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Finaxion Research · 2-day RSI (the Connors rule) · single stocks · Recomputed 2026-09-10

Does 2-day RSI (the Connors rule) work on PYPL?

2-day RSI (the Connors rule) does not beat buy-and-hold on PYPL: -7.4 points a year over 11 years.

Total return
-37.0%
Buy and hold
44.7%
CAGR
-4.1%
Sharpe
-0.31
Max drawdown
-57.7%
Trades
247
Out of sample
—
Years
11
0.6×1×4.3×8.1×20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
StrategyPYPL

Findings

  1. 2-day RSI (the Connors rule) does not beat buy-and-hold on PYPL: -7.4 points a year over 11 years.
  2. Against the S&P 500 over the same window: -18.4 points a year.
  3. Total return -37.0% versus +44.7% for buy-and-hold, with 247 trades.
  4. Maximum drawdown -57.7%.
  5. It did not beat before 2021 and started afterwards.
  6. It ranks #230 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 c0e771fe25fb.

Exactly what was tested

RSI(2) crosses below 10 → entry. RSI(2) crosses above 65 → exit. Next-close execution. No trend filter (we test the rule as it circulates).

How to read it

The verdict compares the strategy with buying and holding PYPL 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 PYPL → · Full page for 2-day RSI (the Connors rule) →

How to cite

Finaxion Research (2026). Does 2-day RSI (the Connors rule) work on PYPL?. Daily backtest 1962-01-01–2026-08-31, artifact c0e771fe25fb. https://finaxion.app/en/research/rsi-2-connors/pypl

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