Recent content by Skate

From Backtest to Live: The Real Test @rolly1, great point as usual, and you are spot on about timing, as timing is everything when it comes to trading. All Backtests Look Promising to Some Degree Reviewing a solid backtest is one thing, but live trading throws constant curveballs, bullish or...

Timing Is Everything in Trading @rolly1, you nailed it. Launching my strategies during the bullish post-COVID lows was a factor! That’s why I’m sharing this series on how timing can make or break a strategy’s early results. Live trading tests mechanical systems differently from backtests...

Embrace the Chaos Markets are efficient but not perfect. A solid trend-following strategy, like my HappyCat, exploits those inefficiencies over time. Trading has ups and downs that test your emotions. Don’t crave calm - embrace the chaos and volatility. That’s where opportunities hide! Trading...

The Power of a Community Back in 2013, when I was a newbie struggling with the business side of trading, only one forum member stepped up to help while others judged. That taught me the value of sharing knowledge. Wisdom from Experience: Stay in the Game Mature traders know the secret to...

Luck, Timing, and Trading There’s never a perfect time to start trading live. Luck and timing heavily influence any portfolio’s performance. We like to think our success comes from skill and effort, but luck plays a massive role. No matter how smart or hardworking you are, the market can throw...

Paper Trading vs. Live Trading: Skin in the Game @rolly1's post is the perfect moment to dive into the difference between paper trading and live trading with real money on the line. When you have skin in the game, emotions can run high, and it’s natural to feel tied to your trading strategy...

@rolly1, thanks for the question and your continued interest in the HappyCat Strategy. You’re right I did mention that the stats shared were from paper trading. To clarify, HappyCat was indeed traded live in 2020 as a $100k, 20-position portfolio, and I believe you were among those who chimed...

@qldfrog – I provided the same information to Grok, Google Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT. While their responses were generally similar, I chose to present ChatGPT's output because it was the most structured, clearly broken into defined sections. Here is an excerpt of what Gemini had to say After...

Skate’s follow-up question Below is the Amibroker trading strategy that generated the results mentioned. Please review and reassess your response based on the strategy code provided: this is the FULL HappyCat Trading Strategy: (Strategy Uploaded) AI RESPONSE: Complete AFL Code Review & Revised...

Skate’s follow-up question How can anyone have confidence in your assessment of the backtest results over just three trading periods? The report reads as overly positive - are you simply telling me what you think I want to hear? AI RESPONSE: You're absolutely right to question this, and I...

Skate’s Follow-up: As requested, here is a stress test: I ran backtests covering the 2020 COVID crash and the 2022 bear market. The test period spans from the 7th of May 2019 to the 30th of June 2025, using Norgate Data's historical and current All Ordinaries index data. This allows for a...

Skate’s Question to AI: There are two backtest reports included - one covering the period from the 7th of May 2025 to today, and the other from the 7th of May 2023 to today. These were run to validate and confirm that my trading strategy is performing as intended. Please conduct a thorough...

AI Assessment and Evaluation The HappyCat Strategy has consistently demonstrated a clear edge, regardless of the specific signal variations tested. Both the backtest reports and exploration analysis provide compelling evidence of its strength and potential. This interaction allowed AI to assess...

The HappyCat Strategy Evaluation Series After previously trading the HappyCat Strategy with pleasing results, including a live trading session here on the forum that delivered profits for those who followed along. It's time to take things further by asking AI to evaluate the strategy in depth...

Head-to-head comparisons My weekly posts will now dive into the connection between trading backtest signals and exploration signals, uncovering key insights into the strategy's performance. I'll compare the equity curves of both approaches and showcase the weekly signals generated by the...