What do you think?

How do you expect anyone to answer your questions? You provide next to no information. Derive the source of your alpha and investigate why it's not there during the period in question. For more we need more information.

Hello guys, I've elaborated some trading strategies for different stocks, and I have backtested them over the last 11 years. The results are very compelling. The problem is that when I test them over another period (1997-2007), the results get materially different and worse. What do you think about this problem ? What do you think would be the best way for proceeding ? Thank you for any advice.
 
If I weren't so lazy I would quote you a nice Greek phrase, so just take it in English: You can not step into the same river twice.

In other words, times are a changin'...

So if you had a bullish strategy and back tested it 1990- 2000, geee, surprise, surprise, it worked!!! Then you are baffled why suddenly it doesn't work in the next 3 years??? Because certain strategies only work under certain market conditions, and when those change, there goes your money (and the idea that you are a great trader)... Don't feel so bad, lots of people fall into this fallacy, when they have a good strategy for the correct time. That is not a problem itself, not realizing that is.

In short, your strategy isn't robust.

Edit: Fuck it, here it goes:

δὶς ἐς τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν οὐκ ἂν ἐμβαίης.
 
If I weren't so lazy I would quote you a nice Greek phrase, so just take it in English: You can not step into the same river twice.

In other words, times are a changin'...

So if you had a bullish strategy and back tested it 1990- 2000, geee, surprise, surprise, it worked!!! Then you are baffled why suddenly it doesn't work in the next 3 years??? Because certain strategies only work under certain market conditions, and when those change, there goes your money (and the idea that you are a great trader)... Don't feel so bad, lots of people fall into this fallacy, when they have a good strategy for the correct time. That is not a problem itself, not realizing that is.

In short, your strategy isn't robust.

Edit: Fuck it, here it goes:

δὶς ἐς τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν οὐκ ἂν ἐμβαίης.


:banghead: very frustrating
 
Very incredible how things changed in 2007/08. The question is : would it be better to architect a strategy using a 20y time series or a 10y time series..... I don't think is an obvious question as is true that the strategy would be more robust, but is also true that probably would take in account price behaviour that don t exist anymore
 
He was specific. Go pull up a 20 year chart of an index. Use your critical thinking skills as you look at the chart. Break it down to your time periods. Take a look what happened. Not that difficult.
%%
Good wise points;1997 to 2007, looks like a big part of the problem, not enough bears in that trend to really weight that data .If i was worried[I'm not worried , myself]about 1997-07 again , i would find something else i could do in a period ,like that .

Good thing for me , not many markets will not chop slop sideways[aka barbed wire range ]for 10 years. NOT a prediction.:cool::cool:
 
Very incredible how things changed in 2007/08. The question is : would it be better to architect a strategy using a 20y time series or a 10y time series.....

You should build the strategy for your own intended time frame. Are you a scalper or an intra day trader or a swinger? Do you plan to hold stocks for months? The price fluctuates a lot, specially nowadays, thus one can be bullish on a 5 mins time frame but bearish on the hourly and still bullish on the daily and all 3 can be right at the same time! Depending on the holding time, all 3 views can make money.

But markets do change too, and some bullish strategy that worked 10 years ago might not work so well today. Or it has to be adjusted, like wider stops because of volatility,etc.
 
You should build the strategy for your own intended time frame. Are you a scalper or an intra day trader or a swinger? Do you plan to hold stocks for months? The price fluctuates a lot, specially nowadays, thus one can be bullish on a 5 mins time frame but bearish on the hourly and still bullish on the daily and all 3 can be right at the same time! Depending on the holding time, all 3 views can make money.

But markets do change too, and some bullish strategy that worked 10 years ago might not work so well today. Or it has to be adjusted, like wider stops because of volatility,etc.


Yeah man, that s the problem. Now I am pulling back cuz I am psychologically impaired.
 
Did you just keep adding indicators and clicking optimize till you got your equity curve?
My feed back is in the title of the image. "Curve fit monster from hell"

Curve Fit Monster from Hell.PNG
 
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