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Finaxion Research · Parabolic SAR: follow the dots · single stocks · Recomputed 2026-09-10

Does Parabolic SAR: follow the dots work on FFIV?

Parabolic SAR: follow the dots does not beat buy-and-hold on FFIV: -11.6 points a year over 27 years.

Total return
206.3%
Buy and hold
×55
CAGR
4.2%
Sharpe
0.20
Max drawdown
-89.3%
Trades
599
Out of sample
partly
Years
27
1×10×20002002200420062008201020122014201620182020202220242026
StrategyFFIV

Findings

  1. Parabolic SAR: follow the dots does not beat buy-and-hold on FFIV: -11.6 points a year over 27 years.
  2. Against the S&P 500 over the same window: -4.3 points a year.
  3. Total return +206.3% versus ×55 for buy-and-hold, with 599 trades.
  4. The result holds only partly out of sample.
  5. Maximum drawdown -89.3%.
  6. It beats in neither half of the history (split at 2013).
  7. It ranks #50 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 566419a0cec8.

Exactly what was tested

Long while the close is above the SAR (0.02, 0.02, 0.2); exit when the close drops below the SAR.

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 Parabolic SAR: follow the dots →

How to cite

Finaxion Research (2026). Does Parabolic SAR: follow the dots work on FFIV?. Daily backtest 1962-01-01–2026-08-31, artifact 566419a0cec8. https://finaxion.app/en/research/parabolic-sar/ffiv

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