TLDR:
I've been working on an MT4 EA that compares many trend trading strategies (using many indicator combos). I'm looking for guidance on how best to improve my approach.
Background:
I wrote software for 15 years but haven't written code in the past 6 yrs. I got back into coding 3 months ago to write MT4 robots when I realized I could do it easily, even though I had no prior trading experience.
My Ultimate Goal:
To have a collection of EAs with winning indicator combinations that successfully trade trends with little to no human intervention.
Work done so far:
I've created a trend 'rider tester' that
I've been working on an MT4 EA that compares many trend trading strategies (using many indicator combos). I'm looking for guidance on how best to improve my approach.
Background:
I wrote software for 15 years but haven't written code in the past 6 yrs. I got back into coding 3 months ago to write MT4 robots when I realized I could do it easily, even though I had no prior trading experience.
My Ultimate Goal:
To have a collection of EAs with winning indicator combinations that successfully trade trends with little to no human intervention.
Work done so far:
I've created a trend 'rider tester' that
- Allows you to mix and match about a dozen different trend detection methods (eg BBands + Stochastic, MAs, etc).
- Places an order when there is confirmation across all the selected methods,
- Uses dynamic lot sizing based on % risk (of balance or equity),
- Sets a trailing stop loss that kicks in once profit is locked in.
Success so far:
I ran an optimization on M30, for EURUSD, from Jan '16 - Dec '19, and found the Alligator+RSI has the most success (at least the way I coded it), when run against Dukascopy data from tickstory. You can see the backtest result in the image below, and I've attached a set file if you want to see it in action, or DEMO trade it (i.e. with a demo account ONLY). My settings here are super aggressive (50% of acct balance), and take the account from $10K to $1.2M in 4 years)
Guidance Needed:
- What is a better way to set initial stop loss?
My initial stop loss is massive (3400 points), compared to my profit trigger (100 points). I would love to reduce this to further increase gains, but the optimizer shows this is the sweet spot. I have heard that using Average True Range can help, if you multiply it by a constant, but none seem to work well. (( You can try this in the 'experimental settings' )) - How best can I place multiple orders when a trend is detected?
I tried some logic for 'duplicating winning orders' : when an order locks in a profit, clone the order, but with a smaller stop loss. This does not work well. (( You can also try this in the 'experimental settings' )) - Whats a better exit strategy I could use?
You may notice that most orders get in and out pretty quickly, even though there is more trend to be ridden. I am thinking of leaving it this way, but I cant help but feel there is a way to exit later for higher profit, while maintaining high win rate. I have heard using heiken ashi might be good; just watching for color change. I may try this next. - Any Other Feedback Welcome!
There are a lot of smart people out there... many on this forum Please feel free to spot out any issues / inefficiencies. I am new to this, so I am sure there are many little things I have overlooked that could make this better.
Thanks in advance!
Note:
Unfortunately I am not at liberty to share the source code here, but i hope this tester EA is a helpful contribution to the community
Attached File(s)
the-trend-rider-tester.zip
70 KB
|
362 downloads