Line Your Own Pockets

In this week's episode of Line Your Own Pockets, we discuss the touchy subject of delisted stocks. In this "spirited" discussion, Michael and I agree on the concept of survivorship bias, but disagree on how important it is.Topics covered:What is survivorship bias, and how does it affect trading strategiesWhat types of strategies are more vulnerableWhen it makes sense to include delisted symbols in your backtestDeciding whether including them is a form of "requiring perfect data."And much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this week's episode of Line Your Own Pockets, we discuss adding redundancy to your trading. Outages aren't a matter of if but when.Topics include:Failures will happen eventually - plan for them ahead of timeBroker-side, server-held exit orders (like at IBKR) make this simpleTest your setup before you get forced toRevisit your setup regularly as your trading income grows over timeAnd much more...As mentioned in the podcast, here's an example of an internet router that can use multiple ISPs. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this week's episode of Line Your Own Pockets, we sit down with Brandon Kaisler of Cesta Capital, a brokerage catering to active short sellers.In a wide-ranging interview, we discuss topics from a broker's perspective, including:How most brokers make money from hidden fees, not commissionsWhy brokers prefer systematic traders (hint, hint)How the market for short locate fees worksHow 24/7 trading will affect your tradingWhether eliminating the pattern day trading rule will help or hurt the marketsAnd much more...This is a rare and honest look at the business side of active trading and what it means for active traders. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this week's episode of Line Your Own Pockets, we discuss market data for backtesting.Topics covered:Data for backtesting is far different (and easier) than for real-time tradingLike "free" commissions, you typically get what you pay for when it comes to market dataChoices come down to whether you need intraday dataAvoid overengineering - no premature optimization!And much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this week's episode of Line Your Own Pockets, we interview Trent Smalley with DTN and IQFeed.We discuss:Why it makes sense for traders to pay for market data when brokers offer it for freeWhere bad ticks you see in your charts actually come fromWhat happens to market data before it hits your feedWhen you know you're ready to upgrade to a high quality feedAnd much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this week's episode of Line Your Own Pockets, we continue the discussion of using AI agents for strategy creation gruntwork.Topics discussed:Delegation skills are important - the more specific, the betterHow Dave's approach differs from Michael's regarding Claude useHow to implement "unit tests" for your trading strategyDevelopers always want to build - here's why you shouldn'tStarting points for developersMuch more...I think this was the best one yet on AI. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We continue last week's discussion on using Claude and OpenClaw to automate strategy creation.We touch on:How to get AI to do the grunt work so you can be the CEO of your tradingWhy Michael switched from OpenClaw to Claude CodeTeaching Claude to automate Amibroker (hint: point it here)How giving Claude Prop Firm constraints helped focus its workAuditing its work is critically important - the more you understand, the betterMuch more, including the next steps of using the Cruncher in this process... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this week's episode of Line Your Own Pockets, we discuss Michael's project for having OpenClaw create and run backtests from his list of research ideas for trading strategies.His agents have created over 200 backtestsHow they've primed the backtests to be used in the Strategy CruncherSOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) have paved the way for this workflowAI as a research assistant/intern for your trading businessAnd much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We cover:Making mistakes early when they're relatively cheapFocus on scaling wide versus scaling upLearn R-multiples - it normalizes your performance as your account growsBecome the best in the world at a very specific strategy (it's not as hard as you think!)And much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this week's episode of Line Your Own Pockets, we discuss trading with a small account.Topics discussed:Don't wait until you have "enough" money to start learningHow trading with a small account is an advantageFunding options: an overview of the prop trading landscapeNo matter how big your account is, your trading strategy is paramount - focus on thatLessons learned at this stage will be valuable to your trading foreverAnd much more... including my rant about a trading mistake I made just before we recorded this. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

