Home
Search Forums
Keywords:
Search Titles Only
User Name:
Exact Match
Show Results As:
Advanced Options
Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
  #1  
Old Aug 17, 2007 2:31pm
FXTradepro's Avatar
Currency Trader
 
Member Since Jul 2007
8 Vouchers  355 Posts
Default FXTradepro: Strategy using a “Semi-Martingale” Position Sizing

Hello Traders:


I am a long time lurker at Forex Factory and I would like to open a thread to discuss a Profitable Trading Strategy that I have been using for more than 1 year. I have been hesitant to Post in the past regarding this Trading Method as it employs a “Semi-Martingale” position sizing and most of the Threads that I have read on “Martingale” methods here at Forex Factory advise against this concept.


The basic premise of the Strategy is not entirely new, nor do I claim that it is 100% original, however, I have “made it my own” and found a way to trade it profitably. Having said that, I am willing to share the Strategy, but I would first like to determine the level of interest that Factory Members would have concerning such a method. If interest is strong, I am willing to invest the time necessary to explain the method in detail. I will share the basic concepts of the Strategy below and await feedback from Members.


INTRODUCTION: The FXTradepro Forex Trading Strategy

Having actively traded the FOREX Market for more than 5 years, I have learned that PREDICTING what the Market will do, particularly in the short-term, is virtually impossible. We can certainly have an idea of what MIGHT occur, however, we can never be sure. Probability is the key along with a system that helps to exploit this probability.

The FXTradepro Forex Trading Strategy does not rely on our being consistently correct on the Market's direction, but enables us to profit both when we are RIGHT and also when we are WRONG. The Strategy relies on volatility, not on making correct predictions. This is essentially a Day Trading Strategy with trades generally lasting less than a day or two at most.

The Strategy can be traded manually on virtually any Broker's Platform, however, you would need to be at the Trade Terminal constantly to manage and monitor your position, therefore, I highly recommend using a MetaTrader 4 Broker along with my "FXTradepro Manager" Expert Advisor (EA), which I have had programed for me by a professional Coder. Unlike many EA's, the FXTradepro Manager does not trade as a fully automated system. What it does is trade the System or more precisely, MANAGE and monitor our position once we have decided on a solid entry. Essentially, we tell the EA when to enter the market and once that is done the EA will do the rest until the conclusion of the trade.

The Concept:

The FXTradepro Forex Trading Strategy is a probability (expectancy) based System using what I call a "Sequence Of Trades" that runs until a Profit Target is ultimately reached. Below I will break down this idea into the pertinent details:

1) We open a trade (set the EA) based upon our Entry criteria. For example, we open a BUY on EURUSD at 1.3500. Our Stop Loss is set to 10 Pips at 1.3490 and our Take Profit is set to 40 Pips at 1.3540. This is called our INITIAL ENTRY in the Sequence.

2) If our Take Profit is hit we then wait for a new Entry Signal and begin again.

3) If our Stop Loss is hit, then our next trade would be a SELL (assuming our first trade was a Buy as above) which we would enter at Market Price as soon as our Stop Loss is triggered. This new Sell position would have the same Take Profit = 40 and Stop Loss = 10 settings as the Initial Entry. This Sequence Of Trades continues each time our Stop Loss is hit, with the resulting trade going in the opposite direction of the previous trade. The Sequence Of Trades is complete whenever a Take Profit is reached. When using the FXTradepro Manager Expert Advisor, the EA will automatically open and close all trades once we set it for the Initial Entry.



4). In the above example our Initial Entry was a Buy. Alternately, if our Initial Entry had been a Sell, then the next trade in the Sequence Of Trades would be a Buy, with a 10 pip Stop Loss, and a Take Profit of 40. To summarize the above:

A Sequence Of Trades means that each time our Stop Loss is hit, the next trade would be:
  • In the opposite direction
  • The Stop Loss and Take Profit settings would remain the same as
    our Initial Entry at TP=40 and SL=10 for all trades in the Sequence
  • Lot sizes increase as follows:



In Summary, the Sequence Of Trades continues, Buying or Selling, while increasing Lot sizes on each position until the Take Profit is ultimately hit. We never have more than 1 position open at a time during a Sequence Of Trades (unless we are trading more than 1 pair at a time). In my experience trading the Strategy over a period of more than a year and using highly selective entries, the vast majority of my trades close by the 12th entry or sooner, leaving plenty of room for unexpected market events.


