stop loss in MS

[techtrader]

Is there a trailing adjustable stop loss built into MS? (if there is I cant find it) Or has anybody got an Indicator that I can use. The one I had a look at in Guppy didn't work for me......still pretty new to MS.

Thanks in anticipation
Regards

 

[Orion]

It depends on which version of Metastock you are using. If version 6.52, there was indeed a TRUE trailing Profit Stop Loss, by which I mean that once your trade was in profit, you set the amount of PROFIT which you were willing to forego, at which point you then exit.
Under version 8 the situation is totally different. Despite what it says in the manual ( the manual is WRONG), what they call a Trailing Profit Stop Loss is nothing of the sort. In fact it is the amount of fallback from the highest point reached, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER THE POSITION WAS EVER IN PROFIT IN THE FIRST PLACE. And unlike version 6.52 it also reflects the high and low of the day of entry so you need to be aware of the totally different logic which applies. Again, the manual is downright misleading.

Last year, having upgraded to version 8, I had extensive phone and e-mail communication with Equis about the failings in their latest System Tester, including the fact that in a "points only" test the Average Win/Loss Ratio (a critical statistic) was erroneously being printed in the test summary as "N/A". They were polite but unhelpful and, I have to say, rather impotent, uncaring and pathetic. They were going through the equivalent of "....your phone call is important to us....." ... so important that we don't give a toss about keeping you hanging on, at your expense, and we may get around to you in about 15 minutes if we can find anyone who gives a damn!

When last week I became aware of the new version 9 I hoped that the failings, software bugs and downright errors of version 8 might have been corrected. Accordingly I contacted Equis (Customer Services Manager) to ask them just that. True to form I received the standard polite e-mail in unintelligible, quasi-English telling me that these issues had NOT been corrected. I found that incredulous and accused them of KNOWINGLY marketing bug-ridden software. It had apparently been decided by Equis that correcting The Av Win/Loss figure was a low priority and would not be incorporated in the latest release! It would have taken less time to correct the code than it would have to type me an e-mail telling me it couldn't be done!

My conclusion is that at one time Equis were an honourable, trustworthy company with sound, good-value, powerful and reliable software. Sadly that is no longer the case.

 

[zambuck]

Good points above Orion....I don't use System Tester at all....but I have noticed that many have commented on some serious flows in the system..

The Original question by techtrader about an Indicator with trailing stop loss...try following one taken from a very good site...


Trailing Stop Indicator III by Adam Hefner

If(cum(1)=1,
{then} Close,
{else} If((C*1.1) <= PREV,
{then}(C*1.1),
{else} PREV));

Or one below....


Trailing Stop by Andrzej Herman

strata:=10;
If(
C=PREV,
PREV,
If(
((Ref(C,-1)<PREV)AND (C<PREV)),
Min(PREV,C*(1+strata/100)),
If(
(Ref(C,-1)>PREV) AND (C>PREV),
Max(PREV,C*(1-strata/100)),
If(
C>PREV,
C*(1-strata/100),
C*(1+strata/100)
)
)
)
)


Or one below...

Stop Loss Indicator by Eric Kendall

periodsshort:=Input("periods if short",1,50,10);
periodslong:=input("periods if long",1,50,10);

HHV(H,periodsshort)-atr(periodsshort);
{stop loss level for short positions}
LLV(L,periodslong)+ATR(periodslong);
{stoploss level for long positions}


Hope this works...note all comments in {} brakets added to the formulae will be ignored by formula...

 

[bud]

Orion,
..I agree with your points. Please read my post under Metastock backtesting.
Metastock v 6.52 was a good version, so was 7.2 (did I read somewhere it went to7.22?) we have pretty much been ripped off with v8. Thankfully the early development has left us with a stable base product. I think that buying TradeSim is our next best step with this software. We should just disregard the system tester module. Equis are now bad news as a company, but we still have some good software out of them.

 

[techtrader]

Zambuck
Thanks again for your input. I am slowly working through the system
Bud, Orion.
Thanks for your thoughts
Regards
Dave

 

[RichardDale]

(in the words of most lifestyle/cooking shows)... here's one I prepared earlier.

http://www.tradernexus.com/

It's an external DLL that's specifically suited to provide a trailing stop loss based upon the underlying volatility (ATR). Check it out - lots of screenshots etc there.

Cheers,
Richard.

 

[techtrader]

Richard
Thanks for that.
Regards
Dave