If you've ever wondered if you're curve fitting with your trading strategy, this episode is for you.We discuss:Curve fitting is a continuum, not a binary yes/no conditionEvery strategy has a little bit of curve fittingLet's say you wanted to maximize curve fitting. What would you do?Easy ways to avoid curve fittingAnd much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Michael and I discuss how to think about improving your column library over time.We discuss:How your column library is like a shared software library: build once, reuse everywhereContinuous variables are better than binary variables (e.g. Above/below a moving average)The MACDV case study - MACD normalized by ATRHow intra-trade columns allow testing multiple concepts with a single backtestAnd much more...Here's a link to the previous episode mentioned: The Key to Backtesting - Your Library of Columns ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Topics discussed:Profitable traders don't follow the crowd - or any particular trading guruHealthy attitude towards trading and riskMaking great trades is the goal - ironically, the money is almost secondaryDay trading is key (don't believe me? Just do the math)Automation is a massive trading edgeMuch more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We discuss:Python is a great general-purpose language, but that's what makes it a bad choice for backtestingIterating on your strategies is the critical piece - anything that makes that more complex will make things more difficultIn a world of LLMs, the argument for using Python for everything makes less senseChoose your tools based on profit potential, not because "I like Python and am good at it."Much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Topics include:Batteries Data Not Included - the best way to get data into AmibrokerThe code that adds custom columns in Amibroker is resource-intensiveQuirks with databases in AmibrokerYour computer hardware matters with Amibroker (get more RAM)Dave's hardware specs for his backtesting computer. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We go over:How "visual" backtesting is not real backtestingDiscretionary traders try to replace what they're doing with automation - but that's wrongHow to create a completely new strategy from the ground up to be automatedHow to build your "idea noticing" muscleMuch more.Here's the book mentioned in the show: The Art of Noticing ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Dave continues helping Michael create a first backtest in Amibroker. You might think "backtesting is backtesting," but we cover many of the differences between RealTest and Amibroker, as well as their implications.We discuss:What makes AI so bad at generating good AFL code for a backtest in AmibrokerThe better you get at understanding how AFL works, the better your use of AI getsHow a column library makes all the difference in creating P&LQuick backtests can promote bad habitsAnd much more...Dave also announces the new MabeKit AFL Generator tool. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Dave offers advice and feedback to Michael, who is learning to use Amibroker for the first time.He's coming from RealTest, so we go over the similarities and differences between the two platforms.We discuss:How RealTest is great for daily data, but hits a wall for most intraday trading strategiesAmibroker is not just a backtester; it’s a full charting, analysis, and execution environment.Backfilling with IQFeed versus Polygon (there is really no contest)Best practices for databases in AmibrokerMuch more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We discuss the actual nuts and bolts of what running your trading like a franchise means:Systematize everythingA process for eliminating low-value workWhat makes sense to outsource and what you should keep in-houseMake your trading survive without youAnd much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

As traders gain experience, the problem shifts from not having enough ideas to having too many ideas competing for limited time and mental energy. Without a system, this abundance quickly becomes overwhelming and leads to paralysis or procrastination.We discuss the ICE method - a simple scoring method to determine which ideas to work on first.Spreadsheet Link https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iWG87jZ7KiANQzH9O8KwgtRRl5Wcd60Q/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112987133391354450813&rtpof=true&sd=true ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this week's episode of Line Your Own Pockets, we take on a topic submitted by Isaac, a trader I work with.We discuss:When timing/speed matters and when it doesn'tThe types of trading strategies where latency is likely the bottleneckHow rushing to solve problems can be counter-productive (waiting can reveal simpler solutions)Concrete steps to determine if latency is really an issue and how to address itAnd much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We butt heads in this episode, arguing about the value of portfolio-level backtesting, one of the key feature differences between RealTest and Amibroker.Is portfolio-level testing essential, or simply premature optimization? ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We discuss:How to optimize so you have to re-optimize as little as possibleHow better columns directly translate into more robust strategiesHold a rule "in reserve" so you can apply it when needed without full re-optimizationDocumenting previous optimization decisions will make the next strategy betterAnd much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We discuss:Similar to taking partial profits, moving a stop to breakeven is more about psychological comfortProfitable trading requires tolerating discomfort, as difficult as that is at timesIt seems like a simple idea to test, but it quickly adds significant complexity to a backtestHow to actually test this in a backtestThis is a great example of the platitudes you often hear from people who are good at talking about trading, but don't actually trade. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

