Questions, answered.
Getting started
Do I need to pay to try it?
No. Sim and demo accounts never need a license. Create a trial account, download the strategy and trade all 30 strategies in simulation with no time limit.
Which brokers does it work with?
Any brokerage account you can trade from the NinjaTrader 8 desktop platform.
Do I need a VPS?
For sim, your own computer is fine as long as NinjaTrader stays running through the session. For live trading we recommend a Chicago VPS, about $70 a month, so the platform runs close to the exchange without depending on your home connection.
How much capital do I need?
We suggest $5,000 per contract, plus your broker's day-trading margin. Add contracts only as the account grows. Each strategy is capped at 10 contracts so larger orders don't introduce excess slippage.
Using Trade Assist
How do I switch strategies?
Click Trade Strategy on the one you want in Trade Assist. A running TradeAssistES picks up the change within about a minute while no trade is open, with no need to disable and re-enable it. A change made during a trade is applied once that trade closes. Each strategy still takes only one trade per day.
How do I check which strategy NinjaTrader is trading?
Look at the bottom-left of the chart. TradeAssistES shows the strategy it is trading with its target, stop and start time, and updates it whenever your selection changes. The Strategies tab in NinjaTrader's Control Center keeps showing the values from when the strategy was enabled, so go by the chart.
When are new results available?
Every trading day by about 6:00 pm Central. The optimization starts after the close, and Trade Assist is unavailable from about 3:00 pm until it finishes.
Why did my strategy's parameters change?
Rankings are recalculated nightly. If CS02 beats CS01, they swap and CS01 takes the better parameters. Check your strategy each morning.
Why do two tiers sometimes list the same strategy?
Each tier is ranked independently every night. A strategy that qualifies for more than one tier, for example by having both low drawdown and strong consistency, can appear in both lists with the same parameters.
Which chart should the strategy run on?
An ES 1-minute chart with Trading hours set to US Equities RTH. All optimizations use RTH 1-minute data and the Parabolic SAR is calculated from RTH bars, so a full-session chart produces different entries from the backtest and from the trades we report daily.
Can I trade my own settings instead of the nightly strategies?
Yes. In the strategy's settings on your chart, turn Use Default Settings on (or Automatic Parameter Update off) and enter your own Profit Target, Stop Loss and Start Time. TradeAssistES trades those values and ignores your Trade Assist selection. Switch back to Automatic Parameter Update on and Use Default Settings off to follow Trade Assist again.
What happens if NinjaTrader restarts during a trade?
The strategy checks for its stop and target when it reconnects and resubmits any that are missing.
What if your server is unreachable?
A licensed live account that was verified within the last seven days keeps trading on its last confirmed license.
Results and risk
Are the results on this site real trading?
No. Strategy figures come from the nightly backtest and are hypothetical. They are not the record of any live account. Read the full disclaimer.
Can I lose money?
Yes. Futures trading involves substantial risk, losing trades will occur and you can lose more than your initial investment. Trade only risk capital.
Licensing
What does the lifetime license include?
The TradeAssistES strategy and Trade Assist portal access for live trading on one activated account, nightly optimization for the life of the license, installation by our team and a training session. See pricing.
How do I pay?
By bank wire or ACH, or by PayPal invoice. Installment plans are available; ask us on your demo call.
Can I move my license to a different account?
Yes. Each license covers one live account at a time. Contact us with the new account number and we will move the activation.
Can I trade more than one live account?
Each license covers one live account. Contact us about licensing additional accounts.
Is the license refundable?
No. All license and onboarding fees are final. The free sim trial lets you run every strategy for as long as you like before you buy.