How to Backtest?

I don't know any programming for metatrader but I have some strategies I want to backtest. Do I just scroll back on my metatrader and see what happens next as I scroll along?

How do you guys backtest your strategies? Isn't there a strategy tester in metatrader, but I don't know how to use that thing. haha

You have to code your strategies in their language (MQL4) and the you can use the "Strategy Tester" included with Metatrader to automatically backtest your strategy's performance.

Hope that helps,
andersenws

PS There is an entire forum devoted to Metatrader here. Check that out for some programming resources.

Yeah but there are some discretionary issues, because my strategy involves alot of shapes, and levels, and stuff like that so it might be too hard for me to program that.

Ha, I don't really feel like learning how to program in Metatrader...

If I do this manually, how many tests do you think is enough? 20? 50? 100? More?

I'm just trying to find out what the best stop loss, trail stop, and take profits are...

I think the consensus is that 100 trades is enough to judge a system. Remember with the eyeball backtest that sometimes the eye only sees the good trades and not the losing ones. This has happened to me several times.

Also, I don't know if you know, but you can go back in MT4 and then press F12 to move forward one bar at a time.

andersenws

Awesome, I think the F12 will help a lot.