Universum 55/50 robot review - CANCELLED - LIVE ACCOUNT

[PipCop]

The Universum EA has been paroled, with more cautious settings, and is graciously being watched over by ElectricSavant who will be this EA's "Parole Officer". ElectricSavant has agreed to share his LIVE trading account with us, so here is the information you need:

EA settings:
EURUSD
Chart: H1
Lot size 0.02

Investor login information:

Server: 66.114.105.89:443
Acct#: 27603
Password: universum3.0

And here are the results:

FireFox users warning:
Statements are sometimes cached by your browser!
Click the blue statement link (above this window) to update it!

Should I buy/use this EA on a live account? - Government Required disclaimer - Earnings disclaimer

es

[ElectricSavant]

This statement is showing some old stuff...Universum will start Tuesday. This is a live account and I am awaiting funding to bring the starting balance to 5K. I will be transferring funds from some other live accounts tomorrow. So when viewing the statement understand the start date will be Tuesday at the London open.

Hopefully by starting this thread early we can solve this problem so the site reports the correct stats for the Universum 3.0 live trading with 5K.

I do not think IBFX will let me have anymore live accounts...The last time I asked them compliance had to approve me and it took some extra days. They may not let me have a 10th account...hehe....

Maybe admin has another way to solve this....in any event it is good we started early and we have time to deal with this...

Things happen very quickly here...there is a lot going on behind the scenes...this is truly a good forum with very active administration...I am not new to all of this, but I am learning some stuff. I am glad I came here.


ES

[PipCop]

I think for now we'll be fine. Viewers just need to take into account that this is a live account, and as such there will be deposit and withdrawl activity, so they will have to independently review the trades that are made and the outcome.

I want to say thanks to ElectricSavant for taking the time and energy to maintain both the live account and publishing this EA according to the site policies!

[ElectricSavant]

I will post stats here in the thread as I keep a spreadsheet anyways. I consider the statement just a way to keep me honest and out of jail. ☺

eS

[ElectricSavant]

Traders, Speculators & Investors,

ok ready to trade! There is 5K in this IBFX mini account now (Yes! it's LIVE! ☺)...For those of you following along Thank You for reading and tell your friends to come here. Even if they think that this martingle is a stupid way to trade ok?....I can take it....tell them to come here and watch me blow up (this is human nature and fun!). I have invited a few noteworthy professional traders here to this site to watch this...perhaps they will contribute and perhaps they will not...They usually lurk quietly and know me well...The admin of this site is a cut above and there will be great things happening in the future at PipCop. This is not a novice site as you can see by the forum software and the demeaner of the posters here.

My PM's are turned off because I want to encourage you to post in this thread with your questions. There are not any stupid questions.

I will turn this fully automatic EA on when we reach the London Open or an hour before (about 4 hrs. from now) and the first trade will start on the EUR/USD H1. This is the only pair and TF that I trade with this EA, thus far. Note: be careful if you are trading along with me ....if you start the EA in the middle of the hour it will open a trade immediatly when you turn it on...so wait until the top of the hour ok? This EA is stable and I have traded it for several months, before coming to PipCop. The platform can be turned off and rebooted without losing track of where it left off and again there are no notice bugs that I can find. You can expect 5-8 entries per 24hr period.

We are trading with 0.02 Lots and this EA doubles the lotsize each time it loses (plus sometimes it add 0.01).

This is the chunk of code dealing with the lotsize:



double getLots() {
if (IsOptimization() && fastoptimize) {
return(lots);
}

losses = 0;
double minlot = MarketInfo(Symbol(), MODE_MINLOT);
int round = MathAbs(MathLog(minlot) / MathLog(10.0)) + 0.5;
double result = lots;
int total = OrdersHistoryTotal();
double spread = MarketInfo(Symbol(), MODE_SPREAD);
double k = (tp + sl ) / (tp - spread );
for (int i = 0; i < total; i++) {
OrderSelect(i, SELECT_BY_POS, MODE_HISTORY);
if (OrderSymbol() == Symbol() && OrderMagicNumber() == mn) {
if (OrderProfit() > 0) {
result = lots;
losses = 0;
} else {
result = result * k;
losses++;
}
}
}
result = NormalizeDouble(result, round);
double maxlot = MarketInfo(Symbol(), MODE_MAXLOT);
if (result > maxlot) {
result = maxlot;
}
if (result < minlot) {
mn = mn + 1;
}
RefreshRates();
return(result);
}


The TP to SL ratio is a 1.1:1 (55/50).

