Dynamic stop loss not moving
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- This topic has 12 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 2 years ago by murre87.
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11/18/2021 at 4:49 PM #181796
Hello!
I’m trying to use a stop loss that follows an MA in one of my systems. In backtesting it works great, but not when I run systems in Demo. Rather, it only works sometimes. I have a set stop loss as well for protection against big draw downs, and at times it just sets the stop loss and ignores the trailing, but I can’t seem to figure out why.
Let’s assume the system below is the on I’m using. Can anyone see a reason for why the system would sometimes only set the stop to 0.5% and not use the trailing when the system is in profit and above the MA?
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728DefParam CumulateOrders = FalseIf not longonmarket and high >= DHigh(1) thenbuy at marketENDIFIf Longonmarket and close < Average(250) ThenSell at MarketEndifset stop %loss 0.5//If LongOnMarket and PositionPerf > 0 thenTP = Close - average[100](close)If TP > 0 thenSELL AT average[100](close) STOPEndifEndifIf ShortOnMarket and PositionPerf > 0 thenTP = Close - average[100](close)If TP > 0 thenSELL AT average[100](close) STOPEndifEndif11/18/2021 at 5:55 PM #181805Some errors:
- Line 9 requires 250 to be within brackets with AVERAGE, like the other lines. It’s also better to add (close) despite it is assumed by default (if no pantheses are used). The way it is written it uses the default periods (I think it’s 20) and makes an average of the number 250 over those periods, which is still 250;
- line 24 needs to be reversed as average[100](close) – Close
- line 26 requires EXITSHORT to exit from a short trade, but there is no short entry, so it’s useless.
Where was a short entry supposed to be?
11/18/2021 at 6:39 PM #181814Thank you for your reply, Roberto!
The system I added here is just an example. The problem isn’t that the stop loss doesn’t work. It’s that it doesn’t always trigger. Imagine that sometimes it sets the stop loss to 0.5, and then when the system is in profit and above/below the MA, the stop loss follows it. But sometimes it sets the stop loss to 0.5, but the MAstop never triggers. Even if the system is in profit and well above/below the MA.
If we assume that this is the system I use. Can you see a reason as to why the trailing/ma-stop sometimes just wont trigger at all?
12345678910111213141516171819202122DefParam CumulateOrders = FalseIf not longonmarket and high >= DHigh(1) thenbuy at marketENDIFIf Longonmarket and close < Average[250](close) ThenSell at MarketEndifset stop %loss 0.5//If LongOnMarket and PositionPerf > 0 thenTP = Close - average[100](close)If TP > 0 thenSELL AT average[100](close) STOPEndifEndif11/19/2021 at 6:25 AM #181846I’ve attached a couple of pictures to illustrate the issue. This happened earlier this week and as you can see, in back testing the system stops at the correct spot where it just tags the slow MA. However the system I’m running in demo for whatever reason decided not to use the dynamic stop loss. Rather it always sets the stop to 0, but only sometimes uses the dynamic stop. Any ideas?
11/19/2021 at 7:57 AM #181849Dear PRP,
If I would be your program parser, I would go bananas at line 6 because it is not clear what you are doing (at all). You are dealing with mutual exclusive conditions while you did not create them as that at all. This means that all can happen at the same time … which it can’t
Line 13, your Set Stop %Loss is put there by you, while you need not to be in the market at all. Harmless ? sure. Only that you won’t understand your own program(ming) because of it.
If you take care that all which is mutually exclusive really is that and is visible as such, someone like me may start to look for the issue. Now my brains refuse. 😉
But you will see that it starts to work for real when you organised all for the better. 🙂 And if not we will find the culprit.Best regards,
PeterPS: Sorry to interfere.
11/19/2021 at 7:57 AM #181850You don’t have to set the 0.5% stoploss continuously, move it below line 5 just after you buy.
Then, it can happen that the price is too close and the pending stop order can’t be placed by the broker due to the distance from price condition. Bear in mind that a pending stop order only last one bar and have to be renewed on each new bar close.
