks for aggressive long-term investment. Here's a detailed description of the SKK 2 strategy:
Objective: The primary aim of the SKK 2 strategy is to provide an avenue for investors to identify short-term trend reversals and seize the opportunity to enter stocks during an uptrend, thereby capitalizing on a sustained bull run. It acknowledges that there may not always be clear entry signals through the SKK 1 strategy and offers a more aggressive alternative.
Stock Selection Criteria: The SKK 2 strategy utilizes a specific set of criteria for stock selection:
1. 50EMA (Exponential Moving Average): It targets stocks that are trading below the 50-day Exponential Moving Average. This signals a short-term reversal from the top and indicates that the stock is in a downtrend.
2. RSI (Relative Strength Index): The strategy considers stocks with an RSI of less than 40, which is an indicator of weakness in the stock.
Alert Signals: The SKK 2 strategy provides distinct alert signals that facilitate entry during an aggressive reversal:
• Red Downside Triangle Sign: This signal is triggered when the stock is below the 50EMA and has an RSI of less than 40. It serves as a clear warning of a short-term reversal from the top and a downtrend, displayed on the daily chart.
• Purple Upside Triangle Sign: This sign is generated when a reversal occurs through a bullish candle, and the RSI is greater than 40. It signifies the stock has bottomed out from a short-term downtrend and is now reversing. This purple upside triangle serves as an entry signal on the chart, presenting an attractive opportunity to accumulate stocks during a strong bullish phase, offering a chance to seize a potentially favorable long-term investment.
In essence, the SKK 2 strategy caters to aggressive investors who are willing to take calculated risks to enter stocks during a continuous uptrend. It focuses on identifying short-term reversals and provides well-defined signals for entry. While this strategy is more aggressive in nature, it has the potential to yield substantial rewards for those who are comfortable with a higher level of risk and are looking for opportunities to build a strong long-term portfolio.
Introduction to Strategy Signal Information Chart
This chart provides essential information on strategy signals for DKK, SKK1, and SKK2. By quickly identifying "Buy" and "Alert" signals for each strategy, investors can efficiently gauge market conditions and make informed decisions to optimize their investment portfolios.
In Conclusion
These investment strategies, whether conservative like DKK and SKK1 or more aggressive like SKK2, offer a range of options for investors to navigate the complex world of long-term investments. The combination of Super Trend, RSI, and EMAs with their crossovers provides clear signals on a daily time frame, empowering users to make well-informed decisions and potentially capitalize on market opportunities. Whether you're looking for stability or are ready to embrace more risk, these strategies have something to offer for building and growing your investment portfolio.
D-BoT Alpha 'Short' SMA and RSI StrategyDostlar selamlar,
İşte son derece basit ama etkili ve hızlı, HTF de çok iyi sonuçlar veren bir strateji daha, hepinize bol kazançlar dilerim ...
Nedir, Nasıl Çalışır:
Strateji, iki ana girdiye dayanır: SMA ve RSI. SMA hesaplama aralığı 200 olarak, RSI ise 14 olarak ayarlanmıştır. Bu değerler, kullanıcı tercihlerine veya geriye dönük test sonuçlarına göre ayarlanabilir.
Strateji, iki koşul karşılandığında bir short sinyali oluşturur: RSI değeri, belirlenen bir giriş seviyesini (burada 51 olarak belirlenmiş) aşar ve kapanış fiyatı SMA değerinin altındadır.
Strateji, kısa pozisyonu üç durumda kapatır: Kapanış fiyatı, takip eden durdurma seviyesinden (pozisyon açıldığından beri en düşük kapanış olarak belirlenmiştir) büyükse, RSI değeri belirlenen bir durdurma seviyesini (bu durumda 54) aşarsa veya RSI değeri belirli bir kar al seviyesinin (bu durumda 32) altına düşerse.
Güçlü Yönleri:
İki farklı gösterge (SMA ve RSI) kullanımı, yalnızca birini kullanmaktan daha sağlam bir sinyal sağlayabilir.
Strateji, karları korumaya ve fiyat dalgalanmalarında kayıpları sınırlamaya yardımcı olabilecek bir iz süren durdurma seviyesi içerir.
Script oldukça anlaşılır ve değiştirmesi nispeten kolaydır.
Zayıf Yönleri:
Strateji, hacim, oynaklık veya daha geniş piyasa eğilimleri gibi diğer potansiyel önemli faktörleri göz önünde bulundurmaz.
RSI seviyeleri ve SMA süresi için belirli parametreler sabittir ve tüm piyasa koşulları veya zaman aralıkları için optimal olmayabilir.
Strateji oldukça basittir. Trade maliyetini (kayma veya komisyonlar gibi) hesaba katmaz, bu da trade performansını önemli ölçüde etkileyebilir.
Bu Stratejiyle Nasıl İşlem Yapılır:
Strateji, short işlemler için tasarlanmıştır. RSI, 51'in üzerine çıktığında ve kapanış fiyatı 200 periyotluk SMA'nın altında olduğunda işleme girer. RSI, 54'ün üzerine çıktığında veya 32'nin altına düştüğünde veya fiyat, pozisyon açıldığından beri en düşük kapanış fiyatının üzerine çıktığında işlemi kapatır.
Lütfen Dikkat, bu strateji veya herhangi bir strateji izole bir şekilde kullanılmamalıdır. Tüm bu çalışmalar eğitsel amaçlıdır. Yatırım tavsiyesi içermez.
This script defines a trading strategy based on Simple Moving Average (SMA) and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicators. Here's an overview of how it works, along with its strengths and weaknesses, and how to trade using this strategy:
How it works:
The strategy involves two key inputs: SMA and RSI. The SMA length is set to 200, and the RSI length is set to 14. These values can be adjusted based on user preferences or back-testing results.
The strategy generates a short signal when two conditions are met: The RSI value crosses over a defined entry level (set at 51 here), and the closing price is below the SMA value.
When a short signal is generated, the strategy opens a short position.
The strategy closes the short position under three conditions: If the close price is greater than the trailing stop (which is set as the lowest close since the position opened), if the RSI value exceeds a defined stop level (54 in this case), or if the RSI value drops below a certain take-profit level (32 in this case).
Strengths:
The use of two different indicators (SMA and RSI) can provide a more robust signal than using just one.
The strategy includes a trailing stop, which can help to protect profits and limit losses as the price fluctuates.
The script is straightforward and relatively easy to understand and modify.
Weaknesses:
The strategy doesn't consider other potentially important factors, such as volume, volatility, or broader market trends.
The specific parameters for the RSI levels and SMA length are hard-coded, and may not be optimal for all market conditions or timeframes.
The strategy is very simplistic. It doesn't take into account the cost of trading (like slippage or commissions), which can significantly impact trading performance.
How to trade with this strategy:
The strategy is designed for short trades. It enters a trade when the RSI crosses above 51 and the closing price is below the 200-period SMA. It will exit the trade when the RSI goes above 54 or falls below 32, or when the price rises above the lowest closing price since the position was opened.
Please note, this strategy or any strategy should not be used in isolation. It's important to consider other aspects of trading such as risk management, capital allocation, and combining different strategies to diversify. Back-testing the strategy on historical data and demo trading before going live is also a recommended practice.
3LS | 3 Line Strike Strategy [Kintsugi Trading]What is the 3LS | 3 Line Strike Strategy?
Incorporating the 3 Line Strike candlestick pattern into our strategy was inspired by Arty at The Moving Average and the amazing traders at TheTrdFloor .
The Three Line Strike is a trend continuation candlestick pattern consisting of four candles. Depending on their heights and collocation, a bullish or a bearish trend continuation can be predicted.
In a symphony of trend analysis, price action, and volume we can find and place high-probability trades with the 3LS Strategy.
How to use it!
----- First, start by choosing a Stop-Loss Strategy, Stop PIP Size, and Risk/Reward Ratio -----
- Stop-Loss Strategy
Fixed PIP Size – This uses the top/bottom of the indicator candle and places a TP based on the chosen Risk:Reward ratio.
ATR Trail (No set Target Profit, only uses ATR Stop)
ATR Trail-Stop (Has set Target Profit, however, stop is based on ATR inputs)
**If you choose an ATR Stop-Loss Strategy - input the desired ATR period and Multiple you would like the stop to be calculated at**
**ATR Stop-Loss Strategies have a unique alert setup for Auto-Trading. See Auto-Trading Section**
- Risk/Reward Ratio = If you have a .5 risk/reward, it means you are risking $100 to make $50.
- Additional Stop PIP Size = Number of PIPs over the default stop location of the top or bottom of the indicator candle.
----- Next, we set the Session Filter -----
Set the Timezone and Trade Session you desire. If no specific session is desired, simply set the Trade Session to 00:00 - 00:00.
----- Next, we set the Moving Average Cloud Fill -----
Enter the Fast and Slow Moving Average Length used to calculate trend direction:
MA Period Fast
MA Period Slow
These inputs will determine whether the strategy looks for Long or Short positions.
----- Next, we set the VSA – Volume Spread Analysis Settings -----
Check the box to show the indicator at the bottom of the chart if desired.
This is just a different visual output of the VSA | Volume Spread Analysis indicator available for free under the community indicators tab. You can add that indicator to your chart and see the same output in candle format.
In combination with the Moving Average Cloud, the Volume Spread Analysis will help us determine when to take a trade and in what direction.
The strategy is essentially looking for small reversals going against the overall trend and placing a trade once that reversal ends and the price moves back in the direction of the overall trend.
The 3LS Strategy utilizes confirmation between trend, volume, and price action to place high probability trades.
The VSA is completely customizable by:
Moving Average Length
MA-1 Multiplier
MA-2 Multiplier
MA-3 Multiplier
Check out the VSA | Volume Spread Analysis indicator in the community scripts section under the indicators tab to use this awesome resource on other strategies.
----- Next, we have the option to view the automated KT Bull/Bear Signals -----
Check the boxes to show the buy-sell signal on the chart if desired.
----- Next, we set the risk we want to use if Auto Trading the strategy -----
I always suggest using no more than 1-3% of your total account balance per trade. Remember, if you have multiple strategies triggering per day with each using 1%, the total percent at risk will be much larger.
For Example – if you have 10 strategies each risking 1% your total risk is 10% of your account, not 1%! Be mindful to only use 1-3% of your total account balance across all strategies, not just each individual one.
----- Finally, we backtest our ideas -----
After using the 'Strategy Tester' tab on TradingView to thoroughly backtest your predictions you are ready to take it to the next level - Automated Trading!
This was my whole reason for creating the script. If you work a full-time job, live in a time zone that is hard to trade, or just don't have the patience, this will be a game-changer for you as it was for me.
Auto-Trading
When it comes to auto-trading this strategy I have included two options in the script that utilize the alert messages generated by TradingView.
*Note: Please trade on a demo account until you feel comfortable enough to use real money, and then please stick to 1%-2% of your total account value in risk per trade.*
AutoView
PineConnector
**ATR Auto-Trading Alert Setup**
How to create alerts on 3 Line Strike Strategy
For Trailing Stops:
1) Adjust autoview/pineconnector settings
2) Click "add alert"
3) Select "Condition" = Strategy Name
4) Select "Order Fills Only" from the drop-down
3) Remove template message text from "message" box and place the exact text. '{{strategy.order.alert_message}}'
4) Click "create"
For Fixed Pip Stop:
1) Adjust autoview/pineconnector settings
2) Click "add alert"
3) Select "Condition" = Strategy Name
4) Select "alert() function calls only"
5) I like to title my Alert Name the same thing I named it as an Indicator Template to keep track
Good luck with your trading!
Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)💭 Overview
+ Title: Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)
+ Author: Iason Nikolas (jason5480)
+ License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
💢 What is the "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" ❓
The "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" (TTS) is a back-tester orchestration framework. It supercharges the implementation-test-evaluation lifecycle of new trading strategies, by making it possible to plug in your own trading idea.
While TTS offers a vast number of configuration settings, it primarily allows the trader to:
Test and evaluate your own trading logic that is described in terms of entry, exit, and cancellation conditions.
Define the entry and exit order types as well as their target prices when the limit, stop, or stop-limit order types are used.
Utilize a variety of options regarding the placement of the stop-loss and take-profit target(s) prices and support for well-known techniques like moving to breakeven and trailing.
Provide well-known quantity calculation methods to properly handle risk management and easily evaluate trading strategies and compare them.
Alert on each trading event or any related change through a robust and fully customizable messaging system.
All of the above makes TTS a practical toolkit: once you learn it, many repetitive tasks that strategy authors usually re-implement are eliminated. Using TradingView’s built-in backtesting engine makes testing and comparing ideas straightforward.
By utilizing the TTS one can easily swap "trading logic" by testing, evaluating, and comparing each trading idea and/or individual component of a strategy.
Finally, TTS, through its per-event alert management (and debugging) system, provides an automated solution that supports live trading with brokers via webhooks.
NOTE: The "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" does not dictate how you can combine different indicator types. Thus, it should not be confused as a "Trading System", because it gives its user full flexibility on that end (for better or worse).
💢 What is a "Signal Indicator" ❓
"Signal Indicator" (SI) is an indicator that can output a "signal" that follows a specific convention so that the "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" can "understand" and execute the orders accordingly. The SI realizes the core trading logic signaling to the TTS when to enter, exit, or cancel an order. A SI instructs the TTS "when" to enter or exit, and the TTS determines "how" to enter and exit the position once the Signal Indicator generates a signal.
A very simple example of a Signal Indicator might be a 200-day Simple Moving Average Signal. When the price of the security closes above the 200-day SMA, a SI would provide TTS with a "long entry signal". Once TTS receives the "long entry signal", the TTS will open a long position and send an alert or automated trade message via webhook to a broker, based on the Entry settings defined in TTS. If the TTS Entry settings specify a "Market" order type, then the open long position will be executed by TTS immediately. But if the TTS Entry settings specify a "Stop" order type with a 1% Stop Distance, then when the price of the security rises by 1% after the "long entry signal" occurs, the TTS will open a long position and the Long Entry alert or webhook to the broker will be sent.
🤔 How to Guide
💢 How to connect a "signal" from a "Signal Indicator" ❓
The "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" was designed to receive external signals from a "Signal Indicator". In this way, a "new trading idea" can be developed, configured, and evaluated separately from the TTS. Similarly, the SI can be held constant, and the trading mechanics can change in the TTS settings and back-tested to answer questions such as, "Am I better with a different stop loss placement method, what if I used a limit order instead of a stop order to enter, what if I used 25% margin instead of trading spot market?"
To make that possible by connecting an external signal indicator to TTS, you should:
Add both your SI (e.g. "Two MA Signal Indicator" , "Click Signal Indicator" , "Signal Adapter" , "Signal Composer" ) and the TTS script to the same chart.
Open the script's Settings / Inputs dialog for the TTS.
In the 🛠️ STRATEGY group set 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞 to 🔨External (this makes TTS listen to an external signal source).
Still inside 🛠️ STRATEGY locate the 🔌𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥 🛈 input and choose the plotted output of your SI. The option should look like: "<SI short title>:🔌Signal to TTS" .
Verbose troubleshooting & tips
If the SI does not appear in the 🔌Signal 🛈 selector, confirm both scripts are added to the same chart and the SI exposes a plotted series (title often "🔌Signal to TTS").
When using multiple SIs, pick the SI instance that actually outputs the "🔌Signal to TTS" plotted series.
Validate on the chart: when your SI changes state, the plotted "🔌Signal" series in the TTS (visible in the data window) should change accordingly.
The TTS accepts only signals that follow the tts_convention DealConditions structure. Do not attempt to feed arbitrary scalar series without using conv.getDealConditions / conv.DealConditions.
