Futures trading is complex and carries the risk of substantial losses. It is not suitable for all investors. The ability to withstand losses and adhere to a specific trading plan, despite trading losses, are key factors that can adversely affect investor returns.
The returns for trading systems listed throughout this website are hypothetical, as they represent returns in a model account. The model account rises or falls by the average single contract profit and loss achieved by clients trading actual money according to the listed system’s trading signals on the appropriate dates (client fills). If no actual client profit or loss is available, the returns are calculated based on the hypothetical single contract profit and loss generated by the system’s trading signals on that day in real time (real-time) after accounting for slippage. If no real-time profit or loss is available, the returns are based on the hypothetical single contract profit and loss generated by running the system’s logic backwards on backadjusted data (backadjusted).
Note that the Client Fill Trades are reported across all clients using the platform, across multiple brokers, and are not based solely on the performance of accounts at this brokerage.
The hypothetical model account begins with the initial capital listed, and is reset to that amount each month. The percentage returns reflect the inclusion of commissions, fees, slippage, and the cost of the system. The monthly system cost is subtracted from the net profit or loss before calculating the percentage return.
If and when a trading system has an open trade, the returns are marked to market on a daily basis. For backtested trades, the returns are marked using the backadjusted data available on the day the computer backtest was performed. For real-time and client fill trades, the returns are marked based on the closing price of the current front month contract. For trades spanning multiple months, the gain or loss for the month with an open trade is the marked-to-market gain or loss (the month-end price minus the entry price, and vice versa for short trades).
Actual percentage gains or losses experienced by investors will vary depending on many factors, including, but not limited to, starting account balances, market behavior, the duration and extent of the investor’s participation (whether or not all signals are followed), and money management techniques. As such, actual percentage gains or losses may differ significantly from the hypothetical performance presented on this website.
Please read carefully the CFTC-required disclaimer regarding hypothetical results below. HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BELOW. NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN. IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS ACHIEVED BY ANY PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM. ONE LIMITATION OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS IS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, HYPOTHETICAL TRADING DOES NOT INVOLVE FINANCIAL RISK, AND NO HYPOTHETICAL TRADING RECORD CAN FULLY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND LOSSES OR TO FOLLOW A PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM DESPITE LOSSES ARE IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT CAN ALSO NEGATIVELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER FACTORS RELATED TO THE MARKETS OR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY SPECIFIC TRADING PROGRAM THAT CANNOT BE FULLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS, ALL OF WHICH CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS.
The information contained in the reports within this site is provided with the goal of “standardizing” trading systems account performance and is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be viewed as a solicitation for any specific system or vendor. While the information and statistics provided on this website are believed to be accurate and complete, we cannot guarantee their accuracy or completeness. Past performance is not indicative of future results, and these results may have no bearing on or may not be reflective of any individual returns realized through participation in this or any other investment.
The statistics presented on this page are calculated using a combination of three hypothetical data sets:
- Backtested
- Tracked
- Live (where available)
Backtested performance is calculated by running a trading system backward in time to determine what trades would have been executed in the past using backadjusted data. Tracked performance is calculated by running the trading system forward each day and logging trades as they occur in real time. Live performance is calculated by running the trading system on live tick data for actual clients and tracking the actual buy and sell prices those clients receive in their accounts.