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

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

ADX: trade only in strong trends does not beat buy-and-hold on TSLA: -19.9 points a year over 16 years.

Total return
×19
Buy and hold
×231
CAGR
20.1%
Sharpe
0.55
Max drawdown
-61.7%
Trades
517
Out of sample
—
Years
16
1×10×100×20112013201520172019202120232025
StrategyTSLA

Findings

  1. ADX: trade only in strong trends does not beat buy-and-hold on TSLA: -19.9 points a year over 16 years.
  2. Against the S&P 500 over the same window: +5.0 points a year.
  3. Total return ×19 versus ×231 for buy-and-hold, with 517 trades.
  4. Maximum drawdown -61.7%.
  5. It beats in neither half of the history (split at 2018).
  6. It ranks #10 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 TSLA 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 TSLA → · Full page for ADX: trade only in strong trends →

How to cite

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

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