What Backtesting does

Backtesting replays a strategy over past sessions and reports what it would have done: an equity curve, a set of figures and a trade log. Open it from Backtesting in the sidebar, at https://app.orbitalaip.com/backtesting.

Four things live here:

  • A strategy is a saved workflow that Backtesting tracks. Its rule cards, its program in Rust, or a list of signals supplied to a run decides what it trades.
  • A version is a numbered snapshot of a strategy's nodes and code: v1, v2 and so on. One version carries the Main mark. A run's settings, such as capital, costs and benchmark, are recorded with the run, so one version can be tested under several settings.
  • A run is one backtest of a version over a period. Every run is kept.
  • A forward test freezes a completed run and re-runs it through each newly settled session, on the same chart and trade list.

Build your first strategy in Your first strategy and run it in Your first backtest.

The Backtesting app must be on in the project. If the page reads Backtesting is turned off in this project, click Manage apps in Settings. See Apps.

Saving a strategy enrols it

There is no separate step that creates a strategy. Save a workflow whose graph qualifies and Backtesting lists it at once. A graph qualifies when an Entry Rule or Program node decides and an Output node declares the columns symbol, action and asOf. Backtesting also lists a graph decided by a trading Agent node. The strategy takes the workflow's name and follows it when the workflow is renamed.

A new strategy is a Draft. It becomes Tested when its first backtest completes. Once listed, a strategy stays listed whatever later edits do to its graph; each run judges the graph it is given.

New strategy at the top right opens a menu with Write code. It creates a workflow named Untitled code strategy and opens the code editor on its Program node. A project with no strategies shows two cards in place of the list. Describe it sends your description to Chat with Draft and test it. Write code does the same as the menu item, from Open the code editor.

The Strategies list

Strategies is the home view. A line at the top right says how far the daily and minute data reach.

Filters sit above the list: All, Paper, Tested and Draft, each with its count. Search strategies, a sort menu, Columns (Simple or Full) and List or Gallery follow.

Each row shows the name, the version and a line such as Rules · Daily · SPY · 2020-01 → 2024-12. The columns are State, Trend, Return, Max DD, Profitable trades and Last run; Full adds Alpha/yr and Evidence. Evidence shows the deflated Sharpe ratio; see Avoiding overfitting. A page holds 50 rows.

Hover a row for a run button and a menu with Run…, Code or Workflow, and Delete…. Tick rows to open a tray with Compare, Run again… when one row is ticked, and Delete….

Strategies that have never run are folded into a group at the foot, such as 15 drafts, not run yet. Open it to see each one with Run first test….

Gallery shows a card per strategy with its curve against the benchmark; Scale sets Each or Shared. In the list view, Map plots return per year against deepest drawdown, and a dot opens its strategy. See Gallery and map.

Strategy tabs

The strip across the top holds Backtesting, a tab for each strategy you have opened, up to eight, and a + that opens Find a strategy. Each tab shows a state dot and the version tag. Tabs are remembered in your browser. In the + menu, Close other tabs keeps the tab on screen and closes the rest; on the Strategies list it reads Close all tabs.

The strategy page

A strategy's page has four views, Overview, Report, Trades and Runs, and Workflow or Code opens the editor. Its actions are Run…, Cancel run… while a run is in flight, and Make main under More actions. A completed run of a Rules or Program strategy also offers Forward test…, unless a forward test is already running. See The strategy page.

Compare

Compare puts up to 20 strategies on one chart, rebased to 100 on the first day they all have data, with a Drawdown pane under it. A table of each run's figures and Correlation of daily returns follow. Compare opens once a strategy has a completed run. See Compare strategies.

Deleting a strategy

Delete… moves the strategy's workflow and its runs to Trash. Restore it within 30 days from Settings → Trash, or click Undo on the toast. See Manage and delete strategies.

From Claude or ChatGPT