The FXTradepro Forex Trading Strategy - Trade Example:

Below is a Chart that shows how the Strategy works on a EURUSD Trade. The Take Profit and Stop Loss Settings were the Default Settings of TP=40 & SL=10. The "Sequence Of Trades" was set at 24 Entries using the following Lot Size progression: 0.1 - 0.1 - 0.2 - 0.3 - 0.4 - 0.6 - 0.8 - 1.1 - 1.5 - 2.0 - 2.7 - 3.6 - 4.7 - 6.2 - 8.0 - 10.2 - 13.0 - 16.5 - 20.8 - 26.3 - 33.1 - 41.6 - 52.2 - 65.5.





This Trade hit the Profit Target on the 5th Entry in the Sequence with a 0.4 Lot position size. The first 4 trades in the Sequence, with 0.1, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 Lot position sizes respectively, were stopped out with a 10 Pip Stop Loss on each trade.

Here is how the Trade worked out PROFITABLY starting the Sequence Of Trades with 0.1 Standard Lot which equals 10,000 Units (1 Mini Lot):

#1 - Initial Entry - SELL 0.1 Lot: SL hit -10 Pips @ $1. per Pip = -$10.
#2 - 2nd Entry - BUY 0.1 Lot: SL hit - 10 Pips @ $1. per Pip = -$10.
#3 - 3rd Entry - SELL 0.2 Lots: SL hit - 10 Pips @ $2. per Pip = -$20.
#4 - 4th Entry - BUY 0.3 Lot: SL hit - 10 Pips @ $3. per Pip = -$30.
#5 - 5th Entry - SELL 0.4 Lots: TP hit +40 Pips @ $4. per Pip = +$160.


TOTAL = $160 - $70 in aggregate losses = $90 PROFIT for the Sequence




Currency Pairs to Trade:

The FXTradepro Forex Trading Strategy can be traded on virtually any Currency pair. Since my Stops are tight on each trade (10 pips), I generally prefer to trade Pairs with a pip spread of 5 or less. For pairs with a bigger spread, TP and SL settings, as well as the Sequence of Lot Sizing, need to be modified to accommodate the larger spread.


Expert Advisor & Indicators:


I will post the .ex4 version of my Expert Advisor if there is a suitable amount of interest in the concepts that I have outlined above. There are also several Indicators that I keep on my Charts, however, I focus mainly on Price Action, Support and Resistance and Average Daily Range to decide when to enter the Market and begin a Sequence Of Trades.




The FXTradepro Forex Trading Strategy will not make anyone a millionaire overnight or provide the ridiculously high annual returns that many Traders are hoping for, however, I have been able to make consistent gains using a method that I AM COMFORTABLE with. Please Post your comments and let me know if anyone is interested in learning more about this method. If interest is strong, I will invest the time to continue in more detail and consider the possibility of starting a Journal detailing my Entries and Results


Thanks,


Dan

Last edited by FXTradepro, Dec 28, 2008 10:08am
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old Aug 17, 2007 2:40pm
Member
 
Member Since Apr 2006
Default

You have made an excellent presentation.

I would not trade your system, but I'm certain there will be a lot of interest on this forum.

Good luck with it.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old Aug 17, 2007 2:47pm
smjones's Avatar
THANK YOU MERLIN,TWEE and FF Team
 
Member Since Mar 2006
Default

Nice presentation.. Why would anyone need an EA for this? Couldn't a person just toss a coin? Heads buy, tails sell? I am not being flippant, I am just concerned about any Marty type system including the D'Lambre and others... Perhaps you could post some actual trading results...
__________________
There are no Gurus, only dead Buddhas; "If you meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him"

Last edited by smjones, Aug 17, 2007 4:05pm
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old Aug 17, 2007 3:08pm
FXTradepro's Avatar
Currency Trader
 
Member Since Jul 2007
8 Vouchers  355 Posts
Default

Billbss and Scott: Thanks for your brief comments.

