Approach
Rules first, then risk, then the trade.
Crestrado replaces discretionary judgement with a written process. The same market conditions should lead to the same decision, whatever happened in the previous trade.
Philosophy
A systematic reading of market conditions.
Crestrado was founded on the view that a systematic, evidence-based understanding of market dynamics gives a durable edge, especially in leveraged markets where emotional decisions are expensive.
The indicator and the rules around it are the product of more than a decade of research, and they have traded a live account since 2015. They are refined as markets change, and changes are tested against data before they are used.
From signal to position
Three checks, in the same order every time.
Each check can stop a trade. None of them can force one.
- Step 1
Read the regime
The in-house indicator measures volatility conditions in each market and turns them into a consistent reading, so the same situation produces the same assessment regardless of recent wins or losses.
- Step 2
Confirm the setup
A reading that favours a position is checked against multi-layered technical analysis across timeframes and against prevailing market conditions before an order is placed.
- Step 3
Set the exposure
The risk framework, not conviction, decides how much exposure to take and when to reduce it. When conditions are not right, capital stays undeployed.
In detail
What we trade and how we manage it.
- Markets
Gold (XAU/USD) is the primary market, alongside silver (XAG/USD) and major currency pairs.
Focus is deliberate: depth in a few liquid markets is worth more to the process than breadth across many.
- The indicator
Developed entirely in-house, the indicator analyses market volatility objectively. Its construction is proprietary and not published, but what it measures and how it is used are described here and reflected in the research notes.
- Risk framework
The indicator's reading, technical analysis and market conditions together determine exposure. Risk management comes before the return target, not after it.
Capital is not always deployed at all. Through 2025 the strategy took no positions, and the account was allocated to equities instead. Not trading is a decision the framework is allowed to make.
- Research and testing
Market views are built from quantitative research and statistical validation. Our research notes set out scenarios and the evidence behind them.
- What we don't publish
The indicator's formulas, live positions and individual trade signals are not published on this website.
See how the process has performed.
The half-year track record of the firm's own account, with drawdowns, methodology and the periods when it took no positions.