There is only one trade placed at the open of each 1 Hr. candlestick . At the beginning of each candlestick if the trade is still open a 2nd. trade will not be opened. The only way a trade will be opened is if the candlestick opens and we are flat. The Demarker level is used to determine direction. The EA remembers if it lost or won previously to determine if it will start over at 0.02 lotsize or if it will double where it left off. There is not a limit to the doubling and it will continue until there is not any margin left. You can expect 5-8 entries per 24hr. period.






For this to blow up:

• Many losses to exceed the capacity of 5k
  
• The Demarker would need to be repeatedly wrong
  
• The range would need to be diminished over a long period

There are times I turn this EA off...Holidays, Fridays and Mid NFP week, so please do not worry about my money.

Good Trading to us and Welcome to Universum 3.0 with a twist

ElectricSavant™ ☺

Started: 10/14/08 05:00 (gmt)
# of Day's Traded: 1
Balance: $5,000.00
Equity: $5,000.00
Max Trade size seen: 0.02

[ElectricSavant]

Well... the first trade did not need to compound (martingale) and we hit our TP with one try (nice first trade). The trade took 5hrs. and 16 minutes (ok...we got a little lucky). I cannot post here as each trade is completed, but I will try and update the stats often with some meaningful commentary. I do hope you enjoy this thread and I can provide the challenge necessary for growth for all levels of traders.

Thank you Tom DeMark
I place your work and indicators right up there with Support & Resistance . In my opinion, all traders that are serious should read Tom DeMarks work.

This seems to be the chunk of code dealing with this entry direction (notice it does not deal with exhaustion, just levels above 0.5):

if (iDeMarker(Symbol(), 0, p, 0) > 0.5) {
RefreshRates();
ticket = OrderSend(Symbol(), OP_BUY, lt, Ask, 1, Bid - sl * Point , Bid + tp * Point , WindowExpertName(), mn, 0, Blue);
if (ticket < 0) {
Sleep(30000);
prevtime = Time[1];
}



ElectricSavant™ (Are we enjoying oursleves yet?)

P.S. The natural thing would be to add the second filter for entry...like RSI above and below 50 to confirm (also exhaustion levels above 70 and below 30 could be meaningful to not trade during those breaches)...but lets watch for a while ok? I have put a 14 period RSI on my EUR/USD H1 chart to watch the 14P DeMarker with.

P.P.S. There are many that believe and use backtesting extensively and rather than go into a lengthy debate as to the validity of backtesting with MT4...well lets not go there ok? I am not a backtester, I only forward test preferably with a live account and 0.01 lotsize. This method is dangerous even with 0.01 lotsize, so forward testing takes a long time and change or adjustments arrive slowly as this is real money.

P.P.P.S. Now some of you that are more advanced need to identify range and trend . Do I use an oscillator or a trend inndicator? Let's watch and discover information about when the DeMarker fails and what that market condition is...what time it is?....is there news?.... bla bla bla

P.P.P.P.S. "Blah Blah Blah" & "Blah Blah Blah" .....

Started: 10/14/08 05:00 (gmt)
# of Day's Traded: 1
Balance: $5,000.00
Equity: $5,001.06
Projected APR (Annual ROI): 7.67%
Max trade size seen: 0.02

[ElectricSavant]

So now we have had three trades, 2 winners and one loser. I am sure you can see that we easily can get around 5-8 entries per 24hr. period. For those of you that live in the USA and have IBFX, make sure you get the rebates from IBFX:

Rebates directly from IBFX

ES

P.S. I have checked two live IBFX accounts side by side...one with the rebates and one without the rebates and there is no difference in fills. I have always believed these third party rebate companies that you have read about are to good too be true...somebody pays for those rebates and I just do not believe that the dealer does without altering the feed...the fill...etc...But with IBFX I have verified it is a true rebate without any shenanigans and there is not any third party company providing the service...it is IBFX that administrates it and offers it.

Started: 10/14/08 05:00 (gmt)
# of Day's Traded: 1
Balance: $5,000.00
Equity: $5,002.14
Projected APR (Annual ROI): 15.70%
Max trade size seen: 0.04

[ElectricSavant]

Readers,

I digress a little (a lot). It is important that you find an EA that you can live with. You must be able to "live" with it "day-in & day-out".

Trading can be boring and automation can even cause you to be more complacent. Remember that automation always requires monitoring. Just because it is automation does not mean that you can leave it running unattended. Even though Universum 3.0 is a stable EA, I would never leave my money and Universum alone. I would never leave any EA alone with my money.

