The “Z-Score Trend Following Strategy” leverages the Z-score, a statistical measure that gauges the deviation of a price from its moving average, normalized against its standard deviation. This strategy stands out due to its simplicity and effectiveness, particularly in markets where price movements often revert to a mean. Unlike more complex systems that might rely on a multitude of indicators, the Z-Trend strategy focuses on clear, statistically significant price movements, making it ideal for traders who prefer a streamlined, data-driven approach.
Central to this strategy is the calculation of the Z-score. It is derived by taking the difference between the current price and the Exponential Moving Average (EMA) of the price over a user-defined length, then dividing this by the standard deviation of the price over the same length:
z = (x - μ) / σ
Where x is the current price, μ is the EMA mean, and σ is the standard deviation.
Trading signals are generated based on the Z-score crossing predefined thresholds:
These risks can be managed and mitigated through ongoing market analysis, parameter optimization, and prudent implementation based on backtesting.
The “Z-Score Trend Following Strategy,” with its simplicity, robustness, and flexibility, offers a unique perspective for capturing trending opportunities. Through proper parameter settings, prudent risk management, and continuous optimization, this strategy can be a powerful tool for quantitative traders to navigate the ever-changing markets with confidence.
/*backtest start: 2023-04-23 00:00:00 end: 2024-04-28 00:00:00 period: 1d basePeriod: 1h exchanges: [{"eid":"Futures_Binance","currency":"BTC_USDT"}] */ // This Pine Script™ code is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public License 2.0 at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/ // © PresentTrading // This strategy employs a statistical approach by using a Z-score, which measures the deviation of the price from its moving average normalized by the standard deviation. // Very simple and effective approach //@version=5 strategy('Price Based Z-Trend - strategy [presentTrading]',shorttitle = 'Price Based Z-Trend - strategy [presentTrading]', overlay=false, precision=3, commission_value=0.1, commission_type=strategy.commission.percent, slippage=1, currency=currency.USD, default_qty_type=strategy.percent_of_equity, default_qty_value=10, initial_capital=10000) // User-definable parameters for the Z-score calculation and bar coloring tradeDirection = input.string("Both", "Trading Direction", options=["Long", "Short", "Both"]) // User selects trading direction priceDeviationLength = input.int(100, "Standard Deviation Length", step=1) // Length for standard deviation calculation priceAverageLength = input.int(100, "Average Length", step=1) // Length for moving average calculation Threshold = input.float(1, "Threshold", step=0.1) // Number of standard deviations for Z-score threshold priceBar = input(title='Bar Color', defval=true) // Toggle for coloring price bars based on Z-score // Z-score calculation based on user input for the price source (typically the closing price) priceSource = input(close, title="Source") priceZScore = (priceSource - ta.ema(priceSource, priceAverageLength)) / ta.stdev(priceSource, priceDeviationLength) // Z-score calculation // Conditions for entering and exiting trades based on Z-score crossovers priceLongCondition = ta.crossover(priceZScore, Threshold) // Condition to enter long positions priceExitLongCondition = ta.crossunder(priceZScore, -Threshold) // Condition to exit long positions longEntryCondition = ta.crossover(priceZScore, Threshold) longExitCondition = ta.crossunder(priceZScore, -Threshold) shortEntryCondition = ta.crossunder(priceZScore, -Threshold) shortExitCondition = ta.crossover(priceZScore, Threshold) // Strategy conditions and execution based on Z-score crossovers and trading direction if (tradeDirection == "Long" or tradeDirection == "Both") and longEntryCondition strategy.entry("Long", strategy.long) // Enter a long position if (tradeDirection == "Long" or tradeDirection == "Both") and longExitCondition strategy.close("Long") // Close the long position if (tradeDirection == "Short" or tradeDirection == "Both") and shortEntryCondition strategy.entry("Short", strategy.short) // Enter a short position if (tradeDirection == "Short" or tradeDirection == "Both") and shortExitCondition strategy.close("Short") // Close the short position // Dynamic Thresholds Visualization using 'plot' plot(Threshold, "Dynamic Entry Threshold", color=color.new(color.green, 50)) plot(-Threshold, "Dynamic Short Entry Threshold", color=color.new(color.red, 50)) // Color-coding Z-Score priceZScoreColor = priceZScore > Threshold ? color.green : priceZScore < -Threshold ? color.red : color.blue plot(priceZScore, "Z-Score", color=priceZScoreColor) // Lines hline(0, color=color.rgb(255, 255, 255, 50), linestyle=hline.style_dotted) // Bar Color priceBarColor = priceZScore > Threshold ? color.green : priceZScore > 0 ? color.lime : priceZScore < Threshold ? color.maroon : priceZScore < 0 ? color.red : color.black barcolor(priceBar ? priceBarColor : na)