Intense frustration moving to breakeven+1 in NinjaTrader strategy

May 27th, 2015, 06:31 PM

Hello, All.

I have been working on the following for untold hours, with overly vague feedback from NinjaTrader support and am intensely frustrated.

I have a strategy with a stoploss set in the Initialize() region. The entirety of that region is as follows:

protected override void Initialize()
{
SetStopLoss("", CalculationMode.Ticks, 10, false);
Add(SMA(21));
Add(ADX(14));
CalculateOnBarClose = false;
}

After positions are taken, I am monitoring maximum unrealized P/L in a variable called HighestUPnL. When that amount tops $40 (5 ticks in a $10/tick instrument, less transaction fee), I am TRYING to reset the stop to breakeven-1 tick.

The code intended to do so is as follows (I am just showing for short, though have another condition for long):

// Condition set 3
if (Position.MarketPosition == MarketPosition.Short
&& (HighestUPnL >= 40))
{
SetStopLoss("", CalculationMode.Price, Position.AvgPrice - 1 * TickSize, false);
}

Per NinjaTrader support, the code to move/set the stoploss is correct. However, when I run the strategy, I get errors, upon trying to take a position, that I can't place orders above (or below, depending whether short or long) the market.

If I comment out the line SetStopLoss("", CalculationMode.Price, Position.AvgPrice - 1 * TickSize, false); I get no errors. This, despite the fact that that code SHOULD only run when the position is open and unrealized P/L is above 40.

When the line is not commented out, the strategy will try to place an order (don't know if for entry or for the stop) MANY points away from the current price.

NT support is telling me it's due to a fast moving market, but no market consistently has transient orders at prices dozens of points away from current market value. They recommended I add, above the line to move the stop to breakeven+1, a line so I have:

// Condition set 3
if (Position.MarketPosition == MarketPosition.Short
&& (HighestUPnL >= 40))
{
if (Position.AvgPrice - 1 * TickSize < GetCurrentBid())
{
SetStopLoss("", CalculationMode.Price, Position.AvgPrice - 1 * TickSize, false);
}
}

When I do so, my strategy never places an order. (I did try to incorporate the GetCurrentBid() check incorporated into the one 'if', but never got that to even compile correctly.)

Despite all my emailing, the tech I am working with insists that the way I am trying to do this screws up because the market is moving too fast and my strategy is trying to place orders above/below inappropriately. However, when telling an ATM strategy to move my stop to breakeven+1, there's never any issue, so I think he's full of it. (I'm a neophyte, so I may be wrong.)

So, I have two issues:
1) My initial order fails if I have the code line below NOT commented out:

SetStopLoss("", CalculationMode.Price, Position.AvgPrice - 1 * TickSize, false);

2) I cannot get code that works to move my stop to 1 tick of profit.

I can't even get it to go to breakeven using:

SetStopLoss("", CalculationMode.Price, Position.AvgPrice, false);

Even leaving THAT not commented out makes my initial order fail.

I'm even considering forgetting the stoploss and simply placing limit orders where I want them, but writing the code for that looks even more daunting.

Does anyone have a clue what is going on with this, or have suggestions where to look or what to do? I am fairly desperate, right about now.

May 27th, 2015, 06:57 PM

This is a snippet of code form a robot i wrote, this is actually code that updates both
target and stop to new (higher levels). Use are you own risk

But it might help you forward...

Code

if (mylong == 1 && myturbo2OnOff == 1)
				{
					if (myCCI[0] > myCCI[1] && myCCI[0] > myCCIEMA34[0] && Close [0] > myEMA15[0])
					{ 
						if (High[0] >=  (mylongstop + ((double)myUPDATESTOP /myMULTIPLYER)) && mylongstop > mylongentry )
						{
						 mylongstop = High[0]-((double)8 / myMULTIPLYER);
						 mylongtarget = High [0]+((double)8/myMULTIPLYER);
						 DebugPrint ("Turbo 2 fired, new stop : "+mylongstop+", new target : "+mylongtarget);
 					     SetProfitTarget(CalculationMode.Price,mylongtarget);
					     SetStopLoss(CalculationMode.Price,mylongstop);
						 mynewstop++;
						}
					}
				}

May 27th, 2015, 07:29 PM

rleplae

This is a snippet of code form a robot i wrote, this is actually code that updates both
target and stop to new (higher levels). Use are you own risk

But it might help you forward...

Code

if (mylong == 1 && myturbo2OnOff == 1)
				{
					if (myCCI[0] > myCCI[1] && myCCI[0] > myCCIEMA34[0] && Close [0] > myEMA15[0])
					{ 
						if (High[0] >=  (mylongstop + ((double)myUPDATESTOP /myMULTIPLYER)) && mylongstop > mylongentry )
						{
						 mylongstop = High[0]-((double)8 / myMULTIPLYER);
						 mylongtarget = High [0]+((double)8/myMULTIPLYER);
						 DebugPrint ("Turbo 2 fired, new stop : "+mylongstop+", new target : "+mylongtarget);
 					     SetProfitTarget(CalculationMode.Price,mylongtarget);
					     SetStopLoss(CalculationMode.Price,mylongstop);
						 mynewstop++;
						}
					}
				}

Thanks, Becky. It looks pretty much like the code I already have, but I'll review it and see if I can extract insights from it.

May 27th, 2015, 07:47 PM

In order to understand what you are trying to do and when

please create a logging :
current price
long or short
previous stop limit
stop limit you are trying to establish

As a sugestion
you might change your code into something :
if (long)
stop < current
SetStopLoss..
else
ExitLong..

if (shot)
stop > current
SetStopLoss
else
ExitShort

(be carefull with exitposition, close to stop's, you might have an OverFill ;-)
which is another headacht

May 27th, 2015, 08:22 PM

rleplae

In order to understand what you are trying to do and when

please create a logging :
current price
long or short
previous stop limit
stop limit you are trying to establish

As a sugestion
you might change your code into something :
if (long)
stop < current
SetStopLoss..
else
ExitLong..

if (shot)
stop > current
SetStopLoss
else
ExitShort

(be carefull with exitposition, close to stop's, you might have an OverFill ;-)
which is another headacht

Thank you. The problem I seem to be having is with the syntax of SetStopLoss..., so while your suggestion is good, in terms of cleaning up my code for testing, I'm left with the same syntax that appears to be causing me problems.

April 4th, 2022, 04:18 PM

If you are setting a stop loos for a long you must be 2 ticks above the ask.

This is not Ninja trader specific

April 4th, 2022, 05:34 PM

Bartw

If you are setting a stop loos for a long you must be 2 ticks above the ask.

This is not Ninja trader specific

Thanks, but the post you replied to is from 7 years ago.

I've had the move to breakeven working for a long time.

April 5th, 2022, 10:39 AM

Yeah it came up in a search so I responded.

I am creating my own bracket order Stop and Target always present.

Strategy does it and a separate account watcher does it

Intense frustration moving to breakeven+1 in NinjaTrader strategy

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Intense frustration moving to breakeven+1 in NinjaTrader strategy