Automation for many provides a way to manage your emotions....remember we all have emotions and its the management of them that matters in trading. Each day is a new day you get the whole spectrum of reality ... memory.....optimism ... pessimism... physical and chemical ...... each day is a new day and what you carry forward can be different for a creative person vs. an analytical person. I personally am a creative person and I grow bored with trading.

So, again your trading must fit you like a good fitting shoe. You will get bored. You can write in the Forums as I do, to pass the time...or do other activities that do not lead you away from the computer. You do not need to be glued to it with automation, like you do when pulling the trigger with manual trading...BUT YOU STILL GOTTA' BE THERE. I think that the better fit you get the more time you can give a method to work.

Many novice traders jump from system to system, sometimes leaving the system prematurely during an adverse market condition. Novice traders prefer high win rates and can not endure times of losing trades. They have too high of expectations and never stick with any method long enough to evaluate what the year will give them. Do you realize that if you can make 30% a year for ten years straight that you would be the best trader in the world?

Now I am not a martingale fan or a grid trading fan. I prefer clean trading with stop losses and TP 's (hidden), but when I ran across Universum at the MQL code base the gambler in me had to try ☺:

Universum EA thread and download at MQL


I tested it (I really do not know why...I think it is the gambling side of me) and I liked the idea that the martingale was broken up with 1 hr. increments. There really is very rarely an instance that the choppiness would last long enough to blow up a well capitalized account, especially using DeMark indications. A simple discretionary shutting down during anticipated slow movements, gaps & spikes on the correct symbol is all that is needed. BUT REMEMBER THE CONSEQUENCES TO BEING WRONG IS A TOTAL COLLAPSE OF YOUR ACCOUNT WITHOUT ANY MONEY LEFT. WELCOME TO REAL TRADING !

I think where many people go wrong with Universum is they do not have enough capital and their lot size does not start at 0.01. I believe this is why IBFX is the best choice for a dealer to trade Universum with. The nickles and dimes we are making live right here in front of your faces may seem trivial...this is why I added the projected APR to the stats in blue at the bottom of my posts for you to see how the coin adds up and a benchmark for you to see what it means. The administrator here seems to share the curiosity for this EA and has given it a first ...a second and now a third chance. I believe it was a crime to put Universim in Jail and the clemency granted will not be wasted. ☺

Anyways during the day believe it or not I work a full time job while watching Universum...I love to write so I take many breaks throughout the day here in my home office for the California company that I work for. I probably love writing as much as I love trading. Some say, I do neither very well hehe...☺ Recently I am not trading well and you can see my live portfolio here but I must caution you that it takes a long time to download.

ElectricSavant's™ Spreadsheet

ES

P.S. If you are enjoying this thread, please PM the administration here and tell them. I want to be successful with this thread as I am testing another system that I want to share here using support and resistance with another filter. I have altered the code slightly and use the EA in an unconventional way (19 pair, but it picks the best one to trade when it pulls the trigger and only trades one pair at a time). It is making an obscene amount of money in my forward tests....This is a good fitting shoe for me as I have always believed in support and resistance and many traders better than I , have explained that using support and resistance , is the best way to trade.

[ElectricSavant]

TradeVestors,

5 trades completed this first day (gmt)....it was slow....Many of you are laughing at these nickles and dimes I know...but if you read my earlier posts you would have read if you can yield 30% a year every year for ten years you would be the greatest trader in the world. If I am wrong speak up...I know of no trader that has beaten that....they always have a down year in the mix.

At the top of the next day gmt time (1/2 hr. from now) we will start off short . This time of the trading sessions is very slow, but I will let Universum execute...what the heck...(DeMark < 0.5) interestingly the RSI is below 50 also...but not into the exhaustion zone. This EA does not use RSI, I am just observing it.

I suggest for most of you this thread can be very boring....but remember I am the tortoise and everything is slow about me. I am not the sharpest nail in the shed and I post in "plain speak". So most of you only need to check in here occasionally to see what is going on...I will catch up to you in the years to come after you blow up a few times ok?

ElectricVestor☺


Started: 10/14/08 05:00 (gmt)
# of Day's Traded: 1
Balance: $5,000.00
Equity: $5,003.19
Projected APR (Annual ROI): 23.36%
Max trade size seen: 0.04

[PipCop]

Very nicely done, and thank you for the multitude of information. You have me thinking, which is always a dangerous thing!

My trade server rebuild is nearing completion, I am just fighting with VMWare server which does not want to install. I will likely pursue this tomorrow as I am quite tired.