Make sure your SI composes a DealConditions value following the TTS convention (startLong, endLong, startShort, endShort — optional cancel fields). See the template below.
If the plot is present but TTS does not react, ensure the SI plot is non-repainting (or accept realtime/backtest limitations). Test on historical bars first.
Create alerts on the strategy (see the Alerts section). Use the {{strategy.order.alert_message}} placeholder in the Create Alert dialog to forward TTS messages.
💢 How to create a custom trading logic ❓
The "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" provides two ways to plug in your custom trading logic. Both of them have their advantages and disadvantages.
✍️ Develop your own Customized "Signal Indicator" 💥
The first approach is meant to be used for relatively more complex trading logic. The advantages of this approach are the full control and customization you have over the trading logic and the relatively simple configuration setup by having two scripts only. The downsides are that you have to have some experience with pinescript or you are willing to learn and experiment. You should also know the exact formula for every indicator you will use since you have to write it by yourself. Copy-pasting from existing open-source indicators will get you started quite fast though.
The idea here is either to create a new indicator script from scratch or to copy an existing non-signal indicator and make it a "Signal Indicator". To create a new script, press the "Pine Editor" button below the chart to open the "Pine Editor" and then press the "Open" button to open the drop-down menu with the templates. Select the "New Indicator" option. Add it to your chart to copy an existing indicator and press the source code {} button. Its source code will be shown in the "Pine Editor" with a warning on top stating that this is a read-only script. Press the "create a working copy". Now you can give a descriptive title and a short title to your script, and you can work on (or copy-paste) the (other) indicators of your interest. Once you have the information needed to decide, define a DealConditions object and plot it like this:
import jason5480/tts_convention/ as conv
// Calculate the start, end, cancel start, cancel end conditions
dealConditions = conv.DealConditions.new(
startLongDeal = ,
startShortDeal = ,
endLongDeal = ,
endShortDeal = ,
cnlStartLongDeal = ,
cnlStartShortDeal = ,
cnlEndLongDeal = ,
cnlEndShortDeal = )
// Use this signal in scripts like "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" and "Signal Composer" that can utilize its value
// Emit the current signal value according to the TTS framework convention
plot(series = conv.getSignal(dealConditions), title = '🔌Signal to TTS', color = #808000, editable = false, display = display.data_window + display.status_line, precision = 0)
You should import the latest version of the tts_convention library and write your deal conditions appropriately based on your trading logic and put them in the code section shown above by replacing the "…" part after "=". You can omit the conditions that are not relevant to your logic. For example, if you use only market orders for entering and exiting your positions the cnlStartLongDeal, cnlStartShortDeal, cnlEndLongDeal, and cnlEndShortDeal are irrelevant to your case and can be safely omitted from the DealConditions object. After successfully compiling your new custom SI script add it to the same chart with the TTS by pressing the "Add to chart" button. If all goes well, you will be able to connect your "signal" to the TTS as described in the "How to connect a "signal" from a "Signal Indicator"?" guide.
🧩 Adapt and Combine existing non-signal indicators 💥
The second approach is meant to be used for relatively simple trading logic. The advantages of this approach are the lack of pine script and coding experience needed and the fact that it can be used with closed-source indicators as long as the decision-making part is displayed as a line in the chart. The drawback is that you have to have a subscription that supports the "indicator on indicator" feature so you can connect the output of one indicator as an input to another indicator. Please check if your plan supports that feature here
To plug in your own logic that way you have to add your indicator(s) of preference in the chart and then add the "Signal Adapter" script in the same chart as well. This script is a "Signal Indicator" that can be used as a proxy to define your custom logic in the CONDITIONS group of the "Settings/Inputs" tab after defining your inputs from your preferred indicators in the VARIABLES group. Then a "signal" will be produced, if your logic is simple enough it can be directly connected to the TTS that is also added to the same chart for execution. Check the "How to connect a "signal" from a "Signal Indicator"?" in the "🤔 How to Guide" for more information.
If your logic is slightly more complicated, you can add a second "Signal Adapter" in your chart. Then you should add the "Signal Composer" in the same chart, go to the SIGNALS group of the "Settings/Inputs" tab, and connect the "signals" from the "Signal Adapters". "Signal Composer" is also a SI so its composed "signal" can be connected to the TTS the same way it is described in the "How to connect a "signal" from a "Signal Indicator"?" guide.
At this point, due to the composability of the framework, you can add an arbitrary number (bounded by your subscription of course) of "Signal Adapters" and "Signal Composers" before connecting the final "signal" to the TTS.
💢 How to set up ⏰Alerts ❓
The "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" provides a fully customizable per-event alert mechanism. This means that you may have an entirely different message for entering and exiting into a position, hitting a stop-loss or a take-profit target, changing trailing targets, etc. There are no restrictions, and this gives you great flexibility.
First enable the events you want under the "🔔 ALERT MESSAGES" module. Each enabled event exposes a text area where you can craft the message using placeholders that TTS replaces with actual values when the event occurs.
The placeholder categories (exact names used by the script) are:
Chart & instrument:
{{ticker}}
{{base_currency}}
{{quote_currency}}
Entry / exit / stop / TP prices & offsets:
{{entry_price}}
{{exit_price}}
{{stop_loss_price}}
{{take_profit_price_1}} ... {{take_profit_price_5}}
{{entry+_price}}, {{entry-_price}}, {{exit+_price}}, {{exit-_price}} — Optional offset helpers (computed using "Offset Ticks")
Quantities, percents & derived quantities:
{{entry_base_quantity}} — base units at entry (e.g. BTC)
{{entry_quote_quantity}} — quote amount at entry (e.g. USD)
{{risk_perc}} — % of capital risked for that entry (multiplied by 100 when "Percentage Range " is enabled)
{{remaining_quantity_perc}} — % of the initial position remaining at close/SL
{{remaining_base_quantity}} — remaining base units at close/SL
{{take_profit_quantity_perc_1}} ... {{take_profit_quantity_perc_5}} — % sold/bought at each TP
{{take_profit_base_quantity_1}} ... {{take_profit_base_quantity_5}} — base units closed at each TP
❗ Important: the per-event alert text is injected into the Create Alert dialog using TradingView's strategy placeholder:
{{strategy.order.alert_message}}
During the creation of a strategy alert, make sure the placeholder {{strategy.order.alert_message}} exists in the "Message" box. TradingView will substitute the per-event text you configured and enabled in TTS Settings/Inputs before sending it via webhook/notification.
Tip: For webhook/broker execution, set the proper "Condition" in the Create Alert dialog (for changing-entry/exit/SL notifications use "Order fills and alert() function calls" or "alert() function calls only" as appropriate).
💢 How to execute my orders in a broker ❓
To execute your orders in a broker that supports webhook integration, you should enable the appropriate alerts in the "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" first (see the "How to set up Alerts?" guide above). Then you should go to the "Create Alert/Notifications" tab check the "Webhook URL" and paste the URL provided by your broker. You have to read the documentation of your broker for more information on what messages are expected.
Keep in mind that some brokers have deep integration with TradingView so a per-event alert approach might be overkill.
📑 Definitions
This section tries to give some definitions in terms that appear in the "Settings/Inputs" tab of the "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)"
💢 What is Trailing ❓
Trailing is a technique where a price target follows another "barrier" price (usually high or low) by trying to keep a maximum distance from the "barrier" when it moves in only one direction (up or down). When the "barrier" moves in the other direction the price target will not change. There are as many types of trailing as price targets, which means that there are entry trailing, exit trailing, stop-loss trailing, and take-profit trailing techniques.
💢 What is a Moonbag ❓
A Moonbag in a trade is the quantity of the position that is reserved and will not be exited even if all take-profit targets defined in the strategy are hit, the quantity will be exited only if the stop-loss is hit or a close signal is received. This makes the stop-loss trailing technique in a trend-following strategy a good candidate to take advantage of a Moonbag.
💢 What is Distance ❓
Distance is the difference between two prices.
💢 What is Bias ❓
Bias is a psychological phenomenon where you make decisions based on market sentiment. For example, when you want to enter a long position you have a long bias, and when you want to exit from the long position you have a short bias. It is the other way around for the short position.
💢 What is the Bias Distance of a price target ❓
The Bias Distance of a price target is the distance that the target will deviate from its initial price. The direction of this deviation depends on the bias of the market. For example, suppose you are in a long position, and you set a take-profit target to the local highest high. In that case, adding a bias distance of five ticks will place your take-profit target 5 ticks below this local highest high because you have a short bias when exiting a long position. When the bias is long the bias distance will be added resulting in a higher target price and when you have a short bias the bias distance will be subtracted.
⚙️ Settings
In the "Settings/Inputs" tab of the "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)", you can find all the customizable settings that are provided by the framework. The variety of those settings is vast; hence we will only scratch the surface here. However, for every setting, there is an information icon 🛈 where you can learn more if you mouse over it. The "Settings/Inputs" tab is divided into ten main groups. Each one of them is responsible for one module of the framework. Every setting is part of a group that is named after the module it represents. So, to spot the module of a setting find the title that appears above it comes with an emoji and uppercase letters. Some settings might have the same name but belong to different modules e.g. "Tgt Dist Mtd" (Target Distance Method). Some settings are indented, which means that they are closely related to the non-indented setting above. Usually, indented settings provide further configuration for one or more options of the non-indented setting above. The groups that correspond to each module of the framework are the following:
🗺️ Quick Module Cross-Reference (use emojis to jump to setting groups)
📆 FILTERS — session, date & weekday filters
🛠️ STRATEGY — internal vs external deal-conditions; pick the signal source
🔧 STRATEGY – INTERNAL — built-in Two MA logic for demonstration purposes
🎢 VOLATILITY — ATR / StDev update modes
🔷 ENTRY — entry order types & trailing
🎯 TAKE PROFIT — multi-step TP and trailing rules
🛑 STOP LOSS — stop placement, move-to-breakeven, trailing
🟪 EXIT — exit order types & cancel logic
💰 QUANTITY/RISK MANAGEMENT — position sizing, moonbag, limits
📊 ANALYTICS — stats, streaks, seasonal tables
🔔 ALERT MESSAGES — per-event alert templates & placeholders
😲 Caveats
💢 Does "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" have repainting behavior? ❓
The answer is that the "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" does not repaint as long as the "Signal Indicator" that is connected also does not repaint. If you developed your own SI make sure that you understand and know how to prevent this behavior. The publication by @PineCoders here will give you a good idea on how to avoid most of the repainting cases.
⚠️ There is an exception though, when the "Enable Trail⚠️💹" checkbox is checked, the Take Profit trailing feature is enabled, and a tick-based approach is used, meaning that after a while, when the TradingView discards all the real-time data, assumptions will be made by the backtesting engine that will cause a form of repainting. To avoid making false assumptions please disable this feature in the early stages and evaluate its usefulness in your strategy later on, after first confirming the success of the logic without this feature. In this case, consider turning on the bar magnifier feature. This way you will get more accurate backtest results when the Take Profit trailing feature is enabled.
💢 Can "Template Trailing Strategy (Backtester)" satisfy all my trading strategies ❓
While this framework can satisfy quite a large number of trading strategies there are cases where it cannot do so. For example, if you have a custom logic for your stop-loss or take-profit placement, or if you want to dollar cost average, then it might be better to start a new strategy script from scratch.
⚠️ It is not recommended to copy the official TTS code and start developing unless you are a Pine wizard! Even in that case, there is a stiff learning curve that might not be worth your time. Last, you must consider that I do not offer support for customized versions of the TTS script and if something goes wrong in the process you are all alone.
💝 Support & Feedback
For feedback, bug reports, or feature requests, contact me via TradingView PM or use the script comments.
Note: The author's personal links and contact are available on the TradingView profile.
🤗 Thanks
Special thanks to the welcoming community members, who regularly gave feedback all those years and helped me to shape the framework as it is today! Thanks everyone who contributed by either filing a "defect report" or asking questions that helped me to understand what improvements were necessary to help traders.
Enjoy!
Jason
[FN] Strategy - Store Level on ConditionThis is a function that you can use in strategies. Not a strategy in and of itself.
Example thumbnail is showing the function applied to a strategy.
Oftentimes, I am asked a question regarding how to hold a variable at a specific, constant level over a conditional period of time. This question is always asked in a very long convoluted way like "I want the strategy to know what the high of the last pivot was while I'm in a long." or some other variation of wanting a script to remember something from prior bars.
This function is designed to store a price or some numeric level on the bar that your conditional (bool) statements determine that it should be stored. In this construct, you would set conditional statement(s) to flip the 'hold condition' to be true on the next bar, then hold that value until either the "hold condition" is no longer true or the initial conditions trigger again, causing an update to the level that you want to capture.
You still have to come up with the logic for the start condition and hold condition on your own, but I've provided an example that should give you an idea of how to accomplish this and customize/deploy the function for your purposes.
The function will return 'na' when neither the start condition nor hold condition are true. There's multiple ways to implement this and variations on how the level is chosen. I've written extensive notes in the script to guide you through the logic behind the function. My hope is that it will be useful to those trying to build strategies or anyone attempting to get their script to remember a level under given conditions.
In the thumbnail example, the take profit level is defined at the beginning of the trade and held until the take profit order executes. The order execution is a separate matter. However, storing the take-profit level at a static value is key to telling the strategy.exit() function what price to execute a limit exit order at.
Example: strategy.exit("Exit Long", from_entry = "long", qty_percent = 100, limit = stored_value)
Let me know how it works out for you and if I can be of any assistance.
Note: Strategy results are mainly derived from the fact that the strategy is long-only, the NQ only goes up, and there is no stop loss in place. So don't ask for the specific strategy, because unless you're trading a single contract with a $500,000 account, you'll probably get liquidated using this strategy as it is presented.
CCI 0Trend Strategy (by Marcoweb) v1.0Hi guys,
I am trying to create a strategy that consists in the crossover/under of the 0 line of the Commodity Channel Index . Every time the price crosses over the 0 line in the CCI the strategy has to long getting short on the cross under and viceversa.
I have published here another script strategy (consists in a crossover/under of the Overbought/Oversold levels of the CCI) that works so I could have the opportunity to share with you the main idea that as per now is mistaken:
//@version=2
strategy(title="CCI 0Trend Strategy (by Marcoweb) v1.0", shorttitle="CCI_0T_Stra_v1.0", overlay=true)
///////////// CCI
length = input(20, minval=1)
src = input(close, title="Source")
ma = sma(src, length)
cci = (src - ma) / (0.015 * dev(src, length))
plot(cci, color=black)
band1 = hline(100, color=blue, linestyle=solid)
band0 = hline(-100, color=red, linestyle=solid)
bandl = hline(0, color=orange, linestyle=solid)
fill(band1, band0, color=olive)
p1 = plot(band0, color=red,title="-100")
p2 = plot(band1, color=blue,title="100")
p3 = plot(bandl, color=orange,title="0")
///////////// CCI 0Trend Strategy (by Marcoweb) v1.0 Strategy
if (not na(cci))
if (crossover(cci, bandl)
strategy.entry("CCI_L", strategy.long, stop=bandl, oca_type=strategy.oca.cancel, comment="CCI_L")
else
strategy.cancel(id="CCI_L")
if (crossunder(cci, bandl)
strategy.entry("CCI_S", strategy.short, stop=bandl, oca_type=strategy.oca.cancel, comment="CCI_S")
else
strategy.cancel(id="CCI_S")
//plot(strategy.equity, title="equity", color=red, linewidth=2, style=areabr)
With this coding I get the error : line 24 (if (crossover(cci, bandl): mismatched input '|E|' expecting RPAR
Hope you like the idea ;)
COT IndexTHE HIDDEN INTELLIGENCE IN FUTURES MARKETS
What if you could see what the smartest players in the futures markets are doing before the crowd catches on? While retail traders chase momentum indicators and moving averages, obsess over Japanese candlestick patterns, and debate whether the RSI should be set to fourteen or twenty-one periods, institutional players leave footprints in the sand through their mandatory reporting to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. These footprints, published weekly in the Commitment of Traders reports, have been hiding in plain sight for decades, available to anyone with an internet connection, yet remarkably few traders understand how to interpret them correctly. The COT Index indicator transforms this raw institutional positioning data into actionable trading signals, bringing Wall Street intelligence to your trading screen without requiring expensive Bloomberg terminals or insider connections.
