TRADING IQ
Raise Your Trading IQ.
Learn what works. See what doesn't. Backtesting methodology, risk management, and lessons from the variations that failed. 280+ coins analyzed.
Do Fibonacci Retracements Work in Trading?
2026-06-213 min read
Price 'respects' the 0.618 level — until it doesn't. Fibonacci retracements feel mystical and look precise. But there's no mechanism for why a medieval rabbit-breeding ratio would predict crypto prices, and the data behaves exactly like every other support level: it works in hindsight and fails forward.
Do Head and Shoulders Patterns Actually Work?
2026-06-213 min read
Head and shoulders, double tops, flags, wedges — chart patterns are the visual heart of technical analysis. But there's a problem no pattern-trading course mentions: no two traders draw the same pattern, and the data behaves like every other directional signal. We explain why.
Does Copy Trading Work? What to Check Before You Mirror Anyone
2026-06-213 min read
Copy trading lets you mirror a top trader's positions automatically. The pitch is compelling: ride the experts. But leaderboards are built to be gamed, survivorship bias hides the blowups, and the incentives often point away from your interests. Here's how to look at it honestly.
Does Grid Trading Work? The Hidden Risk Nobody Mentions
2026-06-213 min read
Grid bots promise to profit from sideways chop by buying low and selling high on autopilot. The backtests look smooth and the equity curve climbs steadily — until one move erases months of gains. Here's why grid trading is short volatility in disguise, and what that costs you.
Does MACD Work? A Backtest of the Famous Crossover
2026-06-213 min read
MACD crossovers, histogram flips, divergences — a whole language built on one indicator. We backtested MACD signal-line crossovers across 391 coins in our initial research. The win rate was 50%, a literal coin flip, and after fees it lost. Here's why a derivative of two moving averages can't see the future.
Does RSI Work for Crypto Trading? We Backtested It
2026-06-213 min read
Buy when RSI drops below 30, sell when it crosses 70 — the most popular oscillator strategy there is. We tested RSI oversold/overbought entries across 391 coins in our initial research. The win rate was 47%, and the edge after a beta-strip was negative. The reason is a property of RSI everyone forgets.
Does the Golden Cross Actually Work? We Tested It
2026-06-213 min read
The golden cross — the 50-day moving average crossing above the 200-day — is the most famous bullish signal in trading. We backtested moving-average crossovers across 391 coins in our initial research. After fees and a beta-strip, the edge was zero. Here's the data and the reason.
Does Volume Analysis Predict Price? What the Data Shows
2026-06-213 min read
We tested 'volume precedes price' across 98 futures coins. Volume carries real information — but not enough to beat trading costs.
Is Scalping Profitable? The Math of Trading Costs
2026-06-213 min read
Scalping promises many small wins that add up. The problem is arithmetic: the more often you trade, the more times you pay the fee, and at high frequency the cost is larger than any edge a retail trader can find. Here's why scalping is the hardest game to win — and who actually wins it.
The Edge We Thought Survived — And What Killed It
2026-06-21Updated 2026-09-064 min read
We beta-stripped every directional strategy and they all died. One thing survived the strip — and then our own real-quote backtest killed that too. What the premium still shows, and why the vehicle failed.
Trendlines Don't Bounce: 116,400 Trades Say So
2026-06-213 min read
Drawing a line under the lows and buying the touch is the most-taught chart pattern there is. We tested it across 391 coins and 116,400 trades in our initial research. The win rate was 39%. Here's why trendlines look perfect in hindsight and fail going forward.
We Tested Everything. Here's the Complete Verdict.
2026-06-21Updated 2026-09-063 min read
Indicators, patterns, timeframes, exits, coin types, combinations, machine learning, options. Months of exhaustive testing, millions of trades, every result beta-stripped. This is the unedited verdict on what beats the market — and what doesn't.
What We're Validating Live — Before Risking a Single Dollar
2026-06-21Updated 2026-09-064 min read
We found what looked like one real edge and put it through a gate before any real money went in. The gate returned NO-GO on 2026-07-22. Here is the gate, the verdict, and why nothing was traded.
Why an 87% Win Rate Can Still Lose Money
2026-06-214 min read
We ran the same strategy entry with seven different exits. The win rate moved from 21% to 87% — and every single version lost money. Here is the conservation law that explains why, with real data.
Why Stacking Indicators Doesn't Create an Edge
2026-06-213 min read
RSI plus MACD plus a volume filter plus a trend confirmation — surely combining signals is stronger than one alone? We tested every combination. It isn't. Here's the math of why correlated signals stack into beta, not alpha.
Week of 2026-06-15: Stochastic RSI LONG leads, HV Squeeze drops
2026-06-15Updated 2026-09-292 min read
Weekly crypto strategy rankings — 24 strategies tested across top-50 coins.
Week of 2026-06-08: HV Squeeze leads, Stochastic RSI LONG drops
2026-06-08Updated 2026-09-292 min read
Weekly crypto strategy rankings — 22 strategies tested across top-50 coins.
Week of 2026-06-01: Stochastic RSI leads, SuperTrend LONG drops
2026-06-01Updated 2026-09-292 min read
Weekly crypto strategy rankings — 24 strategies tested across top-50 coins.
Week of 2026-05-25: Mean Reversion LONG leads, Momentum BOTH drops
2026-05-25Updated 2026-09-292 min read
Weekly crypto strategy rankings — 27 strategies tested across top-50 coins.
Week of 2026-05-18: Ichimoku leads, HV Squeeze LONG drops
2026-05-18Updated 2026-09-293 min read
Weekly crypto strategy rankings — 27 strategies tested across top-50 coins.