FINAXIONResearch
Finaxion Research · ADX: trade only in strong trends · single stocks · Recomputed 2026-09-10

Does ADX: trade only in strong trends work on FFIV?

ADX: trade only in strong trends does not beat buy-and-hold on FFIV: -5.8 points a year over 27 years.

Total return
×13
Buy and hold
×55
CAGR
10.0%
Sharpe
0.33
Max drawdown
-71.0%
Trades
857
Out of sample
overfit
Years
27
1×10×20002002200420062008201020122014201620182020202220242026
StrategyFFIV

Findings

  1. ADX: trade only in strong trends does not beat buy-and-hold on FFIV: -5.8 points a year over 27 years.
  2. Against the S&P 500 over the same window: +1.5 points a year.
  3. Total return ×13 versus ×55 for buy-and-hold, with 857 trades.
  4. The result does not hold out of sample: it is overfit.
  5. Maximum drawdown -71.0%.
  6. It beats in neither half of the history (split at 2013).
  7. It ranks #21 of 235 markets for this strategy by annual excess over the S&P 500.

Findings derived from the full panel. Each carries its number and its denominator; the computations are reproducible with artifact 5bea546c394a.

Exactly what was tested

Long while +DI(14) is above −DI(14); flat when −DI overtakes +DI. Next-close execution.

How to read it

The verdict compares the strategy with buying and holding FFIV over the same window, with round-trip costs per asset class. “Out of sample” is walk-forward: the rule is fit on one stretch and judged on the next. A result that beats in the full sample but not out of it is overfit. Full methodology in the protocol. How we test.

Open this backtest with its trades   Trades (CSV)

Every strategy on FFIV → · Full page for ADX: trade only in strong trends →

How to cite

Finaxion Research (2026). Does ADX: trade only in strong trends work on FFIV?. Daily backtest 1962-01-01–2026-08-31, artifact 5bea546c394a. https://finaxion.app/en/research/adx-trend-filter/ffiv

Not a recommendation. Past performance does not guarantee future results.