The uncomfortable truth is this: Most retail traders operate in a binary world. Long or short. Buy or sell. They apply technical analysis to individual positions, constrained by limited capital that forces them to concentrate risk in single directional bets. Meanwhile, institutional traders operate in an entirely different dimension. They manage portfolios dynamically weighted across multiple markets, adjusting exposure based on evolving market conditions, correlation shifts, and risk assessments that retail traders never see. A hedge fund might be simultaneously long gold, short oil, neutral on copper, and overweight agricultural commodities, with position sizes calibrated to volatility and portfolio Greeks. When they increase gold exposure from five percent to eight percent of portfolio allocation, this rebalancing decision reflects sophisticated analysis of opportunity cost, risk parity, and cross-market dynamics that no individual chart pattern can capture.
This portfolio reweighting activity, multiplied across hundreds of institutional participants, manifests in the aggregate positioning data published weekly by the CFTC. The Commitment of Traders report does not show individual trades or strategies. It shows the collective footprint of how actual commercial hedgers and large speculators have allocated their capital across different markets. When mining companies collectively increase forward gold sales to hedge thirty percent more production than last quarter, they are not reacting to a moving average crossover. They are making strategic allocation decisions based on production forecasts, cost structures, and price expectations derived from operational realities invisible to outside observers. This is portfolio management in action, revealed through positioning data rather than price charts.
If you want to understand how institutional capital actually flows, how sophisticated traders genuinely position themselves across market cycles, the COT report provides a rare window into that hidden world. But understand what you are getting into. This is not a tool for scalpers seeking confirmation of the next five-minute move. This is not an oscillator that flashes oversold at market bottoms with convenient precision. COT analysis operates on a timescale measured in weeks and months, revealing positioning shifts that precede major market turns but offer no precision timing. The data arrives three days stale, published only once per week, capturing strategic positioning rather than tactical entries.
If you need instant gratification, if you trade intraday moves, if you demand mechanical signals with ninety percent accuracy, close this document now. COT analysis rewards patience, position sizing discipline, and tolerance for being early. It punishes impatience, overleveraging, and the expectation that any single indicator can substitute for market understanding.
The premise is deceptively simple. Every Tuesday, large traders in futures markets must report their positions to the CFTC. By Friday afternoon, this data becomes public. Academic research spanning three decades has consistently shown that not all market participants are created equal. Some traders consistently profit while others consistently lose. Some anticipate major turning points while others chase trends into exhaustion. Bessembinder and Chan (1992) demonstrated in their seminal study that commercial hedgers, those with actual exposure to the underlying commodity or financial instrument, possess superior forecasting ability compared to speculators. Their research, published in the Journal of Finance, found statistically significant predictive power in commercial positioning, particularly at extreme levels. This finding challenged the efficient market hypothesis and opened the door to a new approach to market analysis based on positioning rather than price alone.
Think about what this means. Every week, the government publishes a report showing you exactly how the most informed market participants are positioned. Not their opinions. Not their predictions. Their actual money at risk. When agricultural producers collectively hold their largest short hedge in five years, they are not making idle speculation. They are locking in prices for crops they will harvest, informed by private knowledge of weather conditions, soil quality, inventory levels, and demand expectations invisible to outside observers. When energy companies aggressively hedge forward production at current prices, they reveal information about expected supply that no analyst report can capture. This is not technical analysis based on past prices. This is not fundamental analysis based on publicly available data. This is behavioral analysis based on how the smartest money is actually positioned, how institutions allocate capital across portfolios, and how those allocation decisions shift as market conditions evolve.
WHY SOME TRADERS KNOW MORE THAN OTHERS
Building on this foundation, Sanders, Boris and Manfredo (2004) conducted extensive research examining the behaviour patterns of different trader categories. Their work, which analyzed over a decade of COT data across multiple commodity markets, revealed a fascinating dynamic that challenges much of what retail traders are taught. Commercial hedgers consistently positioned themselves against market extremes, buying when speculators were most bearish and selling when speculators reached peak bullishness. The contrarian positioning of commercials was not random noise but rather reflected their superior information about supply and demand fundamentals. Meanwhile, large speculators, primarily hedge funds and commodity trading advisors, exhibited strong trend-following behaviour that often amplified market moves beyond fundamental values. Small traders, the retail participants, consistently entered positions late in trends, frequently near turning points, making them reliable contrary indicators.
Wang (2003) extended this research by demonstrating that the predictive power of commercial positioning varies significantly across different commodity sectors. His analysis of agricultural commodities showed particularly strong forecasting ability, with commercial net positions explaining up to fifteen percent of return variance in subsequent weeks. This finding suggests that the informational advantages of hedgers are most pronounced in markets where physical supply and demand fundamentals dominate, as opposed to purely financial markets where information asymmetries are smaller. When a corn farmer hedges six months of expected harvest, that decision incorporates private observations about rainfall patterns, crop health, pest pressure, and local storage capacity that no distant analyst can match. When an oil refinery hedges crude oil purchases and gasoline sales simultaneously, the spread relationships reveal expectations about refining margins that reflect operational realities invisible in public data.
The theoretical mechanism underlying these empirical patterns relates to information asymmetry and different participant motivations. Commercial hedgers engage in futures markets not for speculative profit but to manage business risks. An agricultural producer selling forward six months of expected harvest is not making a bet on price direction but rather locking in revenue to facilitate financial planning and ensure business viability. However, this hedging activity necessarily incorporates private information about expected supply, inventory levels, weather conditions, and demand trends that the hedger observes through their commercial operations (Irwin and Sanders, 2012). When aggregated across many participants, this private information manifests in collective positioning.
Consider a gold mining company deciding how much forward production to hedge. Management must estimate ore grades, recovery rates, production costs, equipment reliability, labor availability, and dozens of other operational variables that determine whether locking in prices at current levels makes business sense. If the industry collectively hedges more aggressively than usual, it suggests either exceptional production expectations or concern about sustaining current price levels or combination of both. Either way, this positioning reveals information unavailable to speculators analyzing price charts and economic data. The hedger sees the physical reality behind the financial abstraction.
Large speculators operate under entirely different incentives and constraints. Commodity Trading Advisors managing billions in assets typically employ systematic, trend-following strategies that respond to price momentum rather than fundamental supply and demand. When crude oil rallies from sixty dollars to seventy dollars per barrel, these systems generate buy signals. As the rally continues to eighty dollars, position sizes increase. The strategy works brilliantly during sustained trends but becomes a liability at reversals. By the time oil reaches ninety dollars, trend-following funds are maximally long, having accumulated positions progressively throughout the rally. At this point, they represent not smart money anticipating further gains but rather crowded money vulnerable to reversal. Sanders, Boris and Manfredo (2004) documented this pattern across multiple energy markets, showing that extreme speculator positioning typically marked late-stage trend exhaustion rather than early-stage trend development.
Small traders, the retail participants who fall below reporting thresholds, display the weakest forecasting ability. Wang (2003) found that small trader positioning exhibited negative correlation with subsequent returns, meaning their aggregate positioning served as a reliable contrary indicator. The explanation combines several factors. Retail traders often lack the capital reserves to weather normal market volatility, leading to premature exits from positions that would eventually prove profitable. They tend to receive information through slower channels, entering trends after mainstream media coverage when institutional participants are preparing to exit. Perhaps most importantly, they trade with emotion, buying into euphoria and selling into panic at precisely the wrong times.
At major turning points, the three groups often position opposite each other with commercials extremely bearish, large speculators extremely bullish, and small traders piling into longs at the last moment. These high-divergence environments frequently precede increased volatility and trend reversals. The insiders with business exposure quietly exit as the momentum traders hit maximum capacity and retail enthusiasm peaks. Within weeks, the reversal begins, and positions unwind in the opposite sequence.
FROM RAW DATA TO ACTIONABLE SIGNALS
The COT Index indicator operationalizes these academic findings into a practical trading tool accessible through TradingView. At its core, the indicator normalizes net positioning data onto a zero to one hundred scale, creating what we call the COT Index. This normalization is critical because absolute position sizes vary dramatically across different futures contracts and over time. A commercial trader holding fifty thousand contracts net long in crude oil might be extremely bullish by historical standards, or it might be quite neutral depending on the context of total market size and historical ranges. Raw position numbers mean nothing without context. The COT Index solves this problem by calculating where current positioning stands relative to its range over a specified lookback period, typically two hundred fifty-two weeks or approximately five years of weekly data.
The mathematical transformation follows the methodology originally popularized by legendary trader Larry Williams, though the underlying concept appears in statistical normalization techniques across many fields. For any given trader category, we calculate the highest and lowest net position values over the lookback period, establishing the historical range for that specific market and trader group. Current positioning is then expressed as a percentage of this range, where zero represents the most bearish positioning ever seen in the lookback window and one hundred represents the most bullish extreme. A reading of fifty indicates positioning exactly in the middle of the historical range, suggesting neither extreme optimism nor pessimism relative to recent history (Williams and Noseworthy, 2009).
This index-based approach allows for meaningful comparison across different markets and time periods, overcoming the scaling problems inherent in analyzing raw position data. A commercial index reading of eighty-five in gold carries the same interpretive meaning as an eighty-five reading in wheat or crude oil, even though the absolute position sizes differ by orders of magnitude. This standardization enables systematic analysis across entire futures portfolios rather than requiring market-specific expertise for each contract.
The lookback period selection involves a fundamental tradeoff between responsiveness and stability. Shorter lookback periods, perhaps one hundred twenty-six weeks or approximately two and a half years, make the index more sensitive to recent positioning changes. However, it also increases noise and produces more false signals. Longer lookback periods, perhaps five hundred weeks or approximately ten years, create smoother readings that filter short-term noise but become slower to recognize regime changes. The indicator settings allow users to adjust this parameter based on their trading timeframe, risk tolerance, and market characteristics.
UNDERSTANDING CFTC DATA STRUCTURES
The indicator supports both Legacy and Disaggregated COT report formats, reflecting the evolution of CFTC reporting standards over decades of market development. Legacy reports categorize market participants into three broad groups: commercial traders (hedgers with underlying business exposure), non-commercial traders (large speculators seeking profit without commercial interest), and non-reportable traders (small speculators below reporting thresholds). Each category brings distinct motivations and information advantages to the market (CFTC, 2020).
The Disaggregated reports, introduced in September 2009 for physical commodity markets, provide finer granularity by splitting participants into five categories (CFTC, 2009). Producer and merchant positions capture those actually producing, processing, or merchandising the physical commodity. Swap dealers represent financial intermediaries facilitating derivative transactions for clients. Managed money includes commodity trading advisors and hedge funds executing systematic or discretionary strategies. Other reportables encompasses diverse participants not fitting the main categories. Small traders remain as the fifth group, representing retail participation.
This enhanced categorization reveals nuances invisible in Legacy reports, particularly distinguishing between different types of institutional capital and their distinct behavioural patterns. The indicator automatically detects which report type is appropriate for each futures contract and adjusts the display accordingly.
Importantly, Disaggregated reports exist only for physical commodity futures. Agricultural commodities like corn, wheat, and soybeans have Disaggregated reports because clear producer, merchant, and swap dealer categories exist. Energy commodities like crude oil and natural gas similarly have well-defined commercial hedger categories. Metals including gold, silver, and copper also receive Disaggregated treatment (CFTC, 2009). However, financial futures such as equity index futures, Treasury bond futures, and currency futures remain available only in Legacy format. The CFTC has indicated no plans to extend Disaggregated reporting to financial futures due to different market structures and participant categories in these instruments (CFTC, 2020).
THE BEHAVIORAL FOUNDATION
Understanding which trader perspective to follow requires appreciation of their distinct trading styles, success rates, and psychological profiles. Commercial hedgers exhibit anticyclical behaviour rooted in their fundamental knowledge and business imperatives. When agricultural producers hedge forward sales during harvest season, they are not speculating on price direction but rather locking in revenue for crops they will harvest. Their business requires converting volatile commodity exposure into predictable cash flows to facilitate planning and ensure survival through difficult periods. Yet their aggregate positioning reveals valuable information because these hedging decisions incorporate private information about supply conditions, inventory levels, weather observations, and demand expectations that hedgers observe through their commercial operations (Bessembinder and Chan, 1992).
Consider a practical example from energy markets. Major oil companies continuously hedge portions of forward production based on price levels, operational costs, and financial planning needs. When crude oil trades at ninety dollars per barrel, they might aggressively hedge the next twelve months of production, locking in prices that provide comfortable profit margins above their extraction costs. This hedging appears as short positioning in COT reports. If oil rallies further to one hundred dollars, they hedge even more aggressively, viewing these prices as exceptional opportunities to secure revenue. Their short positioning grows increasingly extreme. To an outside observer watching only price charts, the rally suggests bullishness. But the commercial positioning reveals that the actual producers of oil find these prices attractive enough to lock in years of sales, suggesting skepticism about sustaining even higher levels. When the eventual reversal occurs and oil declines back to eighty dollars, the commercials who hedged at ninety and one hundred dollars profit while speculators who chased the rally suffer losses.
Large speculators or managed money traders operate under entirely different incentives and constraints. Their systematic, momentum-driven strategies mean they amplify existing trends rather than anticipate reversals. Trend-following systems, the most common approach among large speculators, by definition require confirmation of trend through price momentum before entering positions (Sanders, Boris and Manfredo, 2004). When crude oil rallies from sixty dollars to eighty dollars per barrel over several months, trend-following algorithms generate buy signals based on moving average crossovers, breakouts, and other momentum indicators. As the rally continues, position sizes increase according to the systematic rules.
However, this approach becomes a liability at turning points. By the time oil reaches ninety dollars after a sustained rally, trend-following funds are maximally long, having accumulated positions progressively throughout the move. At this point, their positioning does not predict continued strength. Rather, it often marks late-stage trend exhaustion. The psychological and mechanical explanation is straightforward. Trend followers by definition chase price momentum, entering positions after trends establish rather than anticipating them. Eventually, they become fully invested just as the trend nears completion, leaving no incremental buying power to sustain the rally. When the first signs of reversal appear, systematic stops trigger, creating a cascade of selling that accelerates the downturn.
Small traders consistently display the weakest track record across academic studies. Wang (2003) found that small trader positioning exhibited negative correlation with subsequent returns in his analysis across multiple commodity markets. This result means that whatever small traders collectively do, the opposite typically proves profitable. The explanation for small trader underperformance combines several factors documented in behavioral finance literature. Retail traders often lack the capital reserves to weather normal market volatility, leading to premature exits from positions that would eventually prove profitable. They tend to receive information through slower channels, learning about commodity trends through mainstream media coverage that arrives after institutional participants have already positioned. Perhaps most importantly, retail traders are more susceptible to emotional decision-making, buying into euphoria and selling into panic at precisely the wrong times (Tharp, 2008).
