Buy-Sell Strategy
Updated
The Buy-Sell strategy keeps you always in the market. It flips from long to short and back again — a Buy signal opens a long, and the next Sell signal both closes that long and opens a short. There are no fixed Take Profit or Stop Loss targets: the exit *is* the next opposite signal. It's a clean, momentum-following approach that thrives in trending markets.
How it works
- A Buy signal can open a long position.
- The next Sell signal closes the long and opens a short if that side is enabled and the quantity is valid.
- The following Buy can close the short and open a long again — and so on.
- There are no separate Stop Loss or Take Profit boxes; each exit label shows the simulated trade's profit or loss.
The settings unique to Buy-Sell
Instead of Stop Loss and Risk-Reward, Buy-Sell tunes its signals with Signal Length and Length Smoothness. In Automatic mode OptiTrade tests ranges of both; in Manual mode you set them directly.
- Signal Length
- The master dial for how many signals appear. Lower = more, faster flips; higher = fewer, cleaner flips. Automatic mode tests a range (e.g. 20 to 80).
- Length Smoothness
- How much the trend is smoothed before a signal fires. A higher smoothness gives fewer signals that may arrive a little later but avoid noise. Automatic mode tests a range (e.g. 0.5 to 8).
The Risk Resolution controls how many Smoothness values are tested; Signal Length Resolution controls how many lengths. As always, total back-tests = the two resolutions multiplied — keep it under ~1,000.
Tuning Buy-Sell
| You want… | Change | To |
|---|---|---|
| More frequent flips | Signal Length | a lower range |
| Fewer, cleaner flips | Signal Length | a higher range |
| Less noise / whipsaw | Length Smoothness | a higher range |
| Earlier signals | Length Smoothness | a lower range |
| Only longs or only shorts | Trading Preference (Advanced) | Only Buy / Only Sell |
Quick start
- Add the Buy-Sell strategy to a trending chart and open its settings.
- Keep Settings Selection on Automatic and Optimize For on Total Profit.
- If it flips too often, raise the Signal Length and/or Length Smoothness ranges.
- Check the Dashboard and try a few symbols/timeframes to find a strong trending fit.
- Create alerts or automate it once you're happy — see Signal Alerts and Automatic Trading.