iBankCoin
Joined Nov 11, 2007
1,458 Blog Posts

New Big Bamboo Data: 8% Stops with 2% Risk

This system has been stopping out of many trades over the past month. These trades would have been profitable had a looser stop been applied. BHH suggested that the best stop should be developed independently of the equity curve. Once the optimum stop has been identified, position-sizing would then be used to create the equity curve that is consistent with one’s goals, psychology, and tolerance for risk.

The above stats compare the basic system, which uses a 4% stop with 1% risk per trade against an 8% stop and 2% risked per trade. When using a percent-risk formula for position-sizing, a larger stop means a smaller position. We know that a larger stop is needed to adapt to the increased volatility. The 8% stop with 2% risk accomplishes the goal of increasing the win percentage while maintaing a nice equity curve.

I included commissions of 1 penny per share, and .2% slippage on each trade. The 8%/2% model increased the win percentage to 76%, which is a significant improvement over the 4%/1% model. The drawdown increased minimally. CAGR climbed to a phenomenal 131%.

Note that the statistics above cover only 1 year of data.

The equity curve shows that both models track very similarly until volatlity increases. Once the increased volatility takes hold, the 8% stop continues to perform well while the 4% stop model begins to suffer.

 

Draw Down Percentage from Highest Equity is also promising. While the 8%/2% model has a larger draw down between trades 58 and 66, note that the 8% stop has completely avoided the draw down in which the 4% stop is currently languishing.

I’m seriously considering changing the Big Bamboo System to an 8%/2% model, but I have a strong feeling that as soon as I do, volatility will taper off, and the change will have been unnecessary. If any changes are going to be made, I will likely decide after this week.

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45 comments

  1. Ozark Hillbilly

    Thanks for your work on this; I enjoy seeing you tweak your system. Proper risk management is a big priority in my own trading right now.

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  2. Woodshedder

    Ozark, its the only thing making the market any fun.

    However, bhh is the brains behind the cool spreadsheets.

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  3. bhh

    Woodshedder is too kind, I just happen to know a few extra excel commands.

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  4. Woodshedder

    Trying this thing out…

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  5. Fly

    Sweet. This shit will never be on my blog. I keeps it old school.

    Enjoy

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  6. Woodshedder

    I hoping J can make it where I don't lose all the comments on the older posts. That would be a great loss.

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  7. iBankCoin

    i'll import old comments in the morning

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  8. DPeezy

    What ze fuq is dis?

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  9. DPeezy

    Initial impression: not bad. Definitely 'new school'.
    Plus you learn interesting details, like Woodshedder commenting/commiserating with the 'enemy'/Slope of Hope.

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  10. Woodshedder

    Lol@DPeezy. Did I comment one time over there?

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  11. Woodshedder

    Oh wow…it saves all your comments. I must maintain control now.

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  12. boca

    testing… 1,2,3

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  13. boca

    Dpeezy said: What ze fuq is dis?

    My comment exactly when looking at the markets each morning.

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  14. fake woodshedder

    you can always be logged off and type in an anon or something if you don't want your comment tracked

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  15. lol

    oops I guess it tracks ip or something so changing name means nothing

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  16. Jeff

    So adapt parameters to volatility environment – which tends to persist. It may smack of best fitting, but it strikes me that it is appropriate for this model.

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  17. Woodshedder

    Jeff, absolutely. We are working on a component that is completely adaptable. Right now we are just trying to determine the boundaries.

    There is nothing wrong with adjusting percentage stops to deal with increased volatility. That sort of tweak does not invalidate the core concept of the strategy.

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  18. JakeGint

    WTF??

    I FUCKING HATE DISQUS!!!

    It's why I do not post on Timmah's blog anymore… I cannot even get ON it from my home comp.

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  19. JakeGint

    I do like looking at Boca's purty picture, though. That's a bonus, I guess. And Jana's but she never posts here anyway.

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  20. JakeGint

    Good!

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  21. DPeezy

    Wow, you obviously need a better computer. If it can't even run the internets, it's time for an upgrade.