SETTINGS, THRESHOLDS, AND SIGNAL GENERATION
The practical implementation of the COT Index requires understanding several key features and settings that users can adjust to match their trading style, timeframe, and risk tolerance. The lookback period determines the time window for calculating historical ranges. The default setting of two hundred fifty-two bars represents approximately one year on daily charts or five years on weekly charts, balancing responsiveness with stability. Conservative traders seeking only the most extreme, highest-probability signals might extend the lookback to five hundred bars or more. Aggressive traders seeking earlier entry and willing to accept more false positives might reduce it to one hundred twenty-six bars or even less for shorter-term applications.
The bullish and bearish thresholds define signal generation levels. Default settings of eighty and twenty respectively reflect academic research suggesting meaningful information content at these extremes. Readings above eighty indicate positioning in the top quintile of the historical range, representing genuine extremes rather than temporary fluctuations. Conversely, readings below twenty occupy the bottom quintile, indicating unusually bearish positioning (Briese, 2008).
However, traders must recognize that appropriate thresholds vary by market, trader category, and personal risk tolerance. Some futures markets exhibit wider positioning swings than others due to seasonal patterns, volatility characteristics, or participant behavior. Conservative traders seeking high-probability setups with fewer signals might raise thresholds to eighty-five and fifteen. Aggressive traders willing to accept more false positives for earlier entry could lower them to seventy-five and twenty-five.
The key is maintaining meaningful differentiation between bullish, neutral, and bearish zones. The default settings of eighty and twenty create a clear three-zone structure. Readings from zero to twenty represent bearish territory where the selected trader group holds unusually bearish positions. Readings from twenty to eighty represent neutral territory where positioning falls within normal historical ranges. Readings from eighty to one hundred represent bullish territory where the selected trader group holds unusually bullish positions.
The trading perspective selection determines which participant group the indicator follows, fundamentally shaping interpretation and signal meaning. For counter-trend traders seeking reversal opportunities, monitoring commercial positioning makes intuitive sense based on the academic research discussed earlier. When commercials reach extreme bearish readings below twenty, indicating unprecedented short positioning relative to recent history, they are effectively betting against the crowd. Given their informational advantages demonstrated by Bessembinder and Chan (1992), this contrarian stance often precedes major bottoms.
Trend followers might instead monitor large speculator positioning, but with inverted logic compared to commercials. When managed money reaches extreme bullish readings above eighty, the trend may be exhausting rather than accelerating. This seeming paradox reflects their late-cycle participation documented by Sanders, Boris and Manfredo (2004). Sophisticated traders thus use speculator extremes as fade signals, entering positions opposite to speculator consensus.
Small trader monitoring serves primarily as a contrary indicator for all trading styles. Extreme small trader bullishness above seventy-five or eighty typically warns of retail FOMO at market tops. Extreme small trader bearishness below twenty or twenty-five often marks capitulation bottoms where the last weak hands have sold.
VISUALIZATION AND USER INTERFACE
The visual design incorporates multiple elements working together to facilitate decision-making and maintain situational awareness during active trading. The primary COT Index line plots in bold with adjustable line width, defaulting to two pixels for clear visibility against busy price charts. An optional glow effect, controlled by a simple toggle, adds additional visual prominence through multiple plot layers with progressively increasing transparency and width.
A twenty-one period exponential moving average overlays the index line, providing trend context for positioning changes. When the index crosses above its moving average, it signals accelerating bullish sentiment among the selected trader group regardless of whether absolute positioning is extreme. Conversely, when the index crosses below its moving average, it signals deteriorating sentiment and potentially the beginning of a reversal in positioning trends.
The EMA provides a dynamic reference line for assessing positioning momentum. When the index trades far above its EMA, positioning is not only extreme in absolute terms but also building with momentum. When the index trades far below its EMA, positioning is contracting or reversing, which may indicate weakening conviction even if absolute levels remain elevated.
The data table positioned at the top right of the chart displays eleven metrics for each trader category, transforming the indicator from a simple index calculation into an analytical dashboard providing multidimensional market intelligence. Beyond the COT Index itself, users can monitor positioning extremity, which measures how unusual current levels are compared to historical norms using statistical techniques. The extremity metric clarifies whether a reading represents the ninety-fifth or ninety-ninth percentile, with values above two standard deviations indicating genuinely exceptional positioning.
Market power quantifies each group's influence on total open interest. This metric expresses each trader category's net position as a percentage of total market open interest. A commercial entity holding forty percent of total open interest commands significantly more influence than one holding five percent, making their positioning signals more meaningful.
Momentum and rate of change metrics reveal whether positions are building or contracting, providing early warning of potential regime shifts. Position velocity measures the rate of change in positioning changes, effectively a second derivative providing even earlier insight into inflection points.
Sentiment divergence highlights disagreements between commercial and speculative positioning. This metric calculates the absolute difference between normalized commercial and large speculator index values. Wang (2003) found that these high-divergence environments frequently preceded increased volatility and reversals.
The table also displays concentration metrics when available, showing how positioning is distributed among the largest handful of traders in each category. High concentration indicates a few dominant players controlling most of the positioning, while low concentration suggests broad-based participation across many traders.
THE ALERT SYSTEM AND MONITORING
The alert system, comprising five distinct alert conditions, enables systematic monitoring of dozens of futures markets without constant screen watching. The bullish and bearish COT signal alerts trigger when the index crosses user-defined thresholds, indicating the selected trader group has reached extreme positioning worthy of attention. These alerts fire in real-time as new weekly COT data publishes, typically Friday afternoon following the Tuesday measurement date.
Extreme positioning alerts fire at ninety and ten index levels, representing the top and bottom ten percent of the historical range, warning of particularly stretched readings that historically precede reversals with high probability. When commercials reach a COT Index reading below ten, they are expressing their most bearish stance in the entire lookback period.
The data staleness alert notifies users when COT reports have not updated for more than ten days, preventing reliance on outdated information for trading decisions. Government shutdowns or federal holidays can interrupt the normal Friday publication schedule. Using stale signals while believing them current creates dangerous false confidence.
The indicator's watermark information display positioned in the bottom right corner provides essential context at a glance. This persistent display shows the symbol and timeframe, the COT report date timestamp, days since last update, and the current signal state. A trader analyzing a potential short entry in crude oil can glance at the watermark to instantly confirm positioning context without interrupting analysis flow.
LIMITATIONS AND REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Practical application requires understanding both the indicator's considerable strengths and inherent limitations. COT data inherently lags price action by three days, as Tuesday positions are not published until Friday afternoon. This delay means the indicator cannot catch rapid intraday reversals or respond to surprise news events. Traders using the COT Index for timing entries must accept this latency and focus on swing trading and position trading timeframes where three-day lags matter less than in day trading or scalping.
The weekly publication schedule similarly makes the indicator unsuitable for short-term trading strategies requiring immediate feedback. The COT Index works best for traders operating on weekly or longer timeframes, where positioning shifts measured in weeks and months align with trading horizon.
Extreme COT readings can persist far longer than typical technical indicators suggest, testing the patience and capital reserves of traders attempting to fade them. When crude oil enters a sustained bull market driven by genuine supply disruptions, commercial hedgers may maintain bearish positioning for many months as prices grind higher. A commercial COT Index reading of fifteen indicating extreme bearishness might persist for three months while prices continue rallying before finally reversing. Traders without sufficient capital and risk tolerance to weather such drawdowns will exit prematurely, precisely when the signal is about to work (Irwin and Sanders, 2012).
Position sizing discipline becomes paramount when implementing COT-based strategies. Rather than risking large percentages of capital on individual signals, successful COT traders typically allocate modest position sizes across multiple signals, allowing some to take time to mature while others work more quickly.
The indicator also cannot overcome fundamental regime changes that alter the structural drivers of markets. If gold enters a true secular bull market driven by monetary debasement, commercial hedgers may remain persistently bearish as mining companies sell forward years of production at what they perceive as favorable prices. Their positioning indicates valuation concerns from a production cost perspective, but cannot stop prices from rising if investment demand overwhelms physical supply-demand balance.
Similarly, structural changes in market participation can alter the meaning of positioning extremes. The growth of commodity index investing in the two thousands brought massive passive long-only capital into futures markets, fundamentally changing typical positioning ranges. Traders relying on COT signals without recognizing this regime change would have generated numerous false bearish signals during the commodity supercycle from 2003 to 2008.
The research foundation supporting COT analysis derives primarily from commodity markets where the commercial hedger information advantage is most pronounced. Studies specifically examining financial futures like equity indices and bonds show weaker but still present effects. Traders should calibrate expectations accordingly, recognizing that COT analysis likely works better for crude oil, natural gas, corn, and wheat than for the S&P 500, Treasury bonds, or currency futures.
Another important limitation involves the reporting threshold structure. Not all market participants appear in COT data, only those holding positions above specified minimums. In markets dominated by a few large players, concentration metrics become critical for proper interpretation. A single large trader accounting for thirty percent of commercial positioning might skew the entire category if their individual circumstances are idiosyncratic rather than representative.
GOLD FUTURES DURING A HYPOTHETICAL MARKET CYCLE
Consider a practical example using gold futures during a hypothetical but realistic market scenario that illustrates how the COT Index indicator guides trading decisions through a complete market cycle. Suppose gold has rallied from fifteen hundred to nineteen hundred dollars per ounce over six months, driven by inflation concerns following aggressive monetary expansion, geopolitical uncertainty, and sustained buying by Asian central banks for reserve diversification.
Large speculators, operating primarily trend-following strategies, have accumulated increasingly bullish positions throughout this rally. Their COT Index has climbed progressively from forty-five to eighty-five. The table display shows that large speculators now hold net long positions representing thirty-two percent of total open interest, their highest in four years. Momentum indicators show positive readings, indicating positions are still building though at a decelerating rate. Position velocity has turned negative, suggesting the pace of position building is slowing.
Meanwhile, commercial hedgers have responded to the rally by aggressively selling forward production and inventory. Their COT Index has moved inversely to price, declining from fifty-five to twenty. This bearish commercial positioning represents mining companies locking in forward sales at prices they view as attractive relative to production costs. The table shows commercials now hold net short positions representing twenty-nine percent of total open interest, their most bearish stance in five years. Concentration metrics indicate this positioning is broadly distributed across many commercial entities, suggesting the bearish stance reflects collective industry view rather than idiosyncratic positioning by a single firm.
Small traders, attracted by mainstream financial media coverage of gold's impressive rally, have recently piled into long positions. Their COT Index has jumped from forty-five to seventy-eight as retail investors chase the trend. Television financial networks feature frequent segments on gold with bullish guests. Internet forums and social media show surging retail interest. This retail enthusiasm historically marks late-stage trend development rather than early opportunity.
The COT Index indicator, configured to monitor commercial positioning from a contrarian perspective, displays a clear bearish signal given the extreme commercial short positioning. The table displays multiple confirming metrics: positioning extremity shows commercials at the ninety-sixth percentile of bearishness, market power indicates they control twenty-nine percent of open interest, and sentiment divergence registers sixty-five, indicating massive disagreement between commercial hedgers and large speculators. This divergence, the highest in three years, places the market in the historically high-risk category for reversals.
The interpretation requires nuance and consideration of context beyond just COT data. Commercials are not necessarily predicting an imminent crash. Rather, they are hedging business operations at what they collectively view as favorable price levels. However, the data reveals they have sold unusually large quantities of forward production, suggesting either exceptional production expectations for the year ahead or concern about sustaining current price levels or combination of both. Combined with extreme speculator positioning indicating a crowded long trade, and small trader enthusiasm confirming retail FOMO, the confluence suggests elevated reversal risk even if the precise timing remains uncertain.
A prudent trader analyzing this situation might take several actions based on COT Index signals. Existing long positions could be tightened with closer stop losses. Profit-taking on a portion of long exposure could lock in gains while maintaining some participation. Some traders might initiate modest short positions as portfolio hedges, sizing them appropriately for the inherent uncertainty in timing reversals. Others might simply move to the sidelines, avoiding new long entries until positioning normalizes.
The key lesson from case study analysis is that COT signals provide probabilistic edges rather than deterministic predictions. They work over many observations by identifying higher-probability configurations, not by generating perfect calls on individual trades. A fifty-five percent win rate with proper risk management produces substantial profits over time, yet still means forty-five percent of signals will be premature or wrong. Traders must embrace this probabilistic reality rather than seeking the impossible goal of perfect accuracy.
INTEGRATION WITH TRADING SYSTEMS
Integration with existing trading systems represents a natural and powerful use case for COT analysis, adding a positioning dimension to price-based technical approaches or fundamental analytical frameworks. Few traders rely exclusively on a single indicator or methodology. Rather, they build systems that synthesize multiple information sources, with each component addressing different aspects of market behavior.
Trend followers might use COT extremes as regime filters, modifying position sizing or avoiding new trend entries when positioning reaches levels historically associated with reversals. Consider a classic trend-following system based on moving average crossovers and momentum breakouts. Integration of COT analysis adds nuance. When large speculator positioning exceeds ninety or commercial positioning falls below ten, the regime filter recognizes elevated reversal risk. The system might reduce position sizing by fifty percent for new signals during these high-risk periods (Kaufman, 2013).
Mean reversion traders might require COT signal confluence before fading extended moves. When crude oil becomes technically overbought and large speculators show extreme long positioning above eighty-five, both signals confirm. If only technical indicators show extremes while positioning remains neutral, the potential short signal is rejected, avoiding fades of trends with underlying institutional support (Kaufman, 2013).
Discretionary traders can monitor the indicator as a continuous awareness tool, informing bias and position sizing without dictating mechanical entries and exits. A discretionary trader might notice commercial positioning shifting from neutral to progressively more bullish over several months. This trend informs growing positive bias even without triggering mechanical signals.
Multi-timeframe analysis represents another powerful integration approach. A trader might use daily charts for trade execution and timing while monitoring weekly COT positioning for strategic context. When both timeframes align, highest-probability opportunities emerge.
Portfolio construction for futures traders can incorporate COT signals as an additional selection criterion. Markets showing strong technical setups AND favorable COT positioning receive highest allocations. Markets with strong technicals but neutral or unfavorable positioning receive reduced allocations.
ADVANCED METRICS AND INTERPRETATION
The metrics table transforms simple positioning data into multidimensional market intelligence. Position extremity, calculated as the absolute deviation from the historical mean normalized by standard deviation, helps identify truly unusual readings versus routine fluctuations. A reading above two standard deviations indicates ninety-fifth percentile or higher extremity. Above three standard deviations indicates ninety-ninth percentile or higher, genuinely rare positioning that historically precedes major events with high probability.
Market power, expressed as a percentage of total open interest, reveals whose positioning matters most from a mechanical market impact perspective. Consider two scenarios in gold futures. In scenario one, commercials show a COT Index reading of fifteen while their market power metric shows they hold net shorts representing thirty-five percent of open interest. This is a high-confidence bearish signal. In scenario two, commercials also show a reading of fifteen, but market power shows only eight percent. While positioning is extreme relative to this category's normal range, their limited market share means less mechanical influence on price.
The rate of change and momentum metrics highlight whether positions are accelerating or decelerating, often providing earlier warnings than absolute levels alone. A COT Index reading of seventy-five with rapidly building momentum suggests continued movement toward extremes. Conversely, a reading of eighty-five with decelerating or negative momentum indicates the positioning trend is exhausting.
Position velocity measures the rate of change in positioning changes, effectively a second derivative. When velocity shifts from positive to negative, it indicates that while positioning may still be growing, the pace of growth is slowing. This deceleration often precedes actual reversal in positioning direction by several weeks.
Sentiment divergence calculates the absolute difference between normalized commercial and large speculator index values. When commercials show extreme bearish positioning at twenty while large speculators show extreme bullish positioning at eighty, the divergence reaches sixty, representing near-maximum disagreement. Wang (2003) found that these high-divergence environments frequently preceded increased volatility and reversals. The mechanism is intuitive. Extreme divergence indicates the informed hedgers and momentum-following speculators have positioned opposite each other with conviction. One group will prove correct and profit while the other proves incorrect and suffers losses. The resolution of this disagreement through price movement often involves volatility.
