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Strategies / Mean reversion / Percentage Reference Swing Trader

Percentage Reference Swing Trader

Buys when price moves away from the close of the previous trade, either below 0.97 times or above 1.01 times that level. Closes the long when price moves above 1.05 times or below 0.95 times the entry close.

Mean reversionLong onlySwingS&P 5001 hour
1.62Profit factor
6,463Net profit EUR
61.09%Win rate
221Trades
-1,272Max drawdown
29.25Avg trade

Best run of 63. S&P 500, 1 hour, spread 1, from run pf:2026-10-04-USA500-1h.tsv:4.

Entry rules, long

  1. On the first bar, one contract is bought.

Exit rules

  1. While long, the close is above 1.05 times, or below 0.95 times, the entry close, closing the position.

Test conditions

PeriodUp to 2026-10-04
InstrumentS&P 500, 1 hour
Spread1 points
Starting capital1,000,000
CostsSpread only. Commissions and overnight financing are not included.
BarsUp to 200,000 bars, fewer where the instrument has less history
Last tested2026-10-04

Every run

Markets and timeframes tested

MarketTimeframePFTradesWin %NetMax DD
S&P 500Best run1 hour1.62 22161.096,463 EUR-1,272
Nasdaq 1004 hours1.60 26261.8325,277 EUR-4,595
S&P 50030 min1.57 17062.355,657 EUR-1,317
S&P 5004 hours1.55 19759.905,482 EUR-1,098
S&P 500Daily1.54 39362.346,607 EUR-1,288
FTSE 10030 min1.46 13060.008,091 EUR-1,661
DAX 40Daily1.41 51060.3926,799 EUR-5,045
FTSE 1001 hour1.37 20759.4210,088 EUR-2,214
Silver1 hourn/a 61955.74595,905 USD-570,890
USD/JPY10 minn/a 2065.00443,680 USD-239,880
USD/JPY30 minn/a 4860.42441,940 USD-362,240
USD/JPY15 minn/a 2462.50290,780 USD-215,450
USD/JPY3 minn/a 475.00223,670 USD-79,100
EUR/USD30 minn/a 4351.16103,040 USD-60,506
Nikkei 22530 minn/a 23359.6656,140 USD-14,392
Nikkei 2251 hourn/a 23259.9152,013 USD-14,736
Nikkei 2254 hoursn/a 18460.8745,420 USD-14,593
Dow JonesDailyn/a 36860.8732,376 EUR-10,625
Nikkei 22510 minn/a 9060.0030,922 USD-14,008
Nikkei 22515 minn/a 13257.5830,542 USD-14,049
Silver30 minn/a 51254.8826,278 USD-21,447
Dow Jones4 hoursn/a 6561.5425,585 EUR-7,842
Dow Jones15 minn/a 7660.5325,371 EUR-9,129
Nikkei 2255 minn/a 6160.6624,521 USD-14,166
SilverDailyn/a 68554.0123,552 USD-18,506
Nasdaq 10030 minn/a 24762.3523,366 EUR-6,411
Nasdaq 1001 hourn/a 32659.2022,703 EUR-7,118
Dow Jones30 minn/a 8158.0219,045 EUR-10,109
Nikkei 2253 minn/a 4160.9818,287 USD-14,255
Nasdaq 100Dailyn/a 53558.6917,883 EUR-7,743
Nasdaq 10015 minn/a 16258.6416,369 EUR-6,610
DAX 401 hourn/a 27455.8415,380 EUR-5,900
DAX 4030 minn/a 19358.0315,138 EUR-5,144
Dow Jones1 hourn/a 8256.1014,722 EUR-11,459
DAX 404 hoursn/a 25455.1214,170 EUR-5,297
DAX 4015 minn/a 9658.3311,866 EUR-4,649
Nasdaq 1005 minn/a 4362.7910,678 EUR-5,924
Dow Jones5 minn/a 2259.098,724 EUR-7,613
DAX 405 minn/a 2466.678,702 EUR-3,688
FTSE 1004 hoursn/a 18856.386,833 EUR-3,513
Dow Jones3 minn/a 1361.546,650 EUR-6,149
DAX 4010 minn/a 4856.256,222 EUR-4,918
Nasdaq 1003 minn/a 3060.006,191 EUR-4,965
US Crude Oil15 minn/a 47653.995,932 EUR-5,751
Nasdaq 1001 minn/a 977.785,059 EUR-4,114
FTSE 100Dailyn/a 26657.894,968 EUR-4,258
US Crude Oil2 minn/a 8857.954,498 EUR-3,614
GoldDailyn/a 40257.964,295 EUR-1,334
S&P 50015 minn/a 10560.004,287 EUR-1,582
DAX 401 minn/a 666.673,362 EUR-1,782
S&P 50010 minn/a 5461.113,197 EUR-1,241
Gold1 hourn/a 22958.953,193 EUR-1,447
Gold4 hoursn/a 19959.303,016 EUR-991
FTSE 10015 minn/a 6657.582,969 EUR-1,953
S&P 5005 minn/a 2369.572,762 EUR-1,282
Gold15 minn/a 9062.222,542 EUR-1,229
FTSE 10010 minn/a 2462.502,522 EUR-1,395
FTSE 1005 minn/a 1266.672,018 EUR-1,399
Gold10 minn/a 7360.271,902 EUR-1,345
FTSE 1003 minn/a 1369.231,564 EUR-1,321
FTSE 1002 minn/a 666.671,421 EUR-666
S&P 5001 minn/a 4100.001,038 EUR-396
S&P 5002 minn/a 757.14663 EUR-593

Charts

Results by run

Top 10 of 63 runs. The full list is in the table above.

Above 1.0 made money, below 1.0 lost money.

The code

ProBuilder code, as tested

// ==============================================================
// Percentage Reference Swing Trader
// ProRealAlgos Strategy Library  |  prorealalgos.com
// Type: Mean reversion
// Direction: Long only
// Timeframe tested: 1 hour
// ==============================================================

DEFPARAM CumulateOrders = false

ONCE inpos = 0
ONCE ref = 0

17 more lines: the entry and exit rules.

Setup

How to load it

  1. Copy the code with the copy button on the code block.
  2. In ProRealTime, open a chart of the instrument and timeframe you want to test, then open ProOrder > New trading system and choose "Create with programming".
  3. Paste the code, give the system a name and save it.
  4. Click "Backtest", set your own spread and position size, and run it before you consider trading it live.
Read this firstKnown weaknesses2 points
  • The code sets no stop loss, so a losing trade stays open until an exit signal arrives.
  • Results include the spread only. Commissions and overnight financing are not included.

Questions

About this strategy

Can I run Percentage Reference Swing Trader in ProOrder?

Yes. The code is ProBuilder and runs as an automated ProOrder system. Backtest it on your own account with your own spread and position size before trading it live.

Which markets was it tested on?

It was tested on 63 market and timeframe combinations. The best run was S&P 500, 1 hour, with a profit factor of 1.62 over 221 trades.

How large was the drawdown?

The best run had a maximum drawdown of 1,272 EUR at the tested position size, against a net result of 6,463 EUR.

Does it trade long, short or both?

It only takes long trades.

Related

Strategies like this one

CCI Sign With EMA Alignment

Best run on the same market, S&P 500.

1.23 PF · 1,253 trades

Volatility Band Reversal Long

Also a mean reversion strategy.

1.61 PF · 150 trades

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Past backtest results do not guarantee future results. This is not financial advice. Curated and maintained by ProRealAlgos. ProRealTime™ is a trademark of ProRealTime SAS. prorealalgos.comStatsDocs