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Re: Long Term Systems



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"Andy" <andy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
   >
   >
   >Hi All,
   >
   >I'm and expereinced short term trader (ex. bank
   >trader) looking for a longer term system. Apart
   >from Abberation, can anybody recommend any other
   >good ones out there. [snip]
   >

Here's some Easy Language code for a long term
trendfollowing system, ZZZ_WKPD.  The system
idea is well known and public domain; for
example it appears in Jack Schwager's book
"A Complete Guide To The Futures Markets",
copyright 1984.  And Schwager's book contains
a footnote referring to a paper published
in 1980 (20 years ago) that discusses the
system, but I haven't seen the paper myself.

However, precisely BECAUSE the system's well
known, almost nobody bothers to research it.
And so it's a little-appreciated gem of a system.

I tested WKPD on the following futures markets:
  BP, CD, CT, CL, DM, DX, FV, HG, HO, HU, JO,
  JY, KC, LB, MB, NG, SF, TU, TY, US

And I compared it to another long term
trendfollowing system, Aberration, on
the same markets.

I tested them twice: (1) trading single-contracts
and with ZERO SLIPPAGE, and (2) trading single
contracts with MAXIMUM SLIPPAGE.

MAXIMUM SLIPPAGE is what happens when you get
the absolutely WORST POSSIBLE fill of the day.
If you're buying, you get filled at the absolute
high of the day.  If you're selling, you get
filled at the absolute low of the day.  This is
an extreme estimate of the worst-case thing that
can possibly happen to you.  It's a torture test.


RESULTS WITH ZERO SLIPPAGE AND $25.00 COMMISSION, TRADING ONELOTS
=================================================================
  WKPD          Ntrades=743  NetProfit=$918556  AvgTrade=$1236.28

  Aberration    Ntrades=632  NetProfit=$781624  AvgTrade=$1236.75

RESULTS WITH MAXIMUM SLIPPAGE AND $25.00 COMMISSION, TRADING ONELOTS
===================================================================
  WKPD          Ntrades=743  NetProfit=$339879  AvgTrade=$457.44
  Aberration    Ntrades=632  NetProfit=$331012  AvgTrade=$523.75


Take a look at that!  Even with MAXIMUM SLIPPAGE,
i.e. the worst possible fills, the Well Known Public
Domain ("WKPD") system averaged a profit of more
than $450 per contract per trade.  Wow.  The vendor
system did a little better but not much.  (Its
strength is in non-onelot trading, i.e. trading
with geometric betsizing).  These suckers are
resilient.

Apparently the days on which the WKPD system trades,
are a little more volatile than the days on which
Aberration trades.  The average difference between
the desired fill, and the worst-possible-fill, was
a little bigger with WKPD.  But not very much.


DISCUSSION
==========
A version of the WKPD system ships "free" with
TradeStation, at least, I got it with my copy of
TS version 4.04, build 19.6.  It's so tiny it can
be written in the "Quick Editor".

Despite being 20 years old, well known, public
domain, and widely available, this system gives
great test results.  I wonder how the Efficient
Market Hypothesis people feel about that :-).

I have attached an ELA to this message, so that
you can play with the system if you like.  But
remember, Omega Research products can't do the
MAXIMUM SLIPPAGE test.  Thus you won't really be
able to replicate the torture test easily (unless
you have non-Omega software like Trading Recipes),
I'm sorry.  The ELA is cloaked; I'll uncloak it
in a few days if anybody really wants me to.

Meanwhile, think it over and ponder the question:
what well known, public domain, 20-year-old
system could possibly give an average of $457
profit per one-lot trade with MAXIMUM SLIPPAGE
(and $1225 per onelot without slippage)?  It's
a fun little problem to work on.  Hint: this is
an indicator-based system, not a chart-pattern-
based system.  Murray Ruggerio's articles in
_Futures_ magazine claim this is not possible :-).

The Easy Language code is named "ZZZ_WKPD",
a name chosen so that it will be alphabetically
last on your list of installed systems in your
Omega menus.  That ought to make it especially
easy to find.

Note: WKPD is *completely* unrelated to the
"Pretty Good Oscillator".  They use totally
different design ideas and totally different
Easy Language code.  To name one difference,
WKPD is a pure reversal system.  It's always
in the market, either long or short.  But
PGO is *not* a reversal system; it has lengthy
periods when it is "flat" (neither long nor
short).

-Mark Johnson

Attachment Converted: "f:\eudora\attach\Zzz_wkpd.ela"

--
   Mark Johnson     Silicon Valley, California     mark@xxxxxxxxxxxx

   "... The world will little note, nor long remember, what we
    say here..."   -Abraham Lincoln, "The Gettysburg Address"