The table also displays concentration metrics when available. High concentration indicates a few dominant players controlling most of the positioning within a category, while low concentration suggests broad-based participation. Broad-based positioning more reliably reflects collective market intelligence and industry consensus. If mining companies globally all independently decide to hedge aggressively at similar price levels, it suggests genuine industry-wide view about price valuations rather than circumstances specific to one firm.
DATA QUALITY AND RELIABILITY
The CFTC has maintained COT reporting in various forms since the nineteen twenties, providing nearly a century of positioning data across multiple market cycles. However, data quality and reporting standards have evolved substantially over this long period. Modern electronic reporting implemented in the late nineteen nineties and early two thousands significantly improved accuracy and timeliness compared to earlier paper-based systems.
Traders should understand that COT reports capture positions as of Tuesday's close each week. Markets remain open three additional days before publication on Friday afternoon, meaning the reported data is three days stale when received. During periods of rapid market movement or major news events, this lag can be significant. The indicator addresses this limitation by including timestamp information and staleness warnings.
The three-day lag creates particular challenges during extreme volatility episodes. Flash crashes, surprise central bank interventions, geopolitical shocks, and other high-impact events can completely transform market positioning within hours. Traders must exercise judgment about whether reported positioning remains relevant given intervening events.
Reporting thresholds also mean that not all market participants appear in disaggregated COT data. Traders holding positions below specified minimums aggregate into the non-reportable or small trader category. This aggregation affects different markets differently. In highly liquid contracts like crude oil with thousands of participants, reportable traders might represent seventy to eighty percent of open interest. In thinly traded contracts with only dozens of active participants, a few large reportable positions might represent ninety-five percent of open interest.
Another data quality consideration involves trader classification into categories. The CFTC assigns traders to commercial or non-commercial categories based on reported business purpose and activities. However, this process is not perfect. Some entities engage in both commercial and speculative activities, creating ambiguity about proper classification. The transition to Disaggregated reports attempted to address some of these ambiguities by creating more granular categories.
COMPARISON WITH ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES
Several alternative approaches to COT analysis exist in the trading community beyond the normalization methodology employed by this indicator. Some analysts focus on absolute position changes week-over-week rather than index-based normalization. This approach calculates the change in net positioning from one week to the next. The emphasis falls on momentum in positioning changes rather than absolute levels relative to history. This method potentially identifies regime shifts earlier but sacrifices cross-market comparability (Briese, 2008).
Other practitioners employ more complex statistical transformations including percentile rankings, z-score standardization, and machine learning classification algorithms. Ruan and Zhang (2018) demonstrated that machine learning models applied to COT data could achieve modest improvements in forecasting accuracy compared to simple threshold-based approaches. However, these gains came at the cost of interpretability and implementation complexity.
The COT Index indicator intentionally employs a relatively straightforward normalization methodology for several important reasons. First, transparency enhances user understanding and trust. Traders can verify calculations manually and develop intuitive feel for what different readings mean. Second, academic research suggests that most of the predictive power in COT data comes from extreme positioning levels rather than subtle patterns requiring complex statistical methods to detect. Third, robust methods that work consistently across many markets and time periods tend to be simpler rather than more complex, reducing the risk of overfitting to historical data. Fourth, the complexity costs of implementation matter for retail traders without programming teams or computational infrastructure.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF COT TRADING
Trading based on COT data requires psychological fortitude that differs from momentum-based approaches. Contrarian positioning signals inherently mean betting against prevailing market sentiment and recent price action. When commercials reach extreme bearish positioning, prices have typically been rising, sometimes for extended periods. The price chart looks bullish, momentum indicators confirm strength, moving averages align positively. The COT signal says bet against all of this. This psychological difficulty explains why COT analysis remains underutilized relative to trend-following methods.
Human psychology strongly predisposes us toward extrapolation and recency bias. When prices rally for months, our pattern-matching brains naturally expect continued rally. The recent price action dominates our perception, overwhelming rational analysis about positioning extremes and historical probabilities. The COT signal asking us to sell requires overriding these powerful psychological impulses.
The indicator design attempts to support the required psychological discipline through several features. Clear threshold markers and signal states reduce ambiguity about when signals trigger. When the commercial index crosses below twenty, the signal is explicit and unambiguous. The background shifts to red, the signal label displays bearish, and alerts fire. This explicitness helps traders act on signals rather than waiting for additional confirmation that may never arrive.
The metrics table provides analytical justification for contrarian positions, helping traders maintain conviction during inevitable periods of adverse price movement. When a trader enters short positions based on extreme commercial bearish positioning but prices continue rallying for several weeks, doubt naturally emerges. The table display provides reassurance. Commercial positioning remains extremely bearish. Divergence remains high. The positioning thesis remains intact even though price action has not yet confirmed.
Alert functionality ensures traders do not miss signals due to inattention while also not requiring constant monitoring that can lead to emotional decision-making. Setting alerts for COT extremes enables a healthier relationship with markets. When meaningful signals occur, alerts notify them. They can then calmly assess the situation and execute planned responses.
However, no indicator design can completely overcome the psychological difficulty of contrarian trading. Some traders simply cannot maintain short positions while prices rally. For these traders, COT analysis might be better employed as an exit signal for long positions rather than an entry signal for shorts.
Ultimately, successful COT trading requires developing comfort with probabilistic thinking rather than certainty-seeking. The signals work over many observations by identifying higher-probability configurations, not by generating perfect calls on individual trades. A fifty-five or sixty percent win rate with proper risk management produces substantial profits over years, yet still means forty to forty-five percent of signals will be premature or wrong. COT analysis provides genuine edge, but edge means probability advantage, not elimination of losing trades.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND CONTINUOUS LEARNING
The indicator provides extensive built-in educational resources through its documentation, detailed tooltips, and transparent calculations. However, mastering COT analysis requires study beyond any single tool or resource. Several excellent resources provide valuable extensions of the concepts covered in this guide.
Books and practitioner-focused monographs offer accessible entry points. Stephen Briese published The Commitments of Traders Bible in two thousand eight, offering detailed breakdowns of how different markets and trader categories behave (Briese, 2008). Briese's work stands out for its empirical focus and market-specific insights. Jack Schwager includes discussion of COT analysis within the broader context of market behavior in his book Market Sense and Nonsense (Schwager, 2012). Perry Kaufman's Trading Systems and Methods represents perhaps the most rigorous practitioner-focused text on systematic trading approaches including COT analysis (Kaufman, 2013).
Academic journal articles provide the rigorous statistical foundation underlying COT analysis. The Journal of Futures Markets regularly publishes research on positioning data and its predictive properties. Bessembinder and Chan's earlier work on systematic risk, hedging pressure, and risk premiums in futures markets provides theoretical foundation (Bessembinder, 1992). Chang's examination of speculator returns provides historical context (Chang, 1985). Irwin and Sanders provide essential skeptical perspective in their two thousand twelve article (Irwin and Sanders, 2012). Wang's two thousand three article provides one of the most empirical analyses of COT data across multiple commodity markets (Wang, 2003).
Online resources extend beyond academic and book-length treatments. The CFTC website provides free access to current and historical COT reports in multiple formats. The explanatory materials section offers detailed documentation of report construction, category definitions, and historical methodology changes. Traders serious about COT analysis should read these official CFTC documents to understand exactly what they are analyzing.
Commercial COT data services such as Barchart provide enhanced visualization and analysis tools beyond raw CFTC data. TradingView's educational materials, published scripts library, and user community provide additional resources for exploring different approaches to COT analysis.
The key to mastering COT analysis lies not in finding a single definitive source but rather in building understanding through multiple perspectives and information sources. Academic research provides rigorous empirical foundation. Practitioner-focused books offer practical implementation insights. Direct engagement with data through systematic backtesting develops intuition about how positioning dynamics manifest across different market conditions.
SYNTHESIZING KNOWLEDGE INTO PRACTICE
The COT Index indicator represents the synthesis of academic research, trading experience, and software engineering into a practical tool accessible to retail traders equipped with nothing more than a TradingView account and willingness to learn. What once required expensive data subscriptions, custom programming capabilities, statistical software, and institutional resources now appears as a straightforward indicator requiring only basic parameter selection and modest study to understand. This democratization of institutional-grade analysis tools represents a broader trend in financial markets over recent decades.
Yet technology and data access alone provide no edge without understanding and discipline. Markets remain relentlessly efficient at eliminating edges that become too widely known and mechanically exploited. The COT Index indicator succeeds only when users invest time learning the underlying concepts, understand the limitations and probability distributions involved, and integrate signals thoughtfully into trading plans rather than applying them mechanically.
The academic research demonstrates conclusively that institutional positioning contains genuine information about future price movements, particularly at extremes where commercial hedgers are maximally bearish or bullish relative to historical norms. This informational content is neither perfect nor deterministic but rather probabilistic, providing edge over many observations through identification of higher-probability configurations. Bessembinder and Chan's finding that commercial positioning explained modest but significant variance in future returns illustrates this probabilistic nature perfectly (Bessembinder and Chan, 1992). The effect is real and statistically significant, yet it explains perhaps ten to fifteen percent of return variance rather than most variance. Much of price movement remains unpredictable even with positioning intelligence.
The practical implication is that COT analysis works best as one component of a trading system rather than a standalone oracle. It provides the positioning dimension, revealing where the smart money has positioned and where the crowd has followed, but price action analysis provides the timing dimension. Fundamental analysis provides the catalyst dimension. Risk management provides the survival dimension. These components work together synergistically.
The indicator's design philosophy prioritizes transparency and education over black-box complexity, empowering traders to understand exactly what they are analyzing and why. Every calculation is documented and user-adjustable. The threshold markers, background coloring, tables, and clear signal states provide multiple reinforcing channels for conveying the same information.
This educational approach reflects a conviction that sustainable trading success comes from genuine understanding rather than mechanical system-following. Traders who understand why commercial positioning matters, how different trader categories behave, what positioning extremes signify, and where signals fit within probability distributions can adapt when market conditions change. Traders mechanically following black-box signals without comprehension abandon systems after normal losing streaks.
The research foundation supporting COT analysis comes primarily from commodity markets where commercial hedger informational advantages are most pronounced. Agricultural producers hedging crops know more about supply conditions than distant speculators. Energy companies hedging production know more about operating costs than financial traders. Metals miners hedging output know more about ore grades than index funds. Financial futures markets show weaker but still present effects.
The journey from reading this documentation to profitable trading based on COT analysis involves several stages that cannot be rushed. Initial reading and basic understanding represents the first stage. Historical study represents the second stage, reviewing past market cycles to observe how positioning extremes preceded major turning points. Paper trading or small-size real trading represents the third stage to experience the psychological challenges. Refinement based on results and personal psychology represents the fourth stage.
Markets will continue evolving. New participant categories will emerge. Regulatory structures will change. Technology will advance. Yet the fundamental dynamics driving COT analysis, that different market participants have different information, different motivations, and different forecasting abilities that manifest in their positioning, will persist as long as futures markets exist. While specific thresholds or optimal parameters may shift over time, the core logic remains sound and adaptable.
The trader equipped with this indicator, understanding of the theory and evidence behind COT analysis, realistic expectations about probability rather than certainty, discipline to maintain positions through adverse volatility, and patience to allow signals time to develop possesses genuine edge in markets. The edge is not enormous, markets cannot allow large persistent inefficiencies without arbitraging them away, but it is real, measurable, and exploitable by those willing to invest in learning and disciplined application.
REFERENCES
Bessembinder, H. (1992) Systematic risk, hedging pressure, and risk premiums in futures markets, Review of Financial Studies, 5(4), pp. 637-667.
Bessembinder, H. and Chan, K. (1992) The profitability of technical trading rules in the Asian stock markets, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, 3(2-3), pp. 257-284.
Briese, S. (2008) The Commitments of Traders Bible: How to Profit from Insider Market Intelligence. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Chang, E.C. (1985) Returns to speculators and the theory of normal backwardation, Journal of Finance, 40(1), pp. 193-208.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) (2009) Explanatory Notes: Disaggregated Commitments of Traders Report. Available at: www.cftc.gov (Accessed: 15 January 2025).
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) (2020) Commitments of Traders: About the Report. Available at: www.cftc.gov (Accessed: 15 January 2025).
Irwin, S.H. and Sanders, D.R. (2012) Testing the Masters Hypothesis in commodity futures markets, Energy Economics, 34(1), pp. 256-269.
Kaufman, P.J. (2013) Trading Systems and Methods. 5th edn. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Ruan, Y. and Zhang, Y. (2018) Forecasting commodity futures prices using machine learning: Evidence from the Chinese commodity futures market, Applied Economics Letters, 25(12), pp. 845-849.
Sanders, D.R., Boris, K. and Manfredo, M. (2004) Hedgers, funds, and small speculators in the energy futures markets: an analysis of the CFTC's Commitments of Traders reports, Energy Economics, 26(3), pp. 425-445.
Schwager, J.D. (2012) Market Sense and Nonsense: How the Markets Really Work and How They Don't. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Tharp, V.K. (2008) Super Trader: Make Consistent Profits in Good and Bad Markets. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Wang, C. (2003) The behavior and performance of major types of futures traders, Journal of Futures Markets, 23(1), pp. 1-31.
Williams, L.R. and Noseworthy, M. (2009) The Right Stock at the Right Time: Prospering in the Coming Good Years. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
FURTHER READING
For traders seeking to deepen their understanding of COT analysis and futures market positioning beyond this documentation, the following resources provide valuable extensions:
Academic Journal Articles:
Fishe, R.P.H. and Smith, A. (2012) Do speculators drive commodity prices away from supply and demand fundamentals?, Journal of Commodity Markets, 1(1), pp. 1-16.
Haigh, M.S., Hranaiova, J. and Overdahl, J.A. (2007) Hedge funds, volatility, and liquidity provision in energy futures markets, Journal of Alternative Investments, 9(4), pp. 10-38.
Kocagil, A.E. (1997) Does futures speculation stabilize spot prices? Evidence from metals markets, Applied Financial Economics, 7(1), pp. 115-125.
Sanders, D.R. and Irwin, S.H. (2011) The impact of index funds in commodity futures markets: A systems approach, Journal of Alternative Investments, 14(1), pp. 40-49.
Books and Practitioner Resources:
Murphy, J.J. (1999) Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets: A Guide to Trading Methods and Applications. New York: New York Institute of Finance.
Pring, M.J. (2002) Technical Analysis Explained: The Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points. 4th edn. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Federal Reserve and Research Institution Publications:
Federal Reserve Banks regularly publish working papers examining commodity markets, futures positioning, and price discovery mechanisms. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City maintain active research programs in this area.
Online Resources:
The CFTC website provides free access to current and historical COT reports, explanatory materials, and regulatory documentation.
Barchart offers enhanced COT data visualization and screening tools.
TradingView's community library contains numerous published scripts and educational materials exploring different approaches to positioning analysis.
Dynamic Swing Anchored VWAP STRAT (Zeiierman/PineIndicators)Dynamic Swing Anchored VWAP STRATEGY — Zeiierman × PineIndicators (Pine Script v6)
A pivot-to-pivot Anchored VWAP strategy that adapts to volatility, enters long on bullish structure, and closes on bearish structure. Built for TradingView in Pine Script v6.
Full credits to zeiierman.
Repainting notice: The original indicator logic is repainting. Swing labels (HH/HL/LH/LL) are finalized after enough bars have printed, so labels do not occur in real time. It is not possible to execute at historical label points. Treat results as educational and validate with Bar Replay and paper trading before considering any discretionary use.