To ensure the stop order is set at the minimum distance required, you can try with:
123minDistance = 5 //x points required from priceSELL AT min(close-minDistance*pointsize,average[100])11/19/2021 at 9:20 AM #181854@PeterSt
Fair points! I didn’t spend much time writing that as the system itself is not an issue, and not remotely close to what I’m using. It’s just an example. The dynamic stop loss is what isn’t working properly. Perhaps it would better if I just didn’t add any system at all, or what do you reckon?
@Nicolas
Okay, that sounds like it might be the problem then. If I understand you correctly this is what you recommend?1234567891011121314151617181920212223DefParam CumulateOrders = FalseIf not longonmarket and high >= DHigh(1) thenbuy 1 contract at marketset stop %loss 0.5ENDIFIf Longonmarket and close < Average[250](close) ThenSell at MarketEndif//minDistance = 5 //x points required from priceIf LongOnMarket and PositionPerf > 0 thenTP = Close - average[100](close)If TP > 0 thenSELL AT min(close-minDistance*pointsize,average[100])EndifEndif11/19/2021 at 9:26 AM #181855Perhaps it would better if I just didn’t add any system at all, or what do you reckon?
@ProRealPierre, I like to answer that decently; what do you mean with “system” in this case ?11/19/2021 at 9:44 AM #18185711/19/2021 at 10:12 AM #181862Ah OK. But since I fear that it is related to the way you code things, I am not so sure (and yes, I understand that it’s a quick and dirty to show us).
In the attachment you see a running (in “live”) system and a “tracking” means (per BackTest of the same code) that should always do exactly the same. Thus, compare the green/blue and the red/pink.
In very rare occasions the tracking means is not the same, and it is my task to find the culprit and take measures so the next time it will behave better (more equal).A kazillion causes can make the tracking to be off, one of the first obviously the spread not being equal in Backtest vs Live. Still it is also often the code itself by doing things which are not “allowed” in Live vs Backtest. “Allowed” between quotes because it is often about rules of the broker, like that minimum distance of a StopLoss, which I *thus* simply avoid. How ? well, by just selling when my code finds it appropriate. IOW, I don’t leave that to the broker (which is what a Set Stop would do – mind you, this is NOT PRT doing it for you !). I have that Set Stop (in %) all right – see second attachment – but this is only for the case that my code would fail (unimaginable – hahaha), *OR* that something in the PRT server fails. Thus again, that SL resides at the Broker-side and he will take care of failures elsewhere (and if the broker fails I will get my money back :-)).
What I thus do is convert all from % to my internal SL code, and that fires when it wants. This is never at the SL you see in the 2nd attachment and it always fires earlier. It is still a % as applied to the PRT SL and it never ever failed. A distance to close to whatever ? … it can’t exist. It can’t exist because I (my program) sell when I want.
Anyway, 11 trades (in plus out) further during the writing of this, and all is still in sync. See 3rd attachment for motivation. Moral, you can make such tracking yourself and will see where it goes off. Of course this is not about the SL’s but they are hard to show. Haha. Ok, see the last attachment.
Apologies for all this text; I’m just having great fun with this stuff.
11/19/2021 at 12:02 PM #181886Not at all! I appreciate the input. I don’t believe I understand everything you write though.
The issue I’m facing is most likely what Nicolas pointed out and you said, that the minimum distance is too close when trying to set the stop. I’ll try to change the stop with the snippet Nicolas provided.
Having said that, I don’t understand what you mean when you say “selling when my code finds it appropriate”. Isn’t that what I’m trying to do? My goal is to get the dynamic stop to work, do you mean that it isn’t possible without putting “unfounded” trust in the broker? If yes, do you have any ideas for how I could achieve this goal? Your pictures don’t tell me much, but it sounds like you’ve done exactly what I’m trying to do?
11/19/2021 at 2:22 PM #181893This is my SL at such a far end that it will never trigger (unless something goes wrong) :
1SET STOP %LOSS StopLossCustomPThus exactly the same as yours, except that it will never be at a too close distance. In my case this works out as what you saw in the previous post, 1900+ or so USD. In itself this is dynamic (StopLossCustomP) but this is unimportant.
