this is posted on talkstox.com - but site is down - so I will post it from my hard drive
The 30/34 System is a swing-type system for trading the S&P E-minis. Signals are taken from a 30 minute chart of the ES with a 34 EMA.
The 30/34 System rules are as follows:
1. Enter in the direction of the closing price whenever a closing bar CLOSES above/below the EMA by at least 1 full point (.99 doesn't count). The bar must be CLOSED. Penetrations that do not close 1+ point above/below the EMA DO NOT COUNT.
2. Crash stop is 5 points above/below the EMA and always take profits at the profit objective.
3. The profit objective will change depending on market volatility as measured by the last 3 months maximized theoretical profit. It is currently at +38. Note: in the time I have been monitoring this system on Woodie's, the profit objective has varied from 30-40 points.
4. The system is always in the market (including overnite) except when you have just taken profits and are waiting for the next entry.
5. New traders should wait for a theoretical drawdown of 35-40 points before starting to use the 30/34 since it has had a drawdown of -90 points and several in the - 60 point range in the past 6 years.
6. The 30/34 is a SAR (stop and reverse) system. Always take the SAR. The only other variables are closing out at the profit objective or getting stopped out at 5 points from the EMA. The SAR always rules though.
7. Only RTH (real-time hours) data is used.
"gb" Comments:
Both June and July were 100+ months. I usually recommend the system for new traders as it helps them stay in the game while honing their daytrading skills. The average profit is just a little over $100/day based on a single contract, not as good as an experienced trader.
In the past six years, its minimum gain has been +500. I suggest new traders trade the 30/34 in a separate account and start with $10k to avoid exiting from fear, emotion, etc.
Do you SAR if the 5 pt stop isn't taken out, but the 30 minute bar closes above or below the EMA by more than a point? Yes, the signal of 1 point above/below the 34 EMA rules. The stop is only a "crash" stop.
Backtests
This system has been backtested and posted to Yahoo Groups by "zx". These are available as Excel spreadsheets and appear to have been generated with Tradestation. Go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HD_RDforDummies/ and look under Files/Swing Trade Systems. They are listed as 30-34_5pt_30pt.XLS and 30-34_8pt_44pts.XLS.
Risk
I suggest you never risk more than 1-2% of your trading capital on any individual trade. You might live to trade another day.