You didn't get a fill on your original entry.  The trade would have been profitable for a bit, then it comes back to your original entry price.  Do you take the trade?  We go in-depth, answering this common dilemma.Your default should be to take the trade if it still matches your systemThere's more information to decide on - what can you add to your backtest?What are post-entry columns, and how can they help?How deep thinking about the issue can help you create brand new strategiesHere's the original article Dave wrote on this topic. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Michael and Dave discuss NASDAQ's initiative to tokenize all securities and the implications for traders. They discuss:What tokenization is and what that means for equitiesHow it affects settlement and paves the way for 24/7 tradingPrediction markets and positive externalities of betting ("Betting is a tax on bullsh*t.")Dave proposed a bet to Michael based on the volume traded in the opening and closing crosses in the futureAnd much more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We've got news for you - there's nobody who cares enough about your stops to go "hunting for them."And getting stopped out by a penny is frustrating, but it's actually a good sign.Blaming an algo or anything else for your trade getting stopped out is counter-productiveWhy most traders are completely wrong about placing stopsHow to select stops for your strategy in a data-driven wayMuch more... ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this episode, we tackle this popular question. Dave polled several traders he coaches and got some surprising answers.How much is trading like, say, poker, or something that is even more up to chance?Even starting a business can be called gambling if defined purely as "risking money on uncertain outcomes."Does having an edge make trading less like gambling?In a casino, is the house "gambling" because it has a strong edge?What's your take? ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this episode, we discuss the best way to use alternative data in your backtest.What is alternative data and how can you use it in a strategy?Examples of alternative dataUsing it in real-time versus a backtestHow to automate the process for backtesting and real-time tradingOther episodes mentioned: Using News in Your Trading Strategy ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

In this episode, Dave discusses a conversation he had with John M. from SMB Trading and his unique approach to taking a strategy live.We discuss:John's 35+ strategies he runs liveHow he quickly gets a strategy running in productionHis approach to collaboration with other tradersWhat is "strategy taste" and how you can improve yours over time ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Follow-up discussion on quant and discretionary trader collaboration.We discuss:How Dave first connected with BellaThe cultural DNA of SMB CapitalThe challenges of quant/discretionary collaborationThe importance of being a giver, not a takerRelated episode:Mike Bellafiore and Nick Coutrakon from SMB Capital on Trading TeamsCreating a Trusted Trading GroupBooks mentioned:Give and Take by Adam Grant|The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Mike Bellafiore and Nick Coutrakon join the podcast to continue a discussion Mike had with Dave on the makeup of trading teams at SMB Capital, a proprietary trading firm in NYC.What's the best way to include a quantitative trader in a discretionary trading team? ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Are you a profitable trader but hesitant to automate your trades?In this episode, we discuss multiple steps to take towards having a computer make trades without fully automating. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We discuss 4 different variations of a strategy that Dave is deciding between and the thought process for doing so. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Lessons learned from buying a new trading computer. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Remote desktop solution mentioned:RustDeskTailScale ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

More discussion on buying power and running out of it might be a good thing. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Is running out of buying power... actually good?Here's the graph of buying power mentioned in the episode:Is Running Out of Buying Power A Good Thing? ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

How many trades should your strategy take and how profitable should each one be?There are two distinct approaches to answering this question, and most profitable traders fall into one camp or the other. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Should you restrict your strategy to trade a certain list of symbols?In a surprisingly heated debate, Michael and Dave discuss this topic and different reasons for each approach. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Looking at your P&L while you're trading is toxic.  This also applies when looking at someone else's results - perhaps even more so. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Be wary when going from backtest to live trading.  You're at peak optimism, and if you're not careful, disappointment awaits.In this episode, we discuss all the ways a live trading can fall short of your backtest and what you can do about it. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

How to get out of backtest world and make the next steps to get your strategy live. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

The second episode in our series on creating profitable strategies using backtesting.We review:How most traders backtest the wrong wayHow to add columns to your backtestWhat columns make the most senseHow your "library of columns" gets more and more valuable over time ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

The first episode in a mini-series on how to create a trading strategy using backtesting. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

We discuss Dave's recent experience using ChatGPT to create the Strategy Cruncher, a tool for optimizing your trading strategies.Prediction market for who will have the best AI model by the end of the year. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!

Every trader has an opinion on what the perfect metric is to evaluate a strategy and to optimize on.We discuss our favorites and why. ---Before you go!The next time you find yourself in a drawdown, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to betterbacktesting.com to sign up for my free backtesting email course.I hope to see you there!