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  22. Woodshedder

    Its okay Jake, you shun my blog anyway.

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  23. JakeGint

    No question about that. My home comp is egregiously old. But its got so much shit on it that I dread transitioning to a new model, even though I know it'll make my life hundreds of times easier.

    _____________

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  24. JakeGint

    I don't, actually. I just don't often have a comment, since we are so frequently in agreement.

    ___

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  25. DPeezy

    lol, buy a portable hard drive, put all your shit on it; upgrade; and then copy back over the things you need. Plus, this way you have a backup as well. Which is always important.

    Nice Yoda avatar. boca of course still takes the cake. By a country mile.

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  26. JakeGint

    I have actually done all that backup hard drive stuff already, what do I look like, post 47.5?

    I just dread any technology changeover whatsoever. It's a curmudgeon thing.

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  27. boca

    Yep, like that Yoda avatar LOL.

    Of course, you know my avatar is from the front cover of a fantasy book, right?

    I can't load Disqus from my handheld Nokia tablet computer, have to be on one of my regular PC's.

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  28. DPeezy

    Your level of curmudgeonry would put any 47.5+ year old to shame.

    Technology is your friend.

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  29. JakeGint

    That's because I was born 47.5, with a cigar in my mouth, and have gotten older since.

    I just got my “Edgar G. Robinson” – level Curmudgeon Belt in the mail the other day.

    ________

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  30. Woodshedder

    lol…I hope that doesn't make me curmudgeonly.

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  31. JakeGint

    Hmmmm, which “fantasy” might that be, B?

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  32. boca

    Never fear, you're in no danger of being a curmudgeon Shed, I ought to know because I live with one.

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  33. boca

    The Riddle: The Second Book of Pellinor by Allison Croggon

    here it is on Amazon
    http://www.amazon.com/Riddle-Second-Book-Pellin

    Just to make this stock-related, because we're having entirely too much fun with the new Disqus setup….

    the sales on BKS have dropped off a cliff, apparently the same cliff EBAY and AMZN tumbled over.

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  34. DPeezy

    lol, from one of the reviews:
    “For the duration of it's page count, Alison's story swept my world away and deliciously ate at my usual sleep schedule, and only with the gray and blue hues of the approaching dawn was I forced to put down this wonderful piece of fiction.”

    Well shit, that book sounds better than sex. Speaking of which: long CHD. Cause even in times of recession/depression, people are going to have sex. Probably even more so than usual.

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  35. boca

    LOL, good point, long CHD and in nine months long PG (don't they make Pampers?)

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  36. JakeGint

    “Pellinor, ” eh? Damn, the Tolkien estate should be dunning every one of these copy cats. Of course, reading the summary, it looks like she ripped off Donaldson as well.

    Aside: Tried re-reading Donaldson's stuff, twenty five plus years later (I read all his Chronicles stuff when I was 12-13) and I literally could not get through it. Talk about tedious.

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  37. Woodshedder

    Boca, what's up with the points on Disqus? What do they mean? How do you add or subtract them?

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  38. 4FL3X

    Click the up or down arrows.

    If you sort by different options it rates this reply as shit.

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  39. DPeezy

    Can you expand/collapse the different threads?
    That would make this much sweeter.

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  40. boca

    A long time ago you used to get points just for making a response (unless that was Howard who gave me points just for responding hah). The system looks a different now, somewhat like karma like 4FL3X mentioned, although I'm not sure how you see total points.

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  41. 4FL3X

    Not that I know of. If you click Option at the top you can click sort by newest etc.

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  42. 4FL3X

    Btw, the only reason I'm on Woods blog is because of the new comments system. I didn't want anyone thinking I care what his wood stick system is saying…

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  43. Woodshedder

    lol@4fl3X

    At least your civil.

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  44. bhh

    Can't say I did this Disqus thing. Makes it difficult to follow a chain of conversation.

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  45. Danny_The_Fucking_Champion
    Danny_The_Fucking_Champion

    disqus blows

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