Discrepancy in ToString printout from ExitAtTrailingStop
Author: Carova
Creation Date: 2/20/2015 10:26 AM
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Carova

#1
I have noticed that there is a discrepancy when I use the following code in my strategies
CODE:
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The stop seems to execute properly but the printed data in the "Exit Name" column of the Trades tab is significantly different for the executed stop in all cases.
QUOTE:
Position Symbol Quantity Entry Date Entry Price Exit Date Exit Price Profit % Profit $ Bars Held Profit per Bar Entry Name Exit Name MAE % MFE %
Long GRMN 13,522 8/17/2009 28.40 11/4/2009 29.31 3.20 $12,289.12 57 $215.60 Trailing Chandelier 20.01 -2.40 39.61
Long ADSK 15,996 11/19/2009 24.16 5/6/2010 29.10 20.44 $79,004.34 115 $686.99 Trailing Chandelier 26.59 -6.87 45.61

In fact the value in the "Exit Name" column is never reached.

Am I doing something wrong?

Vince
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Eugene

#2
Vince,

It's hard to guess from just two lines. Maybe it's a rotation strategy and Bars should be replaced with p.Bars. Maybe something else. Guesswork is counterproductive.
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Carova

#3
Hi Eugene!

It is in a non-rotation strategy. I will build and post a complete working script that you can run that will demonstrate the problem.

Vince
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Carova

#4
Run the following code on the Dow 30 with 3% equity for 6-10 years
CODE:
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Notice that the values seem correct for the initial trades and get progressively "strange" fpr later and later trades.

Vince
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Eugene

#5
The initial trades are not representative as your code contains an error:
CODE:
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The ATR period (30) is greater than the main loop start bar.

To fix it, use GetTradingLoopStartBar(speriod). And you might even want to take GetTradingLoopStartBar(speriod * 3) as ATR is an unstable indicator. See the WealthScript Programming Guide > Indicators > Stability of Indicators.

Now to your "discrepancy". A discrepancy could be if you used a SellAtStop which directly takes the "level" but here is SellAtTrailingStop which has a different behavior. As we know, trailing stop is modified only when the level gets below the current trailing stop price stored with the Position.
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Cone

#6
The "last" level that you pass to ExitAtTrailingStop() is not necessarily the level that is active for the TrailingStop. Understood? or do I need to explain more?

Try calling PlotStops(); to visualize what's going on.
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Carova

#7
I believe the following code resolves one oversight (start of loop < ATR period) and the issue with the level variable not always being the maximum.
CODE:
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I still see the same problem though out many closed trades during the latter portion of the period.

Vince
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Eugene

#8
Vince, you still don't seem to have completely understood the difference between the trailing exit and a stop. Your "level" is not the exit level because it can decrease (for longs; vice versa for short trades). It would be if *AtTrailingStop was replaced with *AtStop, I guess. Like Cone suggested above, see for yourself and compare the PlotStops() output to the "level" plotted with DrawCircle():

CODE:
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P.S. Some differences can be attributed to a gap open (see SellAtTrailingStop > Remarks in the QuickRef).
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