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

Does Parabolic SAR: follow the dots work on MA?

Parabolic SAR: follow the dots does not beat buy-and-hold on MA: -19.1 points a year over 20 years.

Total return
427.3%
Buy and hold
×142
CAGR
8.6%
Sharpe
0.30
Max drawdown
-41.7%
Trades
461
Out of sample
overfit
Years
20
1×10×100×2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
StrategyMA

Findings

  1. Parabolic SAR: follow the dots does not beat buy-and-hold on MA: -19.1 points a year over 20 years.
  2. Against the S&P 500 over the same window: -2.7 points a year.
  3. Total return +427.3% versus ×142 for buy-and-hold, with 461 trades.
  4. The result does not hold out of sample: it is overfit.
  5. Maximum drawdown -41.7%.
  6. It beats in neither half of the history (split at 2016).
  7. It ranks #36 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 MA 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 MA → · Full page for Parabolic SAR: follow the dots →

How to cite

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

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