Coding Trades

 Hey everyone, After the eye-opening (and somewhat humbling!) experiences with my manual backtesting, and having re-prioritized my learning journey, I've come to a crucial realization: one of the most fundamental skills I need to truly master is proper backtesting methodology. It's not enough to just scroll charts and count pips. To truly validate a strategy and understand its edge, you need a systematic, unbiased, and thorough approach to historical data. This is where many aspiring traders, myself included, often fall short. Why Proper Backtesting is My Next Big Focus You might recall my previous posts about the pain of manual backtesting and the frustration of realizing my news straddle strategy "sucked." While those were valuable lessons, they also highlighted a gap in my knowledge: how to design and execute a truly effective backtest. That's why my immediate next step is to learn how to backtest properly via The Trading Cafe's dedicated course on the sub...

 Hey everyone, It's been a week of reflection and some important re-calibrations on my trading journey. You know how it goes – sometimes you make a decision with good intentions, and then, with more knowledge and perspective, you realize it might not be the best path forward right now . That's exactly what happened with a trading contest I recently signed up for. The Contest: A Good Idea... Eventually I initially thought signing up for a trading contest would be a great way to test my mettle, push myself, and get some real-time practice. After all, the competitive element can be a strong motivator. I discovered this particular contest through The 5%ers , a prop firm that has quickly become a favourite in my research, especially with recommendations from members of The Trading Cafe community. However, after a lot of thought and reviewing my recent progress, I've come to a clear conclusion: it was a terrible idea to sign up for a contest right now. And with that realization,...

 Hey everyone, It's been a really productive period on the learning front, and I'm feeling a significant shift in my focus and confidence! I've been pushing hard to solidify my foundational knowledge, and I'm excited to share some major updates. "The Boring Shit" is Done! First off, I'm thrilled to announce that I've completed "The Boring Shit That Makes You Rich" course! This course from The Trading Cafe, despite its cheeky name, has been an absolute game-changer. It hammered home the non-negotiable importance of trading psychology, robust risk management, and disciplined learning. It provided so much clarity on managing emotions, setting realistic expectations, and building effective study habits – all the stuff that truly underpins success in trading, regardless of the strategy or automation level. Finishing this feels like a major step forward in building a truly resilient trading mindset. TradingView Mastered (for now!) On the practical...

 Hey everyone, Life's shifted gears again! After a period of more flexible learning, I'm officially back at work , and alongside that, I've got university assignments due . It's a familiar feeling for many of us trying to build something new (like an algo trading skill set) while balancing existing commitments. The sudden increase in demands means my time is now a far more precious commodity. It's no longer just about deciding what to learn; it's about figuring out when and how to squeeze it all in without burning out. Enter: The Bullet Journal This is exactly why I've finally taken the plunge and started bullet journaling! I've been eyeing this method for a while, and now seems like the perfect time to give it a real shot. My primary goal is to increase my time management and productivity by getting everything out of my head and onto paper in a structured, yet flexible, way. For those unfamiliar, a bullet journal is a customisable organisational sys...

 Hey everyone, It's easy to get caught up in the technical rabbit hole of algo trading – the code, the backtesting, the deployment challenges. But lately, I've been focusing on something far more fundamental, something that I'm quickly realizing is absolutely critical for long-term success, whether you're trading manually or building bots: trading psychology and the art of effective learning. And for that, I've been diving into a course from The Trading Cafe that truly lives up to its name: "The Boring Shit That Makes You Rich." Embracing "The Boring Shit" When I first saw the title, I chuckled. "The Boring Shit That Makes You Rich." But honestly, it's such an apt description. This course isn't about flashy indicators or secret strategies. It's about the foundational principles of discipline, mindset, risk management, and the often-overlooked mechanics of how we truly learn and integrate complex information. It's been in...

 Hey everyone, After the recent, shall we say, "humbling" experience with my news straddle strategy's backtesting (ouch, those 10-pip losses!), I've had to take a serious step back and re-evaluate my entire approach. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of "algo" and "bots," but sometimes, the best path forward is to slow down and deepen your fundamental understanding. And that's exactly what I'm doing. Back to Basics: Alex Morris's Supply & Demand Strategy I've decided to shift my primary focus for now. Instead of immediately trying to fix my news straddle algo, I'm dedicating my effort to learning the components of Alex Morris's Supply and Demand strategy from The Trading Cafe . This isn't abandoning algorithmic trading, but rather taking a strategic detour. The "Six Figure From Scratch" book and the accompanying chapter readings have been incredibly insightful, and I'm realizing the impor...

