I’ve been in the FX trenches for 9 years. I’ve seen market cycles, blown accounts, hit streaks, and eventually found a manual edge that worked. But I’m also a business owner, and I realised I was spending too much emotional energy staring at candles. I wanted my time and life back.
I’m not a professional coder, but I know how the market moves. Over the last few months, I’ve used AI-assisted coding to bridge the gap—taking my manual trend strategy and porting it into a Python/MT5 bot.
The Data (The 13-Year Proof): I didn't just test this on a few months of data. I ran the logic through everything from 2012 to late 2024. The results confirmed what I suspected: Quality over Quantity wins.
Across 2,614 trades, the system maintained a Profit Factor of 1.76 and a Total Return of +941.6R.
| Block | Trades | Total R | Win Rate | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–2014 | 624 | +229.3R | 45.4% | 1.76 |
| 2015–2017 | 611 | +243.2R | 49.8% | 1.85 |
| 2018–2020 | 596 | +196.5R | 43.1% | 1.67 |
| 2021–2023 | 570 | +168.2R | 44.6% | 1.62 |
| 2024 | 213 | +104.3R | 51.6% | 2.16 |
| TOTAL | 2,614 | +941.6R | 46.2% | 1.76 |
|---|
I’m at a crossroads with two versions of the logic:
- The Sniper: Only trades the 'Institutional Windows' I’ve watched for 9 years. It averages about 45.4% to 51.6% win rate, depending on the year. It’s boring and selective, but the equity curve is a straight line.
- Maxr: Takes every valid signal 24/5. The total profit is higher, but the drawdowns (like the -20.62R seen make it a much harder psychological ride.
All 6 sessions 24/7 (2022-2024):
| Metric | Sniper | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Trades | ~544 | 1,089 |
| Total R | ~+180R | +361R |
| Profit Factor | ~1.65 | 1.67 |
| Max Drawdown | ~-12R | -20.62R |
If you were finally stepping away from the screen after nearly a decade, would you go for the steady "Sniper" or the high-growth "Max"?
I finally pulled the trigger and went live with the "Sniper" version this week. I’m not here to post wins only; I’m here to be transparent about the transition from manual to algo, and if it is indeed feasible.
I’ll be doing a Weekly Rundown every Monday to share the raw results, the execution snags I hit with the Python-MT5 bridge (I already hit one on trade #1!), and how the live data tracks