Scott: This is a Stop and Reverse System and sometimes it can be difficult to enter orders and trades quickly especially during volatile Market periods. The EA that I had created for the Strategy handles all trade entries once I have told it when to enter the Initial Entry in my Sequence Of Trades.

As far as Random Entry goes, It can be traded that way, however, I have found it too risky. I have had the most consistent results using a DISCRETIONARY entry for the Initial trade in my Sequence. The idea here is to enter at a place or time when we are less likely to get caught in a tight range.

I hope this makes things a bit clearer.

Dan
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old Aug 17, 2007 3:53pm
howard
 
Member Since Sep 2006
Default

Hi

Please continue with the method and we will try it and the EA on a demo account as usual; during which time zone do you normally start the initial entry?
__________________
Regards
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old Aug 17, 2007 4:01pm
Member
 
Member Since Nov 2006
Default

FXTradepro

I believe there are lots of traders worldwide making money in the fx market by applying similar methods.
Keep on posting on this subject. Nothing wrong with what you are presenting here.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old Aug 17, 2007 4:06pm
Member
 
Member Since May 2007
Default

Yes I like the sound of this, can you please post more regarding entries and profit/loss ratio?

What time frames are best for this system?
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old Aug 17, 2007 4:07pm
smjones's Avatar
THANK YOU MERLIN,TWEE and FF Team
 
Member Since Mar 2006
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FXTradepro View Post
Billbss and Scott: Thanks for your brief comments.

Scott: This is a Stop and Reverse System and sometimes it can be difficult to enter orders and trades quickly especially during volatile Market periods. The EA that I had created for the Strategy handles all trade entries once I have told it when to enter the Initial Entry in my Sequence Of Trades.

As far as Random Entry goes, It can be traded that way, however, I have found it too risky. I have had the most consistent results using a DISCRETIONARY entry for the Initial trade in my Sequence. The idea here is to enter at a place or time when we are less likely to get caught in a tight range.

I hope this makes things a bit clearer.

Dan
Thanks for the answer.. Yes, lets have a look. It would be an interesting discussion...

Thanks again,
__________________
There are no Gurus, only dead Buddhas; "If you meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him"
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old Aug 17, 2007 4:11pm
FXTradepro's Avatar
Currency Trader
 
Member Since Jul 2007
8 Vouchers  355 Posts
Default

Hello Howard............And Thank You for your encouragement.

If interest in this Strategy continues to mount, I will post the EA and additional information on how I trade this. To answer your question, I do NOT generally set the EA to trade at a specific time, although it does have an input for a Timed Entry, which I do use sometimes. I typically review 7 currency pairs and determine when to start the Sequence based upon my analysis of the current price action. I have had very good success entering the Initial Entry as follows; SELL at Resistance or BUY at support on a 30 minute chart. I like to see a period of consolidation also prior to entering the Sequence. I will post more on this as this thread develops.

I hope this information helps.

Dan

{ Link Removed }
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old Aug 17, 2007 4:23pm
FXTradepro's Avatar
Currency Trader
 
Member Since Jul 2007
8 Vouchers  355 Posts
Default

Sorry Scott........I didn't realize that I violated any rules. Won't happen again.

Dan
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old Aug 17, 2007 5:23pm
FXTradepro's Avatar
Currency Trader
 
Member Since Jul 2007
8 Vouchers  355 Posts
Default

Hello Random and Guess:

Thank you both for posting.

A complete explanation of the Strategy with charts and graphs, etc., is quite a large undertaking. I am hopeful that there will be enough interest from Factory Members over the next day or two to warrant the expenditure of time required on my part to detail the Strategy properly. I am working on some information right now to include. Please feel free to PM me if I can assist you in any way.

Everyone......Please continue to Post your initial thoughts on what I have outlined in the first Post. I am working on the information to fully explain the Strategy and I want to make sure that anyone interested understands what I have presented so far.

