Buy the dips, sell the bounces inside a fixed band. Profitable in range, bleeds when the band breaks.
Over 2020-09-01 → 2026-09-23 it returned 9.9% while buying once on the first day and never touching it returned 118.6% — 108.7% worse. Not one of the 16 parameter settings tested beat the benchmark. The median setting returned 8.7%.
It spent 410 days below its previous high at the longest stretch — 62% of the whole period under water.
52 fills. Signals are taken on the close and filled at the next open.
A single return is one chosen start date. These are 62 runs of the same rules with the start shifted forward 30 days at a time.
| Worst | p10 | p25 | Median | p75 | p90 | Best | Losing starts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -4.7% | -3.2% | -1.0% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 5.2% | 31% |
The numbers above are one market on one timeframe. A rule that only works there did not work — the market did.
Same rules, same parameters, different candle size on Gold (PAXG).
| Timeframe | Trades | Return | Buy & hold | vs B&H | Beat it | Trades |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4H | 13281 | 11% | 119% | -108% | no | 29 |
| 1D ← | 2214 | 10% | 119% | -109% | no | 26 |
| 1W | 316 | 8% | 123% | -115% | no | 20 |
Same rules, same parameters, different asset — daily candles.
| Market | Return | Buy & hold | vs B&H | Beat it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTC/USDT | 32% | 530% | -498% | no |
| ETH/USDT | 32% | 276% | -244% | no |
| Gold (PAXG) ← | 10% | 119% | -109% | no |
The headline above uses one parameter setting. Here is every setting tested: 16 combinations, median 8.7%, best 13.7%, worst 2.6%. 0 of them beat buy & hold.
Grid run across its own parameter range over the full period. The same rules flip from profit to loss depending only on the numbers you picked — which is why a single headline return is meaningless on its own.
| levels 5 | levels 10 | levels 20 | levels 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rangePct 0.15 | 6% | 12% | 11% | 3% |
| rangePct 0.25 | 5% | 10% | 12% | 5% |
| rangePct 0.4 | 5% | 9% | 14% | 7% |
| rangePct 0.6 | 7% | 9% | 12% | 9% |
Hover a cell for trade count and drawdown. “·” = invalid combination (fast ≥ slow).
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | -3% | -2% | 1% | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Max DD | 7% | 8% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 5% |
| Trades | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 19 |
| Closed | P&L (USDT) | Held |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-13 | +30.87 | — |
| 2024-08-02 | +30.87 | — |
| 2024-05-15 | +32.31 | — |
| 2024-04-15 | +30.87 | — |
| 2024-04-13 | +30.87 | — |
| 2024-04-12 | +32.31 | — |
| 2024-04-03 | +33.89 | — |
| 2024-03-20 | +35.62 | — |
| 2024-03-05 | +37.52 | — |
| 2023-12-03 | +37.52 | — |
| 2023-10-27 | +39.62 | — |
| 2023-05-04 | +37.52 | — |
| 2023-03-17 | +39.62 | — |
| 2023-03-11 | +41.96 | — |
| 2023-01-11 | +41.96 | — |
| 2022-11-11 | +44.57 | — |
| 2022-08-02 | +44.57 | — |
| 2022-03-06 | +39.62 | — |
| 2022-02-24 | +39.62 | — |
| 2022-02-12 | +41.96 | — |
| 2021-11-16 | +41.96 | — |
| 2021-05-16 | +39.62 | — |
| 2021-05-09 | +41.96 | — |
| 2021-01-05 | +37.52 | — |
| 2021-01-02 | +39.62 | — |
Rule-based range trading, widely automated on FX and crypto venues. The name itself has no official definition. Also known as Range grid, ladder.
Listed as convention, not as established fact.
| Period | 2020-09-01 → 2026-09-23 |
| Parameters | {"rangePct":0.25,"levels":10,"allocPct":0.08} |
| Fees | 0.10% taker + 0.05% slippage, both legs |
| Starting capital | 10,000 USDT · long-only spot, no leverage |
| Rolling test | 365 bars × 62 start dates |
| Input hash | 2cfc1fb9b1015221 |