In the first attachment you see the bluw lone at 141.xx which is the real dynamic StopLoss divided by 100 (thus curently it is at USD 1410). That trade (not visible) just finished, and the SL resets to the maximum of 1940; you see that in attachment #2.
Still for this same example, this simple line determines the StopLoss in its basis :
1StopLossA = 520with the notice that in my case this is normalised to an amount of 100000, while the amount I use in this example from today is always 400000. Thus 4x 520 is in order, BUT this is related to an ever existing currency factor between the euro and the USD. And the USD has risen quite a bit (today alone already 1%). Thus yes, how can one make things complicated *or* … how can one make things independent of changing factors out of our control. However :
Where today your 0.5% suffices, tomorrow it may just not because of a lower price of the instrument you are dealing with. And there you’ll have your message again (too close, etc.).Then we make a percentage of it, which is not what I want but which is needed because some kind of transactions require it :
1234567891011121314151617If Not OnMarket then // 21-03-2021,PS, This If is functionally new and implies that no StopLoss changes underway.// 21-03-2021,PS, Phew, it took me several hours to get the below right, hence to what it now is;// StopLossP is the StopLoss in Percentage, with the strict goal it had to remain the same as how// it was in absolute $. Thus, our calculated $325 (as of lately), should remain exactly that,// taking into account :// - That the 325 (or other optimal value) works on an ever rate of the 2nd Fx pair (EUR/USD);// - That today this rate may be different but all the relations should remain in-tact (CurrencyFactor);// - That all indirectly relates to the *original* set up buy qty of 100.000 pieces (of EUR);// - That we already went triple crazy of the contract amounts vs buy qty vs changing that;**// **): All the hours of attempt let remain those original numbers, see below.// In addition the normal StopLoss must also remain, because else things don't work elsewhere// (hence the StopLossP).StopLossP = 100 / (((100000 * Close) * CurrencyFactor) / StopLossOrg)endifOf course you notice my If Not OnMarket which is similar to what Nicolas advised. In my case this is merely related to having set things consistently in advance, like for example underway the currency factor difference (while trading currencies) should not play a role. Btw, you see the CurrencyFactor being used there as well. This is (and has to be) in everything.
It may also be good to notice that working with percentages is not really something usable, while “money” as such is. Thus I work with values (amounts) related to the invested money-amount (similar to the StopLoss of 520 you saw).
Blablabla ?
Only this part is left :1234567If TrendNet = -1 and GainOpen < -SignificantLoss thenMustSell = 1If Grph5 then // 30-07-2021,PS.Trigger = close + DevTriggergraphonprice(((Trigger))) COLOURED (0,0,255) as"Exit market because of trend in wrong direction, etc. (SL)"endifwith the Notice that SignificantLoss is the representative of StopLoss which in itself emerges by this :
1234567891011If OnMarket thenSignificantLoss = SignificantLoss - StopLossDecreaseStopLoss = StopLoss - StopLossDecrease // (StopLossDecrease * BuySellAmount * ExtraFactor)// 20-08-2021,PS, WATCH OUT :// I take it that it is not even possible but this does *not* adjust the formal StopLoss dynamically. Maybe// this can be done after all by once in the minute or so removing the formal StopLoss (by making it equal to// 0) and next set a new one. Notice, however, that my own custom StopLoss surely works with this.// See more below under this date and SignificantLoss.endif… which is only a recursive trailing means I pointed out by the blue line.
And thus : again a lot of text but what happens is relatively easy. The moral again : I don’t leave it to the broker and just do it myself. This is nothing special in itself, but everybody uses his own means. Also keep in mind the importance of stuff like currency, and which may – or will not work out in backtesting but influence live. Especially when your account is in euros but you trade USD stuff, then things influence in an uncontrollable fashion. Not here (ehm, after a couple of years “finding out”).
Have fun !
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11/24/2021 at 8:55 PM #182226 -
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