Concept
The script identifies swing highs/lows over a user-defined lookback ( Swing Period ). When structure flips (most recent swing low is newer than the most recent swing high, or vice versa), a new regime begins.
At each confirmed pivot, a fresh Anchored VWAP segment is started and updated bar-by-bar using an EWMA-style decay on price×volume and volume.
Responsiveness is controlled by Adaptive Price Tracking (APT) . Optionally, APT auto-adjusts with an ATR ratio so that high volatility accelerates responsiveness and low volatility smooths it.
Longs are opened/held in bullish regimes and closed when the regime turns bearish. No short positions are taken by design.
How it works (under the hood)
Swing detection: Uses ta.highestbars / ta.lowestbars over prd to update swing highs (ph) and lows (pl), plus their bar indices (phL, plL).
Regime logic: If phL > plL → bullish regime; else → bearish regime. A change in this condition triggers a re-anchor of the VWAP at the newest pivot.
Adaptive VWAP math: APT is converted to an exponential decay factor ( alphaFromAPT ), then applied to running sums of price×volume and volume, producing the current VWAP estimate.
Rendering: Each pivot-anchored VWAP segment is drawn as a polyline and color-coded by regime. Optional structure labels (HH/HL/LH/LL) annotate the swing character.
Orders: On bullish flips, strategy.entry("L") opens/maintains a long; on bearish flips, strategy.close("L") exits.
Inputs & controls
Swing Period (prd) — Higher values identify larger, slower swings; lower values catch more frequent pivots but add noise.
Adaptive Price Tracking (APT) — Governs the VWAP’s “half-life.” Smaller APT → faster/closer to price; larger APT → smoother/stabler.
Adapt APT by ATR ratio — When enabled, APT scales with volatility so the VWAP speeds up in turbulent markets and slows down in quiet markets.
Volatility Bias — Tunes the strength of APT’s response to volatility (above 1 = stronger effect; below 1 = milder).
Style settings — Colors for swing labels and VWAP segments, plus line width for visibility.
Trade logic summary
Entry: Long when the swing structure turns bullish (latest swing low is more recent than the last swing high).
Exit: Close the long when structure turns bearish.
Position size: qty = strategy.equity / close × 5 (dynamic sizing; scales with account equity and instrument price). Consider reducing the multiplier for a more conservative profile.
Recommended workflow
Apply to instruments with reliable volume (equities, futures, crypto; FX tick volume can work but varies by broker).
Start on your preferred timeframe. Intraday often benefits from smaller APT (more reactive); higher timeframes may prefer larger APT (smoother).
Begin with defaults ( prd=50, APT=20 ); then toggle “Adapt by ATR” and vary Volatility Bias to observe how segments tighten/loosen.
Use Bar Replay to watch how pivots confirm and how the strategy re-anchors VWAP at those confirmations.
Layer your own risk rules (stops/targets, max position cap, session filters) before any discretionary use.
Practical tips
Context filter: Consider combining with a higher-timeframe bias (e.g., daily trend) and using this strategy as an entry timing layer.
First pivot preference: Some traders prefer only the first bullish pivot after a bearish regime (and vice versa) to reduce whipsaw in choppy ranges.
Deviations: You can add VWAP deviation bands to pre-plan partial exits or re-entries on mean-reversion pulls.
Sessions: Session-based filters (RTH vs. ETH) can materially change behavior on futures and equities.
Extending the script (ideas)
Add stops/targets (e.g., ATR stop below last swing low; partial profits at k×VWAP deviation).
Introduce mirrored short logic for two-sided testing.
Include alert conditions for regime flips or for price-VWAP interactions.
Incorporate HTF confirmation (e.g., only long when daily VWAP slope ≥ 0).
Throttle entries (e.g., once per regime flip) to avoid over-trading in ranges.
Known limitations
Repainting: Swing labels and pivot confirmations depend on future bars; historical labels can look “perfect.” Treat them as annotations, not executable signals.
Execution realism: Strategy includes commission and slippage fields, yet actual fills differ by venue/liquidity.
No guarantees: Past behavior does not imply future results. This publication is for research/education only and not financial advice.
Defaults (backtest environment)
Initial capital: 10,000
Commission value: 0.01
Slippage: 1
Overlay: true
Max bars back: 5000; Max labels/polylines set for deep swing histories
Quick checklist
Add to chart and verify that the instrument has volume.
Use defaults, then tune APT and Volatility Bias with/without ATR adaptation.
Observe how each pivot re-anchors VWAP and how regime flips drive entries/exits.
Paper trade across several symbols/timeframes before any discretionary decisions.
Attribution & license
Original indicator concept and logic: Zeiierman — please credit the author.
Strategy wrapper and publication: PineIndicators .
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike). Respect the license when forking or publishing derivatives.
Game Theory Trading StrategyGame Theory Trading Strategy: Explanation and Working Logic
This Pine Script (version 5) code implements a trading strategy named "Game Theory Trading Strategy" in TradingView. Unlike the previous indicator, this is a full-fledged strategy with automated entry/exit rules, risk management, and backtesting capabilities. It uses Game Theory principles to analyze market behavior, focusing on herd behavior, institutional flows, liquidity traps, and Nash equilibrium to generate buy (long) and sell (short) signals. Below, I'll explain the strategy's purpose, working logic, key components, and usage tips in detail.
1. General Description
Purpose: The strategy identifies high-probability trading opportunities by combining Game Theory concepts (herd behavior, contrarian signals, Nash equilibrium) with technical analysis (RSI, volume, momentum). It aims to exploit market inefficiencies caused by retail herd behavior, institutional flows, and liquidity traps. The strategy is designed for automated trading with defined risk management (stop-loss/take-profit) and position sizing based on market conditions.
Key Features:
Herd Behavior Detection: Identifies retail panic buying/selling using RSI and volume spikes.
Liquidity Traps: Detects stop-loss hunting zones where price breaks recent highs/lows but reverses.
Institutional Flow Analysis: Tracks high-volume institutional activity via Accumulation/Distribution and volume spikes.
Nash Equilibrium: Uses statistical price bands to assess whether the market is in equilibrium or deviated (overbought/oversold).
Risk Management: Configurable stop-loss (SL) and take-profit (TP) percentages, dynamic position sizing based on Game Theory (minimax principle).
Visualization: Displays Nash bands, signals, background colors, and two tables (Game Theory status and backtest results).
Backtesting: Tracks performance metrics like win rate, profit factor, max drawdown, and Sharpe ratio.
Strategy Settings:
Initial capital: $10,000.
Pyramiding: Up to 3 positions.
Position size: 10% of equity (default_qty_value=10).
Configurable inputs for RSI, volume, liquidity, institutional flow, Nash equilibrium, and risk management.
Warning: This is a strategy, not just an indicator. It executes trades automatically in TradingView's Strategy Tester. Always backtest thoroughly and use proper risk management before live trading.
2. Working Logic (Step by Step)
The strategy processes each bar (candle) to generate signals, manage positions, and update performance metrics. Here's how it works:
a. Input Parameters
The inputs are grouped for clarity:
Herd Behavior (🐑):
RSI Period (14): For overbought/oversold detection.
Volume MA Period (20): To calculate average volume for spike detection.
Herd Threshold (2.0): Volume multiplier for detecting herd activity.
Liquidity Analysis (💧):
Liquidity Lookback (50): Bars to check for recent highs/lows.
Liquidity Sensitivity (1.5): Volume multiplier for trap detection.
Institutional Flow (🏦):
Institutional Volume Multiplier (2.5): For detecting large volume spikes.
Institutional MA Period (21): For Accumulation/Distribution smoothing.
Nash Equilibrium (⚖️):
Nash Period (100): For calculating price mean and standard deviation.
Nash Deviation (0.02): Multiplier for equilibrium bands.
Risk Management (🛡️):
Use Stop-Loss (true): Enables SL at 2% below/above entry price.
Use Take-Profit (true): Enables TP at 5% above/below entry price.
b. Herd Behavior Detection
RSI (14): Checks for extreme conditions:
Overbought: RSI > 70 (potential herd buying).
Oversold: RSI < 30 (potential herd selling).
Volume Spike: Volume > SMA(20) x 2.0 (herd_threshold).
Momentum: Price change over 10 bars (close - close ) compared to its SMA(20).
Herd Signals:
Herd Buying: RSI > 70 + volume spike + positive momentum = Retail buying frenzy (red background).
Herd Selling: RSI < 30 + volume spike + negative momentum = Retail selling panic (green background).
c. Liquidity Trap Detection
Recent Highs/Lows: Calculated over 50 bars (liquidity_lookback).
Psychological Levels: Nearest round numbers (e.g., $100, $110) as potential stop-loss zones.
Trap Conditions:
Up Trap: Price breaks recent high, closes below it, with a volume spike (volume > SMA x 1.5).
Down Trap: Price breaks recent low, closes above it, with a volume spike.
Visualization: Traps are marked with small red/green crosses above/below bars.
d. Institutional Flow Analysis
Volume Check: Volume > SMA(20) x 2.5 (inst_volume_mult) = Institutional activity.
Accumulation/Distribution (AD):
Formula: ((close - low) - (high - close)) / (high - low) * volume, cumulated over time.
Smoothed with SMA(21) (inst_ma_length).
Accumulation: AD > MA + high volume = Institutions buying.
Distribution: AD < MA + high volume = Institutions selling.
Smart Money Index: (close - open) / (high - low) * volume, smoothed with SMA(20). Positive = Smart money buying.
e. Nash Equilibrium
Calculation:
Price mean: SMA(100) (nash_period).
Standard deviation: stdev(100).
Upper Nash: Mean + StdDev x 0.02 (nash_deviation).
Lower Nash: Mean - StdDev x 0.02.
Conditions:
Near Equilibrium: Price between upper and lower Nash bands (stable market).
Above Nash: Price > upper band (overbought, sell potential).
Below Nash: Price < lower band (oversold, buy potential).
Visualization: Orange line (mean), red/green lines (upper/lower bands).
f. Game Theory Signals
The strategy generates three types of signals, combined into long/short triggers:
Contrarian Signals:
Buy: Herd selling + (accumulation or down trap) = Go against retail panic.
Sell: Herd buying + (distribution or up trap).
Momentum Signals:
Buy: Below Nash + positive smart money + no herd buying.
Sell: Above Nash + negative smart money + no herd selling.
Nash Reversion Signals:
Buy: Below Nash + rising close (close > close ) + volume > MA.
Sell: Above Nash + falling close + volume > MA.
Final Signals:
Long Signal: Contrarian buy OR momentum buy OR Nash reversion buy.
Short Signal: Contrarian sell OR momentum sell OR Nash reversion sell.
g. Position Management
Position Sizing (Minimax Principle):
Default: 1.0 (10% of equity).
In Nash equilibrium: Reduced to 0.5 (conservative).
During institutional volume: Increased to 1.5 (aggressive).
Entries:
Long: If long_signal is true and no existing long position (strategy.position_size <= 0).
Short: If short_signal is true and no existing short position (strategy.position_size >= 0).
Exits:
Stop-Loss: If use_sl=true, set at 2% below/above entry price.
Take-Profit: If use_tp=true, set at 5% above/below entry price.
Pyramiding: Up to 3 concurrent positions allowed.
h. Visualization
Nash Bands: Orange (mean), red (upper), green (lower).
Background Colors:
Herd buying: Red (90% transparency).
Herd selling: Green.
Institutional volume: Blue.
Signals:
Contrarian buy/sell: Green/red triangles below/above bars.
Liquidity traps: Red/green crosses above/below bars.
Tables:
Game Theory Table (Top-Right):
Herd Behavior: Buying frenzy, selling panic, or normal.
Institutional Flow: Accumulation, distribution, or neutral.
Nash Equilibrium: In equilibrium, above, or below.
Liquidity Status: Trap detected or safe.
Position Suggestion: Long (green), Short (red), or Wait (gray).
Backtest Table (Bottom-Right):
Total Trades: Number of closed trades.
Win Rate: Percentage of winning trades.
Net Profit/Loss: In USD, colored green/red.
Profit Factor: Gross profit / gross loss.
Max Drawdown: Peak-to-trough equity drop (%).
Win/Loss Trades: Number of winning/losing trades.
Risk/Reward Ratio: Simplified Sharpe ratio (returns / drawdown).
Avg Win/Loss Ratio: Average win per trade / average loss per trade.
Last Update: Current time.
i. Backtesting Metrics
Tracks:
Total trades, winning/losing trades.
Win rate (%).
Net profit ($).
Profit factor (gross profit / gross loss).
Max drawdown (%).
Simplified Sharpe ratio (returns / drawdown).
Average win/loss ratio.
Updates metrics on each closed trade.
Displays a label on the last bar with backtest period, total trades, win rate, and net profit.
j. Alerts
No explicit alertconditions defined, but you can add them for long_signal and short_signal (e.g., alertcondition(long_signal, "GT Long Entry", "Long Signal Detected!")).
Use TradingView's alert system with Strategy Tester outputs.
3. Usage Tips
Timeframe: Best for H1-D1 timeframes. Shorter frames (M1-M15) may produce noisy signals.
Settings:
Risk Management: Adjust sl_percent (e.g., 1% for volatile markets) and tp_percent (e.g., 3% for scalping).
Herd Threshold: Increase to 2.5 for stricter herd detection in choppy markets.
Liquidity Lookback: Reduce to 20 for faster markets (e.g., crypto).
Nash Period: Increase to 200 for longer-term analysis.
Backtesting:
Use TradingView's Strategy Tester to evaluate performance.
Check win rate (>50%), profit factor (>1.5), and max drawdown (<20%) for viability.
Test on different assets/timeframes to ensure robustness.
Live Trading:
Start with a demo account.
Combine with other indicators (e.g., EMAs, support/resistance) for confirmation.
Monitor liquidity traps and institutional flow for context.
Risk Management:
Always use SL/TP to limit losses.
Adjust position_size for risk tolerance (e.g., 5% of equity for conservative trading).
Avoid over-leveraging (pyramiding=3 can amplify risk).
Troubleshooting:
If no trades are executed, check signal conditions (e.g., lower herd_threshold or liquidity_sensitivity).
Ensure sufficient historical data for Nash and liquidity calculations.
If tables overlap, adjust position.top_right/bottom_right coordinates.
4. Key Differences from the Previous Indicator
Indicator vs. Strategy: The previous code was an indicator (VP + Game Theory Integrated Strategy) focused on visualization and alerts. This is a strategy with automated entries/exits and backtesting.
Volume Profile: Absent in this strategy, making it lighter but less focused on high-volume zones.
Wick Analysis: Not included here, unlike the previous indicator's heavy reliance on wick patterns.
Backtesting: This strategy includes detailed performance metrics and a backtest table, absent in the indicator.
Simpler Signals: Focuses on Game Theory signals (contrarian, momentum, Nash reversion) without the "Power/Ultra Power" hierarchy.
Risk Management: Explicit SL/TP and dynamic position sizing, not present in the indicator.
5. Conclusion
The "Game Theory Trading Strategy" is a sophisticated system leveraging herd behavior, institutional flows, liquidity traps, and Nash equilibrium to trade market inefficiencies. It’s designed for traders who understand Game Theory principles and want automated execution with robust risk management. However, it requires thorough backtesting and parameter optimization for specific markets (e.g., forex, crypto, stocks). The backtest table and visual aids make it easy to monitor performance, but always combine with other analysis tools and proper capital management.
If you need help with backtesting, adding alerts, or optimizing parameters, let me know!