Dan
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old Aug 17, 2007 6:29pm
Carllos's Avatar
Member
 
Member Since Jun 2006
Talking

Hi there Dan

Thanks for sharing

You have made a very clear explanation. Ths looks like a new version of the bless_5th system.
I´ve been working around bless last few days and started to make it profitable using a variation from Cuda.

It will be interesting to make this variation and see where it goes. I personaly would use Hectors EMAs or rainbow to get into trades, so EA will run on autopilot.

I hope i will build it this weekend. I´m working of six different projects at moment so, i can´t promiss anything. It would be easier if you posted your EA code.

Anyway, martingales and d´alambert are not the most popular methods for real trading. One would have to stop somewhere on the growth process and when it happens.. the house, the car and the wife goes with it.

Cheers

Carllos
__________________
"Hoe ur pips mate?"
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old Aug 17, 2007 6:47pm
FXTradepro's Avatar
Currency Trader
 
Member Since Jul 2007
8 Vouchers  355 Posts
Default

Hi Carllos.....Thanks for dropping in. I agree that Martingale money management can be a problem, but I have lessened my exposure by using a highly modified version of that idea. Personally, I am not fond of fully automated entry systems and I have been able to make this concept work mainly because I am pretty selective about my Initial Entry. The vast majority of my trades close by the 12th entry in a Sequence Of Trades (usually even sooner than that) and I have designed my Money Management to enable as many as 24 entries, so I feel very comfortable most of the time. The nice thing about the Strategy I trade is that I can adapt to Market conditions especially as that pertains to an Entry criteria. This is something that an automated entry system cannot do as well as an experienced Trader.

This is just my personal opinion from my own experience and I wish you luck with your ideas and trading.

Regards,

Dan
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old Aug 17, 2007 7:06pm
Charts + PA > *
 
Member Since Jul 2006
Default

Isn't it just a SAR integrated breakout system off a discretionary "offset"?

I don't understand the reason for the martinggale-ish scaling up.
Just seems unecessary escalation of risk to me.
I know it's to try and overcome all prior failed trades at once, but exposure towards full blowout simply rises exponentially as well.
IMHO the r/r edge (1:4 at 50% chance for direction to simplify)should manage the profit, not exponentially larger risk taking.


Not that this sort of system appeals to me at all, just tossing some initial thoughts out there.
__________________
Trust price. Know yourself.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old Aug 17, 2007 7:12pm
Member
 
Member Since Oct 2006
Default

Ahh.. I was waiting for someone to post this strategy as I have been trading it for a few months... the problem with this system is that anyone using an ea with mt4 as I have been doing will get screwed by the broker. The broker will widen their spread even when volatility is normal to spreads as high as 32 pips (this week with ibfx with gbpusd) and even if this is done for a few seconds, it will open and close several multilot trades within a single tick and you are out several hundred and even thousand pips... believe me, it works wonderful on demos when spreads stay low but everyday, all mt4 brokers will widen spreads on live accounts to insane amounts to screw people using these types of systems....Stop and think, if your sl is like 10-20 pips and the spread wides to 20, every tick your ea is opening a multilot trade and it is being closed by sl.. within seconds, you are down A LOT!!! Luckily, i was only down 500 or so pips since I had a safeguard for spreads in my ea... be very careful trading this live with an ea!!
Reply With Quote
Reply

1 Trader Viewing This Thread (0 are members)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
PowerSM Semi-Martingale EA mer071898 Trading Systems 417 Nov 5, 2009 5:45pm
Martingale EA - Alternative to FXTradepro guess121 Programming Discussion 19 Aug 18, 2009 7:41am
PowerSM Semi-Martingale EA Trades mer071898 Trading Journals 53 Jun 5, 2009 10:14am
Semi-Martingale SupeM Method guess121 Trading Systems 4 Mar 19, 2008 3:49pm
Simple MACD w/ Semi-Martingale MM ForexDude2 Trading Systems 8 Sep 10, 2007 12:00am