Search found 43 matches

by Bondtrader
Wed Jan 28, 2004 8:23 am
Forum: Testing Software
Topic: Trading System Languages Likes and Dislikes
Replies: 31
Views: 30840

if (drawdown today) is bigger than (1.25 * (drawdown 25 days ago)), AND (drawdown today) is bigger than (15 percent), AND (total risk today) is bigger than (15 percent), THEN (find the weakest of my open positions according to measurement M), AND exit the weakest position at market. another example...
by Bondtrader
Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:23 pm
Forum: Testing Software
Topic: Trading System Languages Likes and Dislikes
Replies: 31
Views: 30840

I only started to appreciate the features of one trading platform's system definition method, when I gained access to other platforms and saw how they did things differently. The usual suspects will list the usual advantages of Trading Recipes, so I won't repeat them here. Instead, I will provide a ...
by Bondtrader
Tue Jan 06, 2004 6:13 pm
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: Improve Risk:Reward by using different time frames?
Replies: 20
Views: 31668

The list of age-old market aphorisms includes "always use a stop" and "cut your losses, let your profits run." Another one is "never loosen your stops, either leave them alone or else tighten them." However, this longer-timeframe, bigger-volatility-stop idea will result...
by Bondtrader
Mon Jan 05, 2004 8:37 am
Forum: Trader Psychology
Topic: Too much reading ...
Replies: 58
Views: 63736

An often-used method of tuning out the noise of the world, is to become a totally mechanical trader. Pick a system, select a robobroker, say the word "go", and then forget about it. Deliver your statements, unopened, to your accountant so she can calculate your income tax bill. There was a...
by Bondtrader
Mon Dec 29, 2003 12:51 pm
Forum: Trend Indicators and Signals
Topic: Backtesting my ideas
Replies: 1
Views: 4439

You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss. Also in price charts, a bar is just a bar. If you have software that only knows how to handle daily bars (Metastock? Veritrader? Trading Recipes?) but you want to use it on 30 minute bars, you can do it . Yes really, you can. Just put the data into ASCI...
by Bondtrader
Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:34 pm
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: Identifying Efficiency in a 3D Matrix
Replies: 11
Views: 10685

Tradestation is a "red belt" program. You want to obtain "brown belt" results. Tradestation is not capable of this. The highest confidence path (also the biggest investment) is to roll your own software. Among the writers here on this postnews system it is called "Creating A...
by Bondtrader
Thu Oct 30, 2003 9:18 am
Forum: Money Management
Topic: Closed-trade vs. open-trade drawdown
Replies: 3
Views: 6980

In some cases it is completely a matter of individual preference. Whatever feels good, do that, and feel good. Van Tharp's $100 report discusses four different ways to calculate drawdown, each one having its own loyal following. In other cases, such as managing Other People's Money, there is no choi...
by Bondtrader
Wed Oct 29, 2003 12:14 pm
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: I need a simple solution to a complex issue.
Replies: 14
Views: 12507

Maybe the thing to do is - - - - - - - - hire a coach :lol: to teach you about it.
by Bondtrader
Tue Oct 21, 2003 8:53 am
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: I need a simple solution to a complex issue.
Replies: 14
Views: 12507

Try the Australian Government Bonds (CSI symbols YTC and YTT) on the Sydney Futures Exchange. Their point value changes continuously as the underlying moves. That's right, the BigPointValue is not a constant!

http://www.sfe.com.au/content/sfe/trading/con_specs.pdf
by Bondtrader
Wed Sep 03, 2003 9:12 pm
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: CSI Back Adjuster
Replies: 2
Views: 3580

Here is one that I found on the net awhile ago. Slide the slider on the right until you see the colors.

http://traderclub.com/discus/messages/1 ... #POST11362
by Bondtrader
Mon Aug 04, 2003 2:37 pm
Forum: Stocks
Topic: Is there a place for fundamentals in trend trading?
Replies: 16
Views: 25381

You could construct two portfolios, run the Turtle System on each, then see whether the backtest trading results are (or are not) significantly different. Let portfolio P be the 100 stocks of the Nasdaq 100. Let portfolio Q be the 100 stocks whose listings in the newspaper, immediately follow the li...
by Bondtrader
Mon Jul 21, 2003 9:50 am
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: CSI Futures Data- anybody know their big point values?
Replies: 8
Views: 7183

The CSI "Factsheet" refers to the way Corn prices were quoted a few years ago. Prices were in eighths of a cent (per bushel) and the minimum tick size was two eighths. CSI's factsheet says the Little_Point_Value is $6.25 per littlepoint, and the minimum tick is 2 littlepoints. This is no l...
by Bondtrader
Tue Jul 15, 2003 6:16 pm
Forum: Stocks
Topic: Mutual Fund Trading
Replies: 1
Views: 5494

Nelson Freeburg's newsletter "Formula Research" has presented two or three fully mechanical trading systems for mutual funds. I don't know whether he has a website but I did find this reference: That's the end of Part I. Part II will be published next Saturday. If you would like a FREE iss...
by Bondtrader
Mon Jul 07, 2003 8:52 am
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: Pre-flight check list
Replies: 4
Views: 5032

Analysis Paralysis is a common ailment. Rather than hop on the surfboard and paddle out into the waves, A.P. sufferers spend their time busily "preparing". They pepper other surfers with endless questions, they read dozens upon dozens of books, they watch videos, they consult psychologist...
by Bondtrader
Tue Jul 01, 2003 2:18 pm
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: Too Good to be True?
Replies: 17
Views: 17964

Some backtesting packages try to prevent you from "making postdictive errors", and other softwares don't. A classic example of a postdictive error is to use today's closing price (or today's high or today's low) in calculations that ultimately affect the way you trade today. This often occ...
by Bondtrader
Tue Jun 17, 2003 9:31 am
Forum: Trend Indicators and Signals
Topic: EXIT signals ...
Replies: 29
Views: 40045

It doesn't matter what anybody's view is, concerning a rule for mechanical systems trading. It only matters what the test results say. To find about about a rule, run some tests.
by Bondtrader
Thu May 29, 2003 2:16 pm
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: Psychologically Robust Systems
Replies: 12
Views: 13388

The CFTC website has a "Commitment of Traders" report from 20 May 2003. If I read it correctly, hedgers are called "Commercials" and speculators are called "Non-Commercials". Eurodollars: 53% of all long positions and 80% of all short positions, belong to hedgers (non-s...
by Bondtrader
Fri May 23, 2003 11:43 am
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: Portfolio Selection
Replies: 57
Views: 67507

Thirteen for the contest

Doesn't this look like a promising entry in c.f.' system contest? It's freely available, see two posts ago, and there are a bunch of suggestions for how to improve it, see quote one post ago. However it certainly doesn't satisfy the Creativity Craving to take someone else's code, open up the hood, a...
by Bondtrader
Fri May 09, 2003 4:32 pm
Forum: Testing and Simulation
Topic: System testing toolbox
Replies: 2
Views: 3733

I firmly believe Robert Pardo's 13 year old book is still the most fertile source of ideas. He covers a dazzling array of measurements and indicators of goodness and figures of merit. Some of them are very clever and almost all of them are thought provoking. A sample idea is Pardo's "Perfect Pr...
by Bondtrader
Wed May 07, 2003 8:52 am
Forum: Money Management
Topic: %Risk vs %Vol or Both
Replies: 4
Views: 5626

Gordon I notice that you ask lots of questions that you could in fact answer yourself, by running tests. Why not "learn by doing", why not test? I expect you'll agree that the VeriTrader software is a wonderful bargain and tremendously easy to use, why not run it? Then you could start post...