Long/Short/Exit/Risk management Strategy # LongShortExit Strategy Documentation
## Overview
The LongShortExit strategy is a versatile trading system for TradingView that provides complete control over entry, exit, and risk management parameters. It features a sophisticated framework for managing long and short positions with customizable profit targets, stop-loss mechanisms, partial profit-taking, and trailing stops. The strategy can be enhanced with continuous position signals for visual feedback on the current trading state.
## Key Features
### General Settings
- **Trading Direction**: Choose to trade long positions only, short positions only, or both.
- **Max Trades Per Day**: Limit the number of trades per day to prevent overtrading.
- **Bars Between Trades**: Enforce a minimum number of bars between consecutive trades.
### Session Management
- **Session Control**: Restrict trading to specific times of the day.
- **Time Zone**: Specify the time zone for session calculations.
- **Expiration**: Optionally set a date when the strategy should stop executing.
### Contract Settings
- **Contract Type**: Select from common futures contracts (MNQ, MES, NQ, ES) or custom values.
- **Point Value**: Define the dollar value per point movement.
- **Tick Size**: Set the minimum price movement for accurate calculations.
### Visual Signals
- **Continuous Position Signals**: Implement 0 to 1 visual signals to track position states.
- **Signal Plotting**: Customize color and appearance of position signals.
- **Clear Visual Feedback**: Instantly see when entry conditions are triggered.
### Risk Management
#### Stop Loss and Take Profit
- **Risk Type**: Choose between percentage-based, ATR-based, or points-based risk management.
- **Percentage Mode**: Set SL/TP as a percentage of entry price.
- **ATR Mode**: Set SL/TP as a multiple of the Average True Range.
- **Points Mode**: Set SL/TP as a fixed number of points from entry.
#### Advanced Exit Features
- **Break-Even**: Automatically move stop-loss to break-even after reaching specified profit threshold.
- **Trailing Stop**: Implement a trailing stop-loss that follows price movement at a defined distance.
- **Partial Profit Taking**: Take partial profits at predetermined price levels:
- Set first partial exit point and percentage of position to close
- Set second partial exit point and percentage of position to close
- **Time-Based Exit**: Automatically exit a position after a specified number of bars.
#### Win/Loss Streak Management
- **Streak Cutoff**: Automatically pause trading after a series of consecutive wins or losses.
- **Daily Reset**: Option to reset streak counters at the start of each day.
### Entry Conditions
- **Source and Value**: Define the exact price source and value that triggers entries.
- **Equals Condition**: Entry signals occur when the source exactly matches the specified value.
### Performance Analytics
- **Real-Time Stats**: Track important performance metrics like win rate, P&L, and largest wins/losses.
- **Visual Feedback**: On-chart markers for entries, exits, and important events.
### External Integration
- **Webhook Support**: Compatible with TradingView's webhook alerts for automated trading.
- **Cross-Platform**: Connect to external trading systems and notification platforms.
- **Custom Order Execution**: Implement advanced order flows through external services.
## How to Use
### Setup Instructions
1. Add the script to your TradingView chart.
2. Configure the general settings based on your trading preferences.
3. Set session trading hours if you only want to trade specific times.
4. Select your contract specifications or customize for your instrument.
5. Configure risk parameters:
- Choose your preferred risk management approach
- Set appropriate stop-loss and take-profit levels
- Enable advanced features like break-even, trailing stops, or partial profit taking as needed
6. Define entry conditions:
- Select the price source (such as close, open, high, or an indicator)
- Set the specific value that should trigger entries
### Entry Condition Examples
- **Example 1**: To enter when price closes exactly at a whole number:
- Long Source: close
- Long Value: 4200 (for instance, to enter when price closes exactly at 4200)
- **Example 2**: To enter when an indicator reaches a specific value:
- Long Source: ta.rsi(close, 14)
- Long Value: 30 (triggers when RSI equals exactly 30)
### Best Practices
1. **Always backtest thoroughly** before using in live trading.
2. **Start with conservative risk settings**:
- Small position sizes
- Reasonable stop-loss distances
- Limited trades per day
3. **Monitor and adjust**:
- Use the performance table to track results
- Adjust parameters based on how the strategy performs
4. **Consider market volatility**:
- Use ATR-based stops during volatile periods
- Use fixed points during stable markets
## Continuous Position Signals Implementation
The LongShortExit strategy can be enhanced with continuous position signals to provide visual feedback about the current position state. These signals can help you track when the strategy is in a long or short position.
### Adding Continuous Position Signals
Add the following code to implement continuous position signals (0 to 1):
```pine
// Continuous position signals (0 to 1)
var float longSignal = 0.0
var float shortSignal = 0.0
// Update position signals based on your indicator's conditions
longSignal := longCondition ? 1.0 : 0.0
shortSignal := shortCondition ? 1.0 : 0.0
// Plot continuous signals
plot(longSignal, title="Long Signal", color=#00FF00, linewidth=2, transp=0, style=plot.style_line)
plot(shortSignal, title="Short Signal", color=#FF0000, linewidth=2, transp=0, style=plot.style_line)
```
### Benefits of Continuous Position Signals
- Provides clear visual feedback of current position state (long/short)
- Signal values stay consistent (0 or 1) until condition changes
- Can be used for additional calculations or alert conditions
- Makes it easier to track when entry conditions are triggered
### Using with Custom Indicators
You can adapt the continuous position signals to work with any custom indicator by replacing the condition with your indicator's logic:
```pine
// Example with moving average crossover
longSignal := fastMA > slowMA ? 1.0 : 0.0
shortSignal := fastMA < slowMA ? 1.0 : 0.0
```
## Webhook Integration
The LongShortExit strategy is fully compatible with TradingView's webhook alerts, allowing you to connect your strategy to external trading platforms, brokers, or custom applications for automated trading execution.
### Setting Up Webhooks
1. Create an alert on your chart with the LongShortExit strategy
2. Enable the "Webhook URL" option in the alert dialog
3. Enter your webhook endpoint URL (from your broker or custom trading system)
4. Customize the alert message with relevant information using TradingView variables
### Webhook Message Format Example
```json
{
"strategy": "LongShortExit",
"action": "{{strategy.order.action}}",
"price": "{{strategy.order.price}}",
"quantity": "{{strategy.position_size}}",
"time": "{{time}}",
"ticker": "{{ticker}}",
"position_size": "{{strategy.position_size}}",
"position_value": "{{strategy.position_value}}",
"order_id": "{{strategy.order.id}}",
"order_comment": "{{strategy.order.comment}}"
}
```
### TradingView Alert Condition Examples
For effective webhook automation, set up these alert conditions:
#### Entry Alert
```
{{strategy.position_size}} != {{strategy.position_size}}
```
#### Exit Alert
```
{{strategy.position_size}} < {{strategy.position_size}} or {{strategy.position_size}} > {{strategy.position_size}}
```
#### Partial Take Profit Alert
```
strategy.order.comment contains "Partial TP"
```
### Benefits of Webhook Integration
- **Automated Trading**: Execute trades automatically through supported brokers
- **Cross-Platform**: Connect to custom trading bots and applications
- **Real-Time Notifications**: Receive trade signals on external platforms
- **Data Collection**: Log trade data for further analysis
- **Custom Order Management**: Implement advanced order types not available in TradingView
### Compatible External Applications
- Trading bots and algorithmic trading software
- Custom order execution systems
- Discord, Telegram, or Slack notification systems
- Trade journaling applications
- Risk management platforms
### Implementation Recommendations
- Test webhook delivery using a free service like webhook.site before connecting to your actual trading system
- Include authentication tokens or API keys in your webhook URL or payload when required by your external service
- Consider implementing confirmation mechanisms to verify trade execution
- Log all webhook activities for troubleshooting and performance tracking
## Strategy Customization Tips
### For Scalping
- Set smaller profit targets (1-3 points)
- Use tighter stop-losses
- Enable break-even feature after small profit
- Set higher max trades per day
### For Day Trading
- Use moderate profit targets
- Implement partial profit taking
- Enable trailing stops
- Set reasonable session trading hours
### For Swing Trading
- Use longer-term charts
- Set wider stops (ATR-based often works well)
- Use higher profit targets
- Disable daily streak reset
## Common Troubleshooting
### Low Win Rate
- Consider widening stop-losses
- Verify that entry conditions aren't triggering too frequently
- Check if the equals condition is too restrictive; consider small tolerances
### Missing Obvious Trades
- The equals condition is extremely precise. Price must exactly match the specified value.
- Consider using floating-point precision for more reliable triggers
### Frequent Stop-Outs
- Try ATR-based stops instead of fixed points
- Increase the stop-loss distance
- Enable break-even feature to protect profits
## Important Notes
- The exact equals condition is strict and may result in fewer trade signals compared to other conditions.
- For instruments with decimal prices, exact equality might be rare. Consider the precision of your value.
- Break-even and trailing stop calculations are based on points, not percentage.
- Partial take-profit levels are defined in points distance from entry.
- The continuous position signals (0 to 1) provide valuable visual feedback but don't affect the strategy's trading logic directly.
- When implementing continuous signals, ensure they're aligned with the actual entry conditions used by the strategy.
---
*This strategy is for educational and informational purposes only. Always test thoroughly before using with real funds.*
Dskyz (DAFE) Quantum Sentiment Flux - Beginners Dskyz (DAFE) Quantum Sentiment Flux - Beginners:
Welcome to the Dskyz (DAFE) Quantum Sentiment Flux - Beginners , a strategy and concept that’s your ultimate wingman for trading futures like MNQ, NQ, MES, and ES. This gem combines lightning-fast momentum signals, market sentiment smarts, and bulletproof risk management into a system so intuitive, even newbies can trade like pros. With clean DAFE visuals, preset modes for every vibe, and a revamped dashboard that’s basically a market GPS, this strategy makes futures trading feel like a high-octane sci-fi mission.
Built on the Dskyz (DAFE) legacy of Aurora Divergence, the Quantum Sentiment Flux is designed to empower beginners while giving seasoned traders a lean, sentiment-driven edge. It uses fast/slow EMA crossovers for entries, filters trades with VIX, SPX trends, and sector breadth, and keeps your account safe with adaptive stops and cooldowns. Tuned for more action with faster signals and a slick bottom-left dashboard, this updated version is ready to light up your charts and outsmart institutional traps. Let’s dive into why this strat’s a must-have and break down its brilliance.
Why Traders Need This Strategy
Futures markets are a wild ride—fast moves, volatility spikes (like the April 28, 2025 NQ 1k-point drop), and institutional games that can wreck unprepared traders. Beginners often get lost in complex systems or burned by impulsive trades. The Quantum Sentiment Flux is the antidote, offering:
Dead-Simple Setup: Preset modes (Aggressive, Balanced, Conservative) auto-tune signals, risk, and sizing, so you can trade without a quant degree.
Sentiment Superpower: VIX filter, SPX trend, and sector breadth visuals keep you aligned with market health, dodging chop and riding trends.
Ironclad Safety: Tighter ATR-based stops, 2:1 take-profits, and preset cooldowns protect your capital, even in chaotic sessions.
Next-Level Visuals: Green/red entry triangles, vibrant EMAs, a sector breadth background, and a beefed-up dashboard make signals and context pop.
DAFE Swagger: The clean aesthetics, sleek dashboard—ties it to Dskyz’s elite brand, making your charts a work of art.
Traders need this because it’s a plug-and-play system that blends beginner-friendly simplicity with pro-level market awareness. Whether you’re just starting or scalping 5min MNQ, this strat’s your key to trading with confidence and style.
Strategy Components
1. Core Signal Logic (High-Speed Momentum)
The strategy’s engine is a momentum-based system using fast and slow Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), now tuned for faster, more frequent trades.
How It Works:
Fast/Slow EMAs: Fast EMA (Aggressive: 5, Balanced: 7, Conservative: 9 bars) and slow EMA (12/14/18 bars) track short-term vs. longer-term momentum.
Crossover Signals:
Buy: Fast EMA crosses above slow EMA, and trend_dir = 1 (fast EMA > slow EMA + ATR * strength threshold).
Sell: Fast EMA crosses below slow EMA, and trend_dir = -1 (fast EMA < slow EMA - ATR * strength threshold).
Strength Filter: ma_strength = fast EMA - slow EMA must exceed an ATR-scaled threshold (Aggressive: 0.15, Balanced: 0.18, Conservative: 0.25) for robust signals.
Trend Direction: trend_dir confirms momentum, filtering out weak crossovers in choppy markets.
Evolution:
Faster EMAs (down from 7–10/21–50) catch short-term trends, perfect for active futures markets.
Lower strength thresholds (0.15–0.25 vs. 0.3–0.5) make signals more sensitive, boosting trade frequency without sacrificing quality.
Preset tuning ensures beginners get optimized settings, while pros can tweak via mode selection.
2. Market Sentiment Filters
The strategy leans hard into market sentiment with a VIX filter, SPX trend analysis, and sector breadth visuals, keeping trades aligned with the big picture.
VIX Filter:
Logic: Blocks long entries if VIX > threshold (default: 20, can_long = vix_close < vix_limit). Shorts are always allowed (can_short = true).
Impact: Prevents longs during high-fear markets (e.g., VIX spikes in crashes), while allowing shorts to capitalize on downturns.
SPX Trend Filter:
Logic: Compares S&P 500 (SPX) close to its SMA (Aggressive: 5, Balanced: 8, Conservative: 12 bars). spx_trend = 1 (UP) if close > SMA, -1 (DOWN) if < SMA, 0 (FLAT) if neutral.
Impact: Provides dashboard context, encouraging trades that align with market direction (e.g., longs in UP trend).
Sector Breadth (Visual):
Logic: Tracks 10 sector ETFs (XLK, XLF, XLE, etc.) vs. their SMAs (same lengths as SPX). Each sector scores +1 (bullish), -1 (bearish), or 0 (neutral), summed as breadth (-10 to +10).
Display: Green background if breadth > 4, red if breadth < -4, else neutral. Dashboard shows sector trends (↑/↓/-).
Impact: Faster SMA lengths make breadth more responsive, reflecting sector rotations (e.g., tech surging, energy lagging).
Why It’s Brilliant:
- VIX filter adds pro-level volatility awareness, saving beginners from panic-driven losses.
- SPX and sector breadth give a 360° view of market health, boosting signal confidence (e.g., green BG + buy signal = high-probability trade).
- Shorter SMAs make sentiment visuals react faster, perfect for 5min charts.
3. Risk Management
The risk controls are a fortress, now tighter and more dynamic to support frequent trading while keeping accounts safe.
Preset-Based Risk:
Aggressive: Fast EMAs (5/12), tight stops (1.1x ATR), 1-bar cooldown. High trade frequency, higher risk.
Balanced: EMAs (7/14), 1.2x ATR stops, 1-bar cooldown. Versatile for most traders.
Conservative: EMAs (9/18), 1.3x ATR stops, 2-bar cooldown. Safer, fewer trades.
Impact: Auto-scales risk to match style, making it foolproof for beginners.
Adaptive Stops and Take-Profits:
Logic: Stops = entry ± ATR * atr_mult (1.1–1.3x, down from 1.2–2.0x). Take-profits = entry ± ATR * take_mult (2x stop distance, 2:1 reward/risk). Longs: stop below entry, TP above; shorts: vice versa.
Impact: Tighter stops increase trade turnover while maintaining solid risk/reward, adapting to volatility.
Trade Cooldown:
Logic: Preset-driven (Aggressive/Balanced: 1 bar, Conservative: 2 bars vs. old user-input 2). Ensures bar_index - last_trade_bar >= cooldown.
Impact: Faster cooldowns (especially Aggressive/Balanced) allow more trades, balanced by VIX and strength filters.