 Hey everyone, Just wanted to check in and let you know: I'm still here! Lol. After the sobering, albeit necessary, reality check of my news straddle strategy's recent backtesting performance (or lack thereof!), you might have expected me to throw in the towel. But nope, that's not how we roll on this algo trading journey. If anything, those clear, undeniable losses have only intensified my resolve. It's frustrating, yes, but it's also incredibly motivating to figure out why it's not working and how to fix it. Back to the Drawing Board: News Straddle Re-Evaluation So, my primary focus remains the re-evaluation of my news straddle strategy . As I mentioned, the manual backtesting revealed a painful consistency in hitting stops. This means I need to go deeper than just tweaking parameters. I'm looking at fundamental questions: Are my entry conditions too broad or too precise? Is the 10-pip loss simply too tight for the post-news volatility? Am I missing ...

 Alright, time for some brutal honesty on the algo trading journey. You know how in my last post, I talked about scaling back my backtesting to focus on just US news releases on EUR/USD? Well, I took my own advice, doubled down on the manual testing, and the results are in. And, wow. My strategy SUCKS! Seriously, it's been a real dose of humble pie. The Unforgiving Truth of Focused Backtesting I picked 6 key US news releases between April 29th, 2025, and May 7th, 2025 , for my targeted manual backtesting. These were high-impact events that, in theory, my news straddle strategy should have capitalized on. The result? All 6 trades would have stopped out at a 10-pip loss. Every single one. That's a perfect losing streak in under two weeks of market data. Then, just to get an even fresher perspective, I also manually backtested using TradingView for the last week of May 2025 . (Quick side note: TradingView's replay feature is so much better for manual backtesting than what ...

You know that feeling when you're super motivated, have a ton of ideas, and decide to tackle everything at once? Yeah, that's been me lately. And, as I'm quickly learning in algo trading, "everything at once" usually means "getting nothing done efficiently." I've been deep into the backtesting phase for my news straddle strategy, and in my enthusiasm, I set a ridiculously ambitious goal: to manually backtest 7 currency pairs per major news release (think NFP, CPI, etc.). If you've ever tried manual backtesting, you're probably already wincing. The Sheer Scale of "Too Much" Let's break down why that was an immediate recipe for burnout and inefficiency: 7 Pairs: That's EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD, USD/CAD, USD/CHF, NZD/USD (or similar). Each one needs separate chart analysis. Per News Release: Major news events happen frequently. Manual Process: Each event on each pair requires meticulous charting, noting entries...

 Hey everyone, It's been a bit of a frustrating week on the algo trading front, and it highlights a common dilemma for beginners like myself: the constant tug-of-war between actually building the strategy and getting bogged down in infrastructure and deployment issues . I've realized I've been spending a disproportionate amount of time and mental energy lately worrying about how I'm going to deploy my news straddle strategy once it's ready. We talked about my Linux concerns in a previous post, and that's been a persistent background hum. While it's crucial to think about deployment eventually, I'm starting to feel like it's becoming a significant distraction from the core task: making the strategy itself robust and profitable. Wasting Effort on "How" Instead of "What" My main focus right now should be on refining my strategy's logic, optimizing parameters, and thoroughly backtesting it. That's the engine of the whole op...

 Alright, let's talk about something that's both essential and, frankly, utterly mind-numbing for an aspiring algo trader: manual backtesting . It's a rite of passage, I suppose. Every trading strategy, no matter how brilliant it seems in theory, needs to be rigorously tested against historical data. This is where you see if your grand idea actually holds water. And for a beginner, before you fully dive into the world of sophisticated backtesting libraries, you often start with the basics. And by basics, I mean staring at charts, dragging lines, noting down entries and exits, calculating pips, logging drawdowns, and probably muttering to yourself. The Agony of the Manual Chart Scroll I've been going through this process with some of my strategy ideas, particularly as I refine the nuances of my news straddle strategy. You pick a currency pair, a time frame, and then you begin. Scroll, scroll, scroll. "Okay, news event here. Did my conditions meet? Yes. Entry. Stop l...

