Quote from Remiraz:
Hammers can easily be backtested by people who own backtesting software and has some coding skill. Anyone tried? (i posses none)
Hi Remiraz,
Welcome back.
Yes...Hammers can be backtested but the
generic patterns are the ones your talking about as being
easy to backtest via some computer code.
Yet, I myself used TradeStation for many years in the past and didn't find any reliability suitable for trading via those generic patterns.
Further, the patterns discussed in this thread are
not generic patterns and involves much more information that computer codes cannot process.
For example, re-read and read some more what one of the main themes in this thread is about...
Regardless to if the pattern is simple (generic) or complex (as in this thread)...
Just because its a valid pattern signal does not imply its tradable and I gave a few reasons why.
Once again...I don't recommend trading those
generic Hammer patterns you see in books, websites or as default computer codes in some software program.
That's my main reason why I no longer get caught up in trying to backtest via a computer code because I already know the answer...
Those generic Hammer patterns are not reliable.
Therefore, if you want to spend your time testing that stuff...go for it.
However, a few ET members have TradeStation and have already discussed their results in the old Trading Hammers thread.
http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18381
Also, Wealthlab has some codes you can play around with and the same with some of the other software programs.
You can also go back to the old Trading Hammers thread because someone used a particular software program (I can't remember the name of the program) and came up with a code that produced reliable results although I'm clueless to what type of Hammer sub-group pattern he tested.
Therefore, he may be a good place to start asking questions (send him a pm or email) for those that were able to find a code that produced reliable (profitable) Hammer patterns.
http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18381
You can also check out
ktmexc20 in another thread because he saids
any candlestick pattern can be coded to get some help from him on the coding...
http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68416
With that said about computer codes...
I recommend you do your backtesting via the old fashion way.
Get historical data of your trading instrument and review each trading day one by one.
You'll learn a lot more in the process and review key market events of the trading day to make
notes about their input into the development of the pattern and their impact on the profitability of the candlestick pattern.
Thus, don't forget the other key part of the equation...
Trade Management after the pattern signal.
If you don't understand how important that is...
Review the conversations between sunnyskies and I in this
Trading Hammers (revisited) thread and see some of his statistics (hammers not reliable) that dramatically changed by changing the trade management rules after entry (hammer reliable).
Trade Management: Initial Stop Placement, Trailing Stops, Profit Targets, Contingency Plans.
Simply, two traders using the
exact same Pattern Signal but using different trade management rules will produce different trading results...
One gets profits while the other gets losses.
Once again...re-read conversations in this thread with sunnyskies to understand that.
That's another reason why I'm a big fan of
manual backtesting (no computer codes) because it allows you to learn and adapt your trading plan and that in itself will enable you to make adjustments to your trading plan whenever market conditions change...
Something computer codes can't do unless you change them
after the fact.
Last of all, if you don't understand the price action...its not a tradable pattern regardless if its valid or not.
P.S. This thread as explained in the beginning in conversations with FuturesTrader71 that this thread is not about simple (generic) Hammer pattern trading.
It's a more
advance understanding of the price action that forms the pattern and about when to take profits along with warning signs when the pattern will fail.
Anything else is most likely beyond the scope of this thread and should be discussed either via pm or email.
Mark
(a.k.a.
NihabaAshi) Japanese Candlestick term