Contract Sizing:
Logic: User sets contracts (default: 1, max: 10), no preset cap (unlike old 7/5/3 suggestion).
Impact: Flexible but risks over-leverage; beginners should stick to low contracts.
Built To Be Reliable and Consistent:
- Tighter stops and faster cooldowns make it a high-octane system without blowing up accounts.
- Preset-driven risk removes guesswork, letting newbies trade confidently.
- 2:1 TPs ensure profitable trades outweigh losses, even in volatile sessions like April 27, 2025 ES slippage.
4. Trade Entry and Exit Logic
The entry/exit rules are simple yet razor-sharp, now with VIX filtering and faster signals:
Entry Conditions:
Long Entry: buy_signal (fast EMA crosses above slow EMA, trend_dir = 1), no position (strategy.position_size = 0), cooldown passed (can_trade), and VIX < 20 (can_long). Enters with user-defined contracts.
Short Entry: sell_signal (fast EMA crosses below slow EMA, trend_dir = -1), no position, cooldown passed, can_short (always true).
Logic: Tracks last_entry_bar for visuals, last_trade_bar for cooldowns.
Exit Conditions:
Stop-Loss/Take-Profit: ATR-based stops (1.1–1.3x) and TPs (2x stop distance). Longs exit if price hits stop (below) or TP (above); shorts vice versa.
No Other Exits: Keeps it straightforward, relying on stops/TPs.
5. DAFE Visuals
The visuals are pure DAFE magic, blending clean function with informative metrics utilized by professionals, now enhanced by faster signals and a responsive breadth background:
EMA Plots:
Display: Fast EMA (blue, 2px), slow EMA (orange, 2px), using faster lengths (5–9/12–18).
Purpose: Highlights momentum shifts, with crossovers signaling entries.
Sector Breadth Background:
Display: Green (90% transparent) if breadth > 4, red (90%) if breadth < -4, else neutral.
Purpose: Faster breadth_sma_len (5–12 vs. 10–50) reflects sector shifts in real-time, reinforcing signal strength.
- Visuals are intuitive, turning complex signals into clear buy/sell cues.
- Faster breadth background reacts to market rotations (e.g., tech vs. energy), giving a pro-level edge.
6. Sector Breadth Dashboard
The new bottom-left dashboard is a game-changer, a 3x16 table (black/gray theme) that’s your market command center:
Metrics:
VIX: Current VIX (red if > 20, gray if not).
SPX: Trend as “UP” (green), “DOWN” (red), or “FLAT” (gray).
Trade Longs: “OK” (green) if VIX < 20, “BLOCK” (red) if not.
Sector Breadth: 10 sectors (Tech, Financial, etc.) with trend arrows (↑ green, ↓ red, - gray).
Placeholder Row: Empty for future metrics (e.g., ATR, breadth score).
Purpose: Consolidates regime, volatility, market trend, and sector data, making decisions a breeze.
- VIX and SPX metrics add context, helping beginners avoid bad trades (e.g., no longs if “BLOCK”).
Sector arrows show market health at a glance, like a cheat code for sentiment.
Key Features
Beginner-Ready: Preset modes and clear visuals make futures trading a breeze.
Sentiment-Driven: VIX filter, SPX trend, and sector breadth keep you in sync with the market.
High-Frequency: Faster EMAs, tighter stops, and short cooldowns boost trade volume.
Safe and Smart: Adaptive stops/TPs and cooldowns protect capital while maximizing wins.
Visual Mastery: DAFE’s clean flair, EMAs, dashboard—makes trading fun and clear.
Backtestable: Lean code and fixed qty ensure accurate historical testing.
How to Use
Add to Chart: Load on a 5min MNQ/ES chart in TradingView.
Pick Preset: Aggressive (scalping), Balanced (versatile), or Conservative (safe). Balanced is default.
Set Contracts: Default 1, max 10. Stick low for safety.
Check Dashboard: Bottom-left shows preset, VIX, SPX, and sectors. “OK” + green breadth = strong buy.
Backtest: Run in strategy tester to compare modes.
Live Trade: Connect to Tradovate or similar. Watch for slippage (e.g., April 27, 2025 ES issues).
Replay Test: Try April 28, 2025 NQ drop to see VIX filter and stops in action.
Why It’s Brilliant
The Dskyz (DAFE) Quantum Sentiment Flux - Beginners is a masterpiece of simplicity and power. It takes pro-level tools—momentum, VIX, sector breadth—and wraps them in a system anyone can run. Faster signals and tighter stops make it a trading machine, while the VIX filter and dashboard keep you ahead of market chaos. The DAFE visuals and bottom-left command center turn your chart into a futuristic cockpit, guiding you through every trade. For beginners, it’s a safe entry to futures; for pros, it’s a scalping beast with sentiment smarts. This strat doesn’t just trade—it transforms how you see the market.
Final Notes
This is more than a strategy—it’s your launchpad to mastering futures with Dskyz (DAFE) flair. The Quantum Sentiment Flux blends accessibility, speed, and market savvy to help you outsmart the game. Load it, watch those triangles glow, and let’s make the markets your canvas!
Official Statement from Pine Script Team
(see TradingView help docs and forums):
"This warning may appear when you call functions such as ta.sma inside a request.security in a loop. There is no runtime impact. If you need to loop through a dynamic list of tickers, this cannot be avoided in the present version... Values will still be correct. Ignore this warning in such contexts."
(This publishing will most likely be taken down do to some miscellaneous rule about properly displaying charting symbols, or whatever. Once I've identified what part of the publishing they want to pick on, I'll adjust and repost.)
Use it with discipline. Use it with clarity. Trade smarter.
**I will continue to release incredible strategies and indicators until I turn this into a brand or until someone offers me a contract.
Created by Dskyz, powered by DAFE Trading Systems. Trade fast, trade bold.
Dskyz (DAFE) MAtrix with ATR-Powered Precision Dskyz (DAFE) MAtrix with ATR-Powered Precision
This cutting‐edge futures trading strategy built to thrive in rapidly changing market conditions. Developed for high-frequency futures trading on instruments such as the CME Mini MNQ, this strategy leverages a matrix of sophisticated moving averages combined with ATR-based filters to pinpoint high-probability entries and exits. Its unique combination of adaptable technical indicators and multi-timeframe trend filtering sets it apart from standard strategies, providing enhanced precision and dynamic responsiveness.
imgur.com
Core Functional Components
1. Advanced Moving Averages
A distinguishing feature of the DAFE strategy is its robust, multi-choice moving averages (MAs). Clients can choose from a wide array of MAs—each with specific strengths—in order to fine-tune their trading signals. The code includes user-defined functions for the following MAs:
imgur.com
Hull Moving Average (HMA):
The hma(src, len) function calculates the HMA by using weighted moving averages (WMAs) to reduce lag considerably while smoothing price data. This function computes an intermediate WMA of half the specified length, then a full-length WMA, and finally applies a further WMA over the square root of the length. This design allows for rapid adaptation to price changes without the typical delays of traditional moving averages.
Triple Exponential Moving Average (TEMA):
Implemented via tema(src, len), TEMA uses three consecutive exponential moving averages (EMAs) to effectively cancel out lag and capture price momentum. The final formula—3 * (ema1 - ema2) + ema3—produces a highly responsive indicator that filters out short-term noise.
Double Exponential Moving Average (DEMA):
Through the dema(src, len) function, DEMA calculates an EMA and then a second EMA on top of it. Its simplified formula of 2 * ema1 - ema2 provides a smoother curve than a single EMA while maintaining enhanced responsiveness.
Volume Weighted Moving Average (VWMA):
With vwma(src, len), this MA accounts for trading volume by weighting the price, thereby offering a more contextual picture of market activity. This is crucial when volume spikes indicate significant moves.
Zero Lag EMA (ZLEMA):
The zlema(src, len) function applies a correction to reduce the inherent lag found in EMAs. By subtracting a calculated lag (based on half the moving average window), ZLEMA is exceptionally attuned to recent price movements.
Arnaud Legoux Moving Average (ALMA):
The alma(src, len, offset, sigma) function introduces ALMA—a type of moving average designed to be less affected by outliers. With parameters for offset and sigma, it allows customization of the degree to which the MA reacts to market noise.
Kaufman Adaptive Moving Average (KAMA):
The custom kama(src, len) function is noteworthy for its adaptive nature. It computes an efficiency ratio by comparing price change against volatility, then dynamically adjusts its smoothing constant. This results in an MA that quickly responds during trending periods while remaining smoothed during consolidation.
Each of these functions—integrated into the strategy—is selectable by the trader (via the fastMAType and slowMAType inputs). This flexibility permits the tailored application of the MA most suited to current market dynamics and individual risk management preferences.
2. ATR-Based Filters and Risk Controls
ATR Calculation and Volatility Filter:
The strategy computes the Average True Range (ATR) over a user-defined period (atrPeriod). ATR is then used to derive both:
Volatility Assessment: Expressed as a ratio of ATR to closing price, ensuring that trades are taken only when volatility remains within a safe, predefined threshold (volatilityThreshold).
ATR-Based Entry Filters: Implemented as atrFilterLong and atrFilterShort, these conditions ensure that for long entries the price is sufficiently above the slow MA and vice versa for shorts. This acts as an additional confirmation filter.
Dynamic Exit Management:
The exit logic employs a dual approach:
Fixed Stop and Profit Target: Stops and targets are set at multiples of ATR (fixedStopMultiplier and profitTargetATRMult), helping manage risk in volatile markets.
Trailing Stop Adjustments: A trailing stop is calculated using the ATR multiplied by a user-defined offset (trailOffset), which captures additional profits as the trade moves favorably while protecting against reversals.
3. Multi-Timeframe Trend Filtering
The strategy enhances its signal reliability by leveraging a secondary, higher timeframe analysis:
15-Minute Trend Analysis:
By retrieving 15-minute moving averages (fastMA15m and slowMA15m) via request.security, the strategy determines the broader market trend. This secondary filter (enabled or disabled through useTrendFilter) ensures that entries are aligned with the prevailing market direction, thereby reducing the incidence of false signals.
4. Signal and Execution Logic
Combined MA Alignment:
The entry conditions are based primarily on the alignment of the fast and slow MAs. A long condition is triggered when the current price is above both MAs and the fast MA is above the slow MA—complemented by the ATR filter and volume conditions. The reverse applies for a short condition.
Volume and Time Window Validation:
Trades are permitted only if the current volume exceeds a minimum (minVolume) and the current hour falls within the predefined trading window (tradingStartHour to tradingEndHour). An additional volume spike check (comparing current volume to a moving average of past volumes) further filters for optimal market conditions.
Comprehensive Order Execution:
The strategy utilizes flexible order execution functions that allow pyramiding (up to 10 positions), ensuring that it can scale into positions as favorable conditions persist. The use of both market entries and automated exits (with profit targets, stop-losses, and trailing stops) ensures that risk is managed at every step.
5. Integrated Dashboard and Metrics
For transparency and real-time analysis, the strategy includes:
On-Chart Visualizations:
Both fast and slow MAs are plotted on the chart, making it easy to see the market’s technical foundation.
Dynamic Metrics Dashboard:
A built-in table displays crucial performance statistics—including current profit/loss, equity, ATR (both raw and as a percentage), and the percentage gap between the moving averages. These metrics offer immediate insight into the health and performance of the strategy.
Input Parameters: Detailed Breakdown
Every input is meticulously designed to offer granular control:
Fast & Slow Lengths:
Determine the window size for the fast and slow moving averages. Smaller values yield more sensitivity, while larger values provide a smoother, delayed response.
Fast/Slow MA Types:
Choose the type of moving average for fast and slow signals. The versatility—from basic SMA and EMA to more complex ones like HMA, TEMA, ZLEMA, ALMA, and KAMA—allows customization to fit different market scenarios.
ATR Parameters:
atrPeriod and atrMultiplier shape the volatility assessment, directly affecting entry filters and risk management through stop-loss and profit target levels.
Trend and Volume Filters:
Inputs such as useTrendFilter, minVolume, and the volume spike condition help confirm that a trade occurs in active, trending markets rather than during periods of low liquidity or market noise.
Trading Hours:
Restricting trade execution to specific hours (tradingStartHour and tradingEndHour) helps avoid illiquid or choppy markets outside of prime trading sessions.
Exit Strategies:
Parameters like trailOffset, profitTargetATRMult, and fixedStopMultiplier provide multiple layers of risk management and profit protection by tailoring how exits are generated relative to current market conditions.
Pyramiding and Fixed Trade Quantity:
The strategy supports multiple entries within a trend (up to 10 positions) and sets a predefined trade quantity (fixedQuantity) to maintain consistent exposure and risk per trade.
Dashboard Controls:
The resetDashboard input allows for on-the-fly resetting of performance metrics, keeping the strategy’s performance dashboard accurate and up-to-date.
Why This Strategy is Truly Exceptional
Multi-Faceted Adaptability:
The ability to switch seamlessly between various moving average types—each suited to particular market conditions—enables the strategy to adapt dynamically. This is a testament to the high level of coding sophistication and market insight infused within the system.
Robust Risk Management:
The integration of ATR-based stops, profit targets, and trailing stops ensures that every trade is executed with well-defined risk parameters. The system is designed to mitigate unexpected market swings while optimizing profit capture.
Comprehensive Market Filtering:
By combining moving average crossovers with volume analysis, volatility thresholds, and multi-timeframe trend filters, the strategy only enters trades under the most favorable conditions. This multi-layered filtering reduces noise and enhances signal quality.
-Final Thoughts-
The Dskyz Adaptive Futures Elite (DAFE) MAtrix with ATR-Powered Precision strategy is not just another trading algorithm—it is a multi-dimensional, fully customizable system built on advanced technical principles and sophisticated risk management techniques. Every function and input parameter has been carefully engineered to provide traders with a system that is both powerful and transparent.
For clients seeking a state-of-the-art trading solution that adapts dynamically to market conditions while maintaining strict discipline in risk management, this strategy truly stands in a class of its own.
****Please show support if you enjoyed this strategy. I'll have more coming out in the near future!!
-Dskyz
Caution
DAFE is experimental, not a profit guarantee. Futures trading risks significant losses due to leverage. Backtest, simulate, and monitor actively before live use. All trading decisions are your responsibility.
Auto Fib Retracement with Buy/SellKey Features of the Advanced Script:
Multi-Timeframe (MTF) Analysis:
We added an input for the higher timeframe (higher_tf), where the trend is checked on a higher timeframe to confirm the primary trend direction.
Complex Trend Detection:
The trend is determined not only by the current timeframe but also by the trend on the higher timeframe, giving a more comprehensive and reliable signal.
Dynamic Fibonacci Levels:
Fibonacci lines are plotted dynamically, extending them based on price movement, with the Fibonacci retracement drawn only when a trend is identified.
Background Color & Labels:
A background color is added to give a clear indication of the trend direction. Green for uptrend, red for downtrend. It makes it visually easier to understand the current market structure.
"Buy" or "Sell" labels are shown directly on the chart to mark possible entry points.
Strategy and Backtesting:
The script includes strategy commands (strategy.entry and strategy.exit), which allow for backtesting the strategy in TradingView.
Stop loss and take profit conditions are added (loss=100, profit=200), which can be adjusted according to your preferences.
Next Steps:
Test with different timeframes: Try changing the higher_tf to different timeframes (like "60" or "240") and see how it affects the trend detection.
Adjust Fibonacci settings: Modify how the Fibonacci levels are calculated or add more Fibonacci levels like 38.2%, 61.8%, etc.
Optimize Strategy Parameters: Fine-tune the entry/exit logic by adjusting stop loss, take profit, and other strategy parameters.
This should give you a robust foundation for creating advanced trend detection strategies
