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Finaxion Research · ICT / Smart Money: the order block · single stocks · Recomputed 2026-09-10

Does ICT / Smart Money: the order block work on SHOP?

ICT / Smart Money: the order block does not beat buy-and-hold on SHOP: -48.5 points a year over 11 years.

Total return
-0.2%
Buy and hold
×87
CAGR
-0.0%
Sharpe
-35.99
Max drawdown
-0.3%
Trades
2
Out of sample
—
Years
11
1×10×100×102×20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
StrategySHOP

Findings

  1. ICT / Smart Money: the order block does not beat buy-and-hold on SHOP: -48.5 points a year over 11 years.
  2. Against the S&P 500 over the same window: -13.9 points a year.
  3. Total return -0.2% versus ×87 for buy-and-hold, with 2 trades.
  4. Maximum drawdown -0.3%.
  5. It beats in neither half of the history (split at 2021).
  6. It ranks #167 of 210 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 543c64263612.

Exactly what was tested

Mechanical approximation: after a 16-bar bullish impulse we mark the last prior bearish candle; a return of price to that zone → entry; exit after 20 bars. ICT is discretionary: this tests the most-cited version, not any specific trader.

How to read it

The verdict compares the strategy with buying and holding SHOP 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 SHOP → · Full page for ICT / Smart Money: the order block →

How to cite

Finaxion Research (2026). Does ICT / Smart Money: the order block work on SHOP?. Daily backtest 1962-01-01–2026-08-31, artifact 543c64263612. https://finaxion.app/en/research/ict-order-block/shop

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