BEST OPTIMIZED SETTINGS ARE ALWAYS POSTED ON THE "BEST SETTINGS" WEB PAGE (in the menu bar).
This section is posted for those individuals looking to fine tune every aspect of the EA. A better understanding of the process is listed below. You may skip this section if the process is too intense.
The process of optimization is a vital part of owning and maintaining a good Expert Advisor. Keeping your EA tuned and working well is very important. The default settings of your EA may be perfect for trading one currency pair, while modifications may be needed to the input parameters to reap the best results on another. The reason - one currency pair may be slow moving / trending while the other is highly volatile. This is where optimization is crucial.
Let's Keep It Simple
The staff at www.forex-expert-advisor-free.com realizes that most individuals are new to Forex Trading and may not know how to optimize their Expert Advisor. Therefore, have made every attempt to make this process as simple as possible.
What To OPTIMIZE
1. " Strength " parameters -- The seperation between current vs prior period movement.
2. " MASetting " parameter -- Moving Average tied into other calculations responsible for opening and closing a position.
5. " MacSlow " parameter-- Adjustments to the primary MACD setting.
Important: When optimizing with these default parameters be sure the MovAvg1 is always faster & lower than the MovAvg2. (i.e. 3 is faster and lower than 7). Discard results where the fields are reversed. They will yield false results. Ranges outside the default settings may also apply.
The Basic "START", "STEP" & "STOP" levels
Your START setting should begin with the lower end of the default settings. For example, 0.0001 (Strength), 2 (MASetting) & 6 (MacSlow).
Your STEP setting should begin wide, then tighten as you begin to isolate winning combinations. For example, 0.0005 (Strength), 4 (MASetting), 4 (MacSlow). Then tighten your step to 0.0002, 2, 2.........0.0001, 1 & 1. This will speed up the process considerably. Also consider using the "MODEL" -- Control Points to give an idea of profitable settings. Then verify with the "EACH TICK" Model.
Your STOP setting is the top or end where the Optimization will stop.
That's it. The process is simple. Repeat for each currency pair and time frame as needed.
Important - Clicking on too many properties at once will take a VERY LONG TIME. We advise only clicking on a few properties at a time to be optimized. Also, use the date time as mentioned below.
Let's Begin
Step 1 -- Open Up Your Strategy Tester
Step 2 -- Set Up Your Backtest parameters
1. Attach your desired Expert Advisor
2. Attach your desired Currency Pair Symbol
3. Everytick is the best method
4. Use Date - It is important to understand that we use the date function. Ideally, we want to check the box and use a recent starting date. 2006-01-01 is a good starting point. Data before that date may be missing (as you can see by opening up your "/TOOLS/HISTORY CENTER"..click on desired timeframe, for example EURUSD H4 and scroll through the data & dates that are there. The farther back you go the more data/dates
are missing and/or corrupt). It is possible to download additional data to fill these missing bars. Additionally, the farther back you go, the longer it will take for the optimization process to finish.
Lastly, set a period
Step 3 -- Click on Expert Properties
Red Arrows -- First Click on the parameters to be tested
The "VALUE" column (to the left of the START) is what the current settings of the EA are -- When the boxes are checked, these settings will not be taken into account when optimizing.
The three columns that are circled WILL affect the optimization process.
"START" is the beginning setting for optimization
"STEP" is the progression, or how much the "START" setting will increase. For example, in the above diagram the optimization of the MA_GAP Parameter will be at 0.0001, 0.0002, 0.0003...... finishing at 0.0015.
Step 4 -- Click the Optimization Button & Hit Start
Step 5 -- Reading your results
The first arrow (top left) represents how many passes: are " in progress vs total passes to be completed"
The second arrow represents the estimated time to completion: current time vs time needed to finish job
Optimization Results will list the optimization findings. Best Profit, Trades, Profit Factor, Drawdown, etc. You may cycle through each column by clicking on the corresponding tab at the top to view the best result for each column.
Optimization Graph will give you a quick view graph
NOTE: Take the BEST PROFIT &/or BEST MIN DRAWDOWN SETTINGS. Other unchecked boxes in your back tester will remain constant. Right-Click on Optimization Results and use the "Copy ALL" function. Paste to an excel sheet for later. You may save the "BEST PROFIT" settings & "BEST MIN DRAWDOWN" settings seperately by clicking on respective column tabs (top) and using "Copy ALL" function.
This may save you time when sifting through 100's of back tests.
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nor an offer to trade Forex. No representation is being
made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those discussed
on this site. The past performance of any trading system or methodology is not necessarily indicative of future results. Trading foreign currencies is a challenging and potentially profitable opportunity for educated and experienced investors. However, before deciding to participate in the Forex market, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience and risk appetite. There is considerable exposure to risk in any foreign exchange transaction. Any transaction involving currencies
involves risks including, but not limited to, the potential for changing political and/or economic conditions that may substantially affect the price or liquidity of a currency. Moreover, the leveraged nature of Forex trading means that any market movement will have an equally proportional effect on your deposited funds. This may work against you as well as for you. The possibility exists that you could sustain a total loss of initial margin funds and your position will be liquidated and you will be responsible
for any resulting losses. Investors are recommended to lower exposure to risk by employing risk-reducing strategies such as 'stop-loss' or 'limit' orders. Forex-Expert-Advisor-Free.com will not be held responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information available on this site. The content provided is put forward in good faith and believed to be accurate, however, there are no explicit or implicit warranties of accuracy or timeliness made by Forex-Expert-Advisor-Free.com. CFTC rule 4.41: Hypothetical
or simulated performance results have certain limitations. Unlike an actual performance record, simulated results do not represent actual trading. Also, since the trades have not been executed, the results may have under-or-over compensated for the impact, if any, of certain market factors, such as lack of liquidity. Simulated trading programs in general are also subject to the fact that they are designed with the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve
profit or losses similar to those shown.