Alright, fellow aspiring traders, I've had a bit of a revelation lately that has seriously accelerated my learning journey, and I just had to share it with you all. It involves a resource many of us beginners know and love: the Babypips School of Pipsology . We all know Babypips is the go-to for a solid foundation in Forex trading. The structured lessons, clear explanations – it's like having a patient mentor guiding you through the often-intimidating world of pips and lots. However, like many of you, finding dedicated, uninterrupted time to sit down and digest all that information can be a real challenge. That's where the magic happened for me. I recently discovered that the Babypips School of Pipsology is available in audio format! And let me tell you, this has been nothing short of extremely happyful for my learning. Seriously, it's been a game-changer. Conquering Preschool on the Road! The impact was almost immediate. Just today, I had a roughly 3-hour car journey...

 Hello fellow aspiring algorithmic traders! Today, I want to talk about two critical, yet often overlooked, aspects of developing an algo trading strategy: backtesting libraries and the looming question of deployment , especially when you're a dedicated Linux user like me. Diving into Backtesting: QStrader vs. backtestpy So, my current focus is really on nailing down the backtesting of my news straddle strategy. It's one thing to have a great idea; it's another entirely to prove it stands a chance against historical market data. For this, I've been getting my hands dirty with a couple of prominent Python backtesting libraries: QStrader and backtestpy . Both libraries offer fantastic functionalities, but they approach the problem from slightly different angles. QStrader is a comprehensive framework that provides a more structured and object-oriented approach. It's great for building sophisticated event-driven backtesting systems, which can accurately simulate ma...

 Sometimes, the most productive days in algo trading aren't spent coding or backtesting, but simply absorbing knowledge. Today was one of those quieter days for me, and I finally carved out some dedicated time to dive into a new resource. Diving into TradingCafe I've finally cracked open the TradingCafe book ! I've heard a lot about it in various trading circles, and I'm excited to start digging into its insights. It's easy to get caught up in the technical aspects of building bots and analysing data, but understanding the underlying market dynamics and trading psychology is just as crucial. I'm hoping to gain some fresh perspectives and perhaps even discover new strategy ideas from its pages. It's a reminder that continuous learning is paramount in this ever-evolving field. Babypips School of Pipsology: A Game-Changer! On another exciting note, I made a fantastic discovery today: the Babypips School of Pipsology is available in audio format! Seriously, wha...

 Hey everyone, and welcome back to the blog! For those following along, you know I've been deep in the trenches of developing my news straddle strategy. It's a fascinating area of algorithmic trading, aiming to profit from volatility spikes around major news announcements. My initial development work has been quite focused on leveraging the ForexConnect library, which has been a valuable tool for getting the strategy's logic hammered out. However, as any beginner on this algo trading path will tell you, it's rarely a straight line! I've hit a bit of a crossroads, or more accurately, a redirection, on my journey. The FTMO Focus Lately, my sights have shifted firmly onto FTMO . For those unfamiliar, FTMO is a prop trading firm that offers to traders who can prove their profitability and risk management skills through a rigorous evaluation process a profit share without risking capital. The appeal is obvious: access to significant capital without risking your own. It...

  It’s been an interesting few days as I continue to dive deeper into the world of trading. I’ve been spending a lot of my energy trying to build a   news straddle strategy algorithm . It’s a fascinating challenge, and while it’s not quite finished, I’m making progress and learning a ton along the way. In my quest to test out different platforms for my algo, I recently started a free trial with  FTMO . My goal was to explore their DXTrade API, but I quickly discovered that it’s not actually allowed on their platform. A bit of a curveball, but it’s all part of the learning process when you’re exploring new tools and environments! Beyond the coding, I’ve also been getting more involved in the trading community. I recently joined the  Trading Cafe  and have been quite active there. It’s been great to connect with other traders, and I even had the chance to watch a live session. Plus, I picked up their book and just started reading it – always keen to soak up more k...

  Hello world Welcome to  Quant Quest , my brand new journal documenting my foray into the fascinating and sometimes daunting world of algorithmic forex trading. As a relative beginner in the realm of automated strategies and quantitative analysis, this blog will serve as my logbook, my testing ground, hopefully, my chronicle of progress (and perhaps a few entertaining missteps along the way) but more importantly, my accountability. In this blog, you can expect to find: My learning journey:  The concepts I’m grappling with, the resources I’m exploring, and the “aha!” (and “oh no!”) moments I encounter. Algorithm development:  Snippets of code (when I dare to share!), the logic behind my strategies, and the evolution of my bots. Backtesting results:  The cold, hard numbers (and my attempts to interpret them!). Live trading experiments:  The nervous excitement (and potential heartbreak) of deploying my creations in the real market. My thoughts and reflections...