Basic Stop Loss Question

[oyz79]

I'm new (again) to NT and trying to use the Wizard to create a basic strategy. Enter Long if the RSI 28 is below 20. Create a trailing stop loss of 10%. When I do this using the Wizard, the long positions get entered but the stop loss never triggers for any position. Here is what the Wizard created:

{
#region Variables
// Wizard generated variables
private int myInput0 = 1; // Default setting for MyInput0
// User defined variables (add any user defined variables below)
#endregion

/// <summary>
/// This method is used to configure the strategy and is called once before any strategy method is called.
/// </summary>
protected override void Initialize()
{
SetTrailStop("", CalculationMode.Percent, 10);

CalculateOnBarClose = true;
}

/// <summary>
/// Called on each bar update event (incoming tick)
/// </summary>
protected override void OnBarUpdate()
{
// Condition set 1
if (RSI(28, 0).Avg[0] <= MyInput0)
{
EnterLong(DefaultQuantity, "");
}
}

[NinjaTrader_Bertrand]

oyz79, please try 0.1 to enter a stop of 10 percent...then see if they get triggered as you would expect.

Thanks

[oyz79]

Thanks for the reply - I just tried reentering the strategy using the wizard with .1 (and 10) and I now get an error CS1501:

{
#region Variables
// Wizard generated variables
private int myInput0 = 28; // Default setting for MyInput0
// User defined variables (add any user defined variables below)
#endregion

/// <summary>
/// This method is used to configure the strategy and is called once before any strategy method is called.
/// </summary>
protected override void Initialize()
{
SetTrailStop(".1", CalculationMode.Percent, 0, false);

CalculateOnBarClose = true;
}

/// <summary>
/// Called on each bar update event (incoming tick)
/// </summary>
protected override void OnBarUpdate()
{
// Condition set 1
if (RSI(28, 1).Avg[0] <= MyInput0)
{
EnterLong(DefaultQuantity, "");
}
}

[NinjaTrader_Bertrand]

You seem to have entered the value in the wrong field of the SetTrailStop call - it should be something like this -

SetTrailStop("", CalculationMode.Percent, 0.1, false);

[oyz79]

Thanks, that fixed it.

Where do I find information on how to code a holding period in addition to a stop loss - for example, set a stop loss and if not executed sell after 5,10,20, etc. days?

[NinjaTrader_Bertrand]

A Time Exit?

You could realize this with BarsSinceEntry() -

http://www.ninjatrader-support.com/HelpGuideV6/BarsSinceEntry.html

[oyz79]

Thanks, I've changed the script but when I run backtests I'm still getting stopped out as opposed to holding for 20 days. Here is the updated script, not sure how it is still reading a trailing stop loss as the exit rule when I backtest stocks?

protected override void Initialize()
{CalculateOnBarClose = true;
if (BarsSinceEntry() > 20)
ExitLong();
}

/// <summary>
/// Called on each bar update event (incoming tick)
/// </summary>
protected override void OnBarUpdate()
{
// Condition set 1
if (RSI(28, 1).Avg[0] <= Variable)
{
EnterLong(DefaultQuantity, "");
}
}

[NinjaTrader_Austin]

oyz79, have you hit the F5 key after editing the code to re-compile the script? That is an essential step in order for the changes to take effect.

[oyz79]

Thanks for the replies and patience - F5 has been hit. now when I go to File>New>Strategy Analyzer and select a stock or group of stocks to backtest, I select my RSI 28 script. I run the backtest and it runs a backtest for a different strategy I previously created, not the RSI 28 strategy that I selected.

Is my database possibly corrupt?

Here again is my script

/// <summary>
/// This method is used to configure the strategy and is called once before any strategy method is called.
/// </summary>
protected override void Initialize()
{CalculateOnBarClose = true;
if (BarsSinceEntry() > 20)
ExitLong();
}

/// <summary>
/// Called on each bar update event (incoming tick)
/// </summary>
protected override void OnBarUpdate()
{
// Condition set 1
if (RSI(28, 1).Avg[0] <= Variable)
{
EnterLong(DefaultQuantity, "");

[NinjaTrader_Bertrand]

You're welcome, the script to backtest selection would not be code related - any errors in the logs you spot? How do you determine the incorrect script was run? If you like contact us via Help > Mail to Support and we take a look at your logs and traces generated for further clues as to why this might happen.

Thanks