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Why Do Trading Strategies Stop Working & Why Do They Fail?
Knowing when a strategy stops working is of the utmost importance and it should be to all traders. Monitoring the win/loss ratio, average win/loss, drawdown, and Sharpe ratio sounds well and good but it's not the complete picture I'm looking for.
When a strategy is producing subpar performance, I review it to evaluate the changes in performance metrics. Doing so allows me to make minor adjustments to the trading plan. Before there are negative comments just bear in mind that without ongoing improvements we would still be driving around in a "Ford Model T" motor vehicle. Mechanical system trading is simply an ongoing process of refinement.
Skate.
This is probably the central issue with mechanical trading. Is the system simply in drawdown or broken?
Surely this goes back to an analysis of 'edge'? Assuming you (the trader) understands exactly his edge, the decision as to a drawdown or broken system should be relatively straightforward.
An example: I believe 1 pattern @peter2 trades is a HVBB setup (I may be mistaken in calling this chart pattern an edge, but any number of traders designate a chart pattern as an edge). Look at his examples (charts). Now the trader must examine are HVBB setups still a valid edge (this is simply assuming the results are below backtested results. I have no idea. This is simply a hypothetical edge)? The answer should be a yes or no.
Is not 'refinement' optimisation to prevailing market conditions?
Would not refinement rely on a very small data sample, given that this process could be somewhat ongoing?
Which brings me to my definition of what constitutes an 'edge': an edge must be an immutable, intrinsic reality of the market. If that can be described in the affirmative, then it can only ever be a drawdown, it can never be broken
jog on
duc