Quote from lindq:
That can all be included in the system and backtested.
If you don't have the capability to backtest, post your specific entry rules, and I'll backtest with a few different exits.
Some that can work an EOD system:
- Time Exit - After 2 or 3 days
- Percentage Gain - 3-4%
- Technical Indicator - Price crosses back above MA, Rawk reaches target level, etc, etc.
Or, a combination of all of the above.
Here is why i don't think it can be backtested: to pick a stock i scan for the conditions i talked about in the first post, and then i sort by highest ADX. I then look through until I find a stock that meets my criteria. My criteria are something like a recent double bottom followed by breakout, or a real nice 3 month trend we are hoping to get a piece of.
I'm not trying to create an automated system, hope I didn't give that impression.
Here is one set of exit criteria I have been playing with.
1. Initial Stop Loss: stock must close below the 18SMA value the day the signal was given, which would be the day before entry.
If you could test this vs a real tight stop right below the most recent low that would be cool. I've looked at a couple hundred charts and a looser stop seems to work better.
2. If stock moves in our favor the size of the stop, move it to breakeven. This would be an order we place to trigger at any time during the day. All other trades we wait for close to enter our trades.
3. Let the winners run, using a close below the 18SMA as a signal to exit at open the next day.
Reverse it all for the shorts.
PS a useful filter to find good stocks is to only look at stocks where 50EMA is greater than 200EMA for longs, reverse for shorts.
Thanks for offering to give this a try!
Hope i explained things OK.