Which markets carry the edge
Run the same 10 strategies over 11.8 years of daily candles and the result differs sharply from one kind of market to the next. After spread, Metals returned +6.4R per 100 trades and Crypto returned -5.1R. Across everything pooled, 92,117 trades returned -3.0R per 100.
Last updated 30 September 2026. Figures from the scanner run of 2026-11-01, daily candles, market data through 2026-11-01.
One set of rules, 7 asset classes
| Asset class | Markets | Trades | Reached target | Before spread | After spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FX majors | 7 | 12,678 | 48.0% | -4.1R | -4.5R |
| FX crosses | 21 | 33,300 | 48.4% | -3.2R | -4.1R |
| FX exotics | 18 | 21,838 | 50.6% | +1.3R | -4.2R |
| Metals | 3 | 2,777 | 53.7% | +7.5R | +6.4R |
| Energy | 2 | 3,622 | 51.3% | +2.7R | +2.3R |
| Indices | 12 | 13,830 | 50.6% | +1.1R | +0.1R |
| Crypto | 8 | 4,072 | 48.6% | -2.7R | -5.1R |
| Everything | 71 | 92,117 | 49.5% | -1.0R | -3.0R |
The pooled result across everything is below zero after costs. That single figure is the honest summary of taking every signal on every market, and it is why nobody should.
Every figure is from the backtested record STS Trading publishes: fixed rules run over real price history, one trade at a time, entered at market unless the piece says otherwise. Markets are pooled at one fixed target and none is left out. R per 100 trades is what 100 trades made or lost, in units of the amount risked on each.
It is a description of past data. It is not a forecast and not advice, and slippage and overnight financing are not included.
The same comparison by strategy
| Strategy | Trades | Reached target | Before spread | After spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrendSniper | 19,651 | 49.7% | -0.6R | -2.9R |
| Dipper | 12,454 | 50.4% | +0.7R | -1.7R |
| Squeeze | 1,040 | 50.1% | +0.2R | -1.8R |
| Rider | 2,339 | 50.2% | +0.4R | -3.2R |
| IDS | 15,324 | 49.5% | -1.1R | -2.5R |
| Engulfing | 6,065 | 48.9% | -2.3R | -3.3R |
| ThreeBar | 17,694 | 50.0% | +0.0R | -1.8R |
| Donchian | 2,830 | 41.6% | -17R | -17R |
| VWAP Reversion | 716 | 49.3% | -1.4R | -5.4R |
| SuperTrend | 14,004 | 49.4% | -1.1R | -3.4R |
Set the two tables side by side. After spread, the asset classes run from -5.1R to +6.4R per 100 trades, and the strategies from -17R to -1.7R. Which rule is only half the question. Where it is applied is the other half, and a pooled strategy figure hides it.
What this does and does not show
- It shows that a rule's record is not one number. It is one number per market, and they disagree.
- It does not show that the better classes will stay better. Markets that trended hard in one direction for years flatter any rule that followed them, and that can end.
- It does not pick a market for you. A class average hides individual markets on both sides of it.
- Classes with few markets rest